Depiction of Japanese Culture in Anime and Manga

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(1) Entertainments such as books and movies are some of the main entertainment products for people to enjoy. That was the supposedly the primary purpose for their creation. However, there are more to them than simply as sources of entertainment. These entertainment products have long been used, not only for joy, but also for the spreading of the culture. In other words, entertainments are used as a soft power (Belkhyr, 2012, p. 704; Karademir, 2012, p. 634). Soft power is the power of attraction, as opposed to hard power, which is the power of force. This is important because soft power can make people become interested in Japan and thereby expand the nation’s influence. In many films, there is an apparent display of the culture such as the people’s lifestyles, beliefs, and perspectives. These stories are also popular throughout several countries, spreading the cultural values to other nations (Belkhyr, 2012, p. 705). For example, Disney’s Barbie represents the beauty and elegance that American feels, and this has caught the eyes of many Arab girls. Barbie was so popular in Arab that some consider the nation’s own Fulla doll to be the Muslim version of Barbie (Belkhyr, 2012, p. 710). The spreading resulted in some of the audiences becoming influenced by the values and meanings hidden within these cultural entertainments (Dilley, 2009, p. 49). This paper will discuss, in similar context, the effects of Japanese entertainments on the audiences. The paper will focus on the cultural elements depicted within Japanese anime and manga as well as their ability as Japan’s soft power.
(2) Japanese well-known product, anime and manga, have become increasingly popular throughout the whole world. Alverson (2013) has noted that in New York Comi...

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...013). Karuchā Ships Invaders: Cultural Issues on the Design/Development of a Japanese CALL Game made by/to Brazilians. SBC – Proceedings of SBGames, 172-180.
O'Malley, R. & Bryce, M. (2012). Fantasy Can Speak the Truth: Focusing on the Manga Series, "Fruits Basket". International Journal Of Learning, 18(9), 81-89.
Plumb, A. (2010). Japanese Religion, Mythology, and the Supernatural in Anime and Manga. International Journal Of The Humanities, 8(5), 237-246.
Poitras, G. (2008). What is Manga?. American Libraries Association, 36(3), 49. doi:10.1075/japc.23.1.02lev
Sari Karademir, B. (2012). Turkey as a "willing receiver" of American soft power: Hollywood movies in Turkey during the Cold War. Turkish Studies, 13(iv), 633-645.
Wright, L. (2007). Forest Spirits, Giant Insects and World Trees: The Nature Vision of Hayao Miyazaki. Journal Of Religion & Popular Culture, 173.

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