Feel like bad things happen to Japan too much in anime?
Summary:
- Some fans are wondering why anime is more often than not set in Japan.
- While it’s often the case, some anime actually subvert the trope.
- The answer is relatively simple: anime is made with the Japanese audience in mind, who would rather watch series about their own country.
The more you watch anime, the more it feels like every time something big happens, it happens in Japan. Alien invasion? It targets Japan. Some incredibly scientific discovery? It happened in Japan. Pretty much anything remotely interesting happens in Japan, often to “ordinary Japanese high schoolers” — which might be an annoying trope.
Fans will often go out of their way to see something with a non-generic setting — that means not your average fantasy world or Japan. Yes, there are actually anime that take place in other countries, but they’re a minority anyways.
The trope of anime focusing on Japan (usually Tokyo) only is often jokingly called “Tokyo is the center of the universe.” However, it’s not as problematic as you might think.
Anime with this trope
The trope of anime set in Japan has been around since forever. Classic examples include Neon Genesis Evangelion and Death Note. The plot of anime like Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch) also starts in Japan before quickly involving the entire world.
In reality, the trope mostly comes from the fact that anime is made in Japan — of course, the domestic market would rather watch their homeland than something else. It’s just easier to get into, and many authors find it easier to write about a country they know — or a completely fictional country with no real-world counterparts.
Some franchises actually subvert the trope as well: Muv-Luv Alternative, originating from a series of visual novels, does take place in Japan, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the world stands still in the face of an alien invasion.
The spin-off, Total Eclipse, follows a mixed Japanese-American military program, while the other spin-off, Schwarzesmarken, is set in (alternate world) Germany.
The answer is very simple
The question actually doesn’t make much sense if you think about it. In many of these series, the rest of the world is simply mentioned in passing — it doesn’t mean they’re not necessarily involved. In the aforementioned Evangelion, other countries actually matter, despite the plot taking place in Japan.
But really, the trope isn’t even exclusive to anime. It has been around in Hollywood movies forever as well — every time aliens invade Earth, or some natural disaster strikes, it always hits the United States.
Pretty much everything is made with the target audience in mind, and the target audience will consume the media it can relate to — and the so-called “home country advantage” is crucial here.