This year, over 90,000 people all gathered together in the Los Angeles Convention Center from July 2nd to July 5th to participate in Anime Expo, a non-profit, fan-made, convention for “otakus” of all kinds. Whether they came for the video games, cosplay, tabletop games, music, the different cafés, the shopping, or just the general anime and manga enthusiast atmosphere, these people came together to have a great time with others that share their interests, (ANN). Every year they set the record for the largest anime convention in North America, almost as many as the Comic Con in San Diego with 130,000 attendees, (Weisberg, 2010). This begs the question, why would so many people gather for a convention that is specifically for anime over the general …show more content…
The term “anime” doesn’t really have a solid origin story, but the two most popular origin claims are from the French “dessin animé” literally meaning “animated drawing” and from the Japanese katakana アニメション (animeshon), (ANN). Anime is less of a genre, as most people consider it to be, and more of a style that is broken up into an ever increasing number of genres and subgenres. The main demographics of anime are Shōunen, Shōjo, Seinen, Josei, and Kodomo. Shōunen is anime that is directed towards the adolescent male audience and is easily identifiable by high-action, big weapons (be they swords, guns, or muscles), and a good deal of female fanservice (big busts, skimpy clothes, etc.), (Source). By using the romance genre heavily and having most of the “action” come from the dialogue and not from the fight scenes, shōjo is directed towards the adolescent female audience, (Thorn). Seinen and Josei are aimed toward the adult male and adult female audiences respectively, (Thorn). Finally Kodomo is anime that is directed towards the 12 and under age group identified by the highly moralistic storyline staple, …show more content…
Science fiction is regarded as the root genre for modern anime and is identified by its futuristic, post-apocalyptic, dystopian/utopia themes; big name sci-fi animes include: Gundam 0080 (1989), Astro Boy (1963), Cowboy Bebop (1998), and Legend of the Galactic Heroes (1988-95), (Source). Fantasy is identifiable by the more magical or mythological themes found within the shows, usually pulling from Japanese myths and fables as source material; notable fantasy animes include: Inuyasha (2000), My Neighbor Totoro (1988), and Oh My Goddess! (1997), (Source). Horror anime are distinguished by their darker and generally monstrous themes; Berserk (1989), Hellsing (1997), and Jojos Bizarre Adventure (1993), (Source). Comedy anime is generally very light-hearted and portrays over the top reactions; Ping Pong Club (1998) is an anime that is mainly comedy based, but many many other animes have heavy comedic elements, (Source). Sports anime are, not surprisingly, identifiable by the central theme they have surrounding one or multiple sports with some of the major animes are Slam Dunk (1993-96), Hajime no Ippo (1989), and One Pound Gospel (1995), (Source). Finally, slice of life animes are similar to reality TV in that they portray conceivably possible situations but in a way that is over the top or absurd; shows like My Neighbors The Yamadas (1999), Love Hina (2000), Fruits
The horror genre of film captives the frightfulness of individual fear, horror is the only genre that is meant captive the terror of the audience. The horror- the genre has been around well over one hundred- years there has been an extension of different types of horror and how the audience perceives horror. Many would even argue that horror films often reflect the fear of society in that certain time period. The evolution of horror reflects the evolution of society’s fear.
Recently, research withing digital media learning and literacy literatures has shifted toward analyzing the productive practices in online communities "around" popular videogames (e.g., Steinkuehler and Author, 2008; Author and Gee, 2008; Author, in press; Squire and Giovanetto, 2008; Gee and Hayes, in press). However, the rhetoric of these studies has often focused on the positive, productive, and empowering perspectives of some fans/players in the "affinity spaces" (Gee, 2004) around games. In this paper, I argue for the importance of understanding learning and literacy within online communities around games by addressing the tension between the goals of media producers and fans' goals using tools within these communities. This tension is key, I argue, to understanding the potential of these spaces as valuable learning/literacy domains, as well as the making of meaning within online fan communities.
