Ishihara on Anime

Tokyo mayor Shintaro Ishihara gives a very "Japan That Can Say No" style spin on the anime phenomenon in this March interview from the Japanese news site Iza. It's a fascinating window into the mind of a man who appears to view anime as a zero-sum game, in which the popularity of one country's works comes only at the expense of others. My favorite part has to be where he backhands Western animation as "unrealistic," then holds up a show about a walking, talking, flying piece of bread as a paradigm of Japanese realism.

Shintaro Ishihara on Disney:

"I think the reason a show like 'Doraemon,' for example, becomes popular is because of its ability to soothe. Japanese anime has a charm that Disney animation lacks."

"I think Disney was shocked by Japanese anime. Japanese anime isn't unrealistic like Western style animation, nor do its characters feel made-up. Shows like 'Anpanman' are part of the fabric of our society. That kind of imagery, that personality of character, is something universal."

Shintaro Ishihara on his personal taste in manga:

"I don't think many young people know of him, but the manga of artist Ryuichi Yokoyama express the pathos and emotion of the Japanese. I'm happy to see Takashi Murakami becoming popular in America, but in fact the genius of Yokoyama blazed the trail for him."

Shintaro Ishihara on how anime will bring the Olympics to Japan:

"I'm thinking to use anime to energize our bid [to bring the Olympics to Tokyo]."

"The IOC is coming to Japan in April. I plan to charm them with things that connect us heart to heart, but this is actually the sort of thing Japanese find most difficult. Do you have any good ideas? Anything? Please?"

Comments

[wah]

Kodomo no Jikan will be sure to charm their heartswww.

[Aceface]

How Ish had stoled Gundam and used it for porpaganda purpose.

http://www.greentokyo-gundam.jp/index.html
ガンダムが当プロジェクトのサポーターを務める理由の一つとして、現在世界が直面している環境問題と、作品のストーリーに共通点がある事が挙げられます。

Huh?

[MattAlt]

Wait, I've figured it out! He's going to pilot the Gundam over to Tokyo Disneyland and settle the American-versus-Japanese animation question once and for all! WE'VE GOT TO DO SOMETHING!

[Aceface]

Little is known to the outside world that the greatness of Japan comes from the land of Aichi.

You know where all the three samurais(Nobunaga,Hideyoshi and Ieyasu) who had united Japan came from,Right?The founders of Toyota and Sony?No?

The great land of Aichi has added yet another greatness to the rising sun in the year of 1979 in the form of mobile suits.Yes Gundam was created by Nagoya TV(now メーテレ)!!!

But filthy Tokyoites are stealing Gundam from us Nagoyans just like they stole the nation's capital way back in 1603....
And now trying to use it as the bait for Olympic games they already had once back in 1964.(and Nagoya had missed because we've lost the bids against Seoul in 1988....)

I'm going to call our new mayor,Kawamura.It takes one populist politician to whack another.

[Aceface]

Forgot to add DRAGONBALL creator,Toriyama Akira,who unlike other greats didn't run off to Tokyo and betrayed Aichi,still lives here since the day he debut over Shonen JUMP with "DR.SLUMP" back in 1980.

[tissuekins]

Wow, this is as hilarious as that post on Patrick's blog. You guys are doing some sort of double rider kick of wackiness or something.

[MattAlt]

Otackers, KICK!

I wasn't aware that Toriyama lived in Aichi, but I know Masamune Shirow (Ghost in the Shell) lives in Kobe and Miyamoto Shigeru of Nintendo lives in Kyoto. Who says all the good stuff goes down in Neo-Tokyo? (But don't say that in front of Ishihara-san, it'd probably give him a coronary...)

[katsboy]

I think the government and the public office in Japan really have no good sense of marketing. Although the Tokyo Olympics will be a big deal in terms of economy and other things, not many Japanese people really care about it. I'm sure there are better ways to boost the mood, but some actions taken were really waste of tax.

[Aceface]

"But don't say that in front of Ishihara-san, it'd probably give him a coronary..."

The old sport was born in Kobe,Hyogo and raised in Otaru,Hokkaido.
And he has nice villa in Zushi,Kanagawa.
Only has electoral district in Tokyo when he was the member of the diet.

[martin wadada]

shintaro ishihara, is a disgrace to japan very stupid man, he should working in zoo to keep him as governor is not good for japan history in which he tells lies about already keep[ng japanese people in the dark.