Category: Anime

Introduction

The quest to develop and identify one’s individual identity is very dominant in the manga/ anime characterization. Narrative driven structures that combine visual art forms are used to depict a broad range of phenomena that deals with the search for individual identity (Bryce n.d). Twins can be characterized in manga/anime presentations to try and show the inner struggles they go through in defining their identity, otherness, inner conflict, sexual maturity and the view of human goodness or evil.

Twins in manga/anime characters are therefore created to embody the personal, psychological struggles of an individual twin, independent from the other his/her half. Psychological issues that represent twins struggles with the real self against the expected self, the split and fragmented self and the internal conflict between the ego and the super ego. The narratives in manga/anime therefore seek to bring out the anxieties and uncertainty about individual identity among twins.

Twins

Offsprings developed from the same zygote and produced in the same pregnancy are referred to as twins. The scientific process involved in the development of twins is widely understood by medical experts. However their psychology that deals with how they relate in different aspects of life is quite puzzling. Even twins themselves have not been able to clearly articulate what they go through life in relation with people who are not twins. In the twins’ world, there are fraternal and identical twins.

Identical twins share far more features and genetic make up than fraternal twins. As a result they are likely to have a stronger bond and in some cases, their likeness goes beyond physical features to include their intelligent quotients (Perry 2002). Twins make up approximately 2% of the world population, a significant number that makes them an interesting constituency for study.

Twins can be looked at from the Manga/anime characters perspective; these are different characters but of the same kind and they form interesting subjects of study in terms of identity. Identity in this case will be explained through the otherness, self acceptance, inner conflict, sexual maturity, and change of or perception of human goodness or evil by the twins.

The pattern of twinship that twins share creates some sort of identity struggles that they find hard to overcome (Klein 2003). Many twins share a bond that goes beyond that of ordinary siblings. While the majority of people are born separate and learns intimacy as they grow up, twins are born intimate and learn to find separation (Rajamanickam 2007).

The bond and the emotional connection that accompanies it forms an interesting psychological study work. However, there are studies that have been conducted on the effect of nature versus nurture in twins.

According to Klein, where twins were left to stay and grow up together, the bond grew with time and their identities were more a like, but in cases where they were separated, they developed different identities but stuck to their childhood identities as either bad or good kids (Rajamanickam 2007). In manga/ anime characterization twins are characterized by identical male or female twins who look similar and exhibit strong bonds especially in western culture and/or jealousy or rivalry especially in Japanese manga characterizations.

It is important to note that representation of twins in Manga/anime characterization comes in narratives told in the form of animations, caricatures and tales are used to show the characterization of twins. Intersubjective relationships between the self and the other are therefore used in portraying the double in twins (Bryce n.d).

The philosophical principle where one person changes his perspective for the other is referred to as otherness. Otherness of a person in psychology represents the self. It involves the study of the cognitive or affective study of someone’s identity. The self that makes the otherness in human beings therefore plays an important role in human motivation, identity and cognition. Identity here will be the most important factor as far as twins’ otherness is concerned.

Twins comprise to the group of individuals struggling to find the true sense of self. The otherness is a position of outsideness that is needed by a twin to complete the self (Bryce n.d). Depiction of the outsideness is normally achieved by creation of caricatures like cartoons that play roles of the other twin and how he/she thinks. The caricatures also behave in a completely individualistic way reflecting the thinking of one or both twins in their quest to attain independence.

According to (Klein 1995), twins have unique struggles of identity. The reality of twinship more often than not overwhelms the push for development of self identity in twins. The struggles breed conflict struggle in terms of competition and sharing and separations that are always stressful and traumatic (Klein 1995). These conflicts best captured by animations e. g cartoons which are better placed to capture the situation compared to narratives.

Some psychologists have argued that it is possible for twins to have separate identities. This because they owe allegiance to their twinship, and it’s a reality they cannot escape. They also need to develop the self as a separate human being. The difficult and sometime impossible to choose, situation leads them to having double identities.

In the quest to develop their identities through the self, twins have many obstacles, especially the fact that they live in world where most people do not understand what it means to be a twin. The lack of understanding of twins comes out in the various anime/Manga characterizations that producers have developed.

Stereotyping is common in such tales, and caricature presentations that seek to explain the self in twins. The bond that exists between them and whatever they do to cope with their predicament is only understood by themselves and close people like husbands, wives and siblings.

