Japanese Anime as Apocalypse Training for Italian Children
Santa Nastro argues that Italian children of the 1970s–1990s were unwittingly prepared for disaster by Japanese anime, which dealt with adult themes like suicide, nuclear war, and apocalypse. Unlike Western cartoons designed solely for kids, Japanese imports like Go Nagai's Mazinga Z (1972) exposed young viewers to trauma narratives rooted in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Nastro contrasts this with Takashi Murakami's 2014 film Jellyfish Eyes, where children use smartphones to fight monsters, reflecting contemporary anxieties. The article, published in Artribune Magazine #33, links generational resilience to this anime training.
Key facts
- Italian children of the 1970s–1990s watched Japanese anime with adult themes.
- Anime like Mazinga Z (1972) by Go Nagai dealt with suicide, death, and nuclear destruction.
- Japanese anime were originally intended for adults but aired for children in Italy.
- The trauma of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (1945) influenced these narratives.
- Takashi Murakami's film Jellyfish Eyes (2014) features children fighting monsters with smartphones.
- Murakami was born in Tokyo in 1962.
- The article was published in Artribune Magazine #33.
- Santa Nastro is vice director of Artribune.
Entities
Artists
- Go Nagai
- Takashi Murakami
- Santa Nastro
Institutions
- Artribune
Locations
- Italy
- Japan
- Tokyo
- Hiroshima
- Nagasaki
- Bologna