As head of Manga Entertainment, Marvin Gleicher knows Japanese animation.
by Jeff Berkwits
At the height of the Pokémon craze a few years ago, rumors were rampant that Japanese animation, often referred to simply as anime, was to some extent anti-Semitic. The gossip began when an imported Pokémon game card began circulating, imprinted with what appeared to be a Nazi swastika. While the reports turned out to be false - the image was really a "manji," an entirely benevolent religious emblem - Marvin Gleicher, President and CEO of Manga Entertainment, understood the reason behind the confusion.
"The swastika that was used by the Nazis is a peaceful symbol in Eastern philosophy," explains the 53-year-old executive, adding that even he has occasionally been disturbed by the unexpected appearance in Japanese animation of what, certainly to Western eyes, seems to be a repulsive icon. "Those similarities can be misinterpreted, especially when there is an evil anime [interchange] going on or something of that nature."
Gleicher should know. Since 1994, he has helmed what is arguably the most respected anime distribution company in the world, a role that in part entails watching dozens of animated movies and TV shows each year. Among the many anime executives in town this month hawking their latest titles at the San Diego Comic-Con, he possesses a unique perspective on the art form. His prominent position within the industry also sporadically finds him drawing upon his religious knowledge to explain and elucidate to fellow Jews this frequently misinterpreted medium.
According to Gleicher, aside from some occasionally perplexing pictograms, Japanese society, and by extension anime, shares many common traits with Jewish ideology and culture. Some theorists have even suggested that the spiritual and social customs of both groups have a mutual origin. This remains a controversial hypothesis, but a variety of animated productions contain subtle but intriguing Judeo-Christian-themed images, including Neon Genesis Evangelion, a groundbreaking 26-part TV series (ultimately followed by two cinematic sequels) incorporating numerous concepts culled from both the Old Testament and the Kabbalah. Additionally, via a somewhat more indirect association, two of the most famous cartoonists in Japanese history - Osamu Tezuka, creator of Astro Boy, and Hayao Miyazaki, director of Spirited Away, the winner of the 2002 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film - have both acknowledged being strongly influenced by pioneering Jewish-American animators Dave and Max Fleischer (Betty Boop, Popeye).
Gleicher asserts there are many less-esoteric parallels, too. "Japan and Israel are somewhat similar, in that they're both isolated kinds of communities that have support around the world," he notes. "The Japanese are geographically a bit more isolated than the Jewish state, in that they're literally an island unto themselves, but they both still have real roots to their home countries and their home cultures. A lot more, I think, than most other groups."
Perhaps due to these intermingled senses of solitude and solidarity, family plays an exceptionally vital role in each society. "Closeness of family is definitely a part of both cultures," maintains Gleicher. "Especially in the Japanese culture, which to me is similar to the Jewish culture in regards to closeness of family, with grandparents and great-grandparents living together and caring for each other and things of that nature.
That intimacy definitely translates into some of the animes."
This deep-rooted bonding results from respective religious and societal histories that can be traced back thousands of years. In fact, while futuristic and contemporary settings remain prevalent within the medium, historical dramas are becoming increasingly popular, as are retellings of classic fables set within sci-fi or fantasy settings. Ironically, to some extent this enduring connection with the past comes about as a consequence of the devastation inflicted upon Japan during World War II, further linking, at least on an emotional level, the Japanese and Jewish cultures.
"Most of the people making anime right now are young, and although they're affected more by today's society, some are bringing back cultural, religious and traditional themes inside of Japanese animation," reveals Gleicher, citing one of his company's titles, Ninja Scroll, as a meaningful historical production with a modern-day resonance. "After the war Japanese society was devastated, as were European Jews… The two groups had different agendas, but they both had to rebuild."
Though Gleicher concedes that the Japanese committed atrocities during the war, on his many visits to the country he has consistently encountered gracious individuals who remind him of the warmhearted Jewish mishpacha that surrounded him as a child growing up in Chicago. It's a feeling he revels in each time he returns to Japan.
"The people are very, very friendly, and very helpful and honest," he says, adding that the occasions he has celebrated the High Holidays at Tokyo's sole synagogue evoke particularly fond memories. "The Japanese can be kind of a closed society at first, which I think holds true in the Jewish tradition as well. That's not to say they're not a gregarious people: they're just rather protected until there's a bond with some outside culture. Then they wholeheartedly accept them."
So Jewish fans shouldn't be afraid to open their arms - and their eyes - to anime. At first glance the medium may seem altogether baffling, but open-minded viewers will likely find these action-packed adventures fascinating and, in many cases, surprisingly familiar.
Comic Con International 2003
When: Thursday, July 17-Sunday, July 20
Where: San Diego Convention Center, 111 Harbor Drive, Downtown
Tickets $60 for adults, $30 for ages 7-16 & 60+. For more information, call (619) 491-2475 or visit www.comic-con.org.
For feedback, contact editor@sdjewishjournal.com.