A genre is specific type of music, films, or writing. In music, genre refers to musical style such as jazz, salsa or rock. In film or literature, the genre is determined by the subject, setting or plot of the story. Many genres, such as "mystery" or "fantasy," overlap in film and literature, while others, such as "romantic comedy" in film or "historical fiction" in books, are specific to one or the
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
Genres are helpful in the general public as they give spectrum to different people and their different tastes. It also accommodates for any mood one may be in if they wanted to watch a film. It characterizes the films and sorts them into place for the viewer’s pleasure, “At all levels of the filmmaking and film-viewing processes, then, genres help assure that most members of society share at least some general notions about the many films that compete for our attention.” (Bordwell & Thompson, 2004: 110)
On an individual basis, popular culture helps establish and mold the subjective self. It influences the way individuals think, act and respond, and this becomes part of how people develop their personalities, preferences, beliefs, and their overall identity. For example, most people idolize certain fashion statements or fads which determines their preference of clothing. This process of self-formation coincides with both elements of personal choice and the responses and attitudes of others. Furthermore, the identity that an individual asserts is influenced by and helps determine the development of social relationships; it influences the communities and groups to which an individual will identify with and how that identification is processed. In the establishment of communal bonding, mass culture helps with, as Leavis describes, a “leveling down of society” (35). The lines of class distinction have been blurred which, to Leavis is not a good thing, but it unites us nonetheless. Popular culture also promotes unity in that it “blurs age lines” (29). As stated earlier, the products of popular culture are targeted towards a variety of audiences; adults read comic books, children watch adult films, etc. (Macdonald 29). Similarly, teenagers and young adults are brought together through night clubs, fashion, and music; college students come together to enjoy campus events; book fans wait in line hours for new releases, etc. Each of these instances produce feelings of belonging, acceptance and connection with members of society over a common
Like any other type of movie or show, there are many different type of genres in anime, including comedy, romance, action, and drama. There are also anime targeted to the male audience (shonen), and for the female audience (shoujo). Anime is not bias, they make anime for every single type of person. Every person has their own preference for what they may like, some people may like to watch action, some may like to watch romance, and etc. However even within anime there are unique types of genres limited to only anime. Some Unique types of genres limited to only anime can include “Mecha”, “Mahou Shoujo”, “Slice of life”, “Shounen Ai”, and also “Shoujo Ai”. These genres are unique, Mecha would involve robots, mahou shoujo would include magical girls (Sailor Moon), slice of life tries to captures the everyday life, Shounen Ai and Shoujo Ai are very unique. Shonen Ai, means Boys love, and Shoujo Ai means girls love, this types of genre are very unique as it is not introduced in many other types of shows, these genres freely express homosexual relationships. However that is not the only unique feature that animes have.
The terms anime, manga, and otaku have become common parlance in the American media, no longer explained or defined in parentheses. Anime conventions are held nearly every weekend somewhere in the U.S. chain and independent book, video, and DVD stores devote ever expanding plots of valuable floor space to products shipped in from Japan. Public and school libraries stock their shelves with anime DVDs and manga Paper backs. (69)
Anime is a popular type of entertainment, primarily watched during one’s freetime that was originally created by the Japanese. Its origin stems back to World War II in which cartoonists and artists were enlisted in order to utilize art as a form of propaganda to rally their nation together against its enemies (novaonline.com). As World War II ended, propaganda was no longer necessary and cartoonists soon introduced a new form of entertainment that is now known as anime. Around the 1980s and 1990s is when anime began to flourish, becoming significantly well-known in America. Through the late 1900s and 2000s, numerous new animes were released which have since then gained much popularity, for example, Naruto, One Piece, Future Diary, Sword Art
Manga and anime have been around since the early 1900's and over the last forty-eight years anime has been a part of American television. Anime has been altered to fit the American ideal of a 'cartoon.' Oxford Dictionaries defines a cartoon as; a simple drawing showing the features of its subjects in a humorously exaggerated way. Japan has no equivalent and calling an anime a cartoon is insulting. Anime is not a simple cartoon. It is a creation that is more closely identified with animation, but with significant cultural differences. Manga and anime needs to be better understood and taken seriously.
... field. With far fetched tales, and emotional twists and turns Anime is certain to become a new type of art form.
Film genres are categories, classifications or groups of films that have a similar, familiar or instantly recognizable patterns, techniques or conventions that include one or more of the following: setting, content, themes, plot, motifs, styles, structures, situations, characters, and stars (filmsite.org and notes). There are many categories of film genre. These categories can cover practically any film ever made by man, although film categories can never be precise. By isolating the various elements in a film and categorizing them in genres, it is possible to easily evaluate a film within its genre and allow for meaningful comparisons and some judgements on greatness. Some genres are considered period-specific, occurring primarily in one time period. One such example is film noir (filmsite.org).
The success of anime began with the famous Japanese artist Osamu Tezuka, one of the founding fathers of Japanese anime and manga. In the 1960s, Tezuka became a famous manga artist and was given the credit of creating Japan's modern anime i...
Anime plays a big role in Japanese pop culture and has also influenced others. An anime, short for animation, often consists of a series of episodes that portrays some kind of story. Anime is the general term that is used for referring to all animation series in general from Japan. It has become widespread, accounting for at least sixty percent of the world’s cartoons. Some highly known ones include: Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, Dragon Ball Z, Power Rangers, Astro Boy, and Spirited Away. In every anime, there is always a theme that goes along with it that relates to Japanese culture or society in some way. A popular theme that occurs in some anime is Shinto. It is the oldest religion and also the most major part of Japanese culture. Shinto is the belief of Kami or gods. It is literally translated to “the way of the gods”. You can often tell the difference between cartoons and anime by looking at two things: the animations or art and the theme or story. In Anime, the animations will always look similar to reality and there will also be a story of some sort relating to life. On the other hand, cartoons often have character animations that are often “flat” and do not give a realistic look to it and are often made just for comedy.
Manga and anime are a very huge part of Japanese culture. They have a long history in Japan and they have gotten increasingly popular. Even now in modern day Japan, manga and anime have become a major part of everyday life. Though accepted into many households, some people believe that manga and anime are a bad influence to the people that enjoy reading and watching them. However, manga and anime give the people of Japan a huge quantity of stories to explore and enjoy and a wide range of genres to choose from that it makes it such a favored hobby.