Manuel Hernández-Pérez

Author: Hernández-Pérez, Manuel
Year: 2017
Title: Manga, anime y videojuegos. Narrativa cross-media japonesa [Manga, Anime and Videogames. CrossMedia Japanese Narratives]
Series Title: 125. Humanidades
Place Published: Zaragoza, Spain
Publisher: Prensas de la Universidad de Zaragoza
Pages: 259
Short Title: Manga, anime y videojuegos. Narrativa cross-media japonesa [Manga, Anime and Videogames. CrossMedia Japanese Narratives]
ISBN: 978-84-16933-36-5

URL: http://puz.unizar.es/detalle/1817/Manga%2C+anime+y+videojuegos-0.html
Language: Spanish

Desde que desembarcaran en Europa hace más de treinta años, las historias de origen japonés han crecido en popularidad siendo pocos los que, hoy en día, aún no conocen a Son Goku, Bunny o Naruto, por mencionar solo a algunos de sus más conocidos personajes. El media-mix japonés es la forma cross-media emblemática de una de las industrias globales más importantes y sorprendentes, ya que consigue aunar los condicionantes de una industria basada en la segmentación demográfica y el reciclaje masivo de contenidos con una larga tradición vinculada a la literatura y las artes visuales japonesas. El presente volumen pretende ofrecer una explicación amena del funcionamiento de estas industrias de origen japonés, valiéndose para ello del análisis de las obras, temas y formas estilísticas más representativas de sus principales medios narrativos: el manga, el anime y los videojuegos.

Using scientometrics, a combination of bibliometrics and content analysis, as analytical tools, the paper is intended to trace the influences between the production of scientific knowledge and the conceptualizing of the 'Soft Power' (SP) concept. The sample employed was extracted from publications indexed in Scopus corresponding to the period of 1989-2020. These publications were studied through authorship patterns, the degree of international collaboration and the production by country. Main themes were analysed not just as a way of characterizing this 'Academic Ecosystem' but also the disciplines involved in the SP concept development employing techniques such as co-word analysis and clustering of most abundant terms. The rising of this concept in scholarship during the last years (especially from 2005-2012) is one of the main findings. Among other key findings of the study, we should emphasize the diversity of SP thematic axes around the Social Science areas of Diplomacy (ie. national branding, use of media) and International Relationships (geopolitical conflicts, transnational education...) Some discussion of the concept of 'Soft Power' and its multiple variants (smart power, hard power...) was also found. There was also some dissociation between Scholarship Production levels and the production of SP related outcomes. Not always can the investment in SP literature be reflected in National Branding and reputation.

Hernández-Pérez, M. (2022). Autoría transmedia e infraestructura diegética. Análisis cultural y textual de la función autoral en los macro-relatos manga-media. In A. Loriguillo-López (Ed.), Estudios sobre cultura visual japonesa: videojuegos, manga y anime (Vol. 13, pp. 123-146). Barcelona: Ediciones Bellaterra.

The worldwide distribution of Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995-96) had a significant impact on the audiences for anime markets. However, unlike previous TV anime megahits, such as Dragon Ball (1985), EVA distribution in Western countries started in domestic and young adult markets. The series gained its reputation in a period of transition between VHS and DVD formats and even managed to be successful on a new route for anime: from niche video markets to thematic TV channels through small broadcasters and cable stations. That was the case of EVA distribution across the United States, at that time already one of the main markets for anime overseas. The series began to be distributed in June 1998 for the VHS market (A.D. Video), although it wouldn't be broadcasted on TV until 2002 (KQEH), being later offered by other theme-specialized channels such as Cartoon Network (through the special event 'Toonami's Giant's Robot week' broadcasted in February 2003) and Adult Swim (October 2005). EVA distribution in France (1996), Italy (1997) and Spain (1997) followed a similar strategy, as it was distributed first as a video product rather than being broadcast to general audiences. Most of the time, the series was dubbed to the domestic language, except for France, where it was distributed in Japanese with subtitles. This was due, perhaps, to its early release (1996). The distribution in Australia (1998) and Southeast Asian markets such as the Philippines was different as ADVision didn't manage the copyrights for these markets. The main agent of distribution was the main national broadcasters instead. The franchise would arrive How to cite this book chapter: Hernández-Pérez, M. 2021. Discussing 'Genre' in Anime through Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Hernández-Pérez, M. (2020). In D. Merskin (Eds.), The SAGE International Encyclopaedia of Mass Media and Society. London: SAGE. ISBN: 9781483375533
https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/the-sage-international-encyclopedia-of-mass-media-and-society/book244632

