Japanese Anime

Generally categorized as low art, Japanese manga and anime draw insufficient overseas critical attention, regardless of their enormous cultural influence in East Asia. Their popularity not simply proved the success of cultural industrialization in Japan, but also marks a series of local phenomena, reflecting social dynamicity and complexity, that deserve interdisciplinary analysis. During the lost decade in the 1990s, which many scholars studied with economic accent (Katz 1998, Grimes 2001, Lincoln 2001, Amyx 2004, Beason and Patterson 2004, Rosenbluth and Thies 2010), manga and anime industry in Japan entered its golden age. The publication and broadcast of some remarkable works, such as Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, Crayon Shin-chan and Slam Dunk, not only helped generate huge income (nearly 600 billion yen earned in the manga market in 1995) that alleviated economic depression, but also distracted popular focus from the urge of demythologising national growth.

This paper will focus on the TV-series version of Hideaki Anno’s Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995–1996), a well-received anime broadcast after the Great Hanshin earthquake and the Tokyo subway sarin attack perpetrated by terrorists of Aum Shinrikyo, both happening in 1995. I will base my discussion on some important concepts of Jean-Paul Sartre, such as le pour-soi (the for-itself) and bad faith, to illustrate how Hideaki Anno represents his protagonists as figures emancipated by existentialist morality. His frequent use of monologue in latter episodes individually enquiring the meaning of personal existence, following the dystopian fall of Tokyo-3, echoes the nihilistic context of both post-traumatic Europe and over-capitalized Japan. I argue that the subjective bonding between given existence of self-consciousness and innate search for fixing the purpose of being has pre-universalized relevant reflection. It sustains the celebrity of Neon Genesis Evangelion until now, especially when Japan has not yet recovered from the 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, which carried unresolved economic challenges.

Shounen manga is a type of narrative via images that accurately follows the canonical narrative schema. Shounen is an adventure tale in which the protagonist must face a sequence of antagonists, often more powerful as the story carries on, in order to reach a purpose that intersects with his personal development and doesn't concern only plot-related objectives.
Every single author ends up arranging and managing differently the four moments of a story modal structure: manipulation, competence, performance and sanction can be put in different orders to recreate different plots. This thesis intends to comparate three sucessful shounen manga, One Piece, Naruto and Bleach, to show the results these different  methods can lead to.

1. Abstract Virtual YouTubers (VTuber) are streamers and vloggers who use 2D and 3D computer generated virtual characters and engage in creative activities on platforms such as Twitter, YouTuber, Twitch. VTubers first appeared in 2017 in Japan and adopted anime-like visual characteristics. Currently there're more than 10'000 VTubers and some of them have their own TV shows or work for international companies. Based on identity formation theories, this paper sheds light on VTubers identity construction, reasons for engaging in VTubers activities and gender expression. This research provides evidence that VTubers are not avatars, differences and similarities exist between En, Fr and J-VTubers because they formulate and put into practice different criteria based on individual self-expression and community interactions.

Mazinga, Goldrake, Jeeg… sono questi i robot più noti al pubblico italiano che ha iniziato a scoprire i protagonisti di queste serie animate a partire dalla fine degli anni Settanta. Ma chi c’era in precedenza? Quali personaggi sono stati partoriti dalla fervida fantasia dei giapponesi prima di quel periodo? Qual’è l’origine di questa passione tutta nipponica? Quali sono gli antenati di questi eroi che hanno saputo conquistare intere generazioni? Il libro fornisce una risposta a tutte queste domande ricostruendo un pezzo di storia della cultura pop giapponese troppo spesso dimenticato e erroneamente poco considerato.

Sailor Moon is one of the most iconic classic anime for Indonesian audiences, especially the generation whose childhood was in the 90s. After more than two decades since its premiere, Sailor Moon still has loyal fans today. Although it has not been broadcast on Indonesian national television since the late 90s, the distribution of Sailor Moon products, both original and fake, still happen, such as clothes, bags, makeup, and knick-knacks. The question is, how does the Sailor Moon influence Indonesian girls in the 90s, so its popularity still lasts today? Based on observation and several in-depth interviews, this paper finds several arguments. First, Sailor Moon appears amid many male superheroes, giving an insight that female can be the hero of the world. Second, the audience finds the alter ego in the Sailor Moon character. Three, the values of Sailor Moon that provide understanding in shaping one’s character, such as friendship, the importance of teamwork, and pursue a dream. In ad...

