Akoth Alice

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Kimo-kawaii Catharsis: millennials, depression, and the empty healing of Sanrio's Gudetama

The argument is very convincing because it explains the social and cultural impact of Gudetama that has been ignored or downplayed by society. Gudetama portrays a clear picture of the experiences that young Japanese go through in the work environment. The pressure associated with work. They do not enjoy the experience, but they must continue working, otherwise, they will be seen as lazy. But the experience is having a negative impact on their social life and mental health. So, in Gudetama the young millennials find a healing or soothing experience similar to theirs that is described as Kimo-kawaii (gross cute), so they feel they are not in this experience alone.

Gudetama also reflects the extent to which mental health is not taken seriously in Japanese society. Even if someone is having depression or any mental health problems, they do not talk about it because of the stigma associated with mental health.

The discussion in the podcasts was really detailed, getting deep into the root cause of the depression experience that starts right from school into the workspace and the stigma associated with mental health, rather than addressing the problem, it is swept under the carpet and treated so lightly.

Sanrio being a business company, is interested in creating products that will attract more customers and Gudetama works well for the company because it attracts the young working adults who find it interesting because it portrays experiences like their own.

Gudetama because it’s marketed by Senrio as komi kawaii- gross cute, has become popular even outside Japan, in Singapore where a Gudetama café was established. Also popular in Taiwan and Thailand and gained an audience among English-speaking people with a big following on Facebook.