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The Westermarck effect has nothing on the Sakurai twins.
One of the biggest culture shocks you’ve probably experienced when learning about Japanese culture through Anime is that, over in the great land of the rising sun, incest is not illegal. While incestuous couples aren’t allowed to have their union recognized by the country, that isn’t to say that the Japanese populace haven’t made strides to be inclusive, shown in the legalization of marriage between first cousins. Sure, the Japanese have a proclivity for the kinky and bizarre, and incest in folklore is something that’s pervasive in most other cultures. But with the media’s influence on the cultural importance of values, the lax attitude on a taboo that is likened to pedophilia in most other countries opens up avenues of discussion on why incest is slowly becoming a mainstay in Anime.
Watch Anime for a long enough time and you’ll notice that the fandom has taken on a veneer of complacence when it comes to shipping incestuous couples. If it’s ever mentioned, there may be a few seconds where we’re jarred by our morals to react accordingly. But there’s still an unspoken comprehension when incestuous shippings becomes a possibility or even canon in some Anime. Is this expressive of a pro-incest attitude? From the looks of it, the answer is predominantly no. It seems that we’re willing to overlook a few discrepancies on the grounds that Anime is solely entertainment and not a mirror of our own values, a mode of thinking that I would equate to the trap infatuation, like a de facto disclaimer that says in bold-faced print “being attracted to a transgendered character does not make me gay” or more appropriately “shipping two blood-related characters does not mean I support incest.” A faulty comparison, maybe, but it underscores the mentality of the otaku fandom that I could never relate with (no pun intended), and it also illustrates a slippery slope.
Think of a popular Anime where you’re given the possibility of an incestuous relationship. To name a few: To Love-Ru (Mikan Yuuki), Kanon (Nayuki), any Clamp show (Everyone). More often than not, these characters are portrayed in a positive light that makes them endearing. If it’s a harem show, some of us even anticipate an incest end. Then there are the shows where incest isn’t the subplot, but the main theme, like in Candy Boy (pictured above), Koi Kaze, and Akane-Iro ni Somaru Saka. It’s safe to say that although we may not support the idea of incest outright, we’re nevertheless conditioned to not be as squeamish about it when it presents itself.
The many instances of how incest is used for comedic effect is telling. In Clannad, the main character, Tomoya, fantasizes about his best friend and his best friend’s little sister getting intimate after a misunderstanding, exclaiming “This is turning me on!” We also have the openly perverted Battler Ushiromiya from Umineko letting his indecent thoughts get the best of him as he admits to fantasies involving him and his female family members. We’re essentially laughing at the prospective copulation of two members of the same bloodline, something you could never get away with on North American broadcasting. Another example is in subtext. I’ve never watched Code Geass, but the premise is something I’m all too familiar with. Lelouch Lamperouge wants to take down his father, the barbarous king of Britannia, to avenge his dead mother and crippled sister. Oedipus complex much?
I’m kidding about some of these, obviously, but now I turn the question to you. Do you think Anime has warped your perception of the great incest taboo that lingers on the sociological stratum of the modern world? What was your moral stance before and after you became involved?
Whatever the case may be, I leave with three categorical statements I deduced from observing incest in Anime:
1. Sibling incest in Anime isn’t just compulsory, but a rite of passage for most. Fanfiction.net and Danbooru can attest to this.
2. The Japanese animation industry is actually the head of a long-running conspiracy to get male otakus to fall in love with their little sisters, therefore promoting endogamy and eliminating social diversity. (NHK anyone?)
3. It’s just wish-fulfillment. Who gives a fuck.
and that mode of thinking is something that I would equate to an otaku’s infatuation with traps;
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