Research on The Anime Invasion
Thesis Statement: The popular onset of Princess Mononoke and Pokemon enabled
anime, once limited to an underground movement populated by teenage males, to enter mainstream American film entertainment, resulting in the backlash on violence, gender issues, and sexuality.
I. Overview
A. Motivator
B. Definition of anime
1. Examples of anime
2. Anime and its consumers
C. Definition of manga
1. Popular American examples of manga
a. Ranma ½
b. Akira
c. Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play
2. Manga bestsellers
D. Anime appeal to Americans
1. American popular entertainment reference
a. Silence of the Lamb
b. Perfect Blue
E. Thesis Statement
II. Graphic violence in anime
A. Violence against women
1. Women raped and brutalized: weaker sex
2. Male/female Guyver comparisons
B. X
1. Explanation/plot
2. Good v. evil themes
C. Violence in Princess Mononoke
III. Gender issues in anime
A. Women subservient to men
1. Hiding “special” abilities
2. Magical girls
a. Video Girl Ai
b. Urusei Yatsura
c. Tenchi Muyo
d. Ah! My Goddess!
e. Sailor Moon
B. Women in 1950s and 1960s sitcoms and their gender roles
1. I Dream of Jeannie
2. Bewitched
C. Analysis of male fears
1. Ranma ½
2. Anxieties and control issues
IV. Sexuality, Romantic and Pornographic, in anime
A. Romantic comedy/drama
1. Kimagure Orange Road (KOR)
a. Most popular form of anime
b. Consensual sex and romance
B. Pornographic content
1. The Legend of the Overfiend
a. Rape
b. Torture
2. Segregation of boys and girls in society
a. Sexual referrals are present through sexual overtones
b. Sexual taboos
V. Discussion
A. American reactions
1. Violence
2. Gender
3. Sexuality
B. Thesis Statement restated
C. Clincher
The Anime Invasion
Two samurai warriors rush at one another in a blur of motion. A young man and woman exchange a passionate embrace. Colorful creatures face off in the battle arena. All are strong, central actions preformed in anime. In Japan, anime is more than the leading form of entertainment: it is a cultural identity. The film industry in Japan has done poorly since the 1980s, but animation has met with success since the mid-eighties. The popularit...
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Akira Kurosaw’s Seven Samurai is a film that encompasses various ideologies in order to allow the audience to understand the lives of Japanese people during the 1600’s. The film delves deep in social issues of the roles of the people within the society, the expectations as well as the obligations within the respected castes and elements within groups of ; suffering, working together, protecting family and working for the better good of the community.
There are many aspects of Japanese culture and society that make it one of the most well-liked countries in the world today, at least according to the Anholt-GfK Roper Nation Brands Index. The technological innovations stemming from the country and the reputation of companies such as Honda, Toyota, Nintendo, and Sony make for an international focus on Japan’s industrial prowess. Added to that is the ever-rising popularity of manga and anime, and altogether, they form a strong nationalist feeling in Japan, yet entirely different from the nationalism of the wartime period. However, there is another facet of Japanese culture rooted in historical significance that evokes an alternate sense of pride within the population: martial arts. It is important not only to look at the physical aspects of these martial arts tradition, but the mental ones as well. Through the historical background of types of Japanese martial arts such as karate-do, jujutsu, aikido, and kenjutsu, the progression of the arts and a break from their origins, and eventually their place in Japanese sports and society today (karate, judo, kendo, and sumo), we will see how Japanese martial arts shifted back and forth between military and physical philosophy, and pacifist and Zen-like philosophy.
Hiroshi Inagaki’s 1954 film Samurai 1: Musashi Miyamoto and Kenji Misumi’s 1972 film Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance are both characterized by fluid panoramic shots that show men that are at once dwarfed by their surroundings yet simultaneously in control, showcased in breathtaking sword-fighting scenes where they seem to defy the laws of gravity. Samurai films, “much like the American Western,” feature “tales of loyalty, revenge, romance, fighting prowess, and the decline of a traditional way of life” (“Samurai Cinema”). Both of these films display all of these themes, but where they depart is that the protagonist of Samurai 1: Musashi Miyamoto begins as a wayward member of society and eventually earns honor and respect, while the protagonist of Lone Wolf and Cub steps completely outside the bounds of social acceptability.
Recently the concerns of women around their equality in society has become a hotly debated topic in the public spot light. Much of the debate concerns women and the ingrained sexism that permeates most cultures. Many women's activists feel that this ingrained sexism has widened the gap between men and women in a political, social, and economic sense. And for the most part they do have strong evidence to support these claims. Women have suffered through millennia of male dominated societies where treatment of women has been, and in some cases still is, inhuman. Women are treated like subhuman creatures that have only exist to be used for procreate and to be subjugated by men for household use. It has only been very recently that women have become recognized as equals in the eyes of men. Equals in the sense that they have the same political and social rights as males. While the situation has improved, women still have to deal with a male oriented world. Often women in the workplace are thought of as inferior and as a liability. This can be due to concerns about maternity leave, or women with poor leadership skills. But also in part it is due because of the patriarchy that controls all aspects and dynamics of the culture, family, politics, and economy. Even developed countries like The United Kingdom, United States, Germany, and France, could be classified as a patriarchies. These countries may not agree with this notion because of expansive, but not complete changes, that have gradually equalized women in society. However, there are developed countries that openly express a patriarchy and have enacted little societal changes to bring equality to women. Japan is one such country, and t...
