Day: June 17, 2018

Now that I’m back from my vacation (and through a tough and busy work week), it’s time to continue where I left off with this thought-provoking blogging challenge! Just a note: I might be over-cautious, but I believe some of my statements might give the impression that I just don’t like male characters, which is wrong. I do, however, appreciate certain character traits more than others, which is the point I’m trying to get across.

Picking a favorite male anime character is almost as difficult as picking a favorite anime series, but maybe not for the reasons you might be thinking. Despite believing that even anime aimed at kids and teenagers can and does have appeal to fans who are older, I realized long ago that I’ve aged-out of being able to directly relate to the experiences of most anime characters, especially the typical teenage boys who seem to comprise the majority of anime protagonists. It’s certainly not a dig against teenage boys in general, but I can tell you that I’ve seen more than enough artful musings on male adolescence (or raunchy depictions thereof) to the point that the typical shounen character has kind of lost my interest. That already leaves me with a drastically reduced field of characters from which to choose. Add to that the fact that anime character behavior tends to be very archetypical in the first place, and you have an identity conundrum on your hands.

I’ve mentioned the term “toxic masculinity” before on this website. A rough definition of the term is the tendency in our society to encourage boys and men to behave in a very limited way which fits into a misguided masculine ideal, which then has harmful downstream effects to the aforementioned boys and men, as well as to girls, women, and others with whom they associate. Some examples of this issue are the idea that boys and men aren’t supposed to demonstrate certain behaviors or emotions, especially those that are more associated with femininity – crying a lot (or at all), being physically close with one-another – or the idea that boys and men can’t enjoy certain activities that are seen as “weak” or feminine – cooking, doing housework, taking care of children… making this list is just reminding me how screwed-up it is to assign gender to any activities, ugh. We commonly as a society value the expression of aggressive behavior in men and hold these as examples of how to accomplish things in our world – take charge, be a “boss,” get that raise, make decisions, battle it out (physically or otherwise) with people “competing” for resources, “protect” and dominate women, be a “hero.” These are the stereotypes that tend to make it into our mass media. There are some men (and women!) who naturally embody these ideals, and someone who can “take charge” is not necessarily doing anything wrong by stepping into a leadership role. But to many men and women, idealized gender roles can be a prison for their true selves which more than likely exist somewhere else on the spectrum of various human behaviors.

The issue that anime, as well as every other type of popular media, has is that it’s a product of the culture from which it arises (and I’m not trying to say this is just a Japanese cultural problem – it’s everywhere). Human culture has some pretty strong ideas about the boxes into which men and women should fit, and while there’s consistent progress in more egalitarian directions to various degrees, we still have issues with glorifying certain gender expressions, especially some of those toxic and destructive ones. Just look at how many anime are focused around dudes beating the crap out of their opponents, winning tournaments, and dominating one-another. Sometimes there are also women in these shows, but often their choice is to either play support staff, be sexy/available, or participate by adopting the overblown toxic masculinity of their male counterparts. This isn’t universal, but a lot of times when you mention “anime” to someone, this is the type of material that comes to mind. The iconic “sex and violence” descriptor that has haunted anime since they heyday of violent OVAs in the West is enduring in the public consciousness.

I’ve been heartened, though, by a recent trend more towards male anime protagonists who have helped to embody a softer, gentler side of masculinity. We re-watched the relatively-recent shoujo fantasy series Snow White With the Red Hair in my local anime club, and while I had watched it before it was this time around that gave me some more concrete thoughts on why I liked it so much more than many shoujo romances I had seen in the past. I was heartened by the portrayal of Prince Zen, the primary romantic interest and male lead. He’s certainly a typical hero on paper – a wealthy, attractive prince who excels in swordplay and smarts, and helps lead his country and make big decisions. What I found very fascinating about Zen, though, is that he’s also a character who puts a high value on things like friendship, kindness, and personal freedom. He wants to help others excel and provides avenues for them to do so, even if typical class barriers would normally preclude these people from . He’s gentle and kind. And, perhaps more importantly, he seeks consent on more than one occasion when he wants to kiss Shirayuki, the main character. Sure, he’s not perfect; Zen tends to be rash and misinterpret situations, which gets him into trouble more than once throughout the series. But compared to many male anime characters he’s definitely an example of a type I’d like to see featured more widely.

I tend to be a fan of male characters who are what I’d describe as “dad” characters – more mature, good-natured, nurturing and kind to others. The type of characters that remind me of my husband and some of the other male acquaintances in my life. Makoto Tachibana from Free! or Asahi Azumane from Haikyu!! are good examples of what I’m talking about.  Sora Kashiwagi from How to Keep a Mummy, who takes on a pseudo-parental role with the supernatural creatures who surround him and also helps his friends learn to love magical beasts is another great example of what I’m attempting to describe. They’re the type of characters who I would feel pretty okay with putting in the same ballpark as Fred Rogers and all share a kind of paternal quality which gives me a really warm, positive feeling towards the series they inhabit, even if some of those series are otherwise based around hot-blooded competition.

When it comes to my favorite male anime character, though, I have to say that my choice is slightly more complicated than the person just being sweet or “dad-like.” I think one of the best things that anime and other types of storytelling can do is to provide insight into the lives of people who are different from us. Even better, they can also often provide ways to understand our inner selves better and work through our feelings. I think my pick for this topic manages to embody those ideas quite well.

