Depictions of Tobacco and Alcohol Use in Contemporary Japanese Shōnen Manga: A Content Analysis

Abstract

Japanese manga, which present dramatic and imaginative stories in comic book form, have a growing readership in Asia, Europe, and North America. We investigated depictions of tobacco and alcohol use in a sample of contemporary shōnen manga, which have a primary readership of males ages 8–18, but also appeal to young females and adults. Large number of characters were shown smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol, especially males, adults, and those categorized as “good” characters. Compared to the shōnens’ early chapters (initiated in 1990–2003, depending on the series), more recently published chapters (2011–2016) portrayed fewer characters overall using a tobacco product and fewer minors using an alcohol product. The later chapters also presented significantly fewer depictions of tobacco-related behavior, consumption of both beer and other/unknown alcoholic beverages, and alcohol-related paraphernalia. Antitobacco and antialcohol behaviors or dialogue were rare. These findings raise legitimate concerns about the influence of these depictions on young readers’ beliefs, attitudes, and behavioral choices. Future research should explore whether those concerns are warranted, but in the interim, government agencies and watchdog groups in Japan should consider applying increased public pressure on manga artists and producers to curtail these depictions and to offer positive role models in their place.

Acknowledgments

The authors did not have external funding for this study. We thank Yi-Ting Lee for her suggested improvements to the coding instrument and for serving as a coder along with the first author. We also thank Chia-Hsuan Liu for her review and comment on an initial presentation of our findings.