The Confucian Elder or Powerful Guru? Portrayals of Elderly within Japanese Anime

by Kelsey Derrick

“Professionals in human services fields have begun studying the effects of ageism on aging populations, particularly in developed countries. It is speculated that many peoples’ attitudes towards the elderly could be influenced by the cultural values often presented within television and movies. In particular, Asian societies who typically practice filial piety from Confucian values could be an exception to modern ageism around the globe. Since the 1980’s, Japanese animation has swept the world in popularity due to its unique drawing style, storylines and range of characters. With the timely emergence of anime and ageism in popular culture, the goal of this paper is to discover how older adults are portrayed within anime…”