Hosoda: Japanese anime has problem with women and girls

If he want to promote his own movie then it's fine if he talk about his views, but is there a need to badmouth others or criticize other people works? All movies has there own charm toward certain audience.

If he want to promote his own movie then it's fine if he talk about his views, but is there a need to badmouth others or criticize other people works?

The complete lack of criticism is exactly what's killing the japanese entertainment industry, so what he's doing here should be encouraged.

J manga & anime, with all of its unapologetic tropes, is a last bastion fir interested readers from abroad, where the overly-sensitive, re-envisioning of classics stories and characters has destroyed their comics subscriber market base. NEW retail Comic shops are dead and gone. Only resales are surviving.

A young girl and some mystical force. That basically sums up the plot of any Miyazaki anime.

And the problem with anime and women/girls? I think we all know what that problem is.

Women in Anime are treated as sacred? I always thought they were treated as some pedophile's fantasy.

I'm sorry Hosoda-san, but Nausica and her subsequent sisters all live in worlds much different from the world according to Hosoda. These are 'adventures' in which a clear headed HERO does what heroes do in adventure stories. That the hero is female is a plus. Sometimes, when we are tired of the World and just want an unambiguous entertainment, we may not need to have that same World reflected back at us, it's why we're watching in the first place, escape. If I have anxiety in this World, I do not need to see the same or worse anxiety detailed in anime. Certainly anime, like all media, has a social voice and anime can teach, but watching the same psychological issues portrayed on the screen as we see around us everyday is just not a 'requirement' when we seek a different world of fantasy. And, regarding "I wanted to show that this virtual world, which can be hard and horrible, can also be positive", no one forces us to witness such 'hard and horrible' and we pretty much do that to ourselves by allowing hostile 'others' to matter. The lesson that might be taught is that one has a CHOICE in the virtual world to view or not to view. If viewing causes trauma, that's on the viewer.

I'm surprised nobody is complaining that a man is telling everyone how a girl should be / act.

Personally, I like many of the female protagonists in Miyazaki films, and many of the sub characters are nothing like the "sacred" girl as described above. But I would love to watch a story about a girl as written and directed by a girl. Both are fine, but every now and then have a story about a girl - by a girl.

I always thought much of Miyazaki’s work was about the environment. Sure, there’s lots of young female characters, but they’re all unique not at all hardly weak.

I think you can read what you want into much of Miyazaki’s work, but Hosoda would do better criticizing other anime tropes than Miyazaki’s work. I guess he’s playing to internet divisiveness.

Hosoda has a more civilized view of women, since women are not treated just white or black.

I believe he wanted to say that showing female characters as a single tone, even if it is positive, is so limitating that it discredits women in general (they are not just kawai or pure or sacred or ...).

He knows life well in view of his own experience.

Hiro's comment above just show how Japanese cannot accept any progressive criticism like Jsapc explained too.

is so limitating that it discredits women in general (they are not just kawai or pure or sacred or ...)

Well, it’s a phantasy work and first of all it needs to be sold for real money. So you only can draw or animate this way. Who really would like or even pay for a manga with an ugly, bitchy or devilish female main character? lol

To be turned on by Manga anime girls is the same as being turned on by photos of sweaty sports stars training and barbie dolls. Humans are a sorry lot. What happened to us on our way to the top of the animal chain?

To be turned on by Manga anime girls...

Naah man, That's art. That's what is the intention of artist. It doesn't just apply to manga girls. A lot of girls get turned on by manga boys too. Anyone get's turned on by them but getting obsessed over them is weird.

unfashionable Japan

Bruh, you been hanging out at the wrong places!

The complete lack of criticism is exactly what's killing the japanese entertainment industry, so what he's doing here should be encouraged.

Are you sure about that? Because the last time I check the entire anime and manga industry is crushing Marvel and DC beyond belief. Matter of fact anime and mangoes have a record highest sales than ever before and out doing all other platforms of Storytelling.

I'm surprised nobody is complaining that a man is telling everyone how a girl should be / act.

Personally, I like many of the female protagonists in Miyazaki films, and many of the sub characters are nothing like the "sacred" girl as described above. But I would love to watch a story about a girl as written and directed by a girl. Both are fine, but every now and then have a story about a girl - by a girl.

And what do you think Sailor Moon is written by? And don't get me started with man swinging crap. Come back and talk to me when you get drafted by the millions in the next War.

What you think Fifty Shades of Grey and Twilight was? It's a story with a lot of male characters written by females which real life most males don't act that way. Those male characters are pretty feminine.

To be turned on by Manga anime girls is the same as being turned on by photos of sweaty sports stars training and barbie dolls. Humans are a sorry lot. What happened to us on our way to the top of the animal chain?

Try to recall that ONLY WE claim Humanity to be "at the top of the animal chain". Our environment, the ultimate judge of ANY genepool on this planet, has yet to finally rule on that, but it's not looking like the planet agrees with us...

The complete lack of criticism is exactly what's killing the japanese entertainment industry, so what he's doing here should be encouraged.

Sorry, but you just can't twist reality to match your ideology. The Anime industry is a huge success and still continues growth, BECAUSE people overseas are fed up with getting ideology shoved down their throat 24/7.

Just watched the 90sec trailer for Belle

"It really annoys me to see how young women are often seen in Japanese animation -- treated as sacred -- which has nothing to do with the reality of who they are," Hosoda said, with evident frustration.

So a shy country girl and her computer nerd female friend getting millions of followers in a virtual world. Apparently the "beast" wants to destroy this world but he's hiding something, I can't for the life of me imagine how this could possibly turn out.........

every artist will have his own vision of his characters and how they want to present them to the world. Since all of anime and manga female characters lack realism, why pointing fingers only at Miyazaki? Its nice that Belle has gained so much recognition but saying something so insulting about Miyazaki lacking confidence/creating ‘bad’ females doesnt show Hosoda in a good light.