What's Up With Most Anime and Rape? *SPOILERS*

[NeutralDrow]

_Like I said, it could just be the genre of anime I watch that has it most often (action-packed or/and psychological, suppose that's called seinen?). Basically when I wrote the OP I thought it was a trend, but now I know I've probably just been stuck looking down a narrow view of most anime, sticking to one genre when I thought I was looking at every genre (as in anime series, since I adore films like those from Myazaki and Satoshi Kon alike).

That makes more sense, then. I just happened to be one of the respondents who glanced at his own anime collection, searched through his memory, and came up with the question "Wait...what rape?" I think we were confused more by the implication that the subject was somehow common than by how the subject is typically handled.

You know, it was actually a good thing you were avoiding a "cultural" explanation. Never underestimate <url=http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RapeIsTheNewDeadParents>lazy writing.

Yeah, I wanted to avoid saying or concluding that (though I ended up doing so...ugh) since I'm not as well versed in Japanese culture as one needs to be when discussing...well...cultural issues and movements in Japan.
I just ran through nearly all the content about rape in story telling on TVTropes just now actually thanks to another commenter who posted the same link! Fucking love TVT...

Yeah, I just noticed I'd gotten ninja'd on that. I was trying to remember which trope it actually was...

And don't worry, despite having said that I do realize that the primary polutant of the meaningless rape is lazy/bad writing. I'd go back and edit that, but then I'd have to do the same for every other post and...
...Let's just say I'm not a lazy writer by any stretch of the imagination, but when it comes to editing posts, I can be a lazy commenter. heh

Bah, it's hardly required or even expected. Don't worry 'bout it.

snip

O_O

As Jack Benny would say: *head tilt* "...Well..."
_Thanks for that, NeutralDrow. I'd say that really put things into perspective, but my mind is a little blown at the moment. Though what you said certainly does seem to make more sense considering that there never really is a simple explanation for anything involving a society as a whole.

Hehe...sorry. I'm actually graduating uni in a couple of weeks with degrees in Asian Studies and Japanese, and Japan's been a focus of mine for a while, so I kinda went off... ^^;

Also I was really referring to the possible re-election of Ishihara, a politician who stated twice the earthquake in Japan was divine retribution, yet last I heard his numbers were up above the other candidates. I know things in the US are kinda-to-pretty bad when it comes to the election process and politicians and such, but I'm fairly confident that if any politician said 9/11 was divine retribution they would be going right in the dumpster for the rest of their murdered career. As a matter of fact, I doubt otherwise would happen if they even said the same about what happened in Haiti or Japan!

<url=http://www.cracked.com/article_16036_5-certifiably-insane-politicians-people-still-voted-for.html>You'd...<url=http://www.cracked.com/article_18555_5-blatantly-corrupt-politicians-america-reelected-anyways.html>be surprised.

I hadn't heard about Nobuteru Ishihara before, though (I know now he's the Tokyo 8th District Rep. and in by SMP election, but I still wonder how much of his incumbency is based on personal measure versus basis on him being in the LDP and backed by a smaller party). I actually don't know the names of many Japanese politicians beyond the prime ministers.

And you know I wasn't, we went through that already. But I will say this:
Maybe the answer I found was only half right. I think that the reason these things happen are for a number of reasons I'm narrowing down.
1. Bad/Lazy writing
2. Cultural issues
3. Fanservice (be it because of cultural issues or because the audience that loves anime AND anime rape are very vocal)

...actually, that's probably a pretty good narrowing down. I would normally object to the last one for being based off the views of random idiots on the internet, but I read too many ero-doujinshi to write it off in the least.

 

[Carlston]

It's odd since Japan has one of the lower birth rates in the world.

Almost wonder if the government is trying to get people "In the mood"

But sure there can be better ways.

In the mood is poorly worded. Clearly only the men have to be in the mood.

Poorly worded as well, since men are the only ones who can rape eh?

 

[mcnally86]

It's odd since Japan has one of the lower birth rates in the world.

Almost wonder if the government is trying to get people "In the mood"

But sure there can be better ways.

In the mood is poorly worded. Clearly only the men have to be in the mood.

Poorly worded as well, since men are the only ones who can rape eh?

Sorry I was referring to violent rape. Usually women don't do that. Yes a stong lady could pick up a guy and use a foreign object to penetrate him. But yes rape is usually leaves men as suspects but it can go both ways.

