5. How anime is culturally located according to Cavallaro (2006). I believe that anime has a specific Japanese dimension but also that many of the issues addressed are culturally relevant to other nations too. Issues portrayed, such as environmental concerns, nature, war, etc are known concerns of Japanese Miyazaki, but also common concerns to non-Japanese.
The pictographical mode, together with accompanying script, are recognised in traditional Japanese historical art and literature and manga and anime can be seen as a progression from this. Therefore the Japanese cultural influences dominate but are also appreciated by other non-Japanese.
Cavallaro(2006) states that 'Western audiences tend to regard animation as a second-rate art form'(p.251). I would suggest that this is because it is relatively new to many Westerners and this attitude may change in future. Compare this to what Cavallaro(2006) states is the situation in Japan where manga and anime are 'an integral component of literature and popular culture'(p.252).
I found it interesting that Miyazaki was well versed in the writings of Ursula Le Guin, JRR Tolkien, etc as well as being familiar with Western biblical and mythological writings. This I feel has enabled him to make his anime as Cavallaro (2006) suggests, 'a collusion of East and West'(p.246). I was surprised therefore that Cavallaro stated that 'Miyazaki eschews ethnocentricity'"(p.247). Given his understanding of Western culture, the notion of his belief in the superiority of his culture was not difficult to understand but its further definition of feelings of dislike or contempt for other groups was not apparent to me from the readings, but others may probably be able to give examples of this in his works. Similarly, I found it unusual that Cavallaro (2006) stated that the process of socialization of children and development of personal responsibility, independence and autonomy was a 'distinctly Japanese aspect', as I would argue that these cultural values are shared and not exclusive to the Japanese.
Q.6 What is the 'shojo'? I'm not sure if I have the correct word here, but the word I am referring to is spelt shoujo in Cavallaro (2006). It means 'little female', ie. girls aged 12-13. The term alludes to 'the transitional stage between infancy and maturity and its a mixture of sexlessness and budding eroticism'(p.250). The dark side of anime is not apparent in shoujo works, and it is more dreamy and 'bathed in an atmosphere of magic and wonder'(p.250). Shoujo is a subgenre of anime.
Sorry everyone, my computer was running slowly and I pushed the 'publish button twice'.
Also, when I re-read I noticed I had not seen the word 'eschews' alongside ethnocentricity. My comment on that would be difficult to understand in hindsight. Apologies for that.
According to Napier (2005), anime is “beyond any distinction between ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture or beyond nation-specific site to illuminate in a timely fashion some of the major issues of global society at the turn of the millennium”.
Why does Napier think anime so distinctive? He states that anime in Japan, not like American cartoon which is child orientation, includes everything – romance, comedy, tragedy, adventure, even psychological probing. Not like cartoon as a sub-art in America, anime in Japan is truly a mainstream pop genre.
I think there’s another reason that not mentioned in the course book. I’ve read an article many years ago in China why cartoons are so popular in Japan because people in Japan are living in a very fast pace life. There’s no time for a Japanese to sit down to read massive words (words normally are heavier than pictures). Japanese love mango or anime because they can read them or watch them on bus, train when they go and come from work. Japanese are bloody hard working, they need something entertainment, something easy, something casual to read or watch after work.
Question 6: Shojo means young girl or ‘little female’ who may be aged 12-13. ‘On a metaphorical level, it is alludes to the transitional stage between infancy and maturity and its admixture of sexlessness and budding eroticism’ (coursebook, p250). Because of the age between child and adult, shojo characters are shaped between power and powerlessness, awareness and innocence, masculinity and femininity. This kind of images caters for Japanese male.
We Chinese know that Japanese male like to make love with very young girls who are far from mature and we despise that. There have been reports that whole Japanese tours go abroad to look for young girls. Such things sometimes happen in China and when such news is on the newspapers or websites, most of us will be outraged with such behaviour and go to the website to bomb the Japanese.
So it’s no wonder that such kind of ‘shojo’ images is popular and welcomed in Japan. It satisfies Japanese male’s taste.
Sorry if there’s something uncomfortable in my words. But that is what my real idea is.
Of course Napier puts anime a very high position with all sorts of reasons. I agree with what he says because he is an expert in this field. However, I myself don't like anime much. For me, anime is just like instant noodle. It's convient, fast and even tastes good for there are a lot of artificial stuffs to make the taste better. But can we eat instant noodle everyday? It's ok for occasional use because of its convience. But is it good for our body and our health if we rely on it? Ha, instant noodle is also invented from Japan. It's like anime, convenient for the quick pace life Japanese and all the urban workers all over the world.
