The Acceptance and Understanding of Anime.
“What? You like anime? What are you a f*cking weeaboo?” if you have lived as a student in early 21st century, you must of that insult in one ways or another. It's used as a rude remark directed towards a particular group of people often ridiculed for being passionate about a specific medium that came from a different culture, looked down and despised, and categorized with old untrue stereotypes, but in the end, no one truly understood the recipient’s passion or the topic behind those hateful words. Today I will be here to express my love and gratitude for this medium, but most importantly to broaden your knowledge and to end discrimination with understanding and acceptance. Because anime is more than just cute girls with huge eyes doing dumb things, but a medium that dreams, connect and filled with undying passion.
I believe that the first steps of integration come with acceptance and with acceptance comes understanding, or vice versa. Anime in the western world is often seen as generic, perverted, and uncreative, but when you genuinely
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The vague thread that sews the framework of Anime together, the intangible emotions that resonate with our very being lays in these 'stupid cartoons,' and the thin filaments that bring an entire community together. However, when we express our love and passion for these moments in Anime that we hold so very dear, we are often ridiculed, laughed at, or avoided for believing in silly cartoons. But in all honesty that's just it; we wanted to escape from our cruel reality, we wanted to experience the emotions that we cannot touch when the span of our arms, we wanted to connect with someone or something instead of hearing cruel words from a fellow human being. In the end, that's just it; anime never had the magic of the Disney movies, they are just personally tales that reaches and connects without
American pop culture recently received flak for cultural appropriation. Artists such as Katy Perry and Selena Gomez were criticized for superficially incorporating Asian images into their music. However, cultural appropriation and cultural tourism – and its consequences – are commonly seen in relation to traditional culture; this lack of attention towards visual representation of modern Asian subcultures – in relation to Asian Americans – dismisses the potential impact of these images. A visual analysis of Avril Lavinge’s “Hello Kitty” and Gwen Stefani’s appearances with the Harajuku Girls reveals that the use of Japan’s Harajuku subculture in American pop culture perpetuates Asian American stereotypes. Specifically, these acts contain characteristics of the submissive “lotus blossom” stereotype and the invisibility that comes from this stereotype. These characteristics result in an insidious formation of race; Avril Lavinge and Gwen Stefani’s cultural tourism constructs the concept of an American that excludes the Asian body through contrasts between themselves and the background Asian body. This racial formation relies on the idea that the two artists have become part of the Harajuku culture, yet they are clearly distinguishable from the homogenized Asian body.
This book, Japanamerica focuses on how the Japanese popular culture influencing the American culture. The author, Roland Kelts take a neutral prospective in order to create this book, which is done by interviewing many significant individual who took part in establishing the popular culture in both Japan and America. Kelts investigates why the phenomenon of Japanophilia, or the “outsider’s infatuation with Japan’s cultural character” (pg.5), is occurring especially in the United States. Even though Japanophilia phenomenon arose before the twentieth century, it is increasing in number because of the anime, manga, videogames, and other medium of popular culture.
Well renounced animation studios of today, Walt Disney, Warner brothers, and Famous Studios all used children cartoons to explicitly display this effort of anti-Japanese sentiment.
I am a Japanese-American, growing up I never felt like I belonged in either one. I never felt that I was fully Japanese because I did not have all of the same beliefs and traditions as other Japanese people. Nor did I feel fully American because I fully do not believe in all of the American beliefs. I saw myself relating more to the Japanese culture because it taught me to be more respectful to my elders and other people in the community. Growing up I had to assimilate to the prevailing culture because people were bantering me because I had unusual views than they did. It was hard for me growing up; I was trying to identify myself as either a Japanese boy or an American boy while I was at school and at home. At school I had to be this normal American boy, while at home, I had to be a Japanese boy. I felt like two different people. This also tied into me having an awkward relationship with other kids my age especially the girls. I would ask my parents if it was okay for me to date, their response was “as long they are some sort of Asian, then it is okay.” Today my parents do not believe in that saying, they just want to see me in high spirits, but as I was growing up it was hard for me to find a girl that I liked that fit my family standards I always found myself fond of another race other than my own and my parents were not too thrilled with the choices I made when it came to girls when I was an adolescent.
