Ask John: Why is there No Anime About Real Life Politics?

Question:
Why is no anime about real Japanese politics? Like we have anime that have political themes in them like Akira or Zipang, but the politics are always fictional. Why is there no anime about the LDP or DPJ and the Prime Minister?

Answer:
Anime tends to cover a large variety of subjects, but real-life political events and extened concentration on real political figures occurs very rarely. In the rare case that a political figure is depicted by anime, the coverage is something like Gonzo’s animated contribution to the “Daremo Shiranai Koizumi Junichiro no Shoutai” biography of former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi rather than an incisive, dramatic political affair. I may be mistaken, but I think that there are two primary reasons why real contemporary Japanese politics are usually ignored by anime.

Concerns over accuracy and the potential for controversy may provide some deterrent for screenwriters and animators. Since politics is already a very polarizing subject, animators may not want to risk inviting criticism by unfairly or inaccurately depicting real politicians or speculative dramatization of real political events. The dramatization of real political situations in animation or live action always carries the risk of distorting the truth and creating public misperceptions. However, the fact that real life individuals and situations are sometimes the subject of anime suggests that the realm of real life politics isn’t an unapproachable subject for anime.

Entertainment and sports celebrities sometimes receive anime biographies or cameo appearances because they’re entertainment figures. Prime minister Junichiro Koizumi was the focus of a short anime biography not because he was a politician, but rather because he had celebrity status. However, political organizations like the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) aren’t celebrities, and political issues may not have the entertainment value of stories about individual famous people. The most probable reason why real life politics aren’t depicted in anime is because viewers aren’t interested in watching anime about real life politics. Considering that the vast majority of anime is made for children, teens, and young adults, it shouldn’t be surprising that the majority of anime viewers may have little interest in watching anime dramatizations of real life political debates and individuals.

This tendency isn’t exclusive to Japan. I think that viewers universally prefer entertainment with more dramatic and entertaining impact than stories about the dry, dull routine of realistic politics. America may occasionally create entertainment about real life politicians, such as recent films including Charlie Wilson’s War and All the King’s Men. But there are no weekly television programs that dramatize congress’ debates over comprehensive immigration reform, or movies about the Republican or Democratic efforts to develop solutions to America’s economic recession. Viewers, both American and Japanese, simply aren’t interested in watching stories like that for entertainment.

Anime titles like Sanctuary, Gasaraki, and Gundam OO that delve heavily into politics use fictional conflicts and politics because doing so allows them to enhance and embellish their thrills and their sense of elevated, embellished reality. Anime firmly and responsibly grounded in verifiable, realistic politics is, by definition, more mundane and less fantastic and exciting than fictional earth threatening political tension.