Anime and its aficionadi have a terrible reputation. For some reason, they're stereotyped by non-anime practitioners as being foolish.


But the truth is that Anime can be a serious business. If you ever find yourself being harassed for watching "kid's shows," here are some points you can use to set the naysayers straight.

We also have to talk about animes merchandise; this business is in constant growth. Anime fans are acquiring tons of merchandise related to their favorite shows, especially for the most watched saga Like Dragon Ball Z.
We can see every day's new themed merchandise released, which could be clothing, accessories, figures, etc.

"Animes" are not written merely for kids
In Japan, the term "anime" is a truncated form of "animeshon" (animation), which embraces all types of hand-drawn or computer animation. Nevertheless, worldwide, "anime" is used to describe a stylized form of animation popularised from Japan - typically with colorful graphics, vibrant characters, and fantastic themes.


Anime can be sorted into several categories. The most popular animes aren't written for kids in mind. "Seinen" animes, for instance, are targeted at males aged 18-40, while the "Josei" types are written for females of that same age.

If you want Anime specifically for young children, you may consider the "Komodo" genre, which is aimed at all young children. "Shonen" (typically action-packed or comedic) on the other hand are aimed at young/teen boys around the ages of 10-18, while "Shoujo" are Anime for teenage girls.

Imagine a post-apocalyptic world where humanity must cower behind a series of three massive walls to protect themselves from monsters that have eaten the majority of the world's population.

That's the tale of "Attack on Titan," or "Shingeki No Kyojin." When one of the walls is breached, everything goes to complete hell.  It doesn't sound very much like a kid's show.

Many of the more popular anime deal with adult themes and social issues. "Attack on Titan" for instance also touches on topics such as class separation, whereby the rich tend to be more protected than the less well-off.

Some series such as "Psycho-Pass" also bear strong semblance to Hollywood movies. "Psycho-Pass" is set in the near future, where authorities use a computer algorithm to measure a person's propensity to commit a crime - similar to the Tom Cruise movie Minority Report.

It is no wonder that many Anime (20th Century Boy, Death Note, Edge of Tomorrow) have been turned into live-action movies by both Japanese producers and Hollywood.

Anime is a legitimate art-form

Japanese Anime has been around since 1917. Today, some of the most exalted anime writers have won global acclaim not just for their storytelling, but for their art.

In the beautiful art world, Anime is also making waves. They have been displayed in museums and art exhibitions around the world.

The anime industry is so thriving internationally that the market was worth approximately $3.7 billion in the U.S. alone in 2015

References: (Wikis/Merchandise Industry)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anime
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manga
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Animator_Expo
https://SuperSaiyan-Shop.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Ball_Z
https://dragonball.fandom.com/

Japanese anime has a great effect on the development of the entertainment industry in the country itself. For example, with many fans of anime, the author and illustrator of both the manga story or novel will be more creative in making their fiction. Creativity and competition is growing every day, and it is a good thing.

The ningen, a giant, sub-Antarctic aquatic humanoid, is a mythical creature  created by Japanese Internet users in the mid:2000s. Since its inception it has crossed over  into  international  Internet  contexts  and  has  been  embellished  and  inflected  in  various  ways.  As  such  it  forms  an  element  within  modern  media:lore,  joining  a  host  of  pre: constituted  mythic/folkloric  creatures  and  more  modern  inventions.  One  of  the  most  notable aspects of ningen media-lore is that the creature was conceived as an inhabitant of  sub:Antarctic  waters,  which  have  not  traditionally  been  perceived  to  be  rich  in  crypto-zoological  entities.  Within  this  location  it  has  been  closely  associated  with  Japan’s  Southern Ocean whaling fleet and can, in this regard, be understood as a manifestation of  a  modern  aquapelagic  imaginary.  The  article  identifies  that  the  original  location  of  the  ningen’s  story  is  not  merely  incidental  to  its  circulation  and  elaboration  but  is,  rather,  a  key  element  of  its  emergence  as  a  Japanese  figure  and  a  continuing  aspect  of  its  significance in a broader, international arena.

