The cultural product that I will be focusing on is Japanese cartoons. A more colloquial term “Manga” is used when referring to such comic books. I hereby focus on Manga because of its popularity and ubiquitous nature in Japan. About 35 per cent (Allen & Sakamoto, 2006) of all publications are in serial and paperback formats and they are read by people of all age groups and class (Craig. J, 2000). The prevalence and popularity of such manga suggest that it may be an accurate indicator of social norms and values in the Japanese society. This realm of the fantastic, albeit not to be taken literally in many instances, serve as metaphors for culture itself and speak about the world we live in today (Craig. J, 2000). Hence, this sophistication has allowed manga to spread beyond Japan to places like the other parts of Asia and the western world. As such, I find it imperative for an acute analysis of this cultural product and the crucial actors involved in its production and consumption.
To give a brief introduction to manga, they are story-driven, (audio-) visual narratives, which deal with “nearly every imaginable subject” (Schodt, 1996). Visually crafted, they exemplify multifarious experiences and can potentially reveal the nuances of contemporary society, like a kaleidoscope. Diverse disciplinary fields are inherent in these narratives and serve as not only pivotal points for modern Japan, but post-modern society as well. Manga evolved from sources like graffiti and picture scrolls in the Edo Period (1602-1868). Although prominent from the Edo period, it was only during the post-war period which socially deemed it as a significant form of artistic expression. Post-war baby boomers and radical experiences of social change defined ...
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...rom: http://www.asianlang.mq.edu.au/japanese/documents/Bryce_Davis.pdf.
• Cubbison, L. (2005). Anime Fans, DVDs, and the Authentic Text. The Velvet Light Trap, no. 56, Fall.
• Craig, J. (2000). Japan pop!: Inside the world of Japanese popular culture. USA, New York: M.E. Sharpe, Inc.
• MacWilliams, M.W. (2000). Japanese Comics and Religion: Osamu Tezukas Story of the Buddha. T. J. Craig (Ed.). Armonk, N.Y: M.E. Sharpe
• Matsui, T. (2009). Gatekeeping Foreign Cultural Products: The Diffusion of Japanese Comics (Manga) in the US, 1980-2006. Tokyo, Japan: Hitotsubashi University.
• Schodt, F.L. (1996). Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga. Berkeley, California: Stone Bridge Press.
• Wong, S.Y. (2007). The Presence of Manga in Europe and North America. Retrieved 25 November, 2010 from: http://www.rthk.org.hk/mediadigest/20070913_76_121564.html.
On Farting by Hiraga Gennai gives the reader a perspective into the world of various arts in the Edo Period. Not only are we shown what is meant to be a proper practicing of the arts through his satirical character, Crankshaw Stonington Esquire, but he counters this claim that the arts were then lacking in life, passion, and ingenuity. They had become boring and outdated without any creativity being brought forward. To prove this he sings his praises for a fart artist, and engages in a lively debate about what truly marks art as meaningful and how a change to the traditions would improve the civilization. However passionate, his argument may not be effective enough to change the minds and ways of those who revel in the traditional.
Skidmore, Max J. “Oriental Contributions to Western Popular Culture: The Martial Arts,” Journal of Popular Culture 25, no. 1 (1991): 129-148.
Epstein, Dan. 20th Century Pop Culture: The Early Years to 1949. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 2001. Print.
New York: Routledge, 2003 Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning, 2012. Print Shaw, Lisa and Stephanie Dennison. Pop Culture Latin America: Media, Arts, and Lifestyle. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company Publishers, 2009.
American pop culture recently received flak for cultural appropriation. Artists such as Katy Perry and Selena Gomez were criticized for superficially incorporating Asian images into their music. However, cultural appropriation and cultural tourism – and its consequences – are commonly seen in relation to traditional culture; this lack of attention towards visual representation of modern Asian subcultures – in relation to Asian Americans – dismisses the potential impact of these images. A visual analysis of Avril Lavinge’s “Hello Kitty” and Gwen Stefani’s appearances with the Harajuku Girls reveals that the use of Japan’s Harajuku subculture in American pop culture perpetuates Asian American stereotypes. Specifically, these acts contain characteristics of the submissive “lotus blossom” stereotype and the invisibility that comes from this stereotype. These characteristics result in an insidious formation of race; Avril Lavinge and Gwen Stefani’s cultural tourism constructs the concept of an American that excludes the Asian body through contrasts between themselves and the background Asian body. This racial formation relies on the idea that the two artists have become part of the Harajuku culture, yet they are clearly distinguishable from the homogenized Asian body.
The Levin Institute - The State University of New York. "Pop Culture." Globalization101. The Levin Institute - The State University of New York, 2014. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
Western Washington University (2011). US / Japan culture comparison. Retrieved February 9, 2014, from www.wwu.edu/auap/english/gettinginvolved/CultureComparison.shtml
This paper will explore what it is about anime that makes it so appealing to even a Western audience, creating an international fan base. Although manga can be traced to American origins, the comics that the Americans brought over have been intensely modified to create essentially a new form of media. Manga and anime have become a significant component of Japanese culture, and often times they integrate Japanese culture and society. Yet, regardless of its Japanese origin, anime is still viewed on the other side of the planet. The question then becomes what is it that makes it so appealing to a foreign audience? This paper will rely heavily on Susan Napier’s book, From Impressionism to Anime: Japan as Fantasy and Fan Cult in the Mind of the
...t on music within Asian and Western society. Within the initial use of both traditional and modern musical styles and genres in order to create a diverse musical culture within a modern cultural, social, and economic movement, Japan has shown a wave of modernization through animation. With the various aspects of music that anime has approached in its spread across the globe, it proves to be a diverse and rapidly changing culture in Japan. With the success of anime in various areas on a global scale, of Japan is able to show a highly diverse subculture that originates from their nation exclusively that has impacted many different areas in life with both their close national neighbors and those who are even across the globe, showing how the large subculture within the island nation has grown since its inception and how much potential it has in the many years to come.
Unfortunately, there are not that much academic research on this topic because of the prejudices and the shared feeling that to talk about it is embarrassing. Therefore, we have to remove all those obstacles and simply look at the culture and research. Apparently in this genre, tons of money are spend each year and it has the importance in Japan.
O'Connell, M. Japanese Manga and Animation: A Brief History