Violations of Grice’s Conversational Maxims in Japanese Fictional Discourse: A Case Study of the Anime Bofuri

Nurul Rahmah Alfathonah; Thamita Islami Indraswari

doi:10.14710/kiryoku.v10i2.421-431

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14710/kiryoku.v10i2.421-431

Violations of Grice’s Conversational Maxims in Japanese Fictional Discourse: A Case Study of the Anime Bofuri

Nurul Rahmah Alfathonah , Thamita Islami Indraswari

Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Citation Format:

Abstract

This study investigates violations of Grice’s Cooperative Principle and the particularized conversational implicatures they generate in the anime Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense (season one). Focusing on dialogues between Maple and Sally, twelve episodes were analyzed using a qualitative descriptive approach and a listen-and-record technique. The findings indicate that violations of the maxims of quantity, quality, relation, and manner are employed strategically, producing implicatures such as sarcasm, refusal, concern, and evasion. These implicatures contribute to character development and relational dynamics, reflecting the indirectness and affective stance characteristic of Japanese discourse. By mapping specific maxim violations to their corresponding implicatures, the study offers a nuanced understanding of pragmatic mechanisms in fictional interaction and narrative communication.

Fulltext View|Download Email colleagues

Keywords: pragmatic; cooperative principle; particularized conversational implicature; Japanese discourse

Article Metrics:

Article Info

Section: Articles

Language : EN

In Vol 10, No 2 (2026): Kiryoku: Jurnal Studi Kejepangan (On Progress)

Most cited articles

Verba Kompon Hajimeru, Dasu, Dan Kakeru Sebagai Penanda Aspek Inkoatif Bahasa Jepang More cited articles

Berly, M., Faizah, H., & Mustika, T. P. (2025). Implikatur Percakapan Dalam Video Animasi Ehlija (Vol. 8, Issue 2). Https://Doi.Org/10.36277/Basataka.V8i2.1173
Fitri Fauziyyah. (2024). Implikatur Percakapan Dengan Unsur Penolakan Pada Drama Jepang Dear Sister. Kagami : Jurnal Pendidikan Dan Bahasa Jepang, 15(1), 14–21. Https://Doi.Org/10.21009/Kagami.151.02
Grice, H. P. (1989). Studies In The Way Of Words. Harvard University Press. Https://Books.Google.Co.Id/Books?Id=Qqtabk-Bs34c
Hasanah, U., Jambak, M. R., & Munawwarah, M. (2024). Implikatur Percakapan Khusus Karakter Utama Dalam Animasi Manga Toon “The Journey” Berdasarkan Sudut Pandang Gazdar. In Maliki Interdisciplinary Journal (Mij) Eissn (Vol. 2, Issue 6). Http://Urj.Uin-Malang.Ac.Id/Index.Php/Mij/Index
Kukuh, R. (2022). Pelanggaran Prinsip Kerjasama Serta Implikatur Percakapan Dalam Anime Moriarty The Patriot (憂国のモリアーティ) Season 1. In Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Jepang, Program Bahasa Dan Seni, Fakultas
Kurniawan, E., Fitriana, I., Sulistyo, C. A. P., & Stovia, A. (2024). Violation Of The Principle Of Cooperation And Implicature In The Drama One Liter Of Tears. Journal Of Japanese Language Education And Linguistics, 8(1), 125–138. Https://Doi.Org/10.18196/Jjlel.V8i1.20666
Kurniawan, N. A., & Saptomo, S. W. (2024). Penguatan Karakter Kandidat Dalam Debat Capres Sesi Ketiga 2024 Melalui Implikatur Percakapan Di Media Youtube. In Bahasa Dan Sastra (Vol. 10, Issue 3). Pendidikan. Https://Doi.Org/10.30605/Onoma.V10i3.4098
Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldana, J. (2013). Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods Sourcebook. Sage Publications. Https://Books.Google.Co.Id/Books?Id=P0wxbaaaqbaj
Nemesi, A. L. (2025). Narrative Cues To Implicatures In Classic Novels: Explorations In Pride And Prejudice And The Age Of Innocence. Journal Of Pragmatics, 249, 193–212. Https://Doi.Org/10.1016/J.Pragma.2025.09.008
Rachmatia, V., Firdaus, A., & Humaira, H. W. (2024). Pelanggaran Prinsip Kerjasama Percakapan Dalam Program Acara Tv Lapor Pak Trans7. Indonesia: Jurnal Pembelajaran Bahasa Dan Sastra Indonesia, 5(2), 350. Https://Doi.Org/10.59562/Indonesia.V5i2.59350
Rofi’ah, D. N., & Poerbowati, E. (2019). Analisis Implikatur Percakapan Dalam Dorama Doraemon The Movie “Standby Me” (Kajian Pragmatik) (Vol. 1, Issue 1). Bulan Januari. Https://Doi.Org/10.30996/Mezurashii.V1i1.3225
Saparina, D. H., Sandi Dwi Rizki Al Sunandar, Dan, & Dwi Rizki Al Sunandar, S. (2022). Implikatur Yang Bermakna Kebencian Pada Anime Kaguya Sama: Love Is War (Kajian Pragmatik). In Jurnal Sastra Studi Ilmiah Sastra Universitas Nasional Pasim (Vol. 12, Issue 1). Https://Doi.Org/10.56413/Studi%20ilmiah%20sastra.V12i1.299
Sumiati, Aibonotika, A., & Suri, I. (2022). Implikatur Dalam Anime Blue Period Karya Sutradara Koji Masunari. Prasi, 17(02), 120–134. Https://Doi.Org/10.23887/Prasi.V17i02.48631
Triana, A., & Rianingsih, A. (2024). Pelanggaran Bentuk Maksim Kuantitas Mahasiswa Pendidikan Bahasa Dan Sastra Indonesia Semester 7 Pada Percakapan Grup Whatsapp. Https://Doi.Org/10.31004/Jptam.V8i1.14372
Yuniarti, N. (2014). Implikatur Percakapan Dalam Percakapan Humor. Https://Doi.Org/10.31571/Bahasa.V3i2.168
Zahira, Z. (2023). Implikasi Pragmatik yang Memunculkan Nuansa Humor Jokes pada Akun Twitter @Iari0a. KIRYOKU, 7(2), 132-147. https://doi.org/10.14710/kiryoku.v7i2.132-147
Zani, Y. (2022). Penerapan Prinsip Kerja Sama Pada Tuturan Penjual Dan Pembeli Di Pasar Simpang Bata Kota Jambi. Dikbastra: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Dan Sastra, 5(2). Https://Doi.Org/10.22437/Dikbastra.V5i2.26289
Yule, G. (1996). Pragmatics. Oup Oxford. Https://Books.Google.Co.Id/Books?Id=E2sa8ao0ymac

