Godzilla, Gundams, and Ronald McDonald: History and National Security in Japanese Sci-Fi and Media

The Joint Geeks of Staff

On this week’s new episode of the Joint Geeks of Staff, join hosts Eric Muirhead and Ian Boley as we welcome our guest, Dr. Nyri Bakkalian to discuss the role of history and national security in influencing Japanese science fiction and anime. How did centuries of military dictatorship influence post-World War II movies, manga, and television? How do Kaiju represent Japanese fears of foreign invasion? When did Ronald McDonald first arrive in Japan? The answers might surprise you…

Check out Nyri’s weekly podcast Friday Night History at https://anchor.fm/fridaynighthistory

Also, check out her appearance on Preble Hall with Claude, talking about the Shogunate Navy:

https://www.owltail.com/podcast/7s9Ll-Preble-Hall/best-episodes

Works cited:

Learn more about how the “Closed Country” myth isn’t really true with historian Ronald Toby:

https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=3142

Did Early Modern Japanese always follow the rules and tell the truth to their superiors? Luke Roberts begs to differ:

https://uhpress.hawaii.edu/title/performing-the-great-peace-political-space-and-open-secrets-in-tokugawa-japan/

Recommended reading for those interested in the more serious side of Japanese media and national security:

First, above all else (Ian is embarrassed he didn’t mention this on the show) check out Mobile Suit Gundam: the 08th MS Team on Hulu. Basically, this 12-episode series is a well-done Vietnam War movie with very realistically-portrayed giant robots. Themes explored include the inhumanity of war, the plight of the average soldier, and the challenges of mechanized war in a hostile environment. If you have ever enjoyed any Vietnam War movie and any sci-fi property, this one is easy to sink your teeth into.

After that, Ian suggests exploring one of two options. The first is Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, which is streaming on Netflix. Code Geass is about a high school prodigy who leads a Japanese ethno-nationalist insurgency against a globe-spanning superpower. Themes include political legitimacy, the nature of insurgencies, and the role of the individual actor in international affairs. Want to watch a rebellion in the 1984 world with giant robots? This might be your jam.

Alternatively, you can check out Aldnoah.Zero on HBOMax. This show is about a war between a technologically superior Martian civilization and a more-or-less present-day Earth. This story follows a group of Terran high school students as they get swept up by the conflict and are forced to fight as part of a local militia force. Themes include Clausewitzian theories of war, political legitimacy, and the relative advantages of discipline vs firepower. Come for the incredible soundtrack, stay for the hard-sf battles in the Terran orbital debris belt.

These are some of the more accessible military sci-fi anime out there, but there are also other media to check out, like the light novels All You Need is Kill (the basis for Edge of Tomorrow) and Yukikaze (an aerial combat piece that has been compared to Starship Troopers in terms of its impact on Japanese sci-fi). Feel free to ask around in the Discord for more recommendations!

Check out our Discord at discord.gg/6xg2sApfGJ

The Joint Geeks on this episode are: Eric Muirhead (@StarfleetHIST) and Ian Boley (@IBBoley); our guest is Dr. Nyri Bakkalian (@riversidewings)