In building a blended identity, twins often feel isolated due to the lack of understanding from people, and only find reprieve from the close people who can stand their close relationship. They have difficulty in relating with other people and surviving alone. For the twins who are never separated in early childhood, the shared identity bond lasts through out their lifetime. It is made up of shared thoughts and emotions that make their functioning away from each other difficult (McMahon 1999).

However in cases where separation takes place in childhood and nature shapes their identity, twins will develop like other human beings who were born single. Medical observers are quick to point some exceptions do exists where even twins separated at birth exhibit similar development of the self, hence identity. Despite efforts by parents or guardians to nurture separate identities, they always remain attached to their twins hence achievement of a complete self is difficult.

According to Newman and Newman, self acceptance comes from positive feelings that someone feels come from the acceptance he receives from other people (2008 p 410).

Newman & Newman further says that conditions of approvals or love that other people put in place present the largest barriers to self acceptance. People are therefore forced to make modifications on their behaviors to suit the opinion of majority so that they can have acceptance.

Twins realize that they live in a non twin world, most of the time that is. It is always difficult for twins to explain themselves to people who do not understand what it means to be a twin. The inability to express themselves about the whole experience foster closer relationship with each other since they are the only ones who can understand it (Herbert 1996). To develop an identity twins must learn to accept their situation as twins so as it can facilitate their relationship with others.

Twins encounter numerous incidences of misunderstanding from non twin people which often leads them to developing closer relationships with fellow twins or next of kin (Windy 1998).

The acceptance of their situation can only find solace it the close bond that they form with their fellow twins. Sometimes, self acceptance is overwhelmed by public views from single people which force twins to behave like the rest of the population. That however does not diminish the bond that twins have and the acceptance of their situation as twins.

The use of tales in characterization of twins grew in the 1980’s in Japan. Numerous stories exist on the failure of twins in accepting themselves as twins and the struggle to be like other people who were born singly. The presentation of the self is better captured through cartoon caricatures that exhibit the struggles twins go through in accepting themselves as people with dual and shared personalities.

The conflict that confronts twins in their quest to develop identity is very conspicuous. Conflicts in twins lives come from separation and identity issues. It is conflict that results from the uncertainty in choosing between the self and the expected self. The social pressures that twins go through to be themselves and at the same time what the society considers normal exposes them to a conflict that is severely emotional (Leal 1994).

The manifestation of the bonds of twins leads to a conflict on their individuality. A conflict motivated by love hate feelings, so to say. The need for one to develop his own unique identity and the tearing force of togetherness dictated by their twin status breeds a conflict (Klein 66). Other psychologists contend that someone who is a twin lives a double souled life where he is in constant communication with the inner companion. The double soul status leads them to conflict where they are torn between two choices of whatever kind.

The fact that twins can live on double identities does little to lessen the inner conflict they have to deal with. The conflict will also stem from difficulty in accepting the separate identity that one twin has as an individual (Danesh 1985).

The strong bond between them may breed conflict especially when one or both twins develop other relationships. Homosexual or heterosexual relationships are likely to be characterized by jealous from one or both twins. The jealous may not be malicious too but just stemming from the internal struggles that they go through.

Twins also do have conflicts when it comes to separation. The attachment that is natured from childhood does not disappear instantly in the case of separation. During schooling years, separation may take a toll on twins who have had close relationships since infancy. They are normally torn between obeying the natural order or their strong feelings towards each other.

However some may find reprieve in their teenage years by developing a completely parallel lifestyle. The intensity of the conflict brought by separation is determined by the bond that they share (Piontelli 2002). Though they may have resentment towards each other just like normal human beings, twins bearing a common external source of stress experience less conflict than those that face stress from within. The conflict too does manifest its elf in cases where twins live in different family settings.

The families may be hostile to each other and when it happens before the twins, it deeply affects them. The separation that stems from such hostile settings normally manifests itself permanently, breeding an almost eternal conflict between these twins. Despite their bond as twins the twins are bound to take sides leading to the widening of distance and more manifestation of the differences.

The same conflicts are distinctly exposed in cases where twins were separated and brought up in different environment. They grow up developing different personalities and qualities. Such twins if they are reunited will feel the twin bond but will always be in conflict trying to be normal and conforming to what they have been made into (Francine 2002).