Anime fandom has been a fairly constant subject in fan scholarship, although only recently have conversations about fan subbing begun to circulate. As useful as those conversations are, none have directly dealt either with the mechanisms of fan subbing, particularly the use of linear notes, as a practice or with how these subs intersect with the flows of subcultural capital. Fan subbing, both as a productive and a consumptive practice, plays a small but influential part in subcultural capital. Engagement with media is a compositional element of such capital in this community.

NOTE:  Videos can be viewed through the original publication on TWC

Films use architecture as visual shorthand to show viewers
what they need to know about characters in a short amount of
time. Using a phenomenological approach to look at a diverse
range of international, historical and contemporary films,
this book describes how we as viewers can read architecture
and design on the big screen to see a number of underlying
messages. Architecture’s representational capacity contributes
to the plausibility or realities that are possible in film. The book
provides an ontological understanding that clarifies and
stabilises the reciprocity between our actual and filmic worlds
of illusion and human imagination, thereby shedding light on
both cinema and architecture.

The proliferation of online simulation games across the globe in many different languages offers Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) researchers an opportunity to examine how language learning occurs in such virtual environments. While there has recently been an increase in the number of exploratory studies involving learning experiences of predominantly English as a Second or Foreign Language (ESL/EFL) participants in these environments, the context of a Japanese as a Foreign Language (JFL) classrooms has rarely been examined. To address this, this study investigates a Second Language Acquisition-theory driven instantiation of CALL within the context of a JFL classroom.  Through a mixed-method case study approach, participants’ natural acquisition of Japanese in a 3D virtual environment was examined. Data detailing participants’ communicative capacities in several modalities were collected, as were their attitudes toward participation in a massively multiplayer online (MMO)-based virtual world of Tokyo.

In the present study, eight sources of data from eleven university-level JFL students (n=11) were collected and analyzed to evaluate the learning outcomes from an integrative CALL framework (Warschauer, 2004; Yamazaki, 2014).  Based on both interpretative and statistical analyses of data, the major finding of the present study was that the participants, when immersed in the 3D virtual world of Tokyo, acquired contextualized communicative competence. More specifically, quantitative analyses revealed statistically significant improvement in the participants’ acquisition of incidentally encountered vocabulary, in particular, kanji pronunciation and vocabulary interpretation. Qualitative analyses revealed participants’ acquisition of various communicative competencies specific to the context, including persuasive talk, concept of audience, collaborative communication, and colloquial expressions. Data from a post-hoc reflection survey provided strong evidence that most students found the course to be effective, as it made them use Japanese more than in a regular class, and thereby developed more necessary communicative skills to function in Japan.

This work explores the ways in which the anime of Makoto Shinkai cinematically portrays the theological virtues of faith, hope and love. The article will explore each virtue individually, with specific reference to the work of Josef Pieper and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. In addition, it will juxtapose their explorations of these virtues with samples of Shinkai’s corpus of films. It will assert that the consistency of Shinkai’s work reveals several important parallels with the theological virtues. Faith is the encounter between one and another that reveals one’s nature. Hope is revealed by the distance between one and another, and is realised in traversing that distance to achieve an ecstatic reunion. Love, as the erotic attraction between one and another, is the driver that also sustains the journey and closes the distance. In spite of the similarities, important differences between the cinematic and theological will be highlighted.

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.

Ambareva, H. (2016). Translating Japanese Animation to the Language of the Western Culture. In: New Semiotics. Between Tradition and Innovation: proceedings of the 12. World Congress of Semiotics, ed. K. Bankov, IASS Publications & NBU Publishing House, URL:  http://www.iass-ais.org/proceedings2014/view_lesson.php?id=16. ISSN 2414-6862.

