Framing the Future (Part 1): What Makes an Anime Cultural Superpower?

How Talent, Policy, and Soft Power Will Decide the Next Cultural Superpowers

Tips: This can serve as a briefing tool for Director Generals, senior executives, or graduate seminars focused on cultural policy, foreign affairs, or education strategy. It can also serve as a 2026 strategic planning pre-read for institutions searching for a breakthrough in innovation and a game-changing and unconventional key lever for strategic communication. If this piece resonates, feel free to bookmark it for your following strategy discussion, policy retreat, or university debate. It was written to travel far beyond one scroll.

Photo by Donald Tong:

“When you give up, that’s when the game is over.”
— Coach Anzai, Slam Dunk

Author’s Note:

Every weekend, I’d sit cross-legged in front of the TV, wide-eyed and ready — for Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z, Doraemon, Candy Candy, or Saint Seiya.

Sailor Moon taught me that girls could be powerful, emotional, and leaders — all at once. It was my first quiet lesson in gender equality. Dragon Ball showed me what grit and training meant — that excellence isn’t born but forged. And Doraemon? It was pure comfort. It taught me what family, loyalty, and simple joy felt like. Later, I learned the Japanese…