Societal values ​​and culture define the ways we re-present the world and create stereotypes about particular groups. As Dyer said: “Reality is always larger and more complex than any system of representation can comprehend. » The patriarchal society, law of the father, in which we all live supports male hegemony in different media industries as well as in the animation industry. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essayI will analyze the depiction of men in Japanese animation, also known as anime. Japanese animation began to become popular in the West in the 1990s, however, the oldest example of Japanese animation, Namakura Gatana (Dull Sword), dates back to 1917. The first widely popular anime series was Osamu's Astro Boy Tezuka (1963)[3 ] which was successful in the West, perhaps because it conforms to the values ​​of a patriarchal society where only men are in command. My hypothesis is that Japanese animation will follow the dominant representation of men, according to which men should have certain abilities and qualities such as strength (emotional endurance, courage, autonomy, rationality) honor (duty, loyalty, responsibility, integrity , altruism, compassion, generativity) and action: (competitiveness, ambition, risk-taking, agency, willpower.) To find out if my hypothesis is true or not, I will analyze anime posters that have the main goal of attracting the attention of the public in order to persuade them either to look at what is being advertised or to buy it. They must be exclusive and have a unique selling point that reflects the dominant stereotypes to convey a strong message in a short time because they must attract the attention of the passerby. This is also done through the use of typography and staging elements, as the posters want to inform the audience about the narrative and genre with a repertoire of elements such as guns or blood for the kind of action. The first text I will look at is the main text. poster of action/drama anime 'GANGSTA' directed by Shukou Murase and produced by Manglobe studio. While looking through Manglobe's works, I realized that the majority of anime conforms to the dominant depiction of men by disempowering women through sexualization. Gangsta was released in 2015 and the story takes place in the town of Ergastulum and is based on the mafia theme. Conventional of the genre, I expect to find a dominant depiction of men depicted as powerful. The title of the anime is Gangsta which is contradictory to the way the characters are portrayed. Gangstas are urban criminals or street gangs. However, the characters are depicted as members of a criminal organization and are commonly referred to as gangsters. I think the title doesn't match the gangster characters on the poster because it creates a cryptic code that would lead the audience to want to know more about the anime. The title Gangsta connotes violence, it is a stereotypical subject associated with men, as gangstas are known to be involved in acts of violence. This aspect is suggested by the staging elements such as clothing and iconographic elements: guns and swords which are also reinforced by the red background and the blood splatters, which means that the anime would in fact feature violent scenes . The title is in white, which connotes purity and innocence, which is the same color as the main female character's dress, this may mean that she is the person who could change the“gangsta” for the best. The title is in bold but a few scratches have been left to imply that the purity of the characters has been damaged by influences such as money increasing a person's ego. The title is indeed bold and refers to the action genre of the anime by implying that it will cover strong topics such as violence, but it is also used to attract the audience's attention. I can detect that the main protagonists are the two individuals depicted in a long shot in the center of the poster, where the audience looks first. Tamana (19) said: “I can clearly see that there is a traditional portrayal of men as they are portrayed as dominant, powerful, controlling and violent, this is signified by the facial expressions of the characters.” Worick, with the eyepatch, and Nicolas, with the sword, reinforce the traditional representation of men. Their masculinity is emphasized by their hairy torsos and muscles which suggest they are physically powerful, their smirks suggest they are arrogant, meaning the duo are assertive and confident. In fact, this is reinforced by their body posture which is masculine as it looks like they are walking towards the audience, which makes them appear more dangerous. This is emphasized by the direct mode of address as the duo looks directly into the camera to intimidate the audience. The other male characters conform to the dominant representation of men because they have beards, another element of masculinity and costumes that evoke power. wears a black eyepatch over his right eye and from watching other Japanese animation and films that incorporate characters with an eyepatch, I can suggest that it is used to make the individual look more like a striking character and dangerous and also intriguing as audiences may be curious as to why Worick wears an eyepatch. Recognition is an important factor in