• Blockbusters (Movies, Books, Video Games...) (pp. 177-179).
• Modelling and Observational Learning (pp. 382-384).
• Desensitization Effect (pp. 456-457).
• Media Dependency (pp. 1051-1052).
• Talk Shows (Television) (pp. 1715-1717).

Leonardo, C., García-Jiménez, L. I., Hernández-Pérez, M., Gonçalves Subtil, F., & Rizo, M. (2019). Diálogo sobre Estudios Culturales. In F. Oliveira Paulino, G. Kaplún, M. Vicente Mariño, & C. Leonardo (Eds.), Tradiciones de Investigación en Diálogo : Estudios sobre Comunicación en América Latina y Europa (Vol. , pp. 169-173). Porto, Portugal: media XXI.

García-Jiménez, L. I., Hernández-Pérez, M., & Gonçalves Subtil, F. (2019). Historia, debates y principales referencias de los estudios culturales en Europa. In F. Oliveira Paulino, G. Kaplún, M. Vicente Mariño, & C. Leonardo (Eds.), Tradiciones de Investigación en Diálogo : Estudios sobre Comunicación en América Latina y Europa (Vol. , pp. ). Porto, Portugal: media XXI.

The chapter aims to examine the concept of transmediality (or cross-mediality) in relation to institutional communication in Japan. To do this, it examines several case studies within the current Japanese society, with special attention to crisis communication (Fukushima nuclear incident), the construction of long-term political messages (the myth of the mono-ethnicity and dialogue between national identities) and even reformulations of national Branding (Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games). My hypothesis is that it is almost impossible to build messages that do not replicate or reference elements from other communication structures and purely fictional narrative. This hybridization between fictionality, narrative structures and pseudo-narratives may not be unique to Japan, but we can be found very relevant examples in recent history of media culture in this country. It will be examined, also, the intense relationship between storytelling and institutional message. We can root it to the earliest examples of the Nihonjinron literature and how it was created a story, with global resonances, about “Japanese uniqueness”. The conclusion I expect to reach (or refute) is that transmediality and narrative are common elements of both cultural contents and corporate messages. This explanation can be found regarding the tradition of Political Economy, in the fact that Entertainment and Information spheres share the same political and economic bases.

It´s well known that the major global comic producers are Japan and U.S. There are not so many countries where this medium has achieved this importance not only as high-quality producers but also as powerful creators of contents. In fact, there is also a long history of mutual influence between media and their narratives within these countries. Sequential Language -that in Japan mainly corresponds to manga medium-, has been influenced by other western serial media, especially TV and comic. This may be particularly the case of manga beginnings as well as other related media such as kamishibai (Nash, 2009) and e-monogatari (Holmberg, 2011).
In its constant search of new themes, Japanese manga industries have invaded some fields that were exclusive of American market many years ago. On the second half of the last century, the popularity of comic-book characters motivated the adaptation of their stories to manga medium (Jiro Kuwata´s Batman, Ryoichi Ikegami´s Spiderman...). The creation of these products is the next logical step following the transnationalization of capital between Japanese and American industries. We refer to the transnationalization of narrative elements, which are gradually forming a shared international scale image, very similar to that defined as ‘Global Cultural’ (During, 1997).
One of the most popular approaches to this subject has been the creation of Mangaverse. These series are an alternate to the traditional Marvel fictional universe that re-imagine the traditional Marvel characters as manga archetypes while employing manganime aesthetic codes, also known as ‘Japan Visual Language’ (Cohn, 2010, 2011). For some scholars, Mangaverse is just a mere fusion of cultural elements, a new manifestation of the ‘Convergence Culture’ (Jenkins, 2006) but the Mangaverse has been openly criticized by both critics and fan audiences indicating that there may have been a decoding problem, that is, narrative elements are not easily recognized nor adopted so they are considered as ‘fake manga’. This criticism has been focused primarily on the way that Marvel´s imprint has evoked stereotypes of Japanese popular culture to create his ‘Marvel-Manga’.

