{"id":370586,"date":"2004-06-20T19:13:05","date_gmt":"2004-06-20T10:13:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bund.jp\/?p=370586"},"modified":"2025-02-03T21:16:26","modified_gmt":"2025-02-03T12:16:26","slug":"what-is-communism-anpanman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bund.jp\/en\/370586\/","title":{"rendered":"Anpanman and a Utopian Socialist Society \u2013 What If Communism Were Real?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"\u30a2\u30f3\u30d1\u30f3\u30de\u30f3\u306e\u30de\u30fc\u30c1 \uff08\u30c6\u30ec\u30d3\u30b5\u30a4\u30baver.\uff09\uff3b\u516c\u5f0f\u30aa\u30fc\u30d7\u30cb\u30f3\u30b0\u30c6\u30fc\u30de\uff3d\" width=\"728\" height=\"410\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5mLape5F0Fw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Anpanman\u2019s March with English subtitles (Lyrics by Takashi Yanase)<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, we are going to talk about &#8220;<strong>What is Communism?<\/strong>&#8221; The best example of this can be found in the world of &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.anpanman.jp\/\">Go! Anpanman<\/a>,&#8221; created by the manga artist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anpanman.jp\/about\/yanase.html\">Takashi Yanase<\/a>. This world perfectly reflects the vision of a communist society I had during my time as an activist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anpanman.jp\/about\/friends\/rq7t8rx2i4nmqrik.html\">Uncle Jam<\/a> bakes bread, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anpanman.jp\/about\/friends\/dxf514aipoy5lff7.html\">Curry Bread Man<\/a> makes curry, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anpanman.jp\/about\/friends\/kqb0516kng3t18dd.html\">Ramen Angel<\/a> prepares ramen. However, they do not do this as a <b>&#8220;business&#8221;<\/b>\u2014they create these foods purely to bring joy to others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In other words, their labor is not <b>&#8220;alienated labor&#8221;<\/b> for the sake of profit, but rather, <b>labor for self-fulfillment<\/b>. The ingredients they use are also provided for free by those who grow the crops. <strong><span style=\"color: #be3144;\">This means that while Uncle Jam is a &#8220;bread maker,&#8221; he is never a &#8220;bakery owner.&#8221;<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Human ambition in this society is not directed toward selfish wealth accumulation but toward social well-being\u2014&#8221;Let&#8217;s make even more delicious bread and share it with more people.&#8221; No matter how much Uncle Jam\u2019s bread is praised, he only feels the joy and motivation to continue his work. He never thinks about making a profit, hiring others to exploit their labor, or expanding his bakery into a massive bread factory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If this were a capitalist society, Uncle Jam\u2019s kind face would quickly turn into the furrowed brow of a <em>capitalist<\/em>, anxiously calculating profits, cutting ingredient costs, and berating his hardworking assistant, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anpanman.jp\/about\/friends\/b9uhw55dnew68yjv.html\">Batako<\/a>, as if she weren\u2019t working hard enough. Or perhaps, a kind-hearted Uncle Jam would have gone bankrupt long ago\u2014after all, no one would sell him ingredients at a fair price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.anpanman.jp\/about\/friends\/15z5m1nbnynb4bgx.html\">Shokupanman<\/a>, for instance, delivers bread to schools every day for free, suggesting that education itself is also free. While only an elementary school-like setting appears in the story, it is highly likely that those who wish to study further for the good of society receive free education. Land is also likely under a communal ownership system, where people have usage rights rather than private ownership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Artists who create beautiful paintings or calendars and actors like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anpanman.jp\/about\/friends\/1xprohkovo7xwrh2.html\">Daikon Yakusha<\/a> also exist. However, their work is not for money, fame, or self-satisfaction but rather for the joy of the people, portraying them as <b>people\u2019s artists<\/b>. Religion also exists, as seen with figures like <a href=\"https:\/\/tgws.plus\/anpandb\/chara?category=%E5%92%8C%E5%B0%9A\">Konnyaku Osh\u014d<\/a>, but it is a gentle, non-oppressive, and non-authoritarian belief system. When an evil force attacks, Anpanman becomes the <b>&#8220;vanguard&#8221;<\/b>, leading a <b>&#8220;popular uprising&#8221;<\/b> where even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anpanman.jp\/about\/friends\/ig9of5oo4t52n8r2.html\">Baikinman<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anpanman.jp\/about\/friends\/upzjsn2eea7ugrxj.html\">Dokin-chan<\/a> unite in resistance\u2014proving that <b>no military exists<\/b>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bund.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/lP94JRnA.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"217\" src=\"https:\/\/bund.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/lP94JRnA.jpg\" alt=\"\u3072\u3068\u308a\u304c\u307f\u3093\u306a\u306e\u305f\u3081\u306b\u307f\u3093\u306a\u304c\u3072\u3068\u308a\u306e\u305f\u3081\u306b\" class=\"wp-image-15171\" style=\"width:600px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bund.