Women in Anime: An interview with Nobuyuki TsugataWe first thought of interviewing the father of Studio Ghibli, the legendary director Mr. Miyazaki himself. Why so many leading ladies in his films, was he some sort of feminist? Did he see women as an antidote to the modern mess of mass civilisation? But fate sent us to meet Nobuyuki Tsugata, Japan’s leading animation historian. Firstly why did you become an animation historian? I was involved in animation like most Japanese children from an early age, but I was not an “otaku” (an anime fanatic). I actually studied insects and agricultural science. I worked for an environmental company for ten years and Anime was just a hobby. Friends of mine were manga artists, and I became more and more involved in researching. I realised that no one had really documented the early development of Japanese Anime…so I started to write on the subject and then I published and became a teacher and historian. Has Japanese Anime always been multi-genre like live action cinema? It has been like this since the beginning of the 1960s. In the last 15 years studio Ghibli have produced many films that have reached international audiences. Many of these films have female characters playing the lead–
It has nothing to do with women’s status in society. Traditionally, yes women’s status was lower but there is no correlation between the two now. I’m not a woman of course, but I don’t think their status is lower anymore. Ghibli was not the first anime director to use women characters more than men. There was a famous anime TV show in the 1960’s called “Sally the witch”. It was the first show aimed specifically at girls but boys loved it too. So female characters were appealing to both male and female audiences. However each gender has a different attractiveness as a story telling tool. But why do you think women are so popular as lead characters? It’s difficult to say. Men are attracted to women for many different reasons. But one attractive quality is the strength of a woman. Many of the female lead characters in the Studio Ghibli films possess attributes like bravery and selflessness in the face of ecological disaster or capitalism or the pressures of self-sufficiancy and community living. Do you think the audiences of modern Anime films believe that women possess the power to save civilisation from the negative aspects of modern society? I think that these films definitely reflect Mr. Miyazaki’s views but not the general animation industry in Japan since male heroes exist as well. Why do you think Studio Ghibli’s films especially Spirited Away and Howls Moving Castle etc have become so popular in the West? I have been asked this question many times in interviews. But it’s not really a question I can answer since I am Japanese. And I could never really answer the question until you started asking me about the significance of the female characters. And now I think I know the answer. I think it is because of these female characters that these films are so popular in the West. But tell me, why do you like these characters so much? Well, they are brave, heroic, intelligent, yet sensitive, fragile and weak and they struggle with real issues like loneliness and independence but overcome all hardships through strength, creativity, exploration, friendship, hard work, persistence, generosity and love. I think that’s probably why Japanese audiences love these characters as well. Why is 2-D Animation so powerful as a medium to illustrate such characters? Animation immediately suggests fiction. The audience watches it as something that is not happening in reality and therefore totally accepts it. Women are thought of as physically weaker than men in reality but in Anime they can be just as strong. If you make a live action film with a woman, there would be a gap between the reality of what the audience see and what they know. Anime shows “real” strength and takes us away from the realm of the physical stereotype. Would Nausicaa be more of a house-hold name in Japan than say Snow White? To younger generations, of 30 and under, yes, but to the older generations, Disney would still be a more famous model. Are there any worlds with typical features that are used frequently in Anime? Yes, but it depends on the time in history. At the moment, a common feature of modern Anime is “moe”. This is a Japanese term for a feeling one gets when they watch a character. It makes the viewer’s heart beat faster because they are in awe and captivated by the character's strength. It’s a fashion now to make sure any female characters have this “moe” effect on men. Does this make it difficult for women in Japan to live up to such an ideal? I don’t think Japanese girls try to reach “moe” in reality, it’s specific to animation and it doesn’t interfere with real-life. Did pornographic Manga influence the use of female lead characters in Manga and anime films and TV series? Despite the moral integrity of Nausicaa as a character, she is very sexy, you can see under her short dress at times. Pornographic Anime is considered as something very separate. These films just contain sex and are orientated towards adults only. But there are sex scenes in ordinary Anime and some animators are critisised because of this. But they won’t disappear because the audience accept it as something that can exist in animation. Do you think animated porn is good or bad for Feminism? What do you think? Anime is fantasy so it shouldn’t affect human behavior as much like in live action porn. What do Japanese audiences think of 3-D animation, like Shrek and Toy Story etc? Anime means 2-D to Japanese animators. They don’t like 3-D. However, some animators have used aspects of 3-D technology to illustrate the backgrounds. Do you think the West will hold anymore influence in the East? Or Do you think Japanese animation techniques will start influencing the West? I think they will be mutually influenced by each other. Finally, what’s your favorite Anime character ever? Miss Nagumo, a detective from a cartoon Patlabor: The Mobile Police directed by the animator of Ghost in the Shell Mamoru Oshi. It’s about robotic police. Why do you like her so much? Because of her intelligence. ---------------------------- And so it appears, that the notion of the submissive Japanese female is contradictory to what the reality of these story-lines suggest. Women are revered and respected for their intelligence and strength in Japanese animation. The accuracy of the female struggle as depicted by these films is a breath of fresh air to the Western female, who as it turns out feels less empowered by the stories told on her side of the globe. And so rather than these films and TV series purporting a new sort of standard for modern women, their popularity in the West is showing that Western female viewers and perhaps male ones too are beginning to realise to what extent women in the West are still being objectified and misunderstood.
Some facts about Japanese Anime -At present there are up to 80 animated series with diverse story lines and themes, targeted at different age groups on Japanese Television. Some for young adults are even screened in the middle of the night. -Japan has the biggest production output of animation in the world. -Up until the 1950’s, Japanese animators only used the expensive Disney style full animation technique, to make children's films. They developed limited animation, a cheaper technique using less pictures, to make weekly TV series. -No thought is given to how Japanese animation will be received in other countries.
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above: Nausicaa from the 1985 animated masterpiece. "Nausicaa of the valley of the wind"