Other manifestations of this ‘Culture of Convergence’ -or this ‘Thematic Transnationalization’- are the anime adaptations of charismatic characters from the Marvel Brand made by Madhouse studio (Wolverine, X-Men, Iron Man and Blade) between 2010 and 2012. These products are not quite different from other Japanese-American co-productions in the past, which has been very often in the industry since its inception (Speed Racer/Mach GoGoGo, 1968; Kimba the White Lion/Jungle Taitei, 1965) and that has been developed in Japan for the distribution in both Japan and American markets. The difference this time is that the narrative of these products is not inspired by traditional manganime nor American cartoon but by the quintessential American genre which is the ‘super-hero’ genre.
In this chapter, we introduce a brief history of the relationship between Marvel and enterprises that form the Production Committees in Japan, especially publishers. These collaborations have been carried out by adopting two different strategies. On the one hand, we have the adaptation by transposition from Marvel narrative formulas to Japanese standards such as shōnen and shōjo. This is the case of the anime adaptations. On the other hand, the creation of Mangaverse could be considered as a misunderstanding of the prescriptive form of Japanese manga genres. Thus, the reading of Mangaverse can´t be performed as the mere transnational adaptation from superhero genre to shōnen, but as the transposition of a Japan Global image. This reflection may be easily confused with the stereotypes of Japan and its culture that arise from the global popular culture (video games, movies, TV series, etc..)

Exegesis is a common practice when discussing religious texts. It has also been employed in the analysis of cultural production to elucidate the author's intentions. Japanese animation (anime) is a transnational industry with cases such as Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995-1997), in which the figure of an individual author, such us the filmmaker Hideaki Anno, interacts with the collaborative authorship. The extensive use of obscure Judeo-Christian terminology and iconography in this work has risen debate about the actual intentions of Japanese author(s) when referring to Western culture. Our analysis concludes that the use of this iconography is intentional. The ambiguity of the narrative, shaped using multiple references, aims to induce the feeling of a complex text in the viewer. This would reinforce previous considerations of this anime as an "open work", in the sense defined by post-structural semiotic analysis.

Hernández-Pérez, M., Pérez-Sirvent, C., Martínez-Sánchez, M. J., & Jordán González, E. (2023). Visualizing Climate Change through LIFE-AMDRYC4: A VR mobile-based Video Game to educate adult audiences on sustainable agricultural practices. Applied Environmental Education & Communication, x(x), x-x. doi:10.1080/1533015X.2023.2236623

This paper examines the role of cinema as a reflection of reality and social change. IMDb (Internet Movie Database) was employed as the main data source in order to examine the representation of LGBTQ+ in global cinema in parallel with the analysis of key milestones in recognizing sexual diversity rights. The movies selected for the analysis were coded by country, language, historical periods, genre, and age rating. The results show, among other findings, greater cinema production in those national markets with legislation favorable to the LGBTQ+ community, such as same-sex marriage laws. Findings reveal also a greater volume of production in the decades with a significant development of civil rights; a predominance of the ‘gay’ descriptor to the detriment of other terms associated to the LGBTQ+ community, and a higher incidence of genres such as drama and the drama/comedy combination in contrast to other traditions such as action/adventure and animation.

