Anime—animated series and movies originating in Japan—along with manga—the closely associated Japanese comic books—have exploded in popularity around the world. Initially an obscure niche for hardcore fans, anime has more recently secured a firm place in global popular culture, including in the United States. Upon entering into the cultural zeitgeist, anime has become a subject for more serious scholarly consideration and study, but also a target for controversy and dispute as well. The impetus for both of these is commonly the inherent intercultural nature of the medium.
The focus of this paper is the concept of mukokuseki, an aspect of anime and manga that is insufficiently studied in scholarly literature. Mukokuseki translates from Japanese roughly to “statelessness,” conveying the explicit and typically intentional depictions of characters, locations, and cultures that are incongruous with any nationality in the real world. Anime characters are known for their impossibly large eyes, hair with unnatural colors and styles, and unique outfits, culminating in a look that is distinctly not Japanese nor other nationality. The same is true of the settings, which are often fictionalized entirely.
This paper considers mukokuseki from an intercultural communication perspective, seeking to coalesce mukokuseki with philosophies of multiculturalism. The questions arising from this approach are two-fold. First, has anime been a premiere genre for exploring postnational identity in a globalized world and, if so, will mukokuseki inevitably become depicted in other mediums of popular culture? Secondly, has mukokuseki been the cause of recent controversies over alleged “whitewashing” of live action adaptations of anime? The 2017 Hollywood adaptation of Ghost in the Shell, for example, drew considerable criticism for casting Scarlett Johansson in the lead rather than an Asian actress. Such questions promise an opportunity to use anime for exploring unique issues of intercultural ethics.
About the presenterTim Michaels
Tim Michaels is a faculty member in the Communication Department at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. He teaches courses on civil discourse and argumentation and serves as the head coach of the Slippery Rock Debate Society. His research interests include argumentation, rhetoric, and ethics. Tim received his PhD in Rhetoric from Duquesne University.