So my personal opinion is anime just a fast literature food.
Q 1. I think anime can be a genre as well as a media. According to Napier (2005), anime has been referred to as an intellectually challenging art form and a popular cultural form that clearly builds on previous high cultural traditions not only in Japan but also in worldwide. Also it explores the issues that are familiar to both readers of contemporary ‘high culture’ literature and viewers of contemporary art cinema. Anime texts move and provoke viewers on various levels, stimulating audiences to work through certain contemporary issues in ways that older art forms cannot.
Hi Min Zhang. I agree that anime sometimes has adult themes and share your abhorrence for the issues you raised, but I feel Miyazaki would also agree. Re the position of shoujo, Cavallaro (2006) states that Miyazaki's female characters are portrayed as 'active, independent, courageous and inquisitive'(p.250). He continues that Miyazaki has "emphatically declared his determination to avoid representing attractive girls as mere 'play toys for Lolita complex guys' or as 'pets'"(p.250). Hopefully this makes you more comfortable with Miyazaki's work.
Hi Hannah Re Q. 1, I thought this was quite a tricky one. Anime is definitely a media. Napier (2005) states that 'Anime is a medium in which distinctive visual elements combine with an array of generic, thematic and philosophical structures'(p.231). My understanding of the definition of genre is 'a category of literary or artistic work', so this seems to fit although I can find nothing to support that view in the literature. On p.255 of the Reader is quite a long list under the words 'anime features a great variety of genres' and the list includes Science fiction including the following subgenres; mecha, android based stories, cyberpunk, ..." too many to type in but worth a look.
Hi Renabrab, thanks for your comment. I also thought it was a complicated one. On second look, yes, you are right. Before I posted my comment, I firstly found the same point as yours. As you pointed Napier (2005) says anime is a medium and if I add a bit more, with its distinctive feature, this field can be more provocative, tragic and highly sexualized, even in lighthearted romantic comedies. Also it contains far more complicated story lines than could be the case in equivalent American popular cultural offerings (p.231). Among those variety of genres you mentioned from p. 255, Napier cites that the cyberpunk and the ‘mecha’ genres are within science fiction, which are especially proper ones for recent high-tech world.
Q.3 For the high or low cultural genre/ media, I think my comment on Q.1 may be rather suitable for this issue. Napier ( 2005) suggests anime in a high cultural form with citing it as an intellectually challenging art form with the number of scholarly writings on the subject attest. She also states that since it builds on previous high cultural traditions, it would be a popular cultural form (p. 228). The popularity of anime in America also has grown enormously in the last decade. It was merely known to small subgroups of science fiction fans, now it is rapidly moving to at least a marginal niche in the mainstream (p.229). These are what I found from our course book.
I agree with you Min Jhang. That was a very interesting point of view, I enjoyed it. Add on to that, here is another perspective for Japanese Manga and Anime. Even though manga or anime could be said to be created for people in fast pacing world, I think they are unique in their own way. I consider manga or anime are just another way of conveying influential and cultural meaning to readers or watchers. Since everything around the World evolves at very fast rate, I consider manga and anime are just reflecting the changes occurring in the world as well as within Japanese society right now. And if I say one more, it would be improper to evaluate Japanese culture as superior or inferior just by looking at small aspects of their culture.
Thank you both a lot, Renabrab and Hannah. I agree with both of you. Sometimes I just want to post something differs from what books say, some ideas from some other prospectives. Of course, anime has its unique characters and functions that may benefit the society or may do some harm on the society. I believe every coin has double sides. So does anime and Mango. But from what we have heard and have read, almost everything about it are good. If we could have something other than what textbooks say, is it more fun and more provokable?
Further more, what you have post have already answered the questions very well. I don't want to repeat the anwsers so that I try to post something might be argueable. Is it OK for doing that? Have I gone a little bit far? Please correct me anytime.
Q5. I agree with Renabrab that anime not only has Japanese dimension but also has cross-cultural and even universal relevance (p. 7). I’d like to mention how anime is culturally located according to Napier in the East and the West. Anime is a mainstream popular culture (cultural staple) appealing to everyone in Japan, from children to grandparents, even though the fans are looked down upon by conservatives (p.7). Japan is traditionally more pictocentric than the cultures of the West (p.7). Therefore anime and manga are cultural products of Japan while the West does not share this tradition. On the other hand, it is considered as a sub-culture in the West especially in America (p. 7). Until 1990 anime was regarded as a minor art, something for children or the occasional abstract, art-house film (p.5). Even though the popularity of anime is increasing in the West, it is not sure if anime is going to be integrated into the Western pop culture (p. 6).
