It can be difficult for an anime setting to seem realistic to an audience, especially if that setting is fantastical or unusual in nature. However, with the addition of a political background, a setting can come to life! As we learn more about how a world works, we can understand and naturalize the circumstances that happen, even in the strangest of settings. Including political discourse in a series gives that anime another layer of depth, allowing viewers to become immersed deeper into the world.

Because of the effect that politics have on understanding an anime setting, this aspect is often a tool added to otherworldly anime. With genres like slice of life or romance, the world doesn’t often need as much explanation – we assume that the setting is the same as our own world, unless otherwise stated. But when fantasy, sci-fi or supernatural aspects are added, political explanation is often needed as well. The more a world can be set up to involve the audience, the better it will be for understanding. Here is a more recent example of an anime that uses politics to build its world well!

A recent series by A-1 Pictures, Grancrest Senki follows the story of Theo, a wandering knight who seeks redemption for his homeland, and Siluca, a mage who dislikes the path Lords have gone down. After a chance meeting on the road, the two decide that they should pair up, to hopefully rid the land of the chaos that currently engulfs it. Though their journey to achieve their goals will be difficult, Theo and Siluca will meet many valuable allies along the way. Will they be able to reform the system of Lords and the chaos destroying the land itself?

Grancrest Senki is a great example of the kind of world-building that political discourse brings to an anime. Using the system of Lords and mages as an explanation that orders the world, viewers can make sense of this chaotic new setting. We see a whole other side to the conflict than just epic battles – Theo and Siluca must use negotiation and strategy to find allies. The extra information gives Grancrest Senki the momentum it needs to become more than just a cliché fantasy anime, lending the plot real depth and development.

Politics also present an opportunity for an anime to change or begin its plot, often introducing the world’s events. Through the use of a political structure, kings rise and fall, revolutions begin, and the setting prepares for the incoming story to be told. If an anime does not have the backdrop for such change, it can feel flat or abrupt, with character development being either sporadic or nonexistent.

One example of this can be seen in Grancrest Senki, with the death of two rulers and a possible alliance beginning the series and setting the scene for our protagonists to meet. Of course, there are some anime with more clear examples of politics shaping events along the way. Let’s take a look at one of the most famous anime with this aspect.

Lelouch Lamperouge lives in Japan with his sister Nunnally, sent there in exile from the rest of his family, the rulers of the Holy Brittannian Empire. Though Lelouch exists in relative peace, that peace is shattered when Britannia invades, enslaving the nation and its peoples to their wills. Joining in the rebellion against the Empire, Lelouch strives to create a better world for his sister, even as he gets revenge for the wrong done to his family.

Code Geass is perhaps the best example of politics seamlessly fusing with an anime to make it better. Every aspect of the plot is infused with a background of political discourse, creating a thorough and engaging story.