tl;dnr: My Hero Academia greatly succeeds at humanizing its characters, primarily through the compassion and civility shown by the central character and protagonist, Izuku Midoriya, in his words and actions towards others within the narrative. It is also greatly inspired by, if not belonging to, the Bildungsroman ("coming-of-age") genre, of which "humanization" is one of its most important, core themes.
This post is a rebuttal to YouTuber UniqueNameOSaurus's video "What a Pokémon Movie Nails that Modern Anime Fails (ft. Hero Academia)". In this video, he compares the third Pokémon movie - Pokémon 3: The Movie: Entei – Spell of the Unown - and the Pokémon anime as a whole, to the My Hero Academia anime.
Now, for most of the video, UniqueNameOSaurus's argument is this: "that Pokémon succeeds in 'proper' humanization, whereas My Hero Academia fails, because it revolves too much around the plot, cutting out important humanization". He also describes his definition of 'humanization' as 'slice-of-life moments that show the characters living their lives happily, or simply feeling [or not having any other motivations besides] happiness and joy".
However, I feel that he has not only fundamentally misunderstood the definition and concept of humanization as a whole, especially in writing and character development, but also My Hero Academia's story as well. Not only that, but I feel as though his argument possesses clear flaws of its own, including:
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Comparing a single movie (Pokémon 3: The Movie: Entei – Spell of the Unown) to an entire anime (My Hero Academia), while largely ignoring the rest of the Pokémon anime and films.
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Letting his personal bias in favor of Pokémon 3: The Movie: Entei – Spell of the Unown dominate his entire argument.
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Ignoring, or overlooking, other aspects of My Hero Academia, including the manga, spin-offs, and, most importantly, the OVA episodes and CD dramas, which do show what he defines as "humanization". He also doesn't take into account the Two Heroes movie, which is easily on-par with Pokémon 3: The Movie: Entei – Spell of the Unown in terms of high quality of storytelling and characterization.
Contrary to what UniqueNameOSaurus claims, My Hero Academia does have "humanization". However, it's usually relegated to the aforementioned OVA episodes, CD dramas, etc...though we do see some of it in the manga, anime, and Two Heroes movie. I feel that if he had done even a little bit of research and Googling, and taken the time to explore how My Hero Academia does its humanization more, that he wouldn't have completely overlooked it in his video, which resulted in him misrepresenting the series as a whole.
While My Hero Academia does have humanization, it's not the same as Pokémon's, at least, in the third Pokémon movie. However, it is closer to the type of humanization that is in two other popular, much-praised Pokémon movies: Pokémon the First Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back and Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew.
Before I get into a full explanation, however, I wanted to provide the general definition of "humanization" to start.
"To humanize is to make something friendlier to humans. Humanizing makes things more civilized, refined, and understandable. You need to humanize characters when you're writing a story, so people will understand them. To humanize is to make things more humane and easier for humans to relate to and appreciate." - Vocabulary.com
"1. To portray or endow with human characteristics or attributes; make human: humanized the puppets with great skill. 2. To imbue with humaneness or human kindness; civilize: acts of courtesy that humanize life in a big city." - TheFreeDictionary.com
"to make humane, kind, or gentle" - Dictionary.com
"to represent as human : attribute human qualities to" - Merriam-Webster Dictionary
It's also basic Writing 101 that humanization plays a large role in characterization. After all, the audience cannot relate to a character, or has trouble doing so, unless they are "humanized", and portrayed in a way that one can personally relate to on an emotional, or mental, level.
However, while I believe that UniqueNameOSaurus was primarily focusing on "showing them as regular humans / people with mundane moments" as "humanization", he also overlooked the second, but no less important, definition: "To imbue with humaneness or human kindness; civilize: acts of courtesy."
This is a theme that has been explored, and well, in many other forms of media...but for the sake of my rebuttal, I'll focus primarily on My Hero Academia.
Even from the beginning of the story of My Hero Academia, we see characters endowed with "human kindness" through their actions towards others, showing "civility and acts of courtesy". The entire ability of "One for All" in the story even revolves around using the immensely powerful Quirk not for one's selfish gain, serving in juxtaposition and as a foil to "All for One", but in a selfless way to show "human kindness and acts of courtesy" towards those in need, and humanity in general.
