I saw the viewing of the movie, Princess Mononoke and thought it was quite good and interesting, im really enjoying studying this genre...
I think anime is a media and has its own genre within it. I am very suprised at how anime isnt as popular in America and is seen as only a sub culture, I thought Americans wouldve been very into anime. Im sure anime will slowly start becoming more popular all around the world. There is a lot more of it being played on new zealand television, ill admit when i was younger i used to watch pokemon, digimon and sailormoon, but nowadays theres more and more of it being released and i think its going to continue to grow as a media.
1. I agree with Ashlee on this I also think that anime is a media because there are many different genres that come within the media of anime. I also think that it is a branch of film. There seem to be many more film being created for this media which shows that it is becoing more popular and more people are interested in it.
2. The culture to which amine belongs is at present a "popular" or "mass" culture in Japan, and in America it exists as a sub culture. But it has been said by Treat that this situation may well change. In Japan over the last decade, anime has been increasingly seen as an intellectually challening art form, as the number of scholarly writings on the subject attest. Anime is a popular cultural form that clearly builds on previous high cultural traditions. Not only does the medium show influences from such Japanese traditional arts as Kabuki and the woodblock print (origially popular culture phenomena themselves), but it also makes use of worldwide artistic traditions of twentieth century cinema and photography. It also explores issues, often in suprisingly complex ways, are ones familiar to readers of contemporary "high culture" literature (both inside and outside Japan) and viewers of contemporary art cinema. Anime texts entertain audiences around the world on the most basic level, but, equally imporatantly, they also move and provoke viewers on other levels as well, stimulating audiences to work through certain contemporary issues in ways that older art forms cannot. Also because of their popular reach they affect a wider variety of audiences in more ways than some less accessible types of high cultural exchange have been able to. In other words, anime clearly appears to be a culturaly phenomenon worthy of being taken seriosuly, both sociologically and aesthetically.
Also in relation to question 2. It is important to understand something of the history and role of anime in Japanese society. First of all, it is important to appreciate just how signifcant a force anime is in contemporary Japanese media. In 1988 roughly 40% of Japanese studio releases were animated. By 1999, as the previosuly mentioned article in Time notes, at least half of all releases from Japanese studios were aniamted. Animation was not always such an important part of the Japanese popular culture industry.
3. According to Napier (2005) anime is a high cultural media especially in places like Japan. It has been said that to understand the reason behind the variety we need to understand something of the history and role of anime in Japanese soceity.
4. Some of the sub genres are the cyberpunk and the so called mecha genres are within science fiction. Cyberpunk, well known from such Western science fiction classics as William Gibsons neuromancer (a fiction in general), is a genre focusing on dystopian futures in which humans struggle in an overpoweringly technological world where the difference between human and machine is increasingly amorphous. Mecha (a shortened version of the english word "mechanical") privileges a favourite form from Japanese popular culture, the robot. Although in such classics as Tezuka Osamu's Astro Boy the robot is drawn in a positive light, more recent mecha often feature humanoid machines ina more ominous mode. Both these genres are particuarly appropraite ones for our increasigly high tech world. As J.P. Telotte says of Western Science Fiction film: In a near fixaction on the artificial, technologized body - the robot, cyborg, android - the science fiction genre has tried to examine our ambivalent feelings about technology, our growing anxities about our own nature in an increasingly technolgoical enviroment and a kind of evolutionary fear that these artificial selves may presage our own dispapearance or termination.
5. When reading through both said it has become very obvious to me that anime is mainly culturally located in the East or even being more specific it is located in Japan. Miyazaki (writer of anime) is as popular as Steven Speilberg and J.K Rowling are in the West, his name has not quite yet entered every Western household. Also, it has stated that it should not be assumed that the films endowed with explicity Japanese connotations are automatically more Eastern than others. This proves my point that the Western Culture don't believe it to be the same as theirs, that's why it is not as popular yet in the Western Society.
6. The term "shoujo" literally means "little female" and is commonly used to designate girls aged 12 or 13. On a metaphonical level, however, it alldues to the transitional stage between infancy and maturity, and its admixture of sexlessness and budding eroticism. On the whole the worlds decipted by shoujo stories are serenely dreamy and bathed in an atmosphere of magic and wonder in sharp contrast with the dark side of anime typically to be found in science fiction and wartime plots.
I have yet to watch the movie Princess Mononoke but am looking forward to watching it and will make some comments about it after I have seen the movie.
