“Postwar Japanese comics have been through several stages -- fear of war, nihilism and otaku-like obsession. Now, they directly analyze the war and even support imperialism.” So says Prof. Park Soon-ae at the department of Japanese Language and Literature at Honam University. Prof. Park's paper about how manga deal with war, was published in the latest issue of the biannual magazine Japan Space.
◆ 1950s-60s: Fear of war turns into technological aspiration
In the 1950s, with the memory of World War II still fresh, many comics reflected a fear of war. In Osamu Tezuka’s “Astro Boy (Tetsuwan Atom),” the robot boy breaks down and becomes an ordinary abandoned gadget. Critics say this reflects the memory of the Japanese emperor, who was thought to be a god, becoming an ordinary mortal by losing the war. Tezuka’s manga of the time show the dark shadow of death even in paradise, and reflect a fear of nuclear war.
In the 1960s when post-war baby-boomers became young adults, there was a consensus that Japan lost the war due to its weak technology. The anime “Submarine 707” symbolized the revival of a Japan armed with technological power by dealing with a cutting-edge submarine.
◆ 70s and 80s: Post-ideology, nihilism and otaku
In the 1970s when Japanese economy was stabilized, post-ideology manga became popular. “Devil Man” reflects a deep-rooted nihilism by depicting irrevocable destruction based on distrust of humanity and civilization. In the anime “Space Battleship Yamato”, the spaceship rescues earth from destruction and sets up the ship, which is named after Navy vessel from the age of militarism, as a symbol of future war. The 1980s saw the emergence of “otaku” -- nerds obsessed with particular elements of pop culture -- and continued the apocalyptic trend. “Dragon Ball” and “Akira” are typical manga centered on nihilism of facing death.
◆ After the 1990s: Re-emergence of ideology and imperialism
However, since the 1990s, comics based on serious ideologies have re-emerged. Hayao Miyazaki's anime "Princess Mononoke" deals with relationship between civilization and nature through myth. The anime “Neon Genesis Evangelion” depicts a future Japanese generation who rescue humanity. The manga “On War” by Yoshinori Kobayashi caused stir by explicitly praising the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, Japan’s brutal imperialist program of the war years, and promoting anti-American sentiment.
Prof. Park says, “We need to remember that the popular 19th-century’s print nishikie, which supports Japan’s invasion into other countries, had a great influence on Japanese people.”
