Cross-Cultural Feminist Identification and Character Portrayal in Studio Ghibli's The Boy and the Heron (2023)

This study explores the intersection of cultural identity, feminist, identification, and anime character portrayal through a case study of Studio Ghibli's The Boy and the Heron (2023). The research addresses the gap in understanding how feminist themes in anime are perceived across different, cultural contexts, specifically between Dutch and Japanese audiences. The main research question investigates the extent to which feminist, identification and cultural identity, influence, anime character, portrayal, focusing on the films character, in particularly Kiriko, who is depicted as a younger and older woman. The study employees, a quantitative approach using surveys to collect data from Dutch and Japanese individuals who have watched the film The Boy and the Heron (2023). The survey includes questions on feminist, identification, character, and demographic information, allowing for a cross-cultural comparison. The Feminist Identification Scale by Reid & Purcell (2004) is utilized to measure feminist identification, while character portrayal is assessed, using characteristics identified by Yang et al. (2024) in their analysis of Studio Ghibli films. The findings revealed significant cross-national differences in feminist, identification, with Dutch participants scoring higher than Japanese participants. This difference is attributed to the contrasting, cultural and governmental approaches to feminism in the Netherlands in Japan. Higher feminist, identification is associated with more positive portrayals of both young and old female characters, indicating that feminist, ideologies influence how audiences interpret gender, portrays, and media. Gender differences are also observed with male participants being more likely to negatively perceive, young female characters, highlighting the role of gender norms in media interpretation. Interestingly, exposure to Studio Ghibli films does not significantly predict feminist, identification, suggesting that media content alone may not be sufficient to deeply rooted ideological views. This study contributes to the feminist media studies by emphasizing the importance of cultural context and personal ideologies in audience research. It highlights the need for culturally adaptable measures and highlights the global and local influences on how female characters and anime are perceived. The research also highlights the Importance of integrating, cultural context and personal ideologies into audience research. It illustrates that while films like The Boy and the Heron (2023) provide rich, complex portrayals of female characters, their meaning is ultimately shaped in the mind of the audience. The feminist potential of media, particularly in the realm of anime, depends, not only on representation, but also on reception of cultural identity, gender, and ideological alignment intersect in powerful and unpredictable ways. By centering, both Japanese and Dutch audiences, the study offers a comparative lens on media reception that underscores the global and local influences on how we see, understand, and value, female characters in contemporary anime.