To this end, two of the main characters - All Might, or Toshinori Yagi, and Deku, or Izuku Midoriya - demonstrate this from as soon as the story begins. In the first few episodes of the anime (and the first few chapters of the manga), we see not only Midoriya living his life normally and doing what makes him happy, as per UniqueNameOSaurus's definition of "humanization", but we see his and All Might's characters developed in such a way where they act towards each other - and others - in a way that "humanizes" them.
For example, when Midoriya saves Bakugo, it isn't just to "further the plot along", or because he wants to be a hero, or even because he wants to fight. Midoriya saves Bakugo because he cares about Bakugo due to his great sense of compassion and kindness towards others. In a sense, Midoriya "humanizes" others, even doing do to the boy who abused him for many years - and later on, also saving Ochaco Uraraka during the U.A. entrance exam - and through so, he is "humanized" himself.
It's Midoriya's "humanization", and sense of kindness and compassion towards others, that in turn not only inspires his idol, All Might, but also motivates All Might to make the decision to offer Midoriya the role as his successor - and the new inheritor of "One for All".
Various other characters throughout the story - including Iida, Uraraka, and Todoroki - are also directly inspired by Midoriya and his "humanizing" of others, while the rest of Class 1-A is indirectly affected or inspired by this, including Midoriya initially being elected as Class Rep. Even Aizawa later recognizes this within the narrative, noting that Midoriya is "one of the three students" who always seems to be at the center of things.
Izuku Midoriya, as a central character, narrator, and protagonist, is meant to truly embody the spirit of "humanization" and selflnessness that comes with being deemed "worthy" of the Quirk; he is "pure of heart". In turn, All Might, through Midoriya's own sense of youthful enthusiasm, is reminded of who he used to be when he was younger, and his own ability to empathize with, act with compassion and kindness towards, others.
Midoriya doesn't just "humanize" others, and show compassion and kindness towards others, in order to further the plot, or to get stronger. He does so because he feels it's the right thing to do, to treat others as people, which becomes a major recurring message, and theme, of My Hero Academia as a whole...because it's Midoriya's journey. For as much UniqueNameOSaurus claims, My Hero Academia isn't "just" about the plot, or Midoriya's quest to gain power and popularity as "the #1 hero". It's about his personal, emotional journey as well, and Midoriya growing and maturing not only physically, but as a human being.
This, too, is reflective of both the more recent "Hero's Journey", as presented by Joseph Campbell in his The Hero With a Thousand Faces, but also through the older literary genre of the Bildungsroman ("coming-of-age story").
In literary criticism, a Bildungsroman is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood (coming of age), in which character change is extremely important.
[...] A Bildungsroman relates the growing up, or "coming of age", of a sensitive person who goes in search of answers to life's questions, with the expectation that these will result in gaining experience of the world. The genre evolved from folklore tales of a dunce, or youngest child, going out in the world to seek his fortune.
Usually in the beginning of the story, there is an emotional loss, which makes the protagonist leave on his/her journey. In a Bildungsroman, the goal is maturity, and the protagonist achieves it gradually and with difficulty. The genre often features a main conflict between the main character and society.
Typically, the values of society are gradually accepted by the protagonist, and he/she is ultimately accepted into society—the protagonist's mistakes and disappointments are over. In some works, the protagonist is able to reach out and help others after having achieved maturity.
[...] There are many variations and subgenres of Bildungsroman that focus on the growth of an individual.
An Entwicklungsroman ("development novel") is a story of general growth, rather than self-cultivation.
An Erziehungsroman ("education novel") focuses on training and formal schooling.
A Künstlerroman ("artist novel") is about the development of an artist, and shows a growth of the self.
Furthermore, some memoirs and published journals can be regarded as Bildungsroman, although being predominantly factual (e.g. The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac, or The Motorcycle Diaries, by Ernesto "Che" Guevara). The term is also more loosely used to describe coming-of-age films and related works in other genres. (Wikipedia)
In a way, the Japanese shōnen genre, in some regards, is also similar to the Bildungsroman genre. Both originally features stories about young boys going off on adventures or quests, with one of the formative novels of the Bildungsroman genre being The Sorrows of Young Werther (1774), a novel by German author Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
However, while the Bildungsroman genre is often introspective, and traditionally more somber and serious, focusing on a character's internal progression and development throughout the story, the shōnen genre is extroverted and light-hearted, focusing on a character's progression and development through external events.
However, the two genres also overlap in several areas, including in both often being autobiographical [inspired] - as in the case of Goethe's Werther, and Kohei Horikoshi's My Hero Academia.