According to Giroux (1996), animated movies are a part of children’s culture. Children’s culture consists of entertainment, artifacts, myths, etc. that are based around the notion of what it means to be a child. Animated movies, particularly Disney films, encourages the child’s imagination and fantasy to be enhanced, creates a drive within them to go on adventures and helps them develop an aura of innocence. Animated films are “teaching machines” (Giroux, 1996, p. 66). Disney films teach children about specific roles, values and ideals and also take them through the world of enchantment. It helps them to understand who they are and what it means to be a part of the society and an adult environment (Giroux, 1996). Disney characters are a reflection
Over the Years Japan has changed its outlook on women drastically. It has varied in how it views women, and how it treats them. Recent times have seen a restrictions on the equality of women, and a shared male dominated tatemae that permeates all aspects of the Japanese culture. But that doesn't stop the Japanese from continuing to question that status quo, and creative works that push the boundaries are created all the time. Japan’s imagination, to create Anime and films that question the traditional social hierarchy and gender boundaries, identifies Japan to be the hidden(if slightly censored) artists of the world. Constantly creating new works that question and branch off from the social norms of the rest of the world.
I interviewed another adherent of this culture, and I was shocked by his remarks, such as,“Sometimes the saddest part of residing in this country of 'freedom of expression', is no matter what time period it might be, we will always be treated differently, or criticized for adhering an idea for just expressing ourselves as humans, and in my case I am shamed by others for watching anime and playing video games because of the repulsive, degrading, and ignorant remarks others make about the what I enjoy.” confirming the idea otakus get outcasted by the masses.(Rogers)(Here you should explain how you talk about how the others perspective did not affect how you feel about your
Today, the American industry of showing Anime has developed to a five plus hour per day airing across multiple networks and cable channels. While the early exposures where largely unchanged, as other, more mature titles where purchased for the US market the editing process began. Due to the US stigma of animation as a strictly children’s medium, shows where edited for language, content, and story. While it is debatable as to whether these changes ruined or improved the anime, it is undeniable that it gave Anime the one thing it needed most to make it in the American market: exposure.
Anime, or Japanese animation, is a style of animation most recognizable by characters with large eyes and beautifully detailed backgrounds. Once people watch anime, they will find besides spectacular animation, anime has complex characters and deep stories, many of which teach morals and values. Anime is very popular in Japan; it has also gained a following in America and is beginning to hit the mainstream.
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.
Disney has made it his life 's goal to create home entertainment for both young and old. From the creation of Mickey to his work in films, Disney had made it clear that happiness is something that everyone should have. Disney had also know that animations is not just for the imagination of the children. Early movies such as Snow White and Pinocchio have clear messages for the younger views. “In Snow White- the main characters are victims of injustice who are eventually restored to their rightful place. In Pinocchio, the characters Pinocchio, Jiminy Cricket and Geppetto are faced with dilemmas, and their own actions result in them becoming victims of ev...
Freedman, Alisa (2009) “Train Man and the Gender Politics of Japanese ‘Otaku’ Culture: The Rise of New Media, Nerd Heroes and Consumer Communities.”
The world of animation of all varieties features characters that can be recognized to have feelings and emotions, even though they are objects which in the real world would merely be inanimate; The Brave Little Toaster, The Annoying Orange, Luxor Jr – these are all characters we watch and can relate to because they have been given feature that humans have.
es indeed, animation is fun for children, but it also expresses important ideas for people of all ages. In some ways, ‘Shrek’ is your classic fairy tale for example, it has a hero, a beautiful Princess, and a dastardly villain. But unlike the traditional fairy tales, the hero is an ugly, ill-tempered ogre, the Princess is not all she appears to be, and the villain has some obvious shortcomings. The award-winning animated film, ‘Shrek’, is directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, the viewers learn that being a good person is more important than just being good-looking. It also shows that true friends help each other in difficult situations and that women can be equally as strong characters as men. These ideas are portrayed through characters such as Shrek, Princess Fiona and Donkey. The directors use camera angles and dialogue to express their ideas.
Japan is a fascinating multifaceted culture, on one hand it is filled with many traditions dating back thousands of years and yet is a society with continually changing fads,