Q6. How does ‘shoujo’ often function in anime? I believe Renabrab and Min Zang defined shoujo very well. The average shoujo is portrayed as an attractive girl, a passive being suspended in something of a timeless dreamland, which Miyazaki expressed as ‘play toys for Lolita complex guys or as pets’ (p.11).
I’m writing in response to Min Zhang’s comment on ‘shoujo’ earlier. MinZhang said that the images of shoujo cater for Japanese male. According to Napier (2005), the images of shoujo attract female teenagers as well as male in Japan (p. 11). I think the images therefore give some kind of satisfaction not only to male but also to female. I understand your feelings on the way female characters are depicted on some of anime or manga. I also do not really like manga or anime nor do I read/watch them much. Some of the reasons are that female characters are generally portrayed as a sexual tool with exaggerated physical appearances and many of them contain violence.
However, as I read Napier’s article, I feel like to watch anime and to discover the qualities Napier claims anime has. Napier (2005) is giving a lot of credits on anime as some of us discussed earlier.
Napier (2005) claims that with incomparable depth and variety, "anime is the ideal artistic vehicle for expressing the hopes and nightmares of our uneasy contemporary world (p. 11)".
Q1 Anime [アニメ] is a Japanese word meaning Animation, however outside of Japan, the word is been used to describe only animations which originate from Japan. It would be wrong to assume that Anime is a branch of film or any other mode for that matter, it is more the other way round, since the movies are usually based on certain story lines present in the corresponding Anime series, which exist mainly in the form of TV episodes. Anime also exist in the form of printed cartoon books or mangas. Although some may argue that Anime is simply another form of manga, which can be labelled as perhaps a genre, this is no longer strictly true. Since many of the Anime series now produce TV episodes using computer assisted animation techniques before releasing a manga copy of their script. In other words, it would probably be best to describe Anime as a separate form of media instead of labelling it with already existing tags. It must be noted that Anime is unique in its own respect; just as the haiku is similar to an ode and yet possesses unique qualities, Anime is similar, in some respects to a western animated movie [e.g. Shrek] but at the same time extremely different in other respects.
21 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.
5. How anime is culturally located according to Cavallaro (2006).
I believe that anime has a specific Japanese dimension but also that many of the issues addressed are culturally relevant to other nations too. Issues portrayed, such as environmental concerns, nature, war, etc are known concerns of Japanese Miyazaki, but also common concerns to non-Japanese.
The pictographical mode, together with accompanying script, are recognised in traditional Japanese historical art and literature and manga and anime can be seen as a progression from this. Therefore the Japanese cultural influences dominate but are also appreciated by other non-Japanese.
Cavallaro(2006) states that 'Western audiences tend to regard animation as a second-rate art form'(p.251). I would suggest that this is because it is relatively new to many Westerners and this attitude may change in future. Compare this to what Cavallaro(2006) states is the situation in Japan where manga and anime are 'an integral component of literature and popular culture'(p.252).
I found it interesting that Miyazaki was well versed in the writings of Ursula Le Guin, JRR Tolkien, etc as well as being familiar with Western biblical and mythological writings. This I feel has enabled him to make his anime as Cavallaro (2006) suggests, 'a collusion of East and West'(p.246). I was surprised therefore that Cavallaro stated that 'Miyazaki eschews ethnocentricity'"(p.247). Given his understanding of Western culture, the notion of his belief in the superiority of his culture was not difficult to understand but its further definition of feelings of dislike or contempt for other groups was not apparent to me from the readings, but others may probably be able to give examples of this in his works. Similarly, I found it unusual that Cavallaro (2006) stated that the process of socialization of children and development of personal responsibility, independence and autonomy was a 'distinctly Japanese aspect', as I would argue that these cultural values are shared and not exclusive to the Japanese.
Q.6 What is the 'shojo'? I'm not sure if I have the correct word here, but the word I am referring to is spelt shoujo in Cavallaro (2006). It means 'little female', ie. girls aged 12-13. The term alludes to 'the transitional stage between infancy and maturity and its a mixture of sexlessness and budding eroticism'(p.250). The dark side of anime is not apparent in shoujo works, and it is more dreamy and 'bathed in an atmosphere of magic and wonder'(p.250). Shoujo is a subgenre of anime.
Sorry everyone, my computer was running slowly and I pushed the 'publish button twice'.