Social media networks, such as Twitter, offer the perfect opportunity to either positively or negatively affect political attitudes on large audiences. The existence of influential users who have developed a reputation for their knowledge and experience of specific topics is a major factor contributing to this impact. Therefore, knowledge of the mechanisms to identify influential users on social media is vital for understanding their effect on their audience. The concept of the influential user is related to the concept of opinion leaders' to indicate that ideas first flow from mass media to opinion leaders and then to the rest of the population. Hence, the objective of this research was to provide reliable and accurate structural mechanisms to identify influential users, which could be applied to different platforms, places, and subjects. Twitter was selected as the platform of interest, and Saudi Arabia as the context for the investigation. These were selected because Saudi Arabia has a large number of Twitter users, some of whom are considerably active in setting agendas and disseminating ideas. The study considered the scientific methods that have been used to identify public opinion leaders before, utilizing metrics software on Twitter. The key findings propose multiple novel metrics to compare Twitter influencers, including the number of followers, social authority and the use of political hashtags, and four secondary filtering measures. Thus, using ratio and percentage calculations to classify the most influential users, Twitter accounts were filtered, analyzed and included. The structured approach is used as a mechanism to explore the top ten influencers on Twitter from the political domain in Saudi Arabia.

This article introduces the special issue dedicated to global industries around anime, its
theoretical commentary and its cross-cultural consumption. The concepts “anime” and “anime studies” are evaluated critically, involving current debates such as those presented in this volume. This discussion will employ the concepts of “manga media” as well as the “popular global”, giving an account of the transmedia and transcultural character of these creative industries. The conclusion critiques the irregular presence of Cultural Studies in the study of Japanese visual culture and advocates for constructing an updated dialogue with this tradition in order to readdress the study of these media as a form of global popular culture.

Anime is frequently the origin of media-mixes, that is, strategies of production and distribution of transmedia products in the Japanese global markets. Synergies can be formed through collaborative authorships and transmedia adaptations. While there is an important academic discussion about authorship in media, its role in the context of video games and the media mix is not that clear. In this sense, Ni No Kuni saga (2011-2018) is studied for being a unique case of intertextuality between the work of the studio Ghibli, and particularly the influential Hayao Miyazaki (1941) and Role Playing Video Games. The paper will show how individual and collective authorships consolidate common styles and narratives in the form of coherent corporate images and branding. These images survive the original authors to be replicated through the rest of the transmedia production.

Abstract
The article examines the relationship between tourism and fiction and the way in that both of them contribute to the creation of national images. Using as example the construcción of the national image of Spain through the Japanese audiences, I review the main turning points in Spanish and Japanese history of cultural exchange, as well as modern examples of representations of Spain and the Spanish in Japan. Through three selected case studies (Hetalia, Andalusia no Natu and So Ro No Wo To), I analyze the different ways in which fictionality, stereotypical representation and iconicity are mixed and employed in the construction of national images of Spain through Japanese anime.

http://www.mutualimages-journal.org/index.php/mi/article/view/Vol3-4
This paper contextualises the mutual perceptions between Spain and Japan through the historical background and some examples within several creative industries. Subsequently, the paper reviews the ways in which transnational popular culture has been regarded as non-official National Branding tool, with special attention to the Spanish case and the proliferation of these images in the (mis)representation of its tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Japanese anime is chosen as the most representative global industry among Japanese Popular Culture. Finally, three case studies, especially relevant because of its combination of elements fictionality and creation of national images are discussed.

Walt Disney (1901–1966) is one of the most important figures in the history of cinema, but he may also be one of the most criticized. Adjectives referring to Disney in their different forms (‘Japanese Disney’, ‘Asian Disney’, ‘Disney from the Orient’, etc.), have also been applied to the analysis of Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki (1941–). Disney’s legacy has been reviewed and examined through different theoretical lenses derived from cultural studies and film criticism. In contrast, scholarship and cultural criticism have decoded Miyazaki’s works in terms of auteurism. These approaches also emphasize similarities based on high quality of production and individual signatures while differentiating between ideological and cultural readings of each author’s legacy. In this construction of what has been referred to as ‘anti-Disney’, the most common strategies of classical auteurism act together, including the mythical construction of the creator’s persona through cultural criticism and other film paratexts. In order to better understand the role of authorship in animation, a distinction between brand, style and creator’s persona is suggested.

Rather than the simple adaptation of a story across different media, cross-media narrative should be defined as that which is transformed by virtue of use a medium and its different languages (film, comics, video games, etc.). This article extends and updates the dimensions of previous cross-media analysis models by underlining narrative aspects of the different products discussed and examining the influence of generic conventions along the way. To test this methodology, the article focuses on a product from the ‘‘adventure’’ genre— the Indiana Jones franchise—, which it argues should be seen as a benchmark in the history of this kind of narrative. Special attention is given to the treatment of the character of Indiana Jones, who is the true focal point of the narrative, and to other underlying thematic features.