Yes, I do agree with your comments for question no.1, Ashlee B. and Ashleigh L.; and I find your reflections very helpful.
Based on the reading, I see anime as a medium with its roots in the 1960's, when the Japanese began making television versions of their version of comics (manga i.e. irresistable pictures). The term manga has been adapted easily to the medium of film and it has become anime, the moving-picture branch of manga. Animated features such as Akira, Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away helped promote the idea that Japanese animation was more than just cartoons. It was a conceptually, thematically and visually well developed medium, making its presence felt not only economically, but creatively as well.
1) In my opinion of this, anime has a lot more aspects of media than genre. According to Lent (2000) suggested that "Animae can be been as a "popular" or a "mess" culture in Japan and in america it exists as a "sub" culture. This gives me an indication that anime is used as a media tool that rises popularity throught the different parts of the world.
2) I truly agree with the importance in knowing the history and role of anime in Japanese society. It is indicated that anime in Japan is truly a main stream pop cultrual phenomenon and also it is simply accepted by vritually al the younger generation of Japaness as a cultural staple.
5) In the western countries, teh distivtive aspects of anime-raging from narrative and characterization to genre and visul style are the elements that initially capture Western Viewers attention. Japaness animated tv seires abosloutelty overflow with tracking shots, long-view establishing shots,fancy pans in contrast to most American-produced TV animation, tends to thrive in an action-obsessed middle -distance.
I really like your thoughtful remarks on question no.2, Ashleigh L. and Seung hee.
Yes, anime is indeed a mass or popular culture in Japan. In economic terms, animation found its niche in parts of Asia. With the enticement of foreign studios and their work-for-hire and co-production schemes brought in foreign money. Culturally, animation was moulded to Asia through the use of indigenous artistic styles and techniques, such as paperfold, paper-cut, and ink and wash in China; or shadow theare in China, Indonesia and Japan with localised plots based on literary, religious, or folkloric stories. Lastly, a symbiotic relationship has existed between animation and other mass media in Asia. In Japan, manga and anime feed each other; and in Hong Kong and Taiwan, many Japanese anime evolve into action films and television drama serials. Hong Kong musicians write and sing Cantonese versions of anime theme songs, and other Asian artists adapt their print cartoon characters to the screen.
1.and 3. I agree with you all guys in relation to CLASSIFY ANIME AS MEDIA. More precise a "Popular Media Culture" in many countries, except the US, where it is still considered a "Sub culture" maybe because as Pointon commented, "One of the main characteritics of Anime is the lack of compromise in making these narratives palatable" something that the North American public is not accostumed to. Also,I think Anime is a HIGH CULTURAL type of media where traditions such as Kabuki and Woodblock print are incorporated, but at the same time worldwide artistic traditions from twenty century cinema and photography. Apart from these distinctive visual elements a variety of generic,thematic and philosophical structures resulting in an unique aesthetical world. I also believe that Anime is a BRANCH OF FILM with several different sub genres which is one of the reasons why is so popular in Japan and several other countries.
4.As I mention above Anime is a media and a branch of film with several genres such as; -Science fiction with subgenres like Mecha, Cyberpunk, War sagas, Political epics and Android-based stories. -Fantasy including Comic fantasies,Myths and legends,Stories based on Western or Asian traditions, Superhero/heroine-based adventures etc. -Comedy -Romance -Erotica -Epics -Children stories and more.The most fundamental reason for their popularity apart economic constraints,aesthetic traditions and these variety of subgenres that can satisfy different type of audience is the flexibility, the creativity and the freedom that this medium allows to become a site of resistance to the conformity of the japanese society.
3. Napier makes it clear that anime is High culture as he says "anime builds on high culture traditions". Anime uses cinema photography to show traditional Japenese arts like "Kabuki and the woodblock print". Anime also helps the audience work through contemporary issues, which makes it more popular because it affects a variety of audiences.
19 comments:
Hope you guys enjoyed the movie (those who saw it). Some questions to discuss:
1. Is anime a genre or a media? Is it a branch of film or another mode?
2. According to Lent (2000), what place does animation occupy in Asian societies? How different is this across Asia (ie comparing China and Japan)?
3. Is it a high or low cultural genre/media, according to Napier (2005)?
4. What are some of its subgenres?
5. Looking at Napier and Cavallaro (2006), discuss how anime is culturally ‘located’ – in the East or West, or somewhere else?