Twins again do suffer from conflict stemming from death or expected death of one twin. It is a harrowing experience for them especially considering the general belief that twins are exposed to the same course of nature. The surviving twin feels like a part of him has been lost while at the same time he is expected to live a normal life. The conflict affects the surviving twin for the rest of his life.

The above conflict situation description is better captured through dramatized tales and narratives depicting the inner conflict that twins go through to develop their identities.

Narratives have also been used from time immemorial as a manga/anime technique to explain the sexual behavior and feelings in twins. According to Bryce, narratives have told time and again since ancient times to often depicting an ambiguous self and/ or the “other” in relation to sexual and gender issues.

Sexual development in twins is not explicitly linked to their twinness. The development is more individual and minimally linked to the fact that two people are twins. Feelings, orientations and preferences of twins have little to do with the common bond that twins enjoy (Mitterer 2008).

In a nutshell, there is marked improvement in terms development of separate identity as far sexual development is concerned. There have been cases where twins have shown same preferences for sexual partners. However it is not always the case. Many twins especially in teenage develop distinct character identities that always define their sexual orientation (Tinglof 2006). More often than not, they have different tastes. They do also show different sexual orientations against the common birth identity of twinship.

External behavior elicits reactions from different people. Good reactions from people help boost self esteem while negative reactions crush the ego. The special attachment that comes along with being a twin brings a lot of attention from single people. Twins find themselves on the receiving end of peculiar questions regarding their identity, feelings, physicality and their way of thinking. Some of these queries border on the stereotype which makes twins have a crooked view of the world (Stewart 2000).

If the queries that they receive make them feel unwanted, twins view other human beings as evil. The failure by single people to understand twins too does contribute to the view by twins that human beings are evil. However that is not to say that their view on human nature is only crooked (Barbara 1983). The people close to twins do understand them and they contribute to the view that human beings are not a bad lot.

The issue bout the Manga, Anime and representation of identity is a universal one. The twins point of view is just one angle of the big picture. The search for identity in the amine characters is a continuous process which is nearly inevitable. The feelings of conflict, closeness and self acceptance will always characterize creatures in such situations, in search of their identity.

It should never be lost to an observer that twins are normal human beings capable of living a perfect life, like people born singly. The use of tales is especially an effective way of representing the other side of twins. Increasingly, caricatures like cartoons and animations have become more detail oriented and more real in their presentation of twins in the manga/anime characters.

References

Barbara, S. & Janet, C (1983) Identity and intimacy in twins. Praeger, New York.

Bryce, M (n.d) Another Half and/or Another Individual: Representation of Twins in Manga. Australia, Macquarie University.

Danesh B.H (1985) The Psychology of Spirituality: From Divided Self to Integrate Self. Sterling Publishers Pvt.Ltd, Cambridge.

Francine, P (2002) Twins. Simon & Schuster, London.

Herbert, L.C (1996) The Psychology of Twins: A Practical Handbook for Parents of Multiples. Twins Magazine, New York.

Klein, S (2003) Not all twins are alike: psychological profiles of twinship. Greenwood Publishing Group, Berlin.

Leal, L (1994) The essentials of psychology, Volume 2. Research & Education Association, New York.

McMahon, M.J (1999) Radical Self-Acceptance: The Spiritual Birth of the Human Person. Crossroad Publishing Company, New York.

Mitterer, O.J & Coon, D (2008) Introduction to Psychology: Gateways to Mind and Behavior. Cengage Learning, Cambridge.

Newman, M.B. & Newman R.P (2008) Development Through Life: A Psychosocial Approach. Cengage Learning, London.

Perry, J (2002) Identity, personal identity, and the self. Hackette Publishing, London.

Piontelli, A (2002) Twins: from fetus to child. Routledge Tylor & Francis Group, New York.

Rajamanickam, M., (2007) Modern General Psychology, Second Edition, (Revised and Expanded) (in 2 Vols.). New York Concept Publishing Company, New York.

Stewart, A. E (2000) Exploring twins: towards a social analysis of twinship. London: Plagrave Macmillan, London.

Tinglof, B.C (2006) Parenting School-Age Twins and Multiples. Mc Graw Hill Professional, San Diego.

Windy, D (1998) Developing self-acceptance: a brief, educational, small group approach. Wiley, London.

