The fight against modern social issues.
In recent years I've been noticing more and more manga and anime that bring up problems that have been worsening lately in society. I think it isn't a secret that Japan sometimes uses their shows to address domestic issues like rising suicide rates, overworking, corruption and complacency. Some Japanese Culture Youtubers have talked about it on their channels. But for example WataOshi and Wonder Egg demonstrate malicious discrimination, bystander syndrome and cyberbullying through the abuse of anonymity. More recently Oshi no Ko and YoruKura dealt with internet trolling, doxxing and the court of public opinion through the lens of Japan's Idol Culture. These issues aren't just problems for Japan but also for the rest of the world too.
The patterns all seem to align between series like these. For example with Wonder Egg Priority the world structure presents the dark side of society with specific monsters. The most basic form is called the "Seenoevil" which is derived from the phrase "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" of the three monkeys. Originally this wasn't meant to be a bad thing. The phrase came from Confucianism (非礼勿视, 非礼勿听, 非礼勿言, 非礼勿动) meaning to avoid improper behaviors. However as it was taught in our generation on this side of the world, it meant to avoid acknowledging improper behavior or in other words to ignore bad things when they happen. This kind of behavior doesn't resolve the problem; rather it exasperates it because the bad actor isn't being challenged and their victim isn't being defended. I think that's the version Wonder Egg went with since their original Japanese name is Miteminufuri or the pretend not to see instead of Mizaru for the monkey. The Seenoevils address the reality that these days that's exactly what we do. If we see someone being abused the default reaction is just to look the other way because we don't want to bring that trouble onto ourselves. As a result, bullies become more aggressive and victims can only despair. Over time, as seen in the anime the victims end up withering away in despair. A step above the Seenoevils are the Haters which is what happens when people stop being Seenoevils and try to protect the victim. Rather than continue targeting the victim the Haters target those trying to help, basically trying to turn any good samaritans into new victims and dissuade more from arising. We can see that in our society too as some people try to speak out against wrongdoing. They end up attracting trolls and haters who try to harass them until they give up trying to make a difference.
The behavior of haters can be seen in Watashi no Oshi wa Akuyaku Reijo or I Favor the Villainness when Ray Taylor sticks up for the peasantry in the face of the aristocracy and then again when she defends the aristocracy against the uprising peasantry. This is the other reality in society these days which was probably best said in a recent Character Quest in the game Genshin Impact.
In the quest a rival to the central character Chiori starts a slander campaign to ruin her business. Without any proof the story is published and most of the public immediately abandons her, either having been so easily fooled by the lies or just to avoid becoming involved. Yes, these are your Seenoevils. That's because as Chiori stated when it comes to public opinion, truth hardly matters. What matters is whatever the loudest voice happens to be saying. In Wonder Egg that would be the Wonder Killers. In WataOshi it was the aristocracy back when it was in power and then the rebels once they have overwhelmed the nobles. There were many casualties as a result.
Finally, at least for the anime I wanted to bring up today we have Oshi no Ko and Yoru no Kurage wa Oyogenai. Both are based on Idol Culture in Japan and how toxic the fanbases can get. Idols are treated more like products than people and the fans latch onto them as if characters in fiction and feel at liberty to pass judgment on them. In Oshi no Ko that turned deadly as an obsessed fan decided Hoshino Ai had lied about caring for the fans each time she said "I love you" to them after a performance and took "revenge" on her. Afterwards the fanbase memed about it, saying all the things we've likely gotten used to seeing on the internet. But in Oshi no Ko we got to see the consequences of that callousness; Ai's daughter took it to heart and questioned how people could be so cruel. They also showed how even news like this eventually fades away as if nothing happened, something we can almost directly relate to the recent Princess Kate situation. It's less lethal in YoruKura but nevertheless just as damaging. The idol this time Yamanouchi Kano was seen hitting another idol and fell from grace. Fans immediately turned on her without understanding that she'd hit the girl because she'd been smearing other idol groups, leaking their unfinished songs to force scandal that led to their disbanding or creating fake news that pressured other groups out of favor. Because of this stain on her reputation and later on other socially unaccepted behaviors from fellow bandmate Kiui the internet erupted in hate comments and trolling.
YoruKura ended more positively than Oshi no Ko and reflected the actions of the cast from Wonder Egg. At great personal cost they fought against the hate, the latter of course much more physically. The group took it upon themselves to confront the Wonder Killers, taking down any Seenoevils and Haters that got in the way. Their goals were to bring back the victims they had originally failed to protect, to make up for having been bystanders themselves. In YoruKura, Kano returned to the limelight and I think her epiphany at the end of the series says it best:
I think it's a hopeful message to wrap up this topic with. It doesn't take much. You don't have to beat down the haters with your magical weapons or go on a revenge quest like Ai's son Aqua. Just be there for people. Inspire them and give them hope when the bullies come for them. Don't just be a bystander, a Seenoevil. Speak out against hate. And also support those that are courageous enough to speak up. Maybe one day we'll get back to the Confucianist virtue 非礼勿视 don't witness improper actions, 非礼勿听 don't listen to improper words, 非礼勿言 don't speak of improper behavior, 非礼勿动 don't engage in improper acts. In other words don't be a bully. If they encounter resistance anybody who was considering being bad will think twice. Rather than turn a blind eye to impropriety when it happens the point the three monkeys was trying to make is to not house impropriety in your heart to begin with.
Anyway I really appreciate that these creative minds are addressing this growing problem in our society and I hope to see more. Well actually I hope to see their messages get through and start changing things for the better. What about you guys? Have you watched any of these anime I brought up? What are your thoughts about them? About their message?