6. What is the ‘shojo’ and how does it often function in anime? What genres/subgenres of anime can you identify?
Also, feel free to widen the discussion to talk about works of anime you have viewed and enjoyed (or not, as the case may be!).
Look forward to reading yr comments.
I saw the viewing of the movie, Princess Mononoke and thought it was quite good and interesting, im really enjoying studying this genre...
I think anime is a media and has its own genre within it. I am very suprised at how anime isnt as popular in America and is seen as only a sub culture, I thought Americans wouldve been very into anime. Im sure anime will slowly start becoming more popular all around the world. There is a lot more of it being played on new zealand television, ill admit when i was younger i used to watch pokemon, digimon and sailormoon, but nowadays theres more and more of it being released and i think its going to continue to grow as a media.
1. I agree with Ashlee on this I also think that anime is a media because there are many different genres that come within the media of anime. I also think that it is a branch of film. There seem to be many more film being created for this media which shows that it is becoing more popular and more people are interested in it.
2. The culture to which amine belongs is at present a "popular" or "mass" culture in Japan, and in America it exists as a sub culture. But it has been said by Treat that this situation may well change. In Japan over the last decade, anime has been increasingly seen as an intellectually challening art form, as the number of scholarly writings on the subject attest. Anime is a popular cultural form that clearly builds on previous high cultural traditions. Not only does the medium show influences from such Japanese traditional arts as Kabuki and the woodblock print (origially popular culture phenomena themselves), but it also makes use of worldwide artistic traditions of twentieth century cinema and photography. It also explores issues, often in suprisingly complex ways, are ones familiar to readers of contemporary "high culture" literature (both inside and outside Japan) and viewers of contemporary art cinema. Anime texts entertain audiences around the world on the most basic level, but, equally imporatantly, they also move and provoke viewers on other levels as well, stimulating audiences to work through certain contemporary issues in ways that older art forms cannot. Also because of their popular reach they affect a wider variety of audiences in more ways than some less accessible types of high cultural exchange have been able to. In other words, anime clearly appears to be a culturaly phenomenon worthy of being taken seriosuly, both sociologically and aesthetically.
Also in relation to question 2. It is important to understand something of the history and role of anime in Japanese society. First of all, it is important to appreciate just how signifcant a force anime is in contemporary Japanese media. In 1988 roughly 40% of Japanese studio releases were animated. By 1999, as the previosuly mentioned article in Time notes, at least half of all releases from Japanese studios were aniamted. Animation was not always such an important part of the Japanese popular culture industry.
3. According to Napier (2005) anime is a high cultural media especially in places like Japan. It has been said that to understand the reason behind the variety we need to understand something of the history and role of anime in Japanese soceity.
4. Some of the sub genres are the cyberpunk and the so called mecha genres are within science fiction. Cyberpunk, well known from such Western science fiction classics as William Gibsons neuromancer (a fiction in general), is a genre focusing on dystopian futures in which humans struggle in an overpoweringly technological world where the difference between human and machine is increasingly amorphous. Mecha (a shortened version of the english word "mechanical") privileges a favourite form from Japanese popular culture, the robot. Although in such classics as Tezuka Osamu's Astro Boy the robot is drawn in a positive light, more recent mecha often feature humanoid machines ina more ominous mode. Both these genres are particuarly appropraite ones for our increasigly high tech world. As J.P. Telotte says of Western Science Fiction film:
In a near fixaction on the artificial, technologized body - the robot, cyborg, android - the science fiction genre has tried to examine our ambivalent feelings about technology, our growing anxities about our own nature in an increasingly technolgoical enviroment and a kind of evolutionary fear that these artificial selves may presage our own dispapearance or termination.
5. When reading through both said it has become very obvious to me that anime is mainly culturally located in the East or even being more specific it is located in Japan. Miyazaki (writer of anime) is as popular as Steven Speilberg and J.K Rowling are in the West, his name has not quite yet entered every Western household. Also, it has stated that it should not be assumed that the films endowed with explicity Japanese connotations are automatically more Eastern than others. This proves my point that the Western Culture don't believe it to be the same as theirs, that's why it is not as popular yet in the Western Society.
6. The term "shoujo" literally means "little female" and is commonly used to designate girls aged 12 or 13. On a metaphonical level, however, it alldues to the transitional stage between infancy and maturity, and its admixture of sexlessness and budding eroticism. On the whole the worlds decipted by shoujo stories are serenely dreamy and bathed in an atmosphere of magic and wonder in sharp contrast with the dark side of anime typically to be found in science fiction and wartime plots.
