Gender Roles In Japanese Anime vs American Animation

CharliePeriod 3

My Neighbor Totoro (Japanese Anime)

• In “My Neighbor Totoro,” the main characters in the movie are girls. Mei, the younger sister, and Satsuki, the older sister.

• These two girls don’t really support gender roles.• They represent the opposite of the main girl characters in

American Animation.• Mei and Satsuki don’t try to be all perfect and act like a

princess

Spirited Away (Japanese Anime)

• The main character is a girl which is the usual main character for a Japanese Anime.

• Her parents became pigs and she has to survive by herself in a magical world.

• She basically has to live by herself• She doesn’t try to be like a princess like what

most American Animation girl characters try to be like.

Kiki’s Delivery Service (Japanese Anime)

• Kiki’s delivery service is about a young girl who starts a delivery service because she has a special ability to fly because of her imagination and her whole family are witches.

• She doesn’t really set a gender role about girls/ women• She acts very kindly and gives a lot of respect to people.• Kiki sets a great example towards young girls because of

her work ethic and her respect that she gives to others.

Tangled (American Animation)

• In the movie Tangled, Rapunzel shows the actions by a typical female Disney main character.

• She is a princess who lives in a gigantic tower in a beautiful setting.

• Rapunzel portrays what a typical American 13 year old wants to be. She is pretty, wealthy, and gets the handsome guy.

•

Brave (American Animation)• The movie “Brave,” portrays a different display of girls and

women in Disney movies.• Usually girls in Disney movies always become the princess and

are so beautiful and perfect but not Merida.• Merida likes to shoot archers and doesn’t want to be a

princess.• I really liked how Disney made Merida not a princess and

actually a girl who enjoys activities that many guys in Disney movies enjoy.

Why Are Gender Roles Important In Today's Society?

• Gender roles has become a big talk over the years in regards to several/ most films.• Gender Roles are portrayed in American Animation and Japanese Anime.• These roles set a bad example towards young kids and teenagers especially in the

lives of girls. For example, many girls want to be the princess, like Rapunzel, when they are older and they try to be just like them.

• It is very important for Disney and many other large filming companies around the world to limit gender roles in animations because it really does get into young kids heads into what they should and shouldn’t be.

• American Animation defines Gender Roles very well while Japanese Anime doesn’t really go into the stereotypes of girls and guys.

• In the three Japanese Anime movies we watched, the girls in the movies didnt try to be like a princess or represent what a girl should be which doesn’t support gender roles.

• Japanese Anime is all about imagination and accepting different people.