I would say a lot of fiction operates as an outlet for our suppressed day-to-day desires. By anecdote alone, there&#x27;s likely an inverse relationship between the level of emotional self-expression allowed in society and the degree of escapism in that society&#x27;s stories.<p>Japanese anime and manga comes to mind. Although not all of the medium panders, the shonen, shojo, josei, seinen and other mainstream categories tend to have highly dynamic, energetic, characters who speak and act in all sorts of absolute ways: stories too unbelievable  normally to occur in real Japanese society.<p>We certainly have our  own unbelievable, fulfillment stories in America, especially in comic books. But where Batman, Superman, The Avengers have become a hit around in international markets besides America, Japan non-cute stories have yet to achieve that kind of universal appeal.<p>I will admit to some bias here since I grew up on Japanese culture, and like anything else, I&#x27;ve come to, incorrectly, associate it with childishness.