---
title: 'Mari Yumi Is Wrong About Anime'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=GNPRgNQsUGY'
video_id: 'GNPRgNQsUGY'
date: 2026-07-31
duration_sec: 728
---

# Mari Yumi Is Wrong About Anime

> Source: [Mari Yumi Is Wrong About Anime](https://youtube.com/watch?v=GNPRgNQsUGY)

## Summary

In this video essay, the creator responds to a take by Mari Yumi that anime should avoid political themes. Using examples like That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Kill la Kill, and Symphogear, the creator argues that political ideas are not only natural in anime but often make it richer and more meaningful. The video concludes that anime is inherently political because it is a narrative medium that processes cultural concepts.

### Key Points

- **A take so misguided it sparked two responses** [00:03] — The creator feels compelled to make a second video because Mari Yumi's claim that anime shouldn't be political is monumentally misguided.
- **The Naruto analogy** [00:47] — Imagine Naruto stopping before a fight with Sasuke to ask viewers about the presidential election—that's how jarring out-of-place political commentary would feel, but anime is art and can explore political ideas.
- **Political themes improve anime** [01:30] — Engaging with political concepts and big ideas improves an anime rather than detracting from it; dismissing anime as vacant entertainment is an insult to the medium.
- **The Slime's legal system** [02:03] — In That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, the slime gains control of a goblin village and a direwolf pack, forcing him to establish laws that protect against discrimination and ensure long-term social stability—a clear political concept.
- **Direct commentary on postwar Japan** [03:39] — The slime shares the history of postwar Japan's pacifism and embrace of trade, showing how cooperation led to economic recovery—a touching scene that nonetheless advocates a political stance.
- **Kill la Kill's opening fascism lecture** [04:48] — Despite being a silly anime about giant scissors, Kill la Kill opens with a lecture about the rise of fascism in Germany and features villains from the fashion industry ('fashionism' = fascism).
- **Anti-fascist themes in Kill la Kill** [05:35] — The anti-fascist Nudist Beach rejects surface appearances, Ryuko is half-human/half-alien ('hāfu'), and those who oppose the fashion forces are queer and 'degenerate'—everything fascism hates.
- **Symphogear and soft power** [07:12] — Symphogear, a magical girl anime powered by singing, features a Japanese nationalist villain who says songs can't protect Japan—directly attacking the idea of soft power as self-defense.
- **God as a metaphor for power structures** [09:57] — Citing Moon Channel's essay, the creator explains that Japanese media often uses God as a stand-in for orthodox power structures; summoning the Abrahamic god symbolizes embracing US-style hard power.
- **Anime is political because narrative media is political** [11:15] — If you don't notice political aspects in anime, you may lack the cultural background; understanding the medium leads to a richer entertainment experience.