PROFILES AND CHARACTERS:
EVOLUTION OF THE REPRESENTATION OF THE USER IN SOCIAL
NETWORKS AND ROLE-PLAYING GAMES
ABSTRACT
Role-playing games -along with social networks- have become the most popular  leisure activity online. This paper locates the origin of these web platforms in the  digital evolution of collaborative narratives and role-playing games. In order to do so,  it studies the evolution of the role-playing game through its different digital adaptations and presents the evolution of other narrative forms through the introduction of hypertext. To end up, it analyzes the image projected by the user in these narratives, where a social network profile is considered as a character itself.

The Indiana Jones series is on the foundation of the so called «blockbuster» phenomenon, a cinema that represents huge financial investments for the studios every year but is usually disregarded by scholars as empty. Despite that, it would be fair to ask if blockbuster movies can transmit a given «ethos» beyond entertainment. The movie «Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull» is analyzed here to show that, along with the pursuit of economic profits, it is possible to find more complex intentions. In this specific case, education is fostered as an essential human value that must be cultivated.

This article explores the Science Fiction crossmedia television narratives and their key uses for the promotion and the creation of entertainment in the current television system. Henry Jenkins and others have pointed out to the genre of science fiction as the most suitable for crossmedia narratives (Tulloch and Jenkins, 1994; Hills, 2004; Jenkins, 2009). This article will examine the specific case of Battlestar Galactica, which is considered a paradigmatic example of transmedia narrative, taking its starting point with the original television series in 1978. Following the contributions to the field of three authors (Beeson, 2005, Davidson 2008; Scolari, 2009), this paper proposes a methodology for analyzing the crossmedia narratives based on four vectors: 1) The relationship between story and medium 2) Narrative aspects (setting, characters, theme and plot), 3) Intertextuality and 4) Distribution and accessibility. The analysis of Battlestar Galactica will show the encouraging future of the transmedia narratives in the current television industry, while concluding that the effectiveness of the expansion of the fictional universes will appear finding a balance between the diversity and autonomy of the plots in several media and formats, and the complementarity and narrative unity to build solid and strong universes that contribute to the creation of fandom.

LIFE AMDRYC4 is an educational experience in Virtual Reality [compatible with Google Cardboard], also available in tactile version, focused on the impact of different agricultural practices on climate change and the creation of synergies between farming communities, socio-economic development and environmental protection. In other words, created for the dissemination of the main objectives of the LIFE AMDRYC4 project (LIFE16 CCA/ES/000123). It is designed for mobiles and tablets constituting a high-fidelity prototype that was published in the main mobile application markets (apps). The game offers nine different actions to apply to the soil, incorporation of different kinds of organic matter, mechanical treatments, etc., and four turns covering a total of 20 years. The objectives of the application coincide with those of the project and are based on the dissemination of the “4 per 1000” initiative, the knowledge of the ecosystem services provided by the soil and the circular economy, contributing to the mitigation and adaptation of climate change in Mediterranean dryland soils. To better assess the qualities of the prototype and inform future versions of the tool, a questionnaire was designed to collect quantitative and qualitative data among an adult audience of scholars (environmentalists) and professionals (farmers).

Hernández-Pérez, M. (2021). Media Contents and Fan Memories: Experience and Performance in Tourist narratives. Paper presented at the VIII - International Research Workshop “Mutual Images”. JAPAN PILGRIMAGES Experiences and motivations behind cultural and spiritual peregrinations from and to East Asia, Kyoto, Ryukoku University. https://mutualimages.org/2020/12/02/program-mutual-images-8th-international-workshop/

Presentation and Chair at "From the 19th Century to the Contemporary Age"
Organised by the Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Padua (Italy)  With the Patronage of the University of Vigo (Spain) 6-7th November 2020 [Online edition]

