When we think about how scholars typically approach Japanese animation, the approaches that come to mind right away are those that use anime as a text to analyze. Just some noteworthy recent examples include journal articles such as Hayao Miyazaki’s Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (2008): A cli-fi reading of Japanese anime, in Japanese Studies, and Monstrous and uncanny ecologies: The politics of anamnesis in Ergo Proxy, in Configurations, and chapters in edited essay collections like Reaffirming Japanese identity through the multiverse: A response to post-3.11 uncertainties from Your Name, in the essay collection Entering the Multiverse: Perspectives on Alternate Universes and Parallel Worlds. These kinds of approaches usually also imply connecting particular anime texts to particular critical theories – this is what Christopher Bolton does when he highlights several different such approaches in the monograph Interpreting Anime (2018). Of course, these are also the kinds of approaches that Thomas Lamarre, one of the field’s leading scholars, has called out as examples of “analysis [that is] relegated to re-presenting anime narratives, almost in the manner of book reports or movie reviews” – while at the same time failing to engage with what he terms “the materiality of animation”.
Granted, increasingly, scholars are also viewing anime as an educational tool – with the warning, that Sally McLaren and Alvin Spies present, in their chapter on “Risk and Potential: Establishing Critical Pedagogy in Japanese Popular Culture Courses”, in the Association for Asian Studies handbook Teaching Japanese Popular Culture, that “[s]tudents studying popular culture use Japan to explain the text, rather than using the text to explain Japan.” But, even beyond these, there are other ways to talk about Japanese animation that may not be immediately obvious. And one such way is to consider how anime can be used as a tool in professional psychotherapy and counseling.
This idea is actually not brand-new – already in 2008, Lawrence C. Rubin contributed a Big heroes on the small screen: Naruto and the struggle within chapter to an essay collection on popular culture in counseling, psychotherapy, and play-based interventions. And now, Francheska M. Gonzalez Castro is exploring this topic further – in a Doctor of Education dissertation that she just recently completed at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus.
The dissertation (in Spanish) is entitled Opinión que el consejero profesional tiene sobre la pertinencia del manga y el anime en la Consejería Profesional – with the parallel English title Opinion of Professional Counselors Regarding the Relevance of Manga and Anime in Professional Counseling, and this English-language abstract:
Manga is the general term used for all comic strips, comics, or graphic novels created in Japan (Brenner, 2007; García, 2019; Nakaya, 2022) yet characterized for having a visual narrative with a recognizable sensibility (Johnson-Woods, 2010). Anime, on many occasions, evolves from Japanese manga or comics, but they are not synonymous (Johnson-Woods, 2010). Nakaya (2022) defines anime as Japanese animation or animated Japanese visual media. Manga or anime-related themes are new within research in Counseling and human development areas (Migliorino-Reyes, 2020). There is a lack of research related to these media (Zhao, 2019). González (2020) explains that its efficacy, significance, or potential as supporting tools (i.e., bibliotherapy or cinematherapy) in help professions is unknown.
This research was conducted using Albert Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory. Bandura postulated that social learning theory addresses the explanation of human behavior regarding a continuous reciprocal interaction between cognitive, behavioral, and environmental determinants (Bandura,1977). Qualitative methodology with a focus group design was used. Information on the characteristics of this sample was also gathered through a demographic questionnaire. Data was analyzed through content analysis. The purposes of this research were to find out the opinions of Professional Counselors in Puerto Rico regarding the relevance of manga and anime in Professional Counseling practices and interventions, and to establish their knowledge of manga and anime.
This research provided findings that confirm the relevance of manga and anime in Professional Counseling. Findings that must be underscored are that there is a lack of knowledge of manga and anime, that these media are a natural connection that facilitates the therapeutic relationship, and that their integration in therapeutic interventions could have positive effects. Additionally, the imperative need to develop these subjects and educate these professionals, specifically, was identified. Above all, it was established that having knowledge of manga and anime is relevant and necessary for the profession.
And I am now pleased to have the opportunity to have a conversation with the author and find out more about her research, and especially, the process of preparing and submitting this dissertation.
MK: To start, can you quickly summarize the research question that you explored in your dissertations?
Francheska M. Gonzalez Castro: To be able to understand the Opinion of professional counselors regarding the relevance of manga and anime in professional counseling I had four research questions: (1) What knowledge do Professional Counselors in Puerto Rico have about manga?, (2) What knowledge do Professional Counselors in Puerto Rico have about anime?, (3) What do Professional Counselors in Puerto Rico think about the relevance of manga in the practice of Professional Counseling? and (4) What do Professional Counselors in Puerto Rico think about the relevance of anime in the practice of Professional Counseling? Two questions for each, manga and anime.
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