200 (+) Anime Worth Taking With Us Into the Next Decade

On Bullying in Anime (A Ramble)

Bullying is a very common subject in anime, namely school anime, which seems to be natural because I guess it just happens all the fucking time in Japanese schools. I’ve actually gotten pretty tired of bullying as a plot device because it’s always the same damn thing. However, I was watching Great Teacher Onizuka, which features bullying very prominently, and felt like talking about it. It’s well worth noting that GTO constantly tackles very serious psycho-social issues but does so in a positive, comedic light in which Onizuka reforms people from their place in a negative society. Ordinarily this kind of story is usually dark (a la Boogiepop, Shigofumi, or anytime bullying shows up in a regular show.) I have a rather strong reaction to the different portrayals of bullying which I’d like to get into.