Hernández-Pérez, M. (2019). Animación, “Branding” y Autoría en la construcción del Ethos “Anti- Disney”. Hayao Miyazaki y su figura a través de la critica cinematográfica a la obra Disney. Paper presented at the Anime, una perspectiva transdisciplinar, Pontevedra (Casas das Campas), 21-03-2019

At every relevant technological change, the behaviour of the average user has also evolved. This is a constant law that arguably defines the concept of “medium,” as well as the audience’s experience through time. From a European perspective, it can be observed how every single episode through the history of Japanese animation overseas distribution has been conditioned by the hegemony of different distribution channels (television, VHS, the internet…). The case of anime’s distribution is, in that sense, very illustrative of the synergies among audiences, technology, media, and content production. With the maturation of the digital on demand platforms, a new chapter has been opened in the distribution of serial content, while debates about the core issues in modern Media Studies reappear.

This research paper is intended to shed light on some of these questions, by discussing the reconceptualisation of genre and (sub)genres within digital content providers. It will also pay attention to the role of these content providers in the development of new models of production and/or the transformations of the anime medium and other serial audiovisual productions. Finally, it will point out some differences between transnational audiences in the consumption of these serial audiovisual products. While other content provider platforms will be analysed in relation to anime distribution (Amazon Prime, Crunchyroll…), these questions will be examined mainly through Netflix. This case study is justified due to a number of reasons related to its historical significance, wide international spread, and influence.

While media systems in all over the world may follow similar patterns, based in the convergence of both contents and technology of media, there's still some differences. These are due in a considerable proportion to regulations and constraints of each national/regional market though some cultural and historical factors may need to be also considered. Japanese market follow international trends but previous studies have shown particular features such as a preference for privacity among their users, sometimes disguised as different forms of fictionality (use of personas, fake profiles,..). 
It is my aim to frame this work within narrative theory, as the main tool for an study that will also combine communicational and rhetorical perspectives. First, I will briefly introduce the field of cultural studies and some aspects of the Japanese transmedia narrative throughout its history. Second, I review the main Japanese communication agents and the current state of the convergence process, taking into account technological and sociological aspects. Finally, I will examine several case studies among corporative and institutional messages among social networks (Mixi and Facebook) and messaging apps (LINE).

American cinema and television have been very present in the expansion of Creative industries on a global scale and have become a model for other systems of transnational production. One consequence of their influence is the popularization of content that could, at first sight, be considered "domestic" or originally directed to local audiences. The stories inspired by American politics are well-known examples of this general tendency with great successes in the last years, especially in the television panorama (Scandal, 2012, House of Cards, 2013, Madame Secretary, 2014). Among these themes, the portrait of political campaigns has been quite popular, a genre that has some relationship with the biopic but also shows, not unfrequently, features of thriller and even comedy. The permeability of these narratives in other transnational narratives is a fact that, though certain, is not always easy to explain. My research points to the Japanese entertainment industry and particularly manga industry its main content generator and how this has been interested in American politics. Researchers have highlighted the idiosyncrasy of Japan, its literature and visual arts in the recreation of political narratives inspired by its historical past. However, in opposition to these historical-political approaches, the article will incorporate a narrative theory and structuralism based perspective. Its final objective will be to examine the influence of these political genres and their possible adaptation / domestication to the fictional narratives of the manga, strongly determined by the conditioning factors and the long prescriptive tradition of manga industry. To do this, a transnational and transmedia approach of the different genres mentioned (mainly the political cinema) will be adopted. Finally, as case study, the work of Kaiji Kawaguchi (1948) will be examined, with special attention to Eagle (1997-2001), which narrates the presidential campaign of an American candidate with Asian ethnical background.

Hernández-Pérez, M. (2016). Fictionality and Tourism in the construction of National Images. Studies on Japanese anime representations of Spain (Poster). Paper presented at the XII CONGRESO NACIONAL Y III CONGRESO INTERNACIONAL DE LA ASOCIACIÓN DE ESTUDIOS JAPONESES EN ESPAÑA (AEJE) 2016 TEMA: “El turismo como vía de conocimiento y desarrollo”, Universidad Complutense de Madrid.

