Hernández-Pérez M. (2017) ‘Thinking of Spain in a flat way’: Spanish tangible and intangible heritage through contemporary Japanese anime. Mutual Images 3, 43-69.http://www.mutualimages-journal.org/index.php/mi/article/view/Vol3-4

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.