## Transcript

I feel that I have to make a video responding to it it is even more unusual that I see a take so monumentally misguided that I am driven to make two misguided that I am driven to make two videos but Mari Yumi has managed to do
videos but Mari Yumi has managed to do that with finesse now I am sure that some people are going to accuse me of using her name for clickbait or somehow clout chasing my response to that is if she didn't want to get rained on then
she should have had a better take so here is what has gotten me so R up imagine watching an episode of Naruto and right before Naruto goes to fight SASE for like the 100th time he suddenly just stops moving turns to the camera
going to do about the president election that's coming up you immediately turn that off right because that's so weird that you couldn't believe Naruto would say something so jarring yes and I'm is entertainment but entertainment is Art
just because something is animated doesn't mean it is just for kids and just because it's animated doesn't mean that it can't be used to explore that it can't be used to explore political ideas the entire concept that
anime can be only vacant entertainment is an insult to the medium that I love I will take this one step further when anime is used to explore politic
Concepts when it is engaging with Big Ideas this improves an anime rather than Ideas this improves an anime rather than detracts from it and I can prove it this is that time I got reincarnated as a slime as you can tell from the name it
is an isekai about a person who got reincarnated as a slime now you would think that a silly anime about a slime wouldn't have anything political going on however our slime quickly gains control of a goblin Village and a pack
control of a goblin Village and a pack of direwolves in that moment our slime has to establish a system of laws for the people he is ruling over now some people would say establishing laws in a fictional setting isn't related to real
world politics however fiction has the power to make indirect comments on the real world don't mistreat people that you have more power over because it drives them to violently fight back um yeah like that hasn't been a political
issue the concept of having a legal system that protects against system that protects against discrimination and by doing so ensures long-term social stability and prevents problems in the long term is a political
concept talking about that doesn't feel out of place and is worked well within the World building of the anime itself indeed it felt like a natural part of the themes and ideas of the anime there are heaps of anime out there who don't
care about these aspects of World building they have a generic standard monarchy with Kings Nobles and perhaps a church as well good fantasy anime however gives thought to their World building thinking about the political
system that you build and how it might impact upon the people who live within it if you do not care enough about the world you are creating to consider these things why would other people care about your world but I can already hear the
objections that's just talking about fantastic politics and only reflects on the real world by way of analogy it would still be out of place to comment
directly on the real world in an anime it would be jarring and take you out of it there's a scene later on in this anime where the slime is talking to a human girl isied during World War II in it he shares with this girl a history of
postwar Japan how Japan's pacifism and the Embrace of trade led to Japan's postwar recovery and the economic miracle that it was through cooperation
with other nations rather than conflict that Japan Rose to be a global power the scene is deeply touching the point of moving me to tears I love it but it is
moving me to tears I love it but it is without a doubt advocating a political stance that's just one example perhaps the Slime anime is something out of the ordinary or perhaps it's Unique towards isekai that they can be political how
about we talk about something more action oriented what about kill the kill this is an incredibly silly anime about a girl with giant scissors and a magic blood dream drinking school uniform surely this can't be political well kill
the kill shows its hand almost from the start by having the action begin in the middle of a lecture about the rise of fascism in Germany we have the bad guys fascism in Germany we have the bad guys being a part of the fashion industry
like fashionism when pronounced in Japanese fashionism when pronounced in Japanese fascism celebrates the theatric of State fascism celebrates the theatric of State valuing surface appearance over all else
valuing surface appearance over all else in killer kill we have the anti-fascist nudist beach who reject Surface trappings by doing everything naked fascism wants Purity but in Kill lill the hero ruko is half human and half
the hero ruko is half human and half alien by the way the word for biracial alien by the way the word for biracial in Japanese is Hau fascism looks back to in Japanese is Hau fascism looks back to an imagined non-existent past which was
an imagined non-existent past which was uncorrupted by what they see as modern sins such as unorthodox sexual practices in Kill theill the people who stand up to the forces of fashion are queer
perverted degenerates everything that fascism hates kill lill is on so many levels an anti-fascist work of art directly opposing everything that
directly opposing everything that fascism holds dear while opposition to Fascism shouldn't be something that addresses modern politics we all know that this is unfortunately not the case okay well
unfortunately not the case okay well perhaps killer kill was made bottom up to be political introducing political subtext to what on the surface appears to be unpolitical would be bad
to be unpolitical would be bad then or would it
this is syntho gear it is a magical girl anime with a magic of the girls weapons is powered by their singing it is a very very silly anime in this anime there is a long running theme that music allows
people to communicate emotions that cannot be expressed with words you know like the theme that is put into half a dozen other Idol anime at the end of
season 5 it is revealed that the big bad guy is a Japanese nationalist the Nationalist quite regular says you can't protect yourself with songs in order to protect yourself with songs in order to protect Japan he tries to use the godess
protect Japan he tries to use the godess Shema like a final fantasy summon now to discuss the meaning of this I am going to have to bite the style of another to have to bite the style of another Australian YouTuber and discuss hard and
soft power in the study of international diplomacy power is broadly classified diplomacy power is broadly classified into hard and soft forms of power hard power is a power that comes from military force if your local homeowners
organization has a platoon of main battle tanks and uses the threat of their deployment to enforce their rules about lawn cutting using military
ordinance to enforce a local ordinance that is hard power on the other hand soft power comes from cultural influence if this
HOA regularly organizes a barbecue with live music along with weekly night markets and an annual secondhand book sale for
charity then by ensuring that you are emotionally invested in your neighborhood motivates you to work work to ensure that your house is aesthetically pleasing that is an application of soft power the Asia
Pacific region is a soft power Battleground with countries using their cultural exports in order to win the hearts and minds of the world Japan hearts and minds of the world Japan using anime South Korea deploy K-pop and
Thailand responding with Thai restaurants in a very direct way Japan and other countries are using songs to battle for the hearts and minds of the people of the world when our nationalistic idiot says Songs can't
save the world in an anime that contains musically powered magical artifacts he is directly attacking the idea of using soft power for self-defense but where
does summoning a god come into this reading honestly I was confused by this reading honestly I was confused by this myself until I watched Moon Channel's brilliant essay why do you kill God in jrpgs in that video he pointed out that
jrpgs in that video he pointed out that Japanese media often uses God as a metaphorical standin for the Orthodox systems of power and structure the god that the Japanese nationalist summon is called Shema M farash A ter term which
roughly means the explicit name the explicit name they're referring to is this one a name that I am not comfortable pronouncing while wearing the personification of a demon if we go by the Gods uh metaphors for existing
by the Gods uh metaphors for existing power structures summoning the abrahamic god to defend Japan could be understood as Japan embracing us style military as Japan embracing us style military heart power so syo gear the silly anime
where singing Idols save the space shuttle by punching through K2 is able shuttle by punching through K2 is able to weave in a political argument about the use of soft and hard power anime is
political because it is a narrative media and narrative media is the way media and narrative media is the way cultures digest and process Concepts if you are not noticing the political aspects of anime that may be because you
lack the cultural background to understand the politics so I call upon people to understand the medor of what that you are watching better and give yourself a richer entertainment
experience this video has been focused on Mari yumi's ideas not her as a person so don't harass or be mean to her I don't like people who are mean and if
you wish to have a richer more informed experience consider subscribing to me experience consider subscribing to me thank you and I hope to see you later