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 Why do men cry so much in Japanese media? 
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The Kramer
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Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2004 11:36 am
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Post Why do men cry so much in Japanese media?
Wasn’t sure where to put this so figured I’d bless the new forum with this question.

Anyways, obviously I’m not in tune with Japanese culture, but it seems like their ideas of masculinity are somewhat similar to Americans. In fact, it seems like crying (or showing any type of extreme emotion) even amongst the women folk is discouraged. So why is it that every manga/anime/movie features a bunch of men who are constantly overwhelmed by sadness? I just started watching Alice in Borderland which features the Choto character crying all the time, and we’ve also got Armin from Attack on Titan and Zenitsu from Demon Slayer are the same. But even the lead characters on these are paralyzed by their emotions every few episodes. And My Hero Academia’s protagonist does nothing but cry.

I have no problem with untraditional takes on masculinity, but its just weird that it has become so common as of late (I don’t recall Spike ever breaking down in tears.) What up with that?


Sun Jan 31, 2021 7:05 pm
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KJ's Leading Idiot

Joined: Thu Dec 31, 2009 8:15 pm
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Post Re: Why do men cry so much in Japanese media?
Good point and good question. I've noticed this trend for a very long time now though I've next sought out for an answer before.


Sun Jan 31, 2021 7:07 pm
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Don't Dream It, Be It
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Post Re: Why do men cry so much in Japanese media?
Crying, sensitivity, or just a general show of emotion doesn't seem to be seen as "unmanly" by the masses anymore. Rather, it's more of an opposite effect in that such traits are associated with bravery or a determination to show their emotions, which can be difficult and even challenging for some in these stories and even real life. The traditional "manly" characters can even be perceived as the more troubled ones (Bakugou in My Hero Academia is a recent good example of this, as his character development has had him deal with releasing his emotions, if you will, in order to grow.).

It's also worth mentioning that anime/manga has become increasingly popular among female audiences. It's even speculated that some newer series' may even be by female authors (the identity is unknown for a lot of them) in a typically dominated male-author industry. In fact, a lot of recent series (such as Demon Slayer) have a larger female following than males in the country.

And it's also important to remember (since it can often be forgotten) that the characters are often kids/teenagers, especially in Shonen titles. So seeing a 12-16 year-old (typically the age-range of the majority of main characters) react emotionally during traumatic moments (think Attack on Titan) or heartfelt-like moments (think My Hero Academia) isn't really unusual.

But it also depends on the series/story/character. Zenitsu in Demon Slayer, for example, is just written in an exaggerated way, at least up to where I've read (he's not in the arc I left off on).

And outside of the anime/manga universe, the Japanese really gravitate toward emotional material, whether it's music, movies, books, etc.. The most successful anything is frequently emotional material. Why? I think it's because they can relate to it, and seeing/reading about characters displaying emotions they may not be comfortable doing in their own lives provides some release/escapism.

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Sun Jan 31, 2021 8:37 pm
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