how we consume and engage with media texts. This would create pleasure for the audience to recognize certain elements. Indeed, there is an element of intertextuality since the outfits and the representation of the male characters are similar to the film The Godfather which is also based on the same subject: the Mafia. So, costumes and arrogant and serious facial expressions are all elements that signify masculinity and power. Another reference to masculinity would be the Japanese mafia, also known as the Yakuza, which is also depicted in the comics that inspire manga and, therefore, anime. Nicolas holds a sword called a “katana” in Japan. It was used to fight by samurai who followed the “Bushido Code”, a code of masculinity which includes eight virtues including courage and loyalty. Similarly, Yakuza members ask for forgiveness by amputating their little finger which is used to hold the katana, in doing so they have to rely on other members or the boss himself, which is not considered masculine. Another key element is Worick's gun which is conventional. action anime and masculinity, this supports the dominant portrayal of violent men which is endorsed by Earp and Katz's theory of Tough Guise as they state that in media the portrayal of violent men is a reflection of men's brutal behavior in real life. Another factor that reinforces the traditional representation of men is the way women are depicted on the poster. One of the reasons audiences will watch anime is not only for entertainment and escapism (Blumler and Katz), but also for the enjoyment of sexual arousal. The main female character is sexually objectified because she doesn't wearthan a short white dress which highlights the size of her breasts. White connotes purity, which can mean that he is an innocent character who will make the audience feel pity for any unfortunate events that might happen to him. The positioning of the main female character is publicized to attract a male audience who will consequently see the entire poster and might decide to watch the anime because a strong binary opposition between men and women is presented. However, it must be taken into account that "the sexualized image of women does not say much, if anything, about the reality of women, but is symptomatic of the male fantasy and anxiety projected onto the female image ”, meaning a female perspective was not included. The representation of men in the “GANGSTA” poster. is dominant because it reinforces the hegemonic ideology that men are in charge and women are vulnerable. Nonetheless, I did not expect to find an underrepresentation of women as one of the female characters has a serious facial expression, but it is debatable whether she is still portrayed as feminine as she wears red lipstick dark in color. Mirai Nikki, directed by Naoto Hosoda and produced by Asread studio, is a hybrid action anime of the psychological thriller genre and conventional anime of the genre it will depict men in a dominant position. However, the representation of men would be more sophisticated because in a psychological thriller, not only the physical strength is important but also the intelligence of the character which is considered one of the most important masculine factors in Japan, well known for its society competitive. The English version of the title, "Future Diary", does not conform to the dominant representation of men. In this case I feel that Yuri is not depicted as a man as in society teenage girls write diaries to express their feelings, however if teenage boys convey their feelings in a diary it seems that they are showing their sentimental side and that they do not follow. the standards for being a masculine man hence why they are called metrosexual men. This is reinforced by the white color used for the title which signifies purity, it reflects his innocent personality which is also due to his age because in adolescence an individual is new in many aspects of life so the audience might feel sympathy towards the character. His outfit can be considered quite childish as he wears a hat, shorts, high boots and a shirt with a jacket, it looks like he is ready for an adventure, this could still be due to his age. His facial expression which provides information about his personality, because he does not look directly at the camera, conventional posters, a character who does not engage the audience through a direct mode of address is represented as weak. Behind him the girl is smiling which means she has a controlling role between the two, this is visible through the reflection which could show her true personality which is intelligent. This quality is usually attributed to the main male protagonist, but in order to portray the male character as vulnerable, the director decided to portray the female character as the shrewd person in between. The girl is behind Yuri, which can be detected as a way of expressing the male character's dominant position. However, Yuri's personality is presented through the ease of use of low-key blue lighting which symbolizes innocence, purity and virginity. The low-key lighting suggests that there is a dark side to the anime. From a male perspective, Yuri is portrayed as an uncharming character who lacks physical attractiveness and personal skills such.