In Anime Podcast #10, JP Meyer gave a pithy response, along the lines of "not really", to a comment and question by Thor about whether increased anti-US sentiment in anime will affect anime sales in the US. I shared Thor’s impression that in blood+ and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig, the US has not been portrayed favourably. In addition to these two Production IG series, we’ve also seen SUNRISE draw a parallel between the US and the Blue Cosmos/Logos controlled Atlantic Federation with its capital in Washington D.C. and its puppet president Copeland in Gundam SEED Destiny.
This post attempts to look at the definitional problems that reflect the often confused and contradictory character of anti-Americanism and disentangle how separate levels of analysis are often conflated. Furthermore, this post argues that many of these ideas and themes regarded as “anti-American” are echoed in or even influenced by US political science, literary, cinematic and popular culture sources.