UlasanAnime.com – While not identifying as a serious sports fan or a sports anime enthusiast, the author admits to watching more sports than the average anime follower. Their engagement with sports typically involves following athletes like Jeremy Lin and Chien-Ming Wang, hoping to secure tickets for their games, and keeping up with sports news through channels like SportsCenter and various blogs. An annual tradition of attending a baseball game with family further illustrates this connection.
This personal connection to sports in America is presented as a significant contrast to the way sports are often depicted in Japanese sports manga and anime. For many Americans, sports are deeply ingrained, a part of their upbringing and personal identity, whether it involves playing football, basketball, or other athletic activities.
The author acknowledges Japan’s own sports culture and international athletes, expressing interest in figures like Yu Darvish. However, when watching anime like Adachi’s “Cross Game,” the emotional response is entirely different, lacking the personal connection felt with American sports. This distinction is not new, as sports are inherently personal and tied to individual identity.
The author uses Jeremy Lin as a prime example of this personal connection. Beyond shared heritage, his playing for the local team, and the widespread recognition he receives, Lin embodies the spirit of Chinese American boys growing up in stereotypical Asian-American environments, finding an outlet and identity through basketball. In a way, Lin represents a part of the author’s own identity.
[The author shares a humorous anecdote about discussing basketball players like Melo with their parents, noting the different perspectives and terminology used, even mentioning how Melo is referred to in China.]
In contrast, when reading a favorite sports manga like “Ookiku Furikabutte” (Big Windup!), the author sees a group of endearing young individuals playing ball, bringing their own lives and struggles to the game. However, these are Japanese high schoolers, a culture distant from the author’s own. While some level of relatability exists, it doesn’t resonate with the author’s personal association with sports, particularly baseball. It’s easier to cheer for a team one identifies with rather than a group of characters from a foreign culture. The author finds more common ground with Japanese high schoolers in their choice of anime or games than in their involvement with Japanese school sports clubs or their motivations for excelling, beyond universal human achievement.
(The author also notes the profound respect for the sport itself depicted in “Ookiku Furikabutte,” considering it a hallmark of Japanese culture and a reason for their favoritism towards the series.)
This fundamental difference in personal identification with sports is posited as the primary reason why sports anime and manga often struggle to gain traction in the US. It’s not due to a lack of “sports geeks,” as such enthusiasts exist across all categories. Instead, it stems from how people in the US live and define themselves. The author believes this is also why “Slam Dunk” achieved significant international popularity. While audiences can empathize with the dramatic narratives in anime and manga, the author experiences this as a human being, not as a sports fanatic. The author even relates more to a reference to Zidane’s headbutt in “Space Brothers” than to anything from other sports anime.
The author emphasizes that their experience is just one example, and different individuals connect with sports and athletes in unique ways. They encourage readers to explore other perspectives, perhaps by consulting resources like Tom’s well-linked list, to gain a broader understanding of how people engage with sports and how anime or manga might fit into those personal narratives, even if it’s not always a primary connection.
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