It was nearly ten years ago when I watched the first season of Natsume’s Book of Friends, the story of a teenage boy, Takashi Natsume, who is able to see spirits. While it’s easy to see why this could be considered a talent, for Takashi his ability has resulted in nothing but strife. Many of the spirits seem malevolent because Takashi is the grandson of Reiko, a person who is said to have tricked various spirits into serving her and then died young without releasing them from their service. In the opening episode of the series, we join Takashi as he’s being chased once again by a spirit who mistakes him for Reiko (spirits are very long-lived and don’t have many interactions with humans – humans from the same bloodline seem very similar to them). The sequence is very stressful and we feel Takashi’s terror. It isn’t until the second half, after Takashi learns how to return its name back to the spirit, that the series starts to reveal its true colors. As he breathes his life force into the appropriate page of the Book of Friends, there’s a flashback to the spirit’s interactions with Reiko, as well as its profound loneliness when Reiko never returns. Here a connection is made, and just as Takashi does, we gain empathy toward the creature and its fruitless search for its lost master.

I love the series itself for these moments, and the first episode already had me in tears. But it’s really Takashi’s personal story that makes me feel emotionally-attached to this anime. Takashi’s special talent caused him to be ostracized from the various family members who took him in following the deaths of his parents. He was housed grudgingly by most of them, his strange outbursts and fearfulness towards things that weren’t visible to others causing him to be seen as a troublemaker or incurably strange. While his treatment during these years isn’t what most people would deem abusive, at best I feel that his relatives’ disinterest in providing him with a loving environment constitutes neglect; at worst, possibly emotional abuse. When he’s finally adopted by the Fujiwaras (technically very distant relatives related to his grandmother), it takes him a profoundly long amount of time to open up towards them. They are incredibly kind people, but Takashi’s low self-worth and past experiences make him wary about getting too attached. While Takashi’s quest to empty the Book of Friends constitutes a large narrative part of the series, it’s his emotional development as a person that makes the series interesting and special.

I also really like Takashi in a deeper kind of way related to some of my personal experiences that I’ll try to explain a bit. I read a book a while back when I was going through a tough time that discussed the behavior of abusive men and why they chose to act that way (the book is “Why Does He Do That?” by Lundy Bancroft, in case you’re interested in checking it out). In the book, the author dismantles the myth that unfortunately many people believe, which is that because some men are abused, they’re then doomed to repeat the cycle in their own relationships*. Not only does that remove accountability from the abuser, it serves to excuse their behavior somewhat and shift the blame to the victim, who in the eyes of some may not be doing enough to quell the abuser’s rage. The act of abuse, whether physical or emotional, is always a choice on the part of the abuser, and not the fault of the abused. It’s also true that, while some abusers use their personal history as an excuse, there are many other individuals with similar upbringings who use that upbringing as motivation to become someone different, who doesn’t reach towards abusive behavior to try to control the world around them. The big reason why I love Takashi so much is that, while the scars from his earlier childhood are obvious, he never uses them as an excuse to hurt. His experiences have instead helped him to build empathy with others, including the spirits whose situations he’s looking to fix, as well as with the grandmother who he only knows through brief flashbacks and very minimal evidence. There is something very comforting to me about the person that Takashi is, as well as who he chooses to become as he learns and grows throughout the series’ six seasons.

Takashi is not perfectly serene in his convictions and he’s certainly not shy to show his frustrations, especially with Nyanko-Sensei/Madara’s antics or the incomprehensible ways in which some of the local spirits act, but I think the fact that he yells and gets a little mad sometimes endears him to me even further. All of us get angry and frustrated sometimes, and to ignore that for the sake of peacefulness would be unrealistic. What makes Takashi a great character is that he doesn’t take his frustrations and weaponize them in ways that puts others down or causes pain. He instead gets motivated to solve the mystery of the moment, or learn more how he can help those around him.

If I had to pick one of the character’s faults to talk about, it would be the issue that Takashi has with trusting other people. Growing up, there was no assurance that the family members dealing with his presence at any particular moment would be the same ones taking care of him long term, so on the flip side Takashi doesn’t always start off giving a lot of consideration to the feelings of his current caretakers and friends. This manifests mostly when he goes off for hours dealing with spiritual situations without giving his family a heads-up that he’ll be away and they become worried. It’s hard work on his part, but as the series goes along he learns to have faith in his family, makes friends with people whose situations are more similar to his than he might have guessed, and starts to become a more considerate person. It’s possibly a little more than one would bargain for when checking out a cute series with quirky magical creatures, but it really speaks well to the heart and soul of the story. The focus on love, family, and repairing broken bonds definitely helps make Takashi’s character arc very compelling. I’m thankful that I was an anime fan at the right time to be able to watch his tale unfold.

So, who are your favorite male characters in anime? Do you agree with me, or are there other traits that really draw you into someone’s story? Let me know in the comments!

*The book references abusive men for the most part. I understand fully that not only men are abusers and the book acknowledges this fact, but the author’s experience working with abusers has revealed that the proportion of abusive men is much higher than that of abusive women, which is why I’ve kept the gender distinction here. Yes, I know, “Not All Men…” etc. Don’t come after me.