I have yet to watch the movie Princess Mononoke but am looking forward to watching it and will make some comments about it after I have seen the movie.
Yes, I do agree with your comments for question no.1, Ashlee B. and Ashleigh L.; and I find your reflections very helpful.
Based on the reading, I see anime as a medium with its roots in the 1960's, when the Japanese began making television versions of their version of comics (manga i.e. irresistable pictures). The term manga has been adapted easily to the medium of film and it has become anime, the moving-picture branch of manga.
Animated features such as Akira, Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away helped promote the idea that Japanese animation was more than just cartoons. It was a conceptually, thematically and visually well developed medium, making its presence felt not only economically, but creatively as well.
1) In my opinion of this, anime has a lot more aspects of media than genre. According to Lent (2000) suggested that "Animae can be been as a "popular" or a "mess" culture in Japan and in america it exists as a "sub" culture. This gives me an indication that anime is used as a media tool that rises popularity throught the different parts of the world.
2) I truly agree with the importance in knowing the history and role of anime in Japanese society. It is indicated that anime in Japan is truly a main stream pop cultrual phenomenon and also it is simply accepted by vritually al the younger generation of Japaness as a cultural staple.
3) According to Napier (2005) anime is derfinetly a high cultural media
5) In the western countries, teh distivtive aspects of anime-raging from narrative and characterization to genre and visul style are the elements that initially capture Western Viewers attention. Japaness animated tv seires abosloutelty overflow with tracking shots, long-view establishing shots,fancy pans in contrast to most American-produced TV animation, tends to thrive in an action-obsessed middle -distance.
I really like your thoughtful remarks on question no.2, Ashleigh L. and Seung hee.
Yes, anime is indeed a mass or popular culture in Japan.
In economic terms, animation found its niche in parts of Asia. With the enticement of foreign studios and their work-for-hire and co-production schemes brought in foreign money.
Culturally, animation was moulded to Asia through the use of indigenous artistic styles and techniques, such as paperfold, paper-cut, and ink and wash in China; or shadow theare in China, Indonesia and Japan with localised plots based on literary, religious, or folkloric stories.
Lastly, a symbiotic relationship has existed between animation and other mass media in Asia. In Japan, manga and anime feed each other; and in Hong Kong and Taiwan, many Japanese anime evolve into action films and television drama serials. Hong Kong musicians write and sing Cantonese versions of anime theme songs, and other Asian artists adapt their print cartoon characters to the screen.
1.and 3.
I agree with you all guys in relation to CLASSIFY ANIME AS
MEDIA. More precise a "Popular Media Culture" in many countries, except the US, where it is still considered a "Sub culture" maybe because as Pointon commented, "One of the main characteritics of Anime is the lack of compromise in making these narratives palatable" something that the North American public is not accostumed to.
Also,I think Anime is a HIGH CULTURAL type of media where traditions such as Kabuki and Woodblock print are incorporated, but at the same time worldwide artistic traditions from twenty century cinema and photography. Apart from these distinctive visual elements a variety of generic,thematic and philosophical structures resulting in an unique aesthetical world.
I also believe that Anime is a BRANCH OF FILM with several different sub genres which is one of the reasons why is so popular in Japan and several other countries.
4.As I mention above Anime is a media and a branch of film with several genres such as;
-Science fiction
with subgenres like Mecha, Cyberpunk, War sagas, Political epics and Android-based stories.
-Fantasy
including Comic fantasies,Myths and legends,Stories based on Western or Asian traditions, Superhero/heroine-based adventures etc.
-Comedy
-Romance
-Erotica
-Epics
-Children stories and more.The most fundamental reason for their popularity apart economic constraints,aesthetic traditions and these variety of subgenres that can satisfy different type of audience is the flexibility, the creativity and the freedom that this medium allows to become a site of resistance to the conformity of the japanese society.
3. Napier makes it clear that anime is High culture as he says "anime builds on high culture traditions". Anime uses cinema photography to show traditional Japenese arts like "Kabuki and the woodblock print". Anime also helps the audience work through contemporary issues, which makes it more popular because it affects a variety of audiences.
4. Some of animes sub genres are science fiction, romantic comedies or "shojo", and as Ashleigh pointed out cyberpunk.
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