 

[Gigano]

I very much doubt that "most" anime - or even just any significant part - features rape as a theme, much less portray it as something to be aroused about; Which is the only time it's in poor taste to feature it, as otherwise the worst of themes often makes for the most interesting and powerful of stories.

My go-to example would instead have been the French Irreversible. Don't think any animated depiction can top that one in terms of sheer brutality (and hence an emotional impact of almost physical proportions), and yet it was still a film of serious artistic merit.

 

[The Funslinger]

98% of mainstream anime don't incorporate any sort of rape into them. If you think otherwise, then you probably just haven't watched enough anime.

Or you should stop browsing hentai sites =3

Anime I have watched:

Dragonball, Z, and GT (AAAGGGH, dammit, GT... you were terrible up until near the end...)
One Piece
Yu Gi Oh! (as a kid, mind you.)
Soul Eater
Hetalia

I like them for a variety of reasons, and there's been no rape in there whatsoever.

 

[trollnystan]

Be glad you don't read/watch yaoi; last I heard, it isn't illegal to rape men in Japan 'cos apparently you "can't". Might have changed by now though. But it makes it real hard to find a good story without requiring a gallons of eye-bleach at hand, just in case. And I was my yaoi/shonenai-crazy friend's go-to-gal when it came to finding the stuff cos I sorta knew my way around mIRC. (The friend btw has HUGE hangups about sex and would rather not see it, so I had to check almost every one and tell her how bad it was so she could decide whether or not to read.)

But even in mainstream anime/manga this is a problem. They treat it so casually - even the women - that it can turn me off a series completely even if I've loved it up till then. If I keep watching it it's like there's this bad taste in my mouth that sours my enjoyment.

EDIT:

Spoiler: I also just found this delightful little gem about a university rape club in Japan

 

[Axzarious]

It's mostly just a crutch for lazy writing. Need your characters to have some kind of psychological problem? Rape. Issues with a particular character for cheap drama? Rape. Sudden debilitating flashbacks for dramatic tension at an inconvenient moment? You see where I'm going with this.

Let me assure you it's not specific to anime. As a comics reader, it's gotten to the point where I just sigh annoyed and disappointed whenever a female comic book character has what by now is the single most clichéd character development twist. I really wish they would cut that shit out.

It looks like somebody pointed this out before me. This kind of thing is just as prevalent over here as it is over there. Sometimes its done well, sometimes its done horribly. If I remember correctly, they even retconned some characters like Black Cat to include this.

 

[Crimson_Dragoon]

Rape, in Japan it's like saying hello.

All joking aside, most animes do not include rape (hentai maybe, but that is another story altogether). I've probably seen rape more often in American horror movies than in anime. As for why the ones that use it do so, rape is a despicable act, usually looked down upon more than murder, and is an easy way to make a despicable villain.

 

[Carlston]

It's odd since Japan has one of the lower birth rates in the world.

Almost wonder if the government is trying to get people "In the mood"

But sure there can be better ways.

In the mood is poorly worded. Clearly only the men have to be in the mood.

Poorly worded as well, since men are the only ones who can rape eh?

Sorry I was referring to violent rape. Usually women don't do that. Yes a stong lady could pick up a guy and use a foreign object to penetrate him. But yes rape is usually leaves men as suspects but it can go both ways.

Penetration of the man in that case would not be the only way, making the man penetrate the woman against his will counts...

Friend of mine growing up was raped... and no he was no penetrated but forced to penetrate her.

He was 9 she was 15.

Date rape, drunk rape, rape drugs, everyone can do it.

But it is a odd slice of Japans culture as even tentacle rape goes back as far as the 1600's.
They have odd smut rules, penetration by something not a penis is ok...as well pubic hair is considered obscene, but a smooth non hairy crotch is far less offensive.

 

[GloatingSwine]

It's odd since Japan has one of the lower birth rates in the world.

Almost wonder if the government is trying to get people "In the mood"

But sure there can be better ways.

I think the causal relation is the other way around. Women in Japan see all the rape in fiction and especially porn (seriously, finding JAV that doesn't consist of simulated rape is a feat) and think "no way pal, you can keep that in your hand". Hence, low birth rates.

 

[GloatingSwine]

I hadn't heard about Nobuteru Ishihara before, though (I know now he's the Tokyo 8th District Rep. and in by SMP election, but I still wonder how much of his incumbency is based on personal measure versus basis on him being in the LDP and backed by a smaller party). I actually don't know the names of many Japanese politicians beyond the prime ministers.

Ishihara, of course, is highly relevant to this discussion, as before he entered politics he made his crust writing, yep, rape fantasy novels.