Jurnal Ilmiah LISKI - Sexual Objectification of Girls in Anime Series: Sara Mills’ Critical Discourse Analysis - Vol. 10 No. 1

Aug 27, 2026

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“Sex sells” remains a common marketing approach in anime, an entertainment form increasingly popular worldwide, including the series Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu. Sparked by debates over the main character’s vulgar treatment of girls, this study examines how sexual objectification is constructed and how it may shape viewers’ attitudes and behaviors. Using qualitative critical discourse analysis by Sara Mills, discourse analysis is applied to dismantle objectification through male gaze, focalization, fragmentation, and cinema schemata.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Anime popularity and the isekai genre

Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu background and reception

Fan service and the portrayal of male characters

Jurnal Ilmiah LISKI (Lingkar Studi Komunikasi) Vol. 10 No. 1, February 2024 e-ISSN: 2442-4005| [http://journals.telkomuniversity.ac.id/l](http://journals.telkomuniversity.ac.id/l)iski Jurnal Ilmiah LISKI (Lingkar Studi Komunikasi) [https://journals.telkomuniversity.ac.id/liski](https://journals.telkomuniversity.ac.id/liski) Sexual Objectification of Girls in Anime Series: Sara Mills’ Critical Discourse Analysis Sandra Hutagalunga, Eni Maryanib, Agus Setiamanc a Universitas Padjadjaran, Indonesia b Universitas Padjadjaran, Indonesia c Universitas Padjadjaran, Indonesia [sandra.iriany@gmail.com](sandra.iriany@gmail.com), [eni.maryani@unpad.ac.id](eni.maryani@unpad.ac.id), [agus.setiaman@unpad.ac.id](agus.setiaman@unpad.ac.id) Submitted at 13 February 2024, Revised at 6 March 2024, Accepted at 1 April 2024 Abstract. The "sex sells" marketing strategy is still used by anime, a form of entertainment that is becoming more and more popular worldwide, and one of them is Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu anime series. Due to the main character's vulgarity against girls, this anime series sparked debate among anime viewers. For a number of reasons, such as the freedom to work for artists and the fact that sexual objectification done through animation does not damage real girls, objections to this topic are frequently refuted. The goal of this study is to identify the various ways that girls are sexually objectified in anime, which could affect viewers' attitudes and actions. A qualitative approach is used through critical discourse analysis by Sara Mills. Discourse is utilized methodologically to dismantle forms of sexual objectification of women in anime series. It is revealed how women are portrayed as sexual objects in anime fan service through the male gaze through discourse analysis of characters, focalization, fragmentation, and cinema schemata. Findings from this study indicate that there existed instances of sexual objectification of women in the anime series Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu, particularly in relation to the love interest of the main male character. This study critically makes us aware that the growth of digital media, which can provide a wide range of content and depict a variety of male and female characters, nevertheless reinforces patriarchal value. Even in the digital age, animation—a creative form of entertainment—continues to treat girls as just objects of desire for men. This serves as a reminder that the conventional entertainment industry, which frequently makes fun of sexual harassment of women, still exists in the internet sphere. In light of this anime series, women participation in the digital sphere ought to be promoted in order to change people's perceptions of women. It has been proven that the freedom that many advocate in the digital age yet imposes restrictions on the presence of girls as a subject. Keywords: anime; digital; girls; objectification; male gaze; *Correspondent Author University/Institution and Address Mobile Phone of Correspondent Author : Sandra Hutagalung : Universitas Padjadjaran, Jatinangor-Jl. Raya BandungSumedang KM. 21 082117162140 Jurnal Ilmiah LISKI (Lingkar Studi Komunikasi) Vol. 10 No. 1, February 2024 e-ISSN: 2442-4005| [http://journals.telkomuniversity.ac.id/l](http://journals.telkomuniversity.ac.id/l)iski INTRODUCTION Japanese animation, known as anime, popularity is becoming more and more popular worldwide (Anime News Network, 2021; Variety, 2022; Ollie Barder, 2022). Schuster (as cited in Reysen et al., 2021) contends that combination of demographics, genre, and themes that bring diverse topics together is the foundation for anime’s global significance. Isekai (otherworld), or simply a story set in a world that is not the "real" world or the world we live in every day, is one of the topics that has been increasingly popular in anime (Paul, 2021) . Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu anime series is ad

FAQs

What is the main purpose of this study?

To identify the ways girls are sexually objectified in the anime series Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu and to consider how those depictions can influence viewers’ attitudes and actions.

Which method is used to analyze sexual objectification?

A qualitative approach using Sara Mills’ critical discourse analysis to dismantle forms of sexual objectification in anime discourse.

What does the study find about how women are portrayed?

The findings indicate recurring instances of sexual objectification, particularly related to the love interest of the main male character, shown through male gaze and supported by analysis of characters, focalization, fragmentation, and cinema schemata.

Aug 27, 2026

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