Shōnen manga is typically characterized by high-action, often humorous, plots featuring male protagonists. Commonly-found themes in shōnen manga include martial arts, robots, science fiction, sports, horror or mythological creatures.The camaraderie between boys or men on sports teams, fighting squads, and the like are often emphasized.
Protagonists of such manga often feature an ongoing desire to better themselves, and often face challenges to their abilities, skills and maturity, where self-perfection, austere self-discipline, sacrifice in the cause of duty and honorable service to society, community, family and friends are stressed.
[...] Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball (1984–1995) is credited with setting the trend of popular shōnen manga from the 1980s onward, with manga critic Jason Thompson in 2011 calling it "by far the most influential shōnen manga of the last 30 years."
Many currently successful shōnen authors - such as Eiichiro Oda, Masashi Kishimoto, Tite Kubo, Hiro Mashima and Kentaro Yabuki - cite him and Dragon Ball as an influence on their own now popular works. (Wikipedia)
The two likely overlap due to the influence of the Bildungsroman genre on American culture and literature, especially since German Americans are the largest of the ancestry groups in the United States, as reported by the US Census Bureau (2016 Census). This, in turn, influenced an American-occupied, post-WWII Japan.
The post-World War II occupation of Japan had a profound impact on its culture during the 1950s and beyond (see culture of Post-occupation Japan), including on manga. Modern manga developed during this period, including the modern format of shōnen manga we experience today, of which boys and young men were among the earliest readers. (Wikipedia)
Particularly, the Bildungsroman genre didn't just influence American literature, but mainstream, pop culture comic books and movies as well. This includes both Spider-Man and Star Wars, two series that My Hero Academia creator Kohei Horikoshi says helped directly inspire him in writing his own series and characters. Horikoshi also directly mentions Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z as direct inspirations, particularly Goku serving as part of the inspiration for the character of All Might.
From the Bildungsroman examples page of TV Tropes:
Spider-Man, in nearly all his incarnations. Spider-Man's origin story includes Peter Parker getting superpowers, using them for profit, then failing to help stop a criminal who later kills his Uncle Ben. This causes Peter to realise that with great power comes great responsibility. Note that as a coming of age story, Spider-Man's origin story is lopsided. It includes the decision to be an adult, but not the learning to be an adult.
American Graffiti (George Lucas's film before Star Wars) was the Trope Codifier for the nostalgia version of this type of film. It's a Random Events Plot involving teenagers at the end of summer vacation in the early 60s. Most of the film is based on George Lucas's own memories of growing up in that era.
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope and Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace for Luke, Leia, Anakin, and Padme. Luke and Anakin Skywalker leave their home and family to begin their training as Jedi Knights, while Princess Leia and Padme Amidala have to prove themselves as successful leaders.
Additionally, as My Hero Academia seems to also draw somewhat from X-Men...
- X-Men, with a heavy dose of Puberty Superpower. The story starts with middle-aged Professor X training the five original X-Men, who are all teenage rookies, into becoming the heroes their world needs. Even if this world hates them for it. Over the years, the rookies become seasoned veterans who no longer depend on their mentor, and more people join the ranks. With the process or rookie to veteran repeated, at least for those who manage to survive the near-constant battles. Characters who used to be the students, have long since graduated into teacher-mentor positions.
Even the film Gran Torino, which is listed as a "Late Bloomer Subversion" of the Bildungsroman genre, and serves as the inspiration for All Might's mentor, is on the TV Tropes page.
- Gran Torino: Walter Kowalsky, even when he is a senior who has raised a family, still lives emotionally as the young soldier that crossed the Moral Event Horizon at the Korean War. He must acknowledge he is a Grumpy Old Man Jaded Washout Cranky Neighbor Racist Grandpa who has alienated his own family, and now that his wife has died, is completely alone, so he can be a real Papa Wolf.
And under the Anime & Manga example section...
- The entire subplot of Dragon Ball Z (one of the most influential works in modern-day manga) is essentially Gohan growing up with adventures similar to Goku's, his father, albeit far more violent. Like its predecessor, Dragon Ball, the series ends when Gohan is married and has a family of his own.
However, at its core, the Bildungsroman genre also embodies the concept of "humanization" as one of its primary messages and themes.
