Key and Turning Year 1993

Anime on Japan’s World War at the Dawn of Heisei

Abstract

This paper engages in the topic of Japanese cartoon animation movies (anime) that depict events of World War II in the range of the expansion of the Japanese Empire. Particular interest is directed at changes of the particulars of contents regarding “place,” “victims,” “aggressors” and the depiction of the “enemy” in the transitional phase from Shōwa to Heisei between 1988/89 and the key year for productions of this character, 1993. Further, the development of this genre until the late Heisei period is discussed. Additional focus lies on contemplations on how the narratives of anime affect the collective memory of the war and which directional turns among the films have been caused and influenced by social events such as the change from the Shōwa to the Heisei emperor and the collapse of Japan’s bubble economy. As will be shown, a change occurred in the memorial culture with the end of the Shōwa period. However, this change owes not only to political, but economic aspects as well.