Mimura, Glen M. "What Is Asian American Cinema." Introduction. Ghostlife of Third Cinema: Asian American Film and Video. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 2009. N. pag. Pdf.
Anime is gaining popularity in the United States as it is shown more on television, most Noticeably on the Sci-Fi Channel with shows such as Saturday Anime and during Anime week and on Cartoon Network with shows such as Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z being shown every weekday during the Tonnage block. Anime is a highly used medium in Japan. It appears in the movies and on TV. In fact, Nearly one-half of all tickets sold in Japan are for anime. Some famous anime directors are Hayao Miyazaki, Reiji Matsumoto, Mamoru Oshii, Osamu Tezuka, Tatsuo Yoshita, and Katsuhiro Otomo. Hayao Miyazaki directs "lavishly illustrated, sincere, family-oriented, deeply resonate stories for children" Such as Kiki's Delivery Service and Laputa: Castle in the Sky. He also directed Mononoke Hime, A "creative and technical tour-de-force" which is the most popular film In Japanese history. Reiji Matsumoto created Space Cruiser Yamato or Star Blazers as it was known here, a show about a WWII battleship turned spaceship used to defend Earth. Mamoru Oshii directed Ghost in the Shell, "the current standard for high-tech anime filmmaking" Osamu Tezuka created Tetsuwan Atom, known in America as Astro BoyTezuka is also "responsible for the 'large eye' look" found in anime. Tatsuo Yoshita created Mach Go Go Go, otherwise known as Speed Racer. Katsuhiro Otomo directed Akira, the first blockbuster anime film in America, Ebert reviewed it, it was cutting edge in both countries and it began the "adult anime revolution"--"violent imagery, complex stories, and controversial subjects." Ever since Akira was released, there has
This paper will explore what it is about anime that makes it so appealing to even a Western audience, creating an international fan base. Although manga can be traced to American origins, the comics that the Americans brought over have been intensely modified to create essentially a new form of media. Manga and anime have become a significant component of Japanese culture, and often times they integrate Japanese culture and society. Yet, regardless of its Japanese origin, anime is still viewed on the other side of the planet. The question then becomes what is it that makes it so appealing to a foreign audience? This paper will rely heavily on Susan Napier’s book, From Impressionism to Anime: Japan as Fantasy and Fan Cult in the Mind of the
In society today, we are conditioned to believe certain sets of ideals. We use these ideals to interact and get along with the other people we surround ourselves with. These ideals are often the societal norms that form common ground amongst individuals. However, living life based off these basic and unchanging beliefs is not beneficial to humanity, nor does it make life any easier to live. In fact, holding on to the most accepted beliefs holds back society as a whole. Judith Halberstam, in her essay “Animating Revolt and Revolting Animation” challenges these societal norms through the analysis of animated movies and, in doing so, carves a path for a new way of thinking.
Denison. B. (2002, January 1). A Basic Overview of Japanese Culture . . Retrieved May 3, 2014, from http://www.mizukan.org/articles/culture.htm
In comparison, tone of medieval age Japanese literature becomes more intense, realistic, and darker in scope as focus shifts more to the lives and interests of people outside of court. In particular, the warrior class contributed a lot to Japanese literature during the Kamakura and Muromachi periods, because of the increase in civil wars and shift in political power. This is clearly evident in the works of gunki monogatari, especially “Heike Monogatari,” because the tales depict inelegant things that were not to be mentioned in Heian period literature, such as blood and gore.
McDonald, Keiko I. Cinema East: A Critical Study of Major Japanese Films. Rutherford, NJ: Fairleigh Dickinson Press, 1983.
People love to watch anime and play electronic game because they are interesting and can do the thing that we cannot do in the real world, even the anime can be have positive or negative affect to the people, the success of Japanese anime is not like the anime character do nothing and get pay, they hard work and try more than 30 years, and they get this result. Anime is a culture, the real Japanese culture only they own in this Island country.
Bushido is a Japanese term for the samurai code of behavior that includes the ideal of self-control. Central to this ideal is the consideration that it is "unmanly" for a samurai to display his emotions on his face (Nitobe 94). This traditional aspect of behaviour penetrates deep into contemporary Japanese culture. By examining Fireworks, a Japanese film of the 1990s, we can observe how the idealized image of the samurai transplants itself into a contemporary gangster film (jakuzza-geki). Further, I will argue that Japanese ideal behavior (as descended from Bushido) implicitly calls for the cinematic presentation of emotion at a site other than the face. Using sequences from the film, I will explore how internalized emotion is presented in the form of graphic violence - allowing the main character, Nishi, to preserve his "samurai" dignity.
From Mouse to Mermaid: The Politics of Film, Gender, and Culture. Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1995. 224. The s. 224-35. Print.
Motion pictures have been entertaining people of all languages from their beginnings in silent films, to television and now on the World Wide Web. This essay will be discussing the recent history and innovations of both film and television as well as the advent and growth of the franchise, the merging of the two medias, the synergy of both motion medias into the New Media, and the effect of New Media on their future.