Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo and the Power of Anthropomorphism

Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo examines the insect world from humanity’s point of view, focusing specifically on the world-view and behaviors of insect collectors in Tokyo. Jason Solomon of The Observer states, “It speaks of harmony, nature and the national culture, touching on the quintessentially Japanese philosophical notion of Mono no aware (and I hope I’ve got this right): a feeling of gentle sadness experienced at the inevitable fading of transient beauty.” In Beetle Queen various experts commenting on Japanese culture make specific comparisons between insects and human characteristics on multiple levels.

Despite references to the monster movie Mothra (1961), Beetle Queen goes beyond merely evoking emotions by humanizing insects of various species. The unequivocal comparison between the human and insect worlds promotes positive results in the film, encouraging a more interconnected relationship between humans and their environment that may manifest in real environmental preservation and restoration for both humans’ and nature’s benefit, at least within the parameters of the film. As Beetle Queen’s director, Jessica Oreck explains in Don’t Panic Magazine, “I want to share the immediacy of nature––not the idealized, simplified, and anonymous version we see in nature programs on TV, but a nature populated with human characters and personal connections” (Mokoena).

The presentation of Japanese philosophy and aesthetics highlights the interaction between culture and nature signified by this love of insects. It also demonstrates anthropomorphism on the level of traits and dispositions, emotions and social roles. According to the film, Haiku from the seventeenth century highlights a Japanese aesthetic of nature that encourages this love of captive beetles and crickets. A poem about dragonflies accompanying an image of a mechanized dragonfly reinforces the narrator’s claim: “Poetry eternally captures mundane reality. Haiku, like nature, is about transience, creating an intimate relationship with nature without intermediaries. Man is nature.” Night views of the city look like poetry. We see fighting beetles in a video game, on a crowded street, and in a mall. The narrator even assigns specific human traits to the insects to emphasize humanity’s connection with the natural world: “A dragonfly is the emblem of strength, courage, and bravery …. Fireflies are unrequited love.” Workers wearing illuminated vests look like fireflies and underline the message.

As the film portrays it, the devotion to nature inspired by Japanese philosophy, aesthetics, and connection to insects moves beyond a surface belief system to actions that conserve and replenish the natural environment. Because, as narrator Takeshi Yoro tells us, rice paddies are good for dragonflies, their disappearance was detrimental to both dragonflies and human culture. With less need for rice fields to feed people, rice paddies turned into cities, but the narrator explains, this loss motivated the Japanese to begin preserving streams and ponds around the city, rejuvenating the environment and community for national pride. “We learn from insects,” he explains. “If we open our minds to the insects, they will teach us. To learn is to change, so insects are more than pets. They represent an entire culture.” 

As the sun rises over the water, Takeshi Yorro highlights the interconnected relationship humans share with the insects and their natural world: “Observing change in insects connects with changes in nature. Their numbers are much fewer now, because the world is being destroyed.” By illuminating connections between humans and nature based on dispositions, emotions, roles, and philosophies of Buddhism and Shintoism, Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo seeks to demonstrate how anthropomorphism may have positive results for both human and nonhuman nature.