Anime Is Being Attacked By The Truck Industry
Anime is a major influencer across the globe, not only changing the way stories are told but bringing more interest to Japanese culture in the Western world. However, anime has also had some negative influences on the way people see parts of the world, such as the truck industry. Thanks to popular anime tropes, such as where people get killed by trucks before they’re transported to another world, the truck industry is facing problems with how they’re seen by the general public, and it’s even hurting their recruitment processes.
One Specific Kind Of Anime
While anime as a whole is being blamed by the truck industry, it’s really one subsection of anime, specifically a genre known as Isekai. Isekai is defined by people dying and being transported to another world. For quite a few anime in the genre, the deaths occur because someone gets run over by a large truck.
“There’s a well-known brainwashing technique called subliminal messaging. If this is being used to imprint on the human subconscious, then the aforementioned scenes we naturally see on TV and in manga from childhood are ample material to form a fear or dislike of trucks and the like. Considering that people emotionally invest in these stories, the effect is tremendous,” some managers mentioned during an interview with Anime Hunch.
A Recurring Theme Across Multiple Series
To be fair to truckers, the premise has garnered a lot of attention. Fondly referred to as “truck-kun,” the truck is used to kill off characters in series such as Jobless Reincarnation, Zombie Land Saga, and Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?! It’s easy enough to see why anime might be causing problems for the truck industry.
The Damaging Effects Of The Truck-Kun Trope
These aren’t the only anime to show the truck industry to be an enemy either. Based on a list from 2018 which compiled a list of all the causes of death for Isekai protagonists, death by a truck was the third highest cause of death with 37 cases. General traffic accidents came in second, and unknown causes in first.
Though the transportation industry understands that this problem isn’t going away soon, and they don’t want to challenge freedom of speech, they hope that more anime come up with trucks in a more positive light than they are currently doing. It’s not just anime hurting the truck industry either. News outlets are quick to mention and highlight traffic accidents where large trucks are involved, especially if they are the culprit, and the trope is even becoming popular in movies.
An Unintended Snowball Effect On The Industry
“In movies, dramas, manga, and anime, it’s almost always a truck that’s used in scenes where characters die in traffic accidents,” a business owner mentioned.
With news and anime both teaming up together to throw a bad image over the truck industry, it makes for a tough time for the industry. Not only do they get a lot of hate, but because of the negative light, a lot of people actually prevent their loved ones from becoming truckers, leading to a series of shortages. These shortages cause further problems with staff being overworked and items coming in later than they should, which creates a negative cycle.
Searching For A More Balanced Perspective
To try and fight against anime’s negative image, as well as news reports, several managers in the truck industry are trying to garner their own attention on social media. They’re working to promote the positive aspects of the truck industry and the importance of truckers in modern society. Unfortunately, going up against popular culture isn’t easy, and the social media reports haven’t shown much headway in making a difference as of yet.
“Given that freedom of expression exists, I understand it’s inevitable, but if that’s the case, I want them to balance it by also promoting positive images of trucks.”
Source: Anime News Network
