When’s the last time you’ve seen a positive portrayal of journalists in the media? For me, that would be All The President’s Men, a 1976 film on the Watergate scandal. Today, the journalists I see on TV are more of the Rita Skeeter type: nosey, ruthless, and rude.
My last post on the public perception of journalists got me thinking about how journalists are portrayed in my favorite fandom: anime. Here are some of my favorites:
Tina, Toriko
Tina is an anchor for Gourmet News, and she often accompanies Toriko on dangerous ingredient-gathering excursions. She’s always trying to get her next big scoop on rare ingredients, but usually there’s a mishap with her camera.
Fran Doll, Turn A Gundam
Fran is really good at her job, somehow managing to take shots from the front lines, risking incredible danger. But she’s seen more as a nuisance at odds with the protagonists. Even as the Luzianna government censors all her work, she keeps documenting the war. I couldn’t find a screenshot, so that’s Fran in her cameo in Gundam Build Fighters!
Akira Komatsuzawa, Ouran High School Host Club
A third-year student at Ouran, he loses his position as president of the newspaper club when he decides to pursue a baseless rumor on host club president Tamaki. He’s a clear villain with no ethical worries about inventing a story to harm another student’s reputation.
Niko, Engaged to the Unidentified
A high school newspaper club member with no scruples whatsoever. She sneaks around for stories and considers one character’s concern over her ample butt to be a scoop. Niko is a hapless antagonist, whom the other characters try to keep our of their personal business.
Diethard Reid, Code Geass
A former member of the press staff at Hi-TV, a Britannian television station, Reid eventually defects to the rebellion and literally becomes a terrorist. He uses his journalism background to become Head of Information, Espionage, and Public Relations for the Black Knights.
Of course, these are just a few of them. There are many, many more! Who is your favorite journalist character in the anime world?
10 Comments.
Saeko Shirasu from “FLAG” also comes to mind (a greatly underappreciated series).
My favorite was Kinue Crossroad from Gundam 00, if only because the conspiracy she was investigating had real dramatic weight in relation to the plot and her ending was suitably tragic.
http://gundam.wikia.com/wiki/Kinue_Crossroad
The hosts of Big Shots on Cowboy Bebop are kinda journalists.
@phogan, Punch and Judy are journalists in the same way a vest is a shirt. Speaking of which, WHY DIDN’T JUDY WEAR A SHIRT????
The creators of Big Shot clearly believed that fan service should be supplied whenever possible. That’s why Judy didn’t wear a shirt.
The more puzzling question is – did she use glue to paste that vest onto her skin and prevent it from opening up?
I think you’re being a little hard on Engaged to the Unidentified. Almost every character in that show lacks common sense. It’s a farce. It’s supposed to be light-hearted.
@gaikokumaniakku, I think you’re being a little hard on ME! I keep bringing up how much I like Niko even as I observe her methods are by no means a good gauge of how real journalists would operate. It’s not that I don’t get the joke. If I ran a blog about being an older sister (I actually have two little sisters!) I might point out that while I think Benio is hilarious, I think her conduct toward her sisters would be inexcusable in real life.
In other words, it’s OK to point out the inaccuracies in a show and still like the show!
it’s OK to point out the inaccuracies in a show and still like the show!
Very true.
I may come across as insensitive because the Internet distorts nuances of communication, but I’m not trying to rage at you.
Keep on bloggin’!
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