Japan’s Anime Guilt Trope
After World War II, peaceful relations have been maintained by Japan and America to this day. But, not too many people realize the subliminal messages sending to America by means of animation.
The most obvious is the use of the mushroom cloud and dome of destruction in many of it’s anime. We have seen this in anime such as - Akira, Macross, Fist of the North Star, etc.
However they also included another reminder of the war and the atomic bomb in the most ingenious way and that is project - ‘Little Boy Fat Man
’. You will first notice it in it’s earliest animation.
This is where a group of heroes has two side characters that is sometimes troublesome, doltish, or comic relief One is usually a short individual, usually a boy. The other is a big oafish usually slow-witted fat man. Voltes V is an example of such trope..
This is seen in many popular series that contains groups of individuals. Gatchaman or G-Force is also another example. In the English version the kid speaks with an impediment. Let’s also not forget the fat man present.
Even in the American syndicated copycat Silver Hawks could not remove the ‘Atomic Stigma’. The little character Copper Kid’s speech impediment has become nonsensical and has been reduced to chirping and retarded speech recordings. I would also like to point out the ft man who usually complains about the lack of food and whines about being hungry.
Voltron was another example of the ‘Atomic Trope’. Alas, the fat man is their to remind Americans about the Atomic Bomb, even though it is never ever mentioned.
As the years wen by, the trope became less and less used and instead the presence of a little person is essential to a party of characters in anime if not for diversity but for either comic relief, cuteness, or overpowered example. Like the one from Yu yu Hakusho. This is eventually made use in Hunter X Hunter, which was created by the same mangaka.
The fat man is not usually needed in these groupings, but it is essential to always use the little character.
Dragon Ball Krillin was a prime example of the use of little people in this series. He started of as a comic relief, then the underdog, then the sacrifice, and eventully the asshole who scored himself the best looking female in the series!
My Hero Academia’s little person has reverted back to the original trope of the little person where he is a creepy pervert. But, it doesn’t matter if such trope was used to guilt Americans in the past. But, it provided great entertainment in the past and hopefully in the future.
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