Mitos y referencias culturales en el film El viaje de Chihiro, de Hayao Miyazaki (2001)
Autora: Lic. en Artes Camila Sabeckis

El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo desarrollar el concepto de mito desde el punto de vista de diferentes autores: George Gusdorf, Roland Barthes, Theodor Adorno y Max Horkheimer, y ejemplificar estas concepciones mediante el análisis del film El viaje de Chihiro (2001) de Hayao Miyazaki.
La pérdida del mito en tanto que fuente de explicación cosmológico y su reemplazo a manos del saber científico ha conllevado a lo largo de la historia numerosas crisis de valores hasta llegar a nuestros días en los cuales lo espiritual a perdido importancia frente a los ideales de la sociedad capitalista. Miyazaki se ha propuesto a lo largo de su extensa filmografia mostrar a sus seguidores aquellos elementos del folclore y la cultura japonesa que se han ido perdiendo a lo largo de los siglos y concientizar a los jóvenes respecto de la necesidad de no olvidar los orígenes. Mitos, dioses y seres sobrenaturales son una presencia constante en las historias que el director nipón narra en sus películas con la finalidad de preservar y dar a conocer a los más jóvenes las historias originarias de Japón, en un contexto en el cual se están perdiendo las raíces culturales debido a la globalización y el furor generado por las nuevas tecnologías. Miyazaki siente una gran preocupación por lo que está sucediendo en la cultura japonesa en la actualidad, la cual se encuentra muy influenciada por elementos de la cultura occidental y más precisamente norteamericana, lo que según el director  ha llevado a la juventud a olvidar sus raíces culturales. 

Palabras clave: mito, conciencia mítica, mana,  tradición, cultura, sintoísmo, raíces, naturaleza, religión japonesa

e paper focuses on the motif of flowers which seems to be popular in young girls’ (shōjo) culture in Japan. It repeats iself on illustrations, in manga or novels. Referring to the western ideal of floral femininity, the concept of shōjo is presented, as well as the culture that outgrew around it.  e concept of shōjo initially imposed by the government of Meiji period is then taken over by girls that change it accor- ding to their own vision and needs.  e analysis leads to the indication of differences between the western idea of floral feminity and the transformed idea of shōjo, which led to the production of an independent dream space, in which even the flowers have to adjust to the girls’ expectations.

O presente artigo busca discutir e analisar as principais questões presentes na obra Princesa Mononoke (1997), do diretor de animação japonês, Hayao Miyazaki. O objetivo é analisar através de um recorte, aspectos abordados no filme que estão relacionadas à modernidade. O longa traz à tona pertinentes reflexões a respeito do capitalismo e consequentemente da sociedade contemporânea. Para tal análise, estão expostos conceitos que retomam a transição histórica do período feudal para um princípio de industrialização, pano de fundo da narrativa, além da consagração do sujeito moderno – com ênfase nas personagens de gênero feminino, retratadas de maneira peculiar. Espera-se demonstrar que a construção das personagens quebram estereótipos, trazendo consigo um pensamento crítico referente as consequências dos atos humanos em relação ao progresso a natureza e aos papéis sociais.

Palavras-chave Hayao Miyazaki; Modernidade;  Representação Feminina; Princesa Mononoke.

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/

Zizek's famous quote; a popular Japanese manga about a University club full of "slash" enthusiast females plus one cross-dressing  and very confused boy who shares their enthusiasms... What is the author up to? Let us throw pop post-Lacan pasta at the wall and see what sticks!

Better to just read it in the original form at:
https://heartsoffuriousfancies.wordpress.com/2014/03/16/genshiken-ch-95-97-as-a-symptom-of-man/

...as the print to pdf'd pdf looks atrocious!

Once you get past the fannish first part discussing the story-in-progress, you get to the pop-post-Lacan stuff, wherein I try to build a case that the author is working up an odd approach to the decentered subject and the creative process. And one that is heavily influenced by popular cultural discourse that uses post-Lacanian concepts (Did not Dr Saito Tamaki recommend this manga back in 2006?)

The "comic" (manga) can be read in fan-translated English and other languages on various grey sites across the net. Append "read" to a Google search naming it and enjoy.