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/lP94JRnA.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bund.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/lP94JRnA-75x54.jpg 75w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Each for all, and all for each.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #be3144;\">In short, the two defining features of capitalism\u2014&#8221;money&#8221; and &#8220;the exploitation of others&#8217; labor&#8221;\u2014are completely absent.<\/span><\/strong> As a result, there is no capitalist <b>&#8220;ruling class,&#8221;<\/b> and society is equal, free from discrimination, poverty, war, or even the need for a government. In fact, I have never seen the concept of <b>&#8220;money&#8221;<\/b> appear in Anpanman\u2019s world (\u2190this is crucial).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Consequently, all goods in this world have only <b>&#8220;use value&#8221;<\/b> and lack any <b>&#8220;exchange value&#8221; (i.e., commodity value)<\/b>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even Baikinman, the story&#8217;s villain, does not have the mindset of a capitalist ruler who seeks to &#8220;conquer the world&#8221; (i.e., establish a ruling class and exploit others). He steals food only to eat it himself, never to resell it for profit. His wrongdoing lies in stealing &#8220;use value,&#8221; not in exploiting &#8220;exchange value&#8221; as a capitalist thief would.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We, born into a capitalist society, are capitalists by default, making it difficult to sustain a communist perspective. Likewise, Baikinman and Anpanman, raised in a communist world, are inherently communist and cannot grasp capitalist ideology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some might ask, &#8220;But what about Batako? She works at the bakery!&#8221; However, she is not laboring out of necessity or for a &#8220;salary&#8221;; rather, she deeply respects Uncle Jam and aspires to be like him. <strong><span style=\"color: #be3144;\">Because there is no money, there is no wage labor, and therefore, Uncle Jam and Batako do not share a capitalist &#8220;boss-worker&#8221; relationship\u2014they are socially and humanly equal.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As we can see:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"supplement \"><strong>The worldview of &#8220;Anpanman&#8221;<\/strong><br \/>\n\u25cf &#8220;One for all, all for one&#8221;<br \/>\n\u25cf Work according to ability, receive according to need<br \/>\n\u25cf Labor is no longer an alienated hardship but a fulfilling joy<br \/>\n\u25cf One can fish in the morning, farm in the afternoon, and paint in the evening\u2014without becoming a fisherman, farmer, or painter <\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>This is precisely the vision of <strong>&#8220;the higher stage of communism.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A communist society is the most beautifully designed and idealistic social system ever conceived. Even those who oppose <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jcp.or.jp\/index.php\">real-world communist movements<\/a> admit this. No fairy tale has ever described such a beautiful world\u2014because even fairy tale authors are shaped by capitalism. To imagine a better society, one must study the scientific principles of today\u2019s world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>As people raised in capitalism, we are unconsciously trapped by <span style=\"color: #be3144;\">capitalist ideology<\/span>.<\/strong> While we don\u2019t need to become communists, we should allow ourselves to dream more freely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But how was Yanase able to create &#8220;Anpanman&#8221;?<br>I have never heard that he was a socialist. In fact, from his essays, he seems more influenced by Buddhism. However, one thing is clear: Yanase had a deep, boundless compassion for humanity and a strong aversion to commercialism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A deep-rooted humanism and a strong anti-commercialist stance<\/strong><br>These values align with communism. Perhaps, as he nurtured these beliefs over decades and sought to create a hopeful story for children, he unintentionally painted a world that mirrors the ideals of communism.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today, we are going to talk about &#8220;What is Communism?&#8221; The best example of this can be found in th&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":370589,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_locale":"en_US","_original_post":"http:\/\/bund.jp\/modules\/wordpress\/?p=7","footnotes":""},"categories":[88,74,64],"tags":[1514,2174],"class_list":{"0":"post-370586","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-left-wing","8":"category-capitalism","9":"category-classic","10":"tag-1514","11":"tag-2174","12":"en-US","13":"article"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Anpanman and a Utopian Socialist Society \u2013 What If Communism Were Real? - \u65d7\u65d7-HATAHATA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Go! 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