A major German state media outlet has denounced Japanese manga and anime for having an “obsession” with right-wing and military ideology, describing elements of the medium as supporting a “Nazi cult in comic style”.
English-language outlet Deutsche Welle published the How Manga are Obsessed With Nazis and Military mini documentary on one of its YouTube channels on November 18, with the video having amassed 10,000 views as of the time of writing.
The documentary claimed that some popular manga and anime series contained “dangerous content”, describing some niche manga as subscribing to a so-called “Nazi cult”.
“Saucer-eyed characters in SS uniforms? Swastikas? For many Germans, it is a shocking to find out that manga and anime series seem to be making uncritical use of Nazi aesthetics,” the narrator says as images of anime girls in various military uniforms appear on screen.
Some of the images cited as evidence of right-wing influence do not appear to come from official sources but, rather, fan art or meme images generated by websites such as 4chan and DeviantArt.
One expert interviewed for the documentary was portrayed as denouncing a lack of government censorship aimed at curtailing the phenomenon.
“This is, of course, a huge problem because the state does not even put a stop to it,” he said.
The documentary appeared to lay the blame for the alleged use of Nazi imagery on the increasing popularity of the military in Japan. It also cited popular series Attack on Titan and Girls und Panzer as potentially using German imagery in an irresponsible manner.
“The themes in manga are diverse,” the documentary concluded. “Some also break taboos with relish but also ignorance.”
It added that “fantastical” themes “make up 99 per cent of manga” and that only some of the series touched on German or militaristic themes.
Deutsche Welle was approached for comment but had not responded at the time of writing.
A well-known anti-Communist song has been censored by a show co-funded by the German Government, local media have reported. https://t.co/3fwnFpp7JP
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) October 31, 2024