Genre and demographic classification function in manga and anime

Manga and anime as the art forms have several genre and demographic classifications. Thinking about the ways how to increase the audience, the industry created the special gangers devoted to particular demographic groups. Obviously, people of different genders and ages have different interests; therefore, they need various types, genres of their favorite arts.

According to Schodt, the most popular comic magazines in Japan are shōnen manga for boys and shojo manga for girls. Their audience is a wide range of teenagers and children around the world. Those magazines are thick and can contain 350 pages, including dozens of serialized stories. In general, the magazines for boys and girls have the same characteristics and basic format; they differ only in types of stories, main characters, and plots. Usually, the characters of those stories tend to be finishing schools; they have complicated relationships with coevals. Shojo manga is based on the stories about romantic relations and sexually explicit scenes.

Komodo manga target child audience, those stories are based on moralistic themes and, obviously, do not contain sexual scenes or remarks. Such stories describe the adventures of different super-heroes, their power and abilities. The most popular examples of komodo are Doraemon, Avengers, Hamtaro.

Adults of 18-30 years have their own magazines. For instance, seinen, young men’s magazines, are printed in the same fashion as those for children but contain fewer pages (about 200-300) and fewer stories. They are rather stapled than glued. Schodt indicates that young women got their own magazines recently and before they had no choice as to read those for children, teenagers, or men. Now they have josei manga. The stories for adults have deeper psychological drama, adult humor, etc. Their plot can be based on philosophical or religious reflections. They can depict more dreadful scenes or contain erotic or pornographic scenes (hentai). For instance, Akira, Gantz, comedy series Chobits, 20th Century Boys, and many others.

The major difference between those types of anime and manga concludes in characters and plots of the stories. While teenagers are interested in reading the stories about their coevals who have unusual situations, fictions, and fantasies, adults like to read more about the romantic side of the life of the characters and their relationships with each other. Girls are interested in romantic plots, while boys prefer to read about super-heroes, their power, etc. Mostly, they chose such genres as science fiction manga and anime, action, space-age adventures, fantasy, horror, while girls prefer romance, drama, and comedy. However, at the same time, such genres as action, adventure, and mystery manga and anime can be interesting for both genders.

At the same time, various types of the manga have typical characteristics that are still universal such as the emphasis on visual language, drawing style, iconographical method of expressing emotion, expressive dialogue bubbles, speed lines. Facial features also play a significant role, making this kind of art original. Thus, eyes, mouths, noses of characters are always drawn in the same style. Those characteristics are universal for every kind and genre of manga and anime. Besides, such characteristic as a way of narration is also similar for each genre. Although plots, psychological aspects within the relations between characters, depth, and openness of sexual scenes may vary, the traditional lines that emphasize the confrontation between good and evil, relations between coevals, girls, and boys are always present in the stories.

Wester culture represented in manga and anime

Manga as a part of Japanese culture usually depicts the characters and circumstances typical for Japan. Thus, most of the time, all heroes have Japanese names and live in this country. However, since this art become popular around the globe, the writers and directors started to think about the methods of making manga and anime more globalized and interesting for the global society and profitable in western countries. This aspect led to the creation of such genre as western anime and mange which is based on the description of the American Old West. At the same time, this genre still includes the typical characteristics of this kind of art; only circumstances had been changed. According to Levi, the popularity of manga caused a phenomenal growth of comics’ fandoms in the United States and the rise of the industry, making comic books one of the key features of modern culture which is regularly present in the American life. On the other hand, Levi indicates that although those fandoms are based on Japanese traditions, they have a new hybrid form. One of the typical features of those fandoms is co-called “cosplay”, performance with dressing as the favorite characters. Video games also play a significant role in the representation of manga and anime traditions in Western countries. Interacting with the stories, the American fans personalized this art and adapted according to their own vision.

Such adaptation made possible certain kinds of narration such as western anime, but not only this genre. Every writer decodes the meanings and characteristics of amine and manga according to one’s own tradition, cultural background, and social rules. Thus, for the United States, the most popular plots are those which describe the adventured of super-heroes. For the US tradition, human relations, romantic sides, and feelings of the characters are not so important. The emphasis of the American comics concludes in the confrontation between good and bad heroes and their super-power. As well as Hollywood movies, American comics describe how heroes can save the planet and how they win over evil.