It is a fact that one of the biggest attractions of modern Japanese culture lies in its immense, outstanding cultural capital. In recent years, the fascination that Japan has on our collective imagination has been stimulated, even more if possible, by the relevance of cultural industries (manga, anime ..) in relation to other major exporters of popular culture, especially the US. An entire generation of tourists focuses its attention on the country that contributed decisively to the recognition of animation, graphic design, comics and video games not only as popular forms of culture but as "art". Either as spectators or as tourists readers, audiences have approached to these cultural products adopting an increasingly specialized pattern of consumption. In this evolution of the consumption patterns, the concept of "author" as related to art, plays a dominant role in the product differentiation since in the ubiquitous Japanese industries few figures can really deserve that international authorship status. Indeed, this article focuses on the study of tourism phenomena around two of these figures, as well as the speeches around spaces related to their art work.

The first of these case studies will Osamu Tezuka Museum in Takarazuka. Tezuka is probably the most important figure in the history of manga and anime media, having contributed decisively to the formation of its stylistic and narrative codes (Hui, 2006; Power, 2009). The second case study, more popular nowadays, will be Hayao Miyazaki, a founding member of the known studies Ghibli and winner of numerous international awards, including two awards from the American Academy of cinema. The touristic activity developed around the Ghibli Museum (Mitaka) has been studied in the past about author discourses (Deninson, 2010). On this occasion, however, won’t be the ethos of the author the object to be analysed but the nature of the museum space as author discourse in the same way that has been considered in the case of other international figures (Hodgdon, 1998).. Also, through different para-texts (interviews, reports, documentaries, ...) will be commented  the role that the author discourse play in  the spread of anime-related industries, including tourism.

Finally, the work aims to study to what extent there is a real institutional effort in the construction of these discourses or if this “author cult” may have originated in a particular tradition of "Japanese" consumption. This form of consumption wouldn’t be exclusive but maybe idiosyncratic of the Japanese market, being later expanded into the international market due to the recent incorporation of transnational anime audiences.

Audiences from all over the world may differ in the way they perceive a particular country or cultural tradition. Even when it is possible to argue that fictionality can’t be really isolated from any kind of representational form, communicational genres might contribute significantly to this variability. This phenomenon is made clearer when media and genre are linked to the existence of certain narrative components (or narrativity). As individual narrators, we constantly experiment with the difference vantage points. It might be said that we even “enjoy” the way cultural depictions are deformed, through the influence of spatial, temporal and, eventually, psychological individualities. This process, necessarily, has to work together with the denotative and referential nature of communicational genres.

In this paper, I propose some core elements for the description and understanding of Spain and the Spanish through the Visual Culture and Entertainment made in Japan. This image, while from an inner point of view might result rough and debatable, makes more sense in terms of foreigner reception. My main hypothesis will be that the understanding and enjoyment of contemporary Spanish Culture has been dissolved in a kind of representation similar to that from vivid and performative representation (memories). While it can be argued that any country will elicit similar ways of mediated interaction, it is clear that countries and national identities have acquired different connotations, a difference that has been studied through constructs such as ‘National Branding’ or ‘Soft Power’. That is to say, from cognitive and marketing perspectives, they create products that evoke different meanings among international audiences. Spain is for Japanese audiences and markets primarily a desirable tourist destination where fictionality plays an essential role in the construction of spaces and cultural artefacts (tangible and intangible). Several examples of these processes will be analysed with the aim of test my hypothesis while examining some fictional representations from the main Japanese entertainment industries.

Paper presented at the CSS Research Day: Spirituality and Popular Culture / Arts, Centre for Spirituality Studies, University of Hull, 18th June 2015.

Japanese Entertainment Industries may be defined by two main features: its transmedia vocation, or its ability to disseminate narratives through several media at once, and its cross-cultural, or heterogeneous representation of different cultural backgrounds. These features are present in all aspects of their industry (production, distribution...) but might be even more relevant in the case of their products. Indeed, in recent years, manga (Japanese comic market) and their television adaptations (anime) have become a primary focus of academic scholarship, because of their peculiar representations of religion and spirituality.

