Being an anime fan, you’ve probably come across the term ‘japanophile’: someone who loves or takes an interest in things relating to Japan, generally without being ethnically Japanese. You’ve probably also noticed the fetishism towards things European – in my experience, German and French motifs seem to pop up a lot – in anime and manga. Watching the first episode of the Stan Lee-Bones collaboration Heroman, there’s definitely something that stuck out at me. Imagery of, and reminiscent of, the American flag abounds; the main character’s name is Joey Jones; English is used correctly (a unique concept in anime), and; the landscape of the city the show is set in (Center City, West Coast, USA, thank you very much) is dotted with palm trees. Are you starting to catch my drift?
Heroman: the most patriotic hero who ever lived.
Well, if you’re thinking of Americaphilia (there’s no set term, strangely), you and I are on the same wavelength, dude. It’s safe to say that the intention of Stan Lee was to work an anime series that successfully bridged American and Japanese culture, but the almost surreal USA presented in Heroman might not endear itself to English-speaking fans. That’s not at all to say that the France-like, Germany-like or even the Japan presented in anime is realistic in the slightest, but an anime series supposedly set in the USA… could feel a lot more like it’s set in the USA. I think that’s what’s irking me about the America of Heroman. For all it’s Stars and Stripes and California-esque scenery, the series doesn’t feel “as American as apple pie”. It’s not even close.
Palm trees and cheerleaders and dance parties, oh my!
I don’t know, I might just be grumpy or overly sensitive today. After all, I live in Australia, which probably holds the gold medal for being misrepresented in the media. (I can’t tell you how many tourists here in Sydney ask me ‘where the kangaroos are?’ “Hi, excuse me, why aren’t there koalas in these trees?”) I also want to make it clear that the purpose of this post certainly isn’t to bash Heroman. I actually enjoyed the first episode (the art was excellent and it was highly entertaining) and I intend to watch more of the series. Finally, in addition to this (as I touched on before), I’m aware that the point was possibly to not create a realistic setting – after all, what anime (aside from some slice-of-life) is meant to be set realistically? I mean, this show has mechas and UFOs and all that jazz. What is this realism you speak of?
But, alas, I guess I’m guilty of wanting more than just flags, coffee shops and palm trees from this particular USA. So, in this respect at least, I don’t feel satisfied by what Heroman is offering.
Well, there’s actually a trope for this: Reality is Unrealistic. It’s the idea that when we see something enough times in media, we assume it’s true. The reverse also holds that we assume something is true and therefore we put it in media. So to think about it a different way, it might not present America realistically, but it instead might present a Japanese idea of America realistically. Of course, those with greater experience than myself would probably have to verify that.
*looks in 2DT’s direction*
Nice post by the way! :]
Oh! I didn’t know there was a trope. Thanks for your insightful comment and for pointing me in the direction of the page, because I feel like I see this kind of thing happens a lot. It’s something that’s very interesting to me. I’ll admit that I’m kind of a social-science geek. ^^
I’d love to hear 2DT’s thoughts on the matter, if he’s watched the first episode. *cough*hint*cough* And thank you very much for the compliment. It means a lot. :]
I agree…its like an overblown caricature of the US…modeled after a California esque setting. That puts me off the most. All we ever see in the media is a gross interpretation of California, Washington, New York or (less likely) Texas. There are other things…
and places around us. Of course i could have even taken New york with a dose of non engrish. As long as it was attempting to be serious.
Of course in the US there’s that classic interpretation of other nations..Japan is samurai land, Australia is outback land with kangeroo’s…Italy and French is “Good Food land” and China is “the great devil who’s come to take your natural resources.”
Even so..its particularly annoying in Heroman. -_-;;
Thanks for your comment! I know what you mean, and I feel like it gets even worse the more times the stereotype is perpetuated. I also agree that for some reason, it’s even more annoying in Heroman. Maybe because Stan Lee’s working on it and he should know to go beyond the stereotypes of America?
The animation was nicely done. The Stan Lee cameo was fairly impressive (especially for such a realistic likeness not to stand out from the other character designs). The story didn’t really do anything for me, but I can imagine this doing quite well with younger viewers with an English dub.
Thanks for the insight! I totally agree with you here. The Stan Lee cameo was surprisingly well done and I think it would translate extremely well to TV screens in English-speaking countries with a dub. I think the younger viewers could have a lot of fun with this.
>but an anime series supposedly set in the USA… could feel a lot more like it’s set in the USA.
But you don’t live in the USA, right? So how could you judge it’s accuracy?
Thanks for the comment! While I’ll admit that don’t live in the USA, I like to think that I’m very aware of stereotypes of Americans (they’re perpetuated here, as well). I have seen documentaries about the USA, I know quite a large amount of US history and I read/watch a lot of American media. I also have a large amount of family and friends living in the country. In essence, while I may not be the most qualified person to write about the accuracy of the setting, I feel that I certainly have the right to voice my opinion and at least some knowledge to back it up. If you think otherwise, that’s your right, and I’m sorry if I’ve offended you with this post.
Heroman…seems to be in par with Captain America, in terms of patriotic sense. xDD
The art is lovely though..reminds me of the actual Marvel comics. You could definitely say, “Of course, it’s all Stan Lee’s doing.” I..just hope that this doesn’t turn towards the Super-Robot story-scenarios where they just keep bumping into enemies and keep winning. >___>