I ask because I recently learned that the anime/manga series Attack on Titan has quite a bit of hardcore Japanese nationalistic sub-themes going on and I'm curious as to the role nationalism has played in anime over the decades.
A question I feel like I spent my whole life preparing for!
The answer is yes and no. The two primary individuals responsible for the series were Leiji Matsumoto and Toshinobu Nishizaki.
Leiji Matsumoto based some of Yamato upon the Shinsengumi of the 18th century Shogunate:
"I referenced the Shinsengumi [a special police force that was active in the late 1800s] as a motif to make Yamato an ensemble-cast drama. The name Okita Jyuzo came out of that. When I outlined the destinies of each character, I consulted the lives of the Shinsengumi members. The name Jyuzo was taken from SF author Jyuza Unno, and the Okita family name was taken from Souji Okita, the captain of the Shinsengumi."
So one could definitely interpret a streak of patriotism there, but at the same time Leiji Matsumoto appeared to have nothing by contempt for the Neo-Bushido ethos of early Showa Japan with its emphasis on militant imperialism and sacrifice. When asked if he had argued with Nishizaki over elements of the show, he said:
"Sometimes, yes, and also about the history of Yamato. When the second episode was broadcast, the flashback of Yamato was accompanied by an old warship march. I said, “this is going to destroy the program!” The futuristic part of the story had not been seen yet, and I thought it would be misconstrued as an account of the war."
and
"I went to them and said, “don’t you see we have a responsibility to stop this?” I understood that attaching the music was the last part of the process, and when we saw the test film the sound had not been added yet. It was changed for the reruns, but that didn’t matter. It would only invite misunderstanding on the first viewing. It might seem like we were trying to revive the war spirit."
He also stated that:
"We wanted to make Yamato a space drama with the ship being the main focus. Although our Yamato has its roots in the original battleship, we took extra care to distinguish the two. We didn’t want this to be a war movie, or some tale of military history. We avoided focusing on war banners, military marches, and the chrysanthemum crests on the bow of the battleship. We eliminated altogether the military ranking system, consolidating the various posts."
Matsumoto was also adamantly against the idea of Kamikaze/suicide. In another interview he said:
"All people will die, and should live life to the fullest. Therefore, you should not take death lightly. Asking if a person would die for others is nonsense. Depending on the situation, the person can choose for themselves."
It is interesting to note that the second season of Yamato had a very different ending to the movie Farewell to Yamato. At the end of Farewell to Yamato the Comet Empire Dreadnought is destroyed by Kodai committing suicide by ramming the Yamato into it (a very Neo-Bushido thing to do). However, in the second season this ending is changed with the Dreadnought being destroyed by a cosmic being. This change was a result of the influence of Matsumoto, who explained:
"Mr. Nishizaki’s original vision that inspired this film was an image of the Yamato disappearing into endless cosmic space, taking all the characters with it. I got into a big argument with Mr. Nishizaki over the idea of killing everyone off. One of my fundamental beliefs is that humans will do anything to survive, even if they must resort to cannibalism. I’m not fond of the actions of the Japanese Special Forces, myself. I don’t agree with sending youths on suicide missions. That’s why we allowed our characters to live in the TV version of Farewell, which was called Space Battleship Yamato 2".
By comparison, Toshinobu Nishizaki appeared more nationalist. In one interview he stated (when referring to the 60's and 70's):
"In that period, all of Japanese history was denied, especially that which took place after the Meiji Era [1868 onward]. Kids were taught to believe that all of Japanese culture was evil, so they concluded that Japan was responsible for the war and took on the opposing ideology. It may have been a natural conclusion for them, but I think they didn’t have the opportunity to cultivate their own sense of identity, the kind that is accrued by understanding the history of Japan. I mean, I feel pity for those who spent their youth in such a miserable period. Today’s teenagers still have the opportunity to look back over the past. I know it may sound impertinent, but I believe the Japanese people of the future will do this."
When providing his rationale for choosing the Yamato, he said:
" For example, when the US aircraft carrier Nimitz recently came to Nagasaki, all the kids said it looked cool. We felt the same way when we were kids. There was pride in the fact that this was the entire world’s strongest warship. It is a simple matter for a child to admire strength; I think the problem is in how that strength is used. The word Yamato is not just the name of a battleship, it refers reverentially to the venerable history of Japan itself."
and that:
"I put the things I liked about it into Yamato, but you know it has only been 35 years since the end of World War II. The nature of Japanese people won’t change very quickly because our race has at least 1300 years of history since the 7th century."
So there were obvious differences in philosophy and this, along with the efforts of other contributors, resulted in Yamato being a very complex series. Howevber, there are several incidents in the series that make it clear specific imperialistic practices were criticised. In Episode 16, Season One, the crew of the Yamato find a planet conquered by Gamilas and express the view that such places and people should be left alone and not enslaved. Similarly in Episode 13, Season One, a Gamilas pilot is captured, and prevented from committing suicide whilst yelling "Hail Desslar". Both these situations clearly challenge the cultural ideals of early Showa Japan.
Interview Sources:
http://ourstarblazers.com/vault/307/
http://ourstarblazers.com/vault/29/
http://ourstarblazers.com/vault/622/
http://ourstarblazers.com/vault/305/