Go Tokyo Your Experience
Japanese anime has been warmly welcomed globally from the very beginning, and among them, works featuring high school girls as protagonists have frequently emerged, encompassing a variety of life scenarios such as music, camping, mountain climbing, and even fishing. However, attentive viewers may notice that these works often feature “adult characters with poor drinking habits.”
The necessity of these characters has recently sparked heated discussions among Japanese netizens. Some people stated that if the purpose is to have adults drive the high school girls on a journey, such character designs might be understandable, but why do they have to be depicted as heavy drinkers?
This viewpoint has sparked widespread discussion online.
A netizen remarked: “The ‘adult characters with poor drinking habits’ in anime are truly unnecessary burdens; they not only fail to please the audience but may also diminish the quality of the work. What is the point of such characters?”
This criticism has resonated with many, prompting deep reflection on how to understand the existence of these characters.
Similar characters have appeared in many popular works, such as “Laid-Back Camp,” “Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!” and “After School Waterproof Log.”
Teacher Tsubaki from “Laid-Back Camp”
These characters are often shaped into adult figures, perhaps from the perspective of “adulthood” and “maturity,” using “drinking” to symbolize a common aspect of adult life.
However, whether this kind of performance is really necessary remains a question worth pondering. A netizen mentioned, “These roles may be intended to reflect a certain custodial responsibility, but why must it be the image of an alcoholic?”
Another point of view is that these roles are actually designed as projection objects for adult audiences.
“For those camping and fishing scenes, the presence of alcohol seems to enhance the situation significantly.” Some other viewers may have found resonance in these characters, who appear to act as a bridge.
Some netizens believe this may be due to the creators’ aesthetic considerations, thinking that ‘poor alcohol quality’ can add a certain wild or cool feeling to the characters. However, in reality, this portrayal may also reflect a certain degree of alcohol dependence, appearing unhealthy and irresponsible.
In addition, many people mentioned gender bias. In current works, male drunkard characters seem to be rare, and this contrast in character design appears to reflect the selective nature of certain cultural phenomena.
At the same time, certain stories do require wealthy characters to drive the plot, which is another functional consideration. An interesting point is that such characters may also imply and allude to certain social phenomena in real life, and may even represent some form of humor or critique between generations.
The design of these characters is not only driven by the needs of the storyline but also involves multiple considerations from the creators, the audience, and cultural backgrounds. The existence of such characters may lie in exploring the blurry boundaries between adulthood and immaturity, showcasing the imperfections of adult life, and the possibilities of growth that emerge from it.
What do you think the role of such characters is in the story? This is a thought-provoking discussion about growth, maturity, and life philosophy.