Also, when I re-read I noticed I had not seen the word 'eschews' alongside ethnocentricity. My comment on that would be difficult to understand in hindsight. Apologies for that.
According to Napier (2005), anime is “beyond any distinction between ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture or beyond nation-specific site to illuminate in a timely fashion some of the major issues of global society at the turn of the millennium”.
Why does Napier think anime so distinctive? He states that anime in Japan, not like American cartoon which is child orientation, includes everything – romance, comedy, tragedy, adventure, even psychological probing. Not like cartoon as a sub-art in America, anime in Japan is truly a mainstream pop genre.
I think there’s another reason that not mentioned in the course book. I’ve read an article many years ago in China why cartoons are so popular in Japan because people in Japan are living in a very fast pace life. There’s no time for a Japanese to sit down to read massive words (words normally are heavier than pictures). Japanese love mango or anime because they can read them or watch them on bus, train when they go and come from work. Japanese are bloody hard working, they need something entertainment, something easy, something casual to read or watch after work.
Question 6:
Shojo means young girl or ‘little female’ who may be aged 12-13. ‘On a metaphorical level, it is alludes to the transitional stage between infancy and maturity and its admixture of sexlessness and budding eroticism’ (coursebook, p250). Because of the age between child and adult, shojo characters are shaped between power and powerlessness, awareness and innocence, masculinity and femininity. This kind of images caters for Japanese male.
We Chinese know that Japanese male like to make love with very young girls who are far from mature and we despise that. There have been reports that whole Japanese tours go abroad to look for young girls. Such things sometimes happen in China and when such news is on the newspapers or websites, most of us will be outraged with such behaviour and go to the website to bomb the Japanese.
So it’s no wonder that such kind of ‘shojo’ images is popular and welcomed in Japan. It satisfies Japanese male’s taste.
Sorry if there’s something uncomfortable in my words. But that is what my real idea is.
I have another idea about Qestion 3.
Of course Napier puts anime a very high position with all sorts of reasons. I agree with what he says because he is an expert in this field. However, I myself don't like anime much. For me, anime is just like instant noodle. It's convient, fast and even tastes good for there are a lot of artificial stuffs to make the taste better. But can we eat instant noodle everyday? It's ok for occasional use because of its convience. But is it good for our body and our health if we rely on it? Ha, instant noodle is also invented from Japan. It's like anime, convenient for the quick pace life Japanese and all the urban workers all over the world.
So my personal opinion is anime just a fast literature food.
Q 1. I think anime can be a genre as well as a media. According to Napier (2005), anime has been referred to as an intellectually challenging art form and a popular cultural form that clearly builds on previous high cultural traditions not only in Japan but also in worldwide. Also it explores the issues that are familiar to both readers of contemporary ‘high culture’ literature and viewers of contemporary art cinema. Anime texts move and provoke viewers on various levels, stimulating audiences to work through certain contemporary issues in ways that older art forms cannot.
Hi Min Zhang. I agree that anime sometimes has adult themes and share your abhorrence for the issues you raised, but I feel Miyazaki would also agree. Re the position of shoujo, Cavallaro (2006) states that Miyazaki's female characters are portrayed as 'active, independent, courageous and inquisitive'(p.250). He continues that Miyazaki has "emphatically declared his determination to avoid representing attractive girls as mere 'play toys for Lolita complex guys' or as 'pets'"(p.250). Hopefully this makes you more comfortable with Miyazaki's work.
Hi Hannah
Re Q. 1, I thought this was quite a tricky one. Anime is definitely a media. Napier (2005) states that 'Anime is a medium in which distinctive visual elements combine with an array of generic, thematic and philosophical structures'(p.231). My understanding of the definition of genre is 'a category of literary or artistic work', so this seems to fit although I can find nothing to support that view in the literature. On p.255 of the Reader is quite a long list under the words 'anime features a great variety of genres' and the list includes Science fiction including the following subgenres; mecha, android based stories, cyberpunk, ..." too many to type in but worth a look.
Hi Renabrab, thanks for your comment. I also thought it was a complicated one. On second look, yes, you are right. Before I posted my comment, I firstly found the same point as yours. As you pointed Napier (2005) says anime is a medium and if I add a bit more, with its distinctive feature, this field can be more provocative, tragic and highly sexualized, even in lighthearted romantic comedies. Also it contains far more complicated story lines than could be the case in equivalent American popular cultural offerings (p.231). Among those variety of genres you mentioned from p. 255, Napier cites that the cyberpunk and the ‘mecha’ genres are within science fiction, which are especially proper ones for recent high-tech world.