Last update:

No citation recorded.

Last update:

No citation recorded.

Copyright Notice

Starting from 2025, the author(s) whose article is published in the Kiryoku journal attain the copyright for their article and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. By submitting the manuscript to Kiryoku, the author(s) agree with this policy. No special document approval is required.

The author(s) guarantee that:

their article is original, written by the mentioned author(s),
has never been published before,
does not contain statements that violate the law, and
does not violate the rights of others, is subject to copyright held by the author(s), is free from the rights of third parties, and the necessary written permission to quote from other sources has been obtained by the author(s).

The author(s) retain all rights to the published work, such as the following rights:

Copyright and other proprietary rights related to the article, such as patents,
The right to use the substance of the article in its own future works, including lectures and books,
The right to reproduce the article for its own purposes,
The right to archive all versions of the article in any repository, and
The right to enter into separate additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of published versions of the article (for example, posting them to institutional repositories or publishing them in a book), acknowledging its initial publication in this journal (Kiryoku: Jurnal Studi Kejepangan).

Suppose the article was prepared jointly by more than one author. Each author submitting the manuscript warrants that all co-authors have given their permission to agree to copyright and license notices (agreements) on their behalf and notify co-authors of the terms of this policy. Kiryoku will not be held responsible for anything arising because of the writer's internal dispute. Kiryoku will only communicate with correspondence authors.

Authors should also understand that their articles (and any additional files, including data sets and analysis/computation data) will become publicly available once published. The license of published articles (and additional data) will be governed by a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Kiryoku allows users to copy, distribute, display and perform work under license. Users need to attribute the author(s) and Kiryoku to distribute works in journals and other publication media. Unless otherwise stated, the author(s) is a public entity as soon as the article is published.

Notes for Usage of Generative AI in Scientific Writing

The following guidance refers only to the writing process, and not to the use of AI tools to analyse and draw insights from data as part of the research process:

Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies should only be used in the writing process to improve the readability and language of the manuscript.
The technology must be applied with human oversight and control and authors should carefully review and edit the result, as AI can generate authoritative-sounding output that can be incorrect, incomplete or biased.
Authors are ultimately responsible and accountable for the contents of the work.
Authors must not list or cite AI and AI-assisted technologies as an author or co-author on the manuscript since authorship implies responsibilities and tasks that can only be attributed to and performed by humans.
The use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in scientific writing must be declared by adding a statement at the end of the manuscript when the paper is first submitted.
We do not permit the use of Generative AI or AI-assisted tools to create or alter images in submitted manuscripts.
The use of generative AI or AI-assisted tools in the production of artwork such as for graphical abstracts is not permitted. The use of generative AI in the production of cover art may in some cases be allowed, if the author obtains prior permission from the journal editor and publisher, can demonstrate that all necessary rights have been cleared for the use of the relevant material, and ensures that there is correct content attribution.