"It is discussed as an idiosyncratic example of Bildungsroman, a genre narrativizing modernizing change focusing on the lives of everyday individuals, thus symbolically domesticating and humanizing the global developments of modernization." - "A.H. Tammsaare’s Truth and Justice as a Postcolonial Bildungsroman" by Piret Peiker, a PhD student and lecturer in Comparative Literature at the Estonian Institute of Humanities at Tallinn University
"A significant further variant of the 'classic' definition of the Bildungsroman was suggested by Michael Beddow in 1982...he argues that the portrayal of a sensitive hero's development, far from being 'the be-all and end-all' of the Bildungsroman, is 'undertaken in the service of a further end'. Such novels are highly stylized, symbolic works, and "the expression and recommendation of a particular understanding of the nature of humanity, through the more-or-less overtly fictitious narrative of the central character's development is...the most important feature which gives the novels, on which this study concentrates their peculiar generic identity. This feature, above all, sets them apart from other works...'
[...] A. Böttiger's question about what irons he had in the fire is characteristic: 'myself'...he writes in the 1813 volume, 'One's own powers they should be awakened, strengthened, purified in the individual from the ground up...Let state constitutions perish, of monarchies and republics alike. All the same! If only the human spirit endures, the spirit of the exercise of power and striving, the higher spirit of justice; if morality, the arts, the sciences progress, if only the human spirit may strengthen its power through exercise.'
(Source: Reflection and Action: Essays On the Bildungsroman by James N. Hardin)
Thusly, My Hero Academia, as one of the more recent works added to the long-standing and colorful history of the Bildungsroman genre - or, at least, heavily inspired by it, through other works inspired by it - also embodies "humanization", and executes this message through storytelling relating to primarily character, as opposed to plot, development. It does do through screen-time given to showing the backgrounds of several characters, as well as as a part of plot development.
What UniqueNameOSaurus seems to overlook is that last detail: "humanization as a part of plot development", not wholly removed from it, as he claims. The two are not a black-and-white binary, where you can only have one or the other. In fact, for quality writing, "humanization" of characters to drive the plot is required, as said "humanization" also establishes crucial aspects like motivation, or "what a character wants to achieve / wants most".
Character motivation, or drive, is also one of the most basic, and crucial, aspects of portraying that character, particularly through acting, or in theater.
"In order for actors to deliver the best and most believable performances, their behaviors must be motivated. So, actors must collaborate with directors to ensure that each action and line of dialog has the proper motivation, so that actors can play the scene well. When actors perform a scene without motivated behavior, the performances tend to feel disingenuous and artificial.
People do everything they do for a reason. The way we talk, our body language, when we move, how we move...none of these things just happen. They're all motivated by some purpose, big or small, conscious or subconscious.
So when acting, it's important for actors to understand why they are doing and setting the things that they are. This is referred to as their motivation. Frequently, actors will discuss their motivation with the directors, so they know how to perform this scene, and what are the most important tasks are." - "Understanding character motivation", Lynda.com course
"There's an idea that to really play a role well, the actor has to get inside of the head of the character. He has to understand why the character feels what he feels. He has to wrap his mind around the character's attitudes, prejudices, likes, dislikes, and all those quirks that make people human. When an actor asked director Alfred Hitchcock about his motivation, he wanted to know what was driving his character to perform the actions, and say the words in the script. To put it another way, he wanted to know - 'If his character were a real person, why would he behave in that manner? Here's an example that should shed light on why understanding motivation is important.'" -"Character Motivation in a Drama", Study.com
That is to say, "humanization", including developing motivation, helps characters to seem "real" and "three-dimensional", and like actual people. In the case of My Hero Academia, while a lot of the show is fast-paced and plot-driven, it also includes many aspects of humanization that do make its characters feel quite "real" - including giving quite a few of them motivations, ones that the audience can relate to the characters on, and, in most cases, empathize with.
These include, but are not limited to:
- Izuku Midoriya wants to become the #1 pro hero in order be like All Might, and to save people.
- Ochaco Uraraka wants to become a pro hero in order to help support her family financially.
- Tenya Iida wants to become a pro hero, just like his older brother, to fulfill his family's legacy.
- Katsuki Bakugo wants to become a pro hero in order to prove that he's "the best / most powerful".
- Shoto Todoroki wants to become a pro hero in order to carve out his own identity and power.
- Minoru Mineta wants to become a pro hero in order to become popular, and get girls.
In these regards, My Hero Academia succeeds greatly in the "humanization" aspect.
This is also crossposted here on r/CharacterRant.
Submitted April 20, 2019 at 12:59AM by Obversa http://bit.ly/2UK6wQT
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