Although significant first approaches to the question have already been raised, these seem to be mostly oriented to film production, pointing out their Asian origin and hence, the relevance of Asian religions in their narratives. To add some further discussion to this topic, this paper is intended to discuss the representation of religion on two levels. Firstly, as a manifestation of a new spirituality in Japanese popular culture, a concept defined by others as Shûkyô Asobi (Baraka Thomas, 2007) that also related to fandom cult. Secondly, these representations will be discussed as a feature of cultural hybridisation or internationalisation instead of being reduced to the Asian’s religion background of their narratives.

The role of the author across transmedia franchises’ will also be considered: To what extent does the author be considered as an adaptor of cultural elements instead of a proper philosopher?  Case study will be the manga and Japanese franchise "Full Metal Alchemist" (Hagane no Renkinjutsushi, 2001-2010). In the original manga its author, Hiromu Arakawa, expressed her particular philosophy, influenced by different aspects of both Western thought and Asian religions.

A characteristic feature of Japanese Cultural History might be the admiration with which the authors are treated, even long before the emergence of the Author Theories. A recurring example might be that of Osamu Tezuka (1925-1989) who is considered sensei of all other masters of the medium and known as God of Manga (Manga kamisama). Tezuka's legacy is prolific and of a high quality. Besides, he has been immensely influential in the consolidation of the Japanese entertainment industry. More than a decade after the first Tezuka anime, two of the most important figures in Japanese animation History started working on Toei-Doga studios. They were Isao Takahata (1935) and Hayao Miyazaki (1941). Their role as Authors, although significant of itself, is secondary in comparison to their roles as the main proponents of anime in the international market. Here, I will focus on Miyazaki (1941), whose success among international audiences has made him the better known. As main exponent of anime cinema and ambassador of Japanese culture in Western countries, he is the one whose work has been more engaged to Film criticism and auterism theories. He has been also subject of several studies through this perspective. As with Tezuka, Miyazaki's biography has been the main tool for Western critical reading of his work. Moreover, in the case of this author, a personal or 'mask' has been crafted for him that resembles other forms of authorial mythic criticism. Through the paper, I will compare this ‘mask’ with the Tezuka cross-cultural reading and the documentary evidence about the relationship of both filmmakers. Finally I will examine Miyazaki figure through the same dimensions used for the critical reading of the "Manga Kamisama".

Animation Studies has provided an interesting example of how the concepts of genre and authorship can usually be considered as antithetic, and how these concepts might be discussed for a better understanding of modern Media Industries. In this sense, Walt Disney (1901-1966) is probably one of the most important figures in the history of cinema, and also is one of the most criticized ones. Disney Criticism has been reviewed and discussed through different dimensions, including Political Economy and Ideology, Gender Studies, Historical Revisionism, Narrative, etc. Taking into consideration the case of International Animators –most of them working within the European or Asian film industries– it can be observed how common it is to refer to their work as appreciated forms of authorship. This is particularly the case when one looks at auteurism within animation in relation to the American Majors productions, which, in contrast to European and Asian animation, tend to be seen as “merely” mainstream. This criticism creates an almost “mythic figure” -opposed to Disney in narrative quality but equal in technical achievements- that can be observed, for example, in the Western reception of the work of Japanese animators such as Mamoru Oshii,  Mamoru Hosoda, Satoshi Kon and especially Hayao Miyazaki who is the most likely candidate for this anti-Disney label.

BOOK REVIEWS

Hernández-Pérez, M. (2020). The Anime Boom in the United States. Lessons for Global Creative Industries by Michal Daliot-Bul and Nissim Otmazgin. Reviewed by Manuel Hernandez-Perez. International Journal of Communication, 14, 5001-5003. doi:1932–8036/2020BKR0009
**2014 SCImago Journal Rank (SJR) 0.26 Q1
Web of Science Core Collection [June 2020]

Hernández-Pérez M. (2018) Review. Northrop Davis, Manga & Anime go to Hollywood. The Amazing Rapidly Evolving Relationship between Hollywood and Japanese Animation, Manga, Television, and Film. Animation. An Interdisciplinary Journal 13: 252-254.

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