The situation is really frightening.
Summary:
- Episode 1 of Fluffy Paradise got fans talking about work culture in Japan.
- Fluffy Paradise is not the first anime portraying a character dying from overwork.
- The entire concept is very alarming for the Western audiences.
We’ve all heard about the recent MAPPA controversy due to the studio’s terrible working conditions and many fans are really worried about the animators’ health and mental state.
Unfortunately, MAPPA is not the only example of Japanese workers being affected by their attitude to work, and anime is full of proof.
Characters dying of exhaustion
One of the most recent series, Fluffy Paradise (Isekai de Mofumofu Nadenade suru Tame ni Ganbattemasu) starts with its main protagonist, Akitsu Midori, dying of overworking.
It wasn’t meant to be the central point of the anime, since she gets reincarnated later on, and this exposition was only a way to explain her death. But fans found this narrative choice quite worrisome.
Akitsu herself asks God that all she wants to do is pet fluffy animals. And while it may sound absolutely hilarious to some Western audiences, it might be a big deal to the Eastern one. People are tired of working and want to escape their worries and exhaustion in an isekai.
This is not the first anime series where the protagonist works a lot and dies because of it. They pass away and are reincarnated into another world where they can just enjoy their lives and have fun.
In another anime, I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level (Slime Taoshite 300-nen, Shiranai Uchi ni Level Max ni Nattemashita) the protagonist is also truly exhausted from work, and just like in Fluffy Paradise, she dies to get a chance to live a peaceful life in another world.
Parallel World Pharmacy (Isekai Yakkyoku) has a similar situation. Kanji Yakutani dies after working hard to develop a medication for the tumor he lost his sister to. Of course, he also gets reincarnated in another world.
The situation is worrisome
Fans are very concerned about the message these anime are trying to send. They think the work culture in Japan is extremely strict, and it’s terrifying. Moreover, hard work is not rewarded there, it’s the standard of doing things. And while it’s very admirable, it is also frightening for the Western audience.
This whole concept of Japanese people being so exhausted from work that they just want to escape into fantasy worlds is concerning, and the MAPPA controversy has done a lot to attract more attention to the issue.
We shouldn’t forget that fans also do have a say in it, and it is wonderful that more and more people are starting to speak up. Maybe this will change the situation in the future