The Shadow of World War II in Modern Japan: Professor's Manual Main Menu How to Use this Module Abstract An introduction to this module Module Materials Terminology Schedule Introduction to Japan Japan and World War II Community Dragon Head 『ドラゴンヘッド』 Discussion: Dragon Head "Victim's History" Grave of the Fireflies 『火垂るの墓』 Discussion: Grave of the Fireflies Hiroshima Barefoot Gen 『はだしのゲン』 Discussion: Barefoot Gen Godzilla 『ゴジラ』 Discussion: Godzilla Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack!『ゴジラ・モスラ・キングギドラ　大怪獣総攻撃』 Discussion: All-Out Attack! Godzilla Resurgence 『シン・ゴジラ』 Discussion: Godzilla Resurgence Module Wrap Up

Module Wrap Up

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Throughout this course, it is evident that the Japanese utilize their popular culture to air grievances and anxieties that are often unable to be uttered aloud.  These materials also serve as messages to the audience, guiding them along in what it means to be a proper Japanese citizen.  Though it is impossible to know what Japan may have been like had they not suffered a defeat in World War II (Koushun Takami explores this in his novel Battle Royale, 1999), it is clear that the loss has had a massive impact on the Japanese psyche and is still being represented in their media.
 
By completing this course, students should now be able to recognize the themes of “victim’s history” and community in other pop culture materials.  It is, of course, too simple to distill the entirety of the Japanese into two concepts, however, since World War II, these concepts have been the crux of Japanese society.  As Carol Gluck of Columbia University mentions in her interview on Slate.com, for the Japanese “the bomb doesn’t end the war:  It starts the postwar mission for peace.[1]”
 
Japan has become our staunch ally in the years since the bombs; perhaps not at their own insistence.  Yet their popular culture has boomed and spread, becoming a worldwide phenomenon.  Therefore, it is of vital importance that we view these materials not solely as objects of entertainment, but indispensable mirrors through which we can come to more intimately understand a nation that has needed to marry the traditional with the modern as a result of their convoluted history.
 
 
Suggested Follow-Up Projects
 
-  Students research their own favorite Japanese popular culture and present them to the class.  They must particularly focus on finding evidence of the “victim’s history” or of reinforcement of community versus individuality.  Some suggested media include:
 
Tokyo Godfathers (2003)
Akira (1988)
Fires on the Plain (1959)
Battle Royale (2000)