I can't imagine anyone watching Akira or The Wind Rises or - god forbid - Grave of Fireflies and walk away with a higher opinion of war-torn Japan. Like, they're definitely all Japan-centric movies, but they're routinely littered with critiques of Japanese work-culture, the incompetence and venality of state leadership, and the horrors of war.
Incidentally, quite a few anime writers are themselves witnesses to or products of the hyper-capitalism that's turned Japan into a dystopian police state in the wake of US occupation. Themes bemoaning corruption, perversion, and exploitation show up in everything from Samurai Champloo to JoJo's Bizarre Adventure to Bleach and Naruto.
There are tons of foreigners who love America because they grew up listening to American music and watching American movies, it’s a real effect
The foundation of US culture is rooted in the post-Civil War migrant workers and labor activists spanning the century leading up to the 2nd World War. American corporate and state media have monetized and expropriated much of this content, often bribing artists or distorting original sets to fit a liberal foreign policy vision. But the root of the content's appeal is in its message of self-determination and humanity.
That's before you get into how many "foreigners" are just the cousins of migrant communities a generation or two removed. New Orleans Jazz being transmitted, consumed, and regurgitated by French artists. Italian and Japanese film makers echoing Spaghetti Westerns and Samurai flicks back and forth at one another by way of Hollywood.
Artists have been consuming and reflecting different styles and compositions back at one another across continents since the Silk Road Era. There's nothing new about the process, just the speed and volume being circulated.
I can't imagine anyone watching Akira or The Wind Rises or - god forbid - Grave of Fireflies and walk away with a higher opinion of war-torn Japan. Like, they're definitely all Japan-centric movies, but they're routinely littered with critiques of Japanese work-culture, the incompetence and venality of state leadership, and the horrors of war.
Incidentally, quite a few anime writers are themselves witnesses to or products of the hyper-capitalism that's turned Japan into a dystopian police state in the wake of US occupation. Themes bemoaning corruption, perversion, and exploitation show up in everything from Samurai Champloo to JoJo's Bizarre Adventure to Bleach and Naruto.
The foundation of US culture is rooted in the post-Civil War migrant workers and labor activists spanning the century leading up to the 2nd World War. American corporate and state media have monetized and expropriated much of this content, often bribing artists or distorting original sets to fit a liberal foreign policy vision. But the root of the content's appeal is in its message of self-determination and humanity.
That's before you get into how many "foreigners" are just the cousins of migrant communities a generation or two removed. New Orleans Jazz being transmitted, consumed, and regurgitated by French artists. Italian and Japanese film makers echoing Spaghetti Westerns and Samurai flicks back and forth at one another by way of Hollywood.
Artists have been consuming and reflecting different styles and compositions back at one another across continents since the Silk Road Era. There's nothing new about the process, just the speed and volume being circulated.