Another difference between the traditional Japanese manga and their Western adaptations lies in the speed of reading. If the traditional manga can be read fast and the readers have to seek actively out the clues on the page and interpret them during the seconds. On the other hand, American comics should be read slowly and carefully in order to notice every detail.

The western industry is interested to develop its own product than translate the Japanese one. Producing anime and manga, the American writers pay more attention to the target audience and, therefore, use more cultural features peculiar to their native background. For instance, the American boys and girls who live in a cultural environment different from Asians would not accept the traditional features of Asian culture. They require more actions and fewer reflections. However, although the process of Americanization of the Japanese manga and anime is significant, many fans try to save the tradition spirit of this art, keeping it as “Japanese” as possible. Nevertheless, the most popular genres in Western countries are science fiction and fantasy anime that is dominated on television and market. Therefore, one can conclude that such genres are more appropriate for the certain cultural background and, thereby, they are more profitable within the American industry.

Tezuka Osamu’s role in the development of manga and anime

The “God of manga”, Tezuka considered the pictures as the hieroglyphics, the unique symbols that contain deepest meanings, perhaps, thereby, he created the great comics and become popular around the world. He was a small and skinny child who always seemed odd for coevals. His mother told him not to give up and always smile, preparing her son to be determined and strong in the future. Mother told him the stories about fantastic worlds and heroes. Being fascinated in science and nature, Tezuka liked to observe animals and insects. Probably, he was looking to the world with the wide-open eyes that lately become the specific feature of the “large eyes” style in animation. Besides, his family members loved to watch movies and to read comic books, therefore, there were always a lot of comics in Tezuka’s house. Thereby, he started to draw comics when was a young boy. Young Tezuka had the competitions with his sisters, drawing comics and cartoons. This childhood experience formed his steadfast character and vivid imagination. Even the terrible impressions of World War II could not destroy his will to draw and create the fantastic images. Tezuka used those magic fairy-tales for his comics, creating a number of characters which are still famous and popular. He began his career being a student. Today, Tezuka is one of the most respected Japanese figures.

Osamu Tezuka played the key role in development of manga in post-war period. McCarthy compares Tezuka with Disney, Stan Lee, Tim Burton and other and says that he was an incredibly prolific creator. Altought many people call him “Disney of Japan”, in fact, he improved Disney’s style and many other writers creted their cartoons being influenced by Tezuka’s way of narration and methods of drawing. Tezuka adapted many Western stories and stylized them according to the Japanese traditions. In his early work, he often used works of Disney, making their manga version, for instance, Bambi. Although some of Tezuka’s works seems violent and gritty, he tried to avoid graphic violence, making stories more appropriate for the younger audience. Thus, one of the most famous his works, Astro Boy, does not contain violent or sexual scenes and absolutely appropriate for children. On the other hand, the author also created many interesting works for adults such as Black Jack or Cleopatra: Queen of Sex.

It is difficult to overestimate Tezuka’s role in the process of manga’s development. He invented the “large eyes” style which today is one of the key characteristics of anime and manga. Tezuka’s Astro Boy, the story about boy-robot with 100,000 horsepower, influenced many generations of writers and many genres of manga existed today. Tezuka did not concentrate his attention on the particular genre or age-group, his work had been directed to the wide audience and had been touched every style and genre. Obviously, this writer who created about 150,000 pages of manga in his life absolutely changed the way of development of this kind of art, its way of narration, genres and characters. Moreover, Tezuka’s works influenced many world famous directors such as Stanley Kubrick. There is evident similarity between Tezuka’s Kimba the White Lion (1966) and The Lion King (1994). His animation production studio Mushi Production helped developing animation in the country that later had been spread around the globe.

Reference List

Levi, A. (2006). The Americanization of Anime and Manga: Negotiating Popular Culture. In S. T. Brown “Cinema Anime: Critical engagements with Japanese animation”. US: Palgrave Macmillan.

McCarthy, H. (2009). The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga. US: Abrams ComicArts.

Schodt, F. (1983). A Thousand Million Manga. In Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics (pp. 12-27). Japan: Kodansha Limited.

Tezuka In English. (n.d.) Web.

Tezuka Osamu Story. (n.d.). Web.

Welker, J. (2011). 002 A Specific Asian Literature in Translation Week 3 Lecture: Osamu Tezuka. Web.

Introduction

Japanese culture is commonly perceived as the anime culture. Therefore, it is associated with several visible symbols. One of them is nosebleed as a symbol of sexual excitement that is a feature of male characters seeing someone physically attractive. In fact, love and sex are two common plotlines of any Japanese anime, even science fiction ones. It is commonly associated with an emotional urge. A symbol of sexual excitement is always universal – nosebleed in male characters.

For instance, consider the following scenario: In summer, the temperature was high. Hundreds and thousands of people came from all over the country to the beach, and they relaxed by soaking up the sand, sunlight, and sea. A group of young men were chatting and laughing about the current news. At that moment, a beautiful and gorgeous lady passed by them. They immediately stopped to stare at the woman, and then their face turned red, and their nose started to bleed. This is the spot, which the character’s nosebleed when they get excited, especially sexual excitement that can easily be found in the Japanese anime.

The scenario mentioned above is a common plot of numerous anime movies. Therefore, it is possible to conclude that nosebleed is the usual representation of sexual excitement and arousal. Still, it is challenging to find out what is the motivation behind such a symbol of demonstrating interest in one’s physical attractiveness and sexual excitement.

Therefore, the main objective of the paper at hand is to study peer-reviewed articles and academic literature to conclude whether there are any real causes for such a reaction to physical beauty. Before reviewing the literature, I argue that nosebleed is sexual iconography in anime that is widely acceptable in Japanese movie culture. The research will be concerned with the following issues: reasons of a nosebleed, the existence of this phenomenon in real life, sexual representation in Japanese anime, and the overall connection between anime and Japanese culture.

The Reason of the Nosebleed

Nosebleed is a common symbol in Japanese anime. Moscato (2017) states that is associated with environmental changes and a significant impact of the surrounding environment on a character. Nevertheless, in anime, the most recognizable cause of nosebleed is sexual arousal. To obtain a better apprehension of this phenomenon and understand why it is a frequently met symbol in Japanese anime, it is essential to understand its roots and whether it has a biological explanation. In this way, it is critical to conclude whether it is possible in real life or is demonstrated in anime only.

First of all, it is of significant importance to become aware of the roots of such an iconographic symbol in Japanese anime. As for now, nosebleed as a symbol of sexual arousal is perceived as an element of Japanese folklore. In this way, it is believed to be an inseparable element of Japanese culture. However, it is critical to point to the fact that the foundation of this anime symbol is the real folk belief that nosebleed is a representation of sexual attraction, as stated by Slaven (2012). According to external, non-scholarly research, this symbol was indeed taken from folk art. Therefore, I agree with the abovementioned assumption that it was simply transferred to anime.

Still, even though it was transferred from folklore to anime, it is imperative to recognize that there are no scientific facts or evidence supporting the belief that sexual excitement or arousal can lead to nosebleed, especially such dramatic instances as demonstrated in anime. Even though there can be individual examples of nosebleed connected to sexual excitement, they are not common phenomena. Instead, it might be a symptom of more critical health concerns, such as hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) (Scarano et al., 2013). Also, according to my research, it can be associated with changes in the external environment of an individual or increased exposure to stressors. What I think is said here is that the emergence of a beautiful person cannot be considered as such a significant change in the external environment that can cause a nosebleed. From this perspective, my stance is similar to that of researchers – such a phenomenon is rare in real life.

Nosebleed as a Sexual Representation in Anime

Based on the fact that nosebleed connected to sexual arousal is not a phenomenon that is frequently met in real life, it is evident that it is used as an iconographic symbol of sexual interest common only for Japanese anime. In general, there are several potential reasons for selecting nosebleed as a symbol of sexuality for anime. First of all, we can consider the format of anime. In the beginning, anime is drawn as a cartoon, which is an infantile form of art. It was drawn for the kids initially. Given this, such an infantile representation of sexual arousal as nosebleed is an appropriate choice (Moscato, 2017). I believe that the author wanted to say that no one could ever blame directors of excessive eroticism due to representing sexual arousal in such an innocent way.

Additionally, in Japanese anime, most of the focus is made on the emotional urge. Even though the plot often involves elements of physical desire and attraction, the symbol – nosebleed – is less sensitive compared to biological signs of arousal. It means that such a selection of iconographic symbols may be connected to the need for focusing on feelings and emotional expression rather than solely physiological demonstration.

More than that, it is close to impossible for the audience to perceive nosebleed as erotica or pornography. In this way, even though anime points to an increased degree of sexual liberation, Mitchell states that it still cannot become the subject of social frustration or discontent because arousal signs are indirect. I agree with what the author says because, personally, I cannot see any signs of lust or erotica in nosebleed regardless of the intended meaning of the symbol.

Finally, this selection of symbols may be connected with the specificities of sexual representation in Japanese culture. Sasaki (2013) points out that it has always been indirectly represented and vaguely, so there were only hints at sexuality, not direct. Therefore, what I think the author wanted to say is that the choice of nosebleed as a symbol of sexual excitement is culturally appropriate and corresponds with generally accepted social norms and beliefs. Because of the cultural appropriateness and relevance of this symbol, it is commonly used in anime. It is essential to note that there is a great variety of ways to represent nosebleed. This choice depends on the director’s vision and perception of sexuality. Furthermore, it may depend on the degree of sexual attraction to a person. That being said, there can be a few drops of blood, a slightly noticeable line of blood, or even a fountain.

Anime and Japanese Culture: Connections with Sexuality in Real Life

Anime is considered as a symbol of Japanese culture. For this reason, it has a significant impact on the formation of culture as well as common development in Japanese society. Still, the main issue with anime is that it shapes the perception of sexuality in Japanese culture. There are several reasons for pointing to this fact. First, think of the ways females are depicted in anime. They are commonly shown as hyper-sexualized girls. It is associated not only with the way they are dressed but also manners and facial expressions.

Aoyagi and Yuen warned that our modern ways of life are mediated, controlled, tamed, subordinated, indebted, and exploited by institutions that limit our ability to express what we are or what we want to be (Aoyagi et al., 2016). This shows that the description of women in anime will probably entail negative changes in females’ self-perception, as well as alter men’s views of women and their belief in physical beauty and sexuality. Anime has remained a fixture in Japanese popular culture, which means it’s a conveyor belt for values to each citizen. By receiving all those unhealthy information, there is a common trend toward turning women into an object of sexual desire (Lamerichs, 2013). As a result, women are seen as Lolitas – sweet girls with excessive sexual potential and demonstrating sexual liberation (Hinton, 2013).

Also, I believe this might pose additional stress on women because excessively cute women are perceived as adorable anime characters so that they are commonly seen as erotic objects that affect their lifestyle, behaviors, and even workplace relations (Aoyagi et al., 2016; Matanle et al., 2014). These changes in public perception of women are the example of more significant issues, such, as making empowerment questionable as well as reaffirming the necessity for women submissiveness and the preservation of traditional male-dominated society

Conclusion

Based on the opinions of scholars mentioned above, it is evident that nosebleed is an iconographic symbol of sexual arousal and excitement that is commonly deployed by directors of Japanese anime. Being infantile and indirect, it is appropriate for the Japanese culture commonly characterized by the relevance of indirectness in communication and art. However, there are still several issues with selecting such a symbol of physical attraction. The major matter of concern is the fact that it is not supported by real-life or scientific evidence.

In this way, it may deform the perception of adequate representation of sexual interest. What is worse, there are some issues with the description of women in anime. Shown as excessively sweet, cute, as well as hyper-sexualized, women become nothing more than an object of sexual desire. In view of this, such an image of women commonly entails negative changes in their self-perception, as women strive for turning into anime characters – ordinary emergence of subcultures. The same is true in case of altering men’s perception of women and their belief in attributes of physical beauty and sexuality. As a result, anime changes the image of sexuality in Japanese culture.

References

Aoyagi, H., & Yuen, S. M. (2016). When erotic meets cute: Erokawa and the public expression of female sexuality in contemporary Japan. East Asian Journal of Popular Culture, 2(1), 97-110.

Hinton, P. R. (2013). Returning in a different fashion: Culture, communication, and changing representations of Lolita in Japan and the West. International Journal of Communication, 7(1), 1582-1602.

Lamerichs, N. (2013). The cultural dynamic of doujinshi and cosplay: Local anime fandom in Japan, USA, and Europe. Participations: Journal of Audience and Reception Studies, 10(1), 154-176.

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