Q.3 For the high or low cultural genre/ media, I think my comment on Q.1 may be rather suitable for this issue. Napier ( 2005) suggests anime in a high cultural form with citing it as an intellectually challenging art form with the number of scholarly writings on the subject attest. She also states that since it builds on previous high cultural traditions, it would be a popular cultural form (p. 228). The popularity of anime in America also has grown enormously in the last decade. It was merely known to small subgroups of science fiction fans, now it is rapidly moving to at least a marginal niche in the mainstream (p.229). These are what I found from our course book.
I agree with you Min Jhang. That was a very interesting point of view, I enjoyed it. Add on to that, here is another perspective for Japanese Manga and Anime. Even though manga or anime could be said to be created for people in fast pacing world, I think they are unique in their own way. I consider manga or anime are just another way of conveying influential and cultural meaning to readers or watchers. Since everything around the World evolves at very fast rate, I consider manga and anime are just reflecting the changes occurring in the world as well as within Japanese society right now. And if I say one more, it would be improper to evaluate Japanese culture as superior or inferior just by looking at small aspects of their culture.
Thank you both a lot, Renabrab and Hannah. I agree with both of you. Sometimes I just want to post something differs from what books say, some ideas from some other prospectives. Of course, anime has its unique characters and functions that may benefit the society or may do some harm on the society. I believe every coin has double sides. So does anime and Mango. But from what we have heard and have read, almost everything about it are good. If we could have something other than what textbooks say, is it more fun and more provokable?
Further more, what you have post have already answered the questions very well. I don't want to repeat the anwsers so that I try to post something might be argueable. Is it OK for doing that? Have I gone a little bit far? Please correct me anytime.
Q5. I agree with Renabrab that anime not only has Japanese dimension but also has cross-cultural and even universal relevance (p. 7). I’d like to mention how anime is culturally located according to Napier in the East and the West. Anime is a mainstream popular culture (cultural staple) appealing to everyone in Japan, from children to grandparents, even though the fans are looked down upon by conservatives (p.7). Japan is traditionally more pictocentric than the cultures of the West (p.7). Therefore anime and manga are cultural products of Japan while the West does not share this tradition. On the other hand, it is considered as a sub-culture in the West especially in America (p. 7). Until 1990 anime was regarded as a minor art, something for children or the occasional abstract, art-house film (p.5). Even though the popularity of anime is increasing in the West, it is not sure if anime is going to be integrated into the Western pop culture (p. 6).
Q6. How does ‘shoujo’ often function in anime? I believe Renabrab and Min Zang defined shoujo very well. The average shoujo is portrayed as an attractive girl, a passive being suspended in something of a timeless dreamland, which Miyazaki expressed as ‘play toys for Lolita complex guys or as pets’ (p.11).
I’m writing in response to Min Zhang’s comment on ‘shoujo’ earlier. MinZhang said that the images of shoujo cater for Japanese male. According to Napier (2005), the images of shoujo attract female teenagers as well as male in Japan (p. 11). I think the images therefore give some kind of satisfaction not only to male but also to female. I understand your feelings on the way female characters are depicted on some of anime or manga. I also do not really like manga or anime nor do I read/watch them much. Some of the reasons are that female characters are generally portrayed as a sexual tool with exaggerated physical appearances and many of them contain violence.
However, as I read Napier’s article, I feel like to watch anime and to discover the qualities Napier claims anime has. Napier (2005) is giving a lot of credits on anime as some of us discussed earlier.
Napier (2005) claims that with incomparable depth and variety, "anime is the ideal artistic vehicle for expressing the hopes and nightmares of our uneasy contemporary world (p. 11)".
Q1 Anime [アニメ] is a Japanese word meaning Animation, however outside of Japan, the word is been used to describe only animations which originate from Japan. It would be wrong to assume that Anime is a branch of film or any other mode for that matter, it is more the other way round, since the movies are usually based on certain story lines present in the corresponding Anime series, which exist mainly in the form of TV episodes. Anime also exist in the form of printed cartoon books or mangas. Although some may argue that Anime is simply another form of manga, which can be labelled as perhaps a genre, this is no longer strictly true. Since many of the Anime series now produce TV episodes using computer assisted animation techniques before releasing a manga copy of their script. In other words, it would probably be best to describe Anime as a separate form of media instead of labelling it with already existing tags. It must be noted that Anime is unique in its own respect; just as the haiku is similar to an ode and yet possesses unique qualities, Anime is similar, in some respects to a western animated movie [e.g. Shrek] but at the same time extremely different in other respects.
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