I love anime, but I hate how reactionary or brain dead some of the politics can be at times. I've compiled this list of anime I've seen or plan to see which have left sympathetic or revolutionary themes.
Please reply with some shows of your own if you'd like to help expand this list.
- Code Geass
- Gurren Lagann
- Mobile Suite Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans
- Mobile Suit Gundam 00
- Akame Ga Kill
- Planetes
- The Promised Neverland
- Terror in Resonance
- Black Lagoon
- Moriarty the Patriot
- Revolutionary Girl Utena
- Psycho Pass
- Kaiji
- Kill la Kill
- Legend of the Galactic Heroes
- The Rose of Versailles
*Added:
Series:
- Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood
- Kaiba
- One Piece
- Little Witch Academia
- Akudama Drive
- The Devil is a Part Timer
- From the New World
- Deca-Dence
- Dallos
- Year Hare Affair
- Neo Yokio
Films:
- Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
- Princess Mononoke
- Pom Pocco
- Porco Rosso
- Future Boy Conan
- Horus Prince of the Sun
- Roujin Z
- Metropolis
- Patlabor: The Movie
- Patlabor 2: The Movie
:RIchard-D-Wolff: :RIchard-D-Wolff: :RIchard-D-Wolff:
Huge second to Kaiji - it does such a good job portraying how gambling addiction is less a personal flaw and more a natural reaction to having no real way to financial security without massive luck. Even when you do manage to climb your way up somewhat, there'll always be someone higher up to exploit you.
Also love that they show there's two classes of rich people (the general rich and the real rich behind the scenes), as well as how generally depraved you have to be to get to that point. A wild anime but I was pretty surprised how biting its critique was throughout.
Thats one that I haven't seen yet, I was a bit turned off by the art style initially so its good to hear that its worth it.
It definitely takes a little getting into (and they'll literally spend several episodes on one game, haha), but if you stick with it it can really draw you in. Just my own personal experience, but worked well as a "binge" anime, since the second half of both seasons really speed by.
Mr. Tonegawa: Middle Management Blues is also worth checking out. its spin off of kaiji but from the low to middle ranking staff that pull off the stunts. funny and jokes about the horrors of corporate life in jpn
I forgot to add this absolute masterpiece, I hear they're making a Mao one next.
Thank you for sharing. I started watching, and I'm loving it. The fact that I speak Chinese and can understand it without subs makes it all more great. o7 comrade
i always thought fullmetal alchemist was more anti-fascist then overtly leftist. i mean it takes place in an alternate earth fascist germany coexisting alongside real earth fascist germany. ngl haven't seen every episode, didn't read manga or seen brotherhood though
Definitely, the revolution is... more of a military junta than a people's crusade?
That’s the first run anime that diverted pretty heavily from the manga. The second run, called ‘Brotherhood’, sticks true to the manga and axes the Germany stuff.
Might be unrelated but wanted to ask , was the Ishvalan War a parallel to the War on Terror?
I think it was more directly linked to WW2 than the war on terror (the series started before 9/11 after all). I'd say they're more like an ersatz Romani/Jew/Slav population, they have concentration camps and were slated to be exterminated.
That makes sense, but it does fit pretty well with the War On Terror. An accidental homage then.
Food Wars......
No I will not explain.
But one day I'll repost my copypasta about the anti-capitalist themes of the first Digimon Adventure.
Food wars is more liberal meritocracy shit I'd say. I think the whole rich kids school has one single proletarian super genius is more liberal propaganda of "if you work hard you get to be in the rich kids club". Still enjoyed it but by season 4 kind of dragged on. Same thing with Kaguya love is war, working class genius works hard, has a part time job and they even made the dad a deadbeat drunk. To save money they refused all fun in the family. Still fun series.
It's aimed at a younger audience and is like one of the literally three animes I have seen in my life (except those I don't remember from being a kid watching single episodes of something on TV), but Little Witch Academia has many leftist themes, is overall very pleasant to watch and has a pretty good story.
The devil is a part-timer is fun, it's the only one I could think of with ok politics out of maybe 30 anime and anime films. Oh and kill la kill but it was in the post
Isn't Shinsekai Yori pretty lib, like at the end everything kind of goes back to normal despite the terrible stuff the characters find out about their society, and all they really do is promise to do better in the future.
Admittedly I watched it a while ago.
what? squeeler's speech was the best. he made the ending memorable. at least he was released from his agony eventually.
Oh, you should DEFINITELY watch Revolutionary Girl Utena, if Madoka has that subtext then Utena has that as "text" with a really big neon sign.
It's been a while since I've read/watched it but One Piece has some good parts to it. A corrupt and evil government that controls the world that works specifically for a version of the bourgeois. Plus there's a literal revolutionary army actively fighting against the government to make poor people's lives less terrible.
And, at only 1000 chapters, we could be as far as 75% of the way through the series.
See I stopped reading One Piece years ago during the Dressrosa arc because I hate waiting. Good to know we're only 7-8 more years until it's finally done
Psycho Pass was great but cops are the good guys so :kropotkin-shining:
Early Miyazaki. More details here -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMXN6B-tqZM
How could I forget! I think even Spirited Away has some very clear proletarian themes to it.
I've always had trouble trying to parse the politics of it but Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, especially in the second season, had a lot of references of revolutions, the proletariat, and anti-capitalism. I wouldn't say it's the main theme of the show, but it's there.
Are we counting Chinese cartoons? Cuz there's always The Leader i.e. the Karl Marx anime.
If we're counting Chinese cartoons Year Hare Affair is just a simplified look at several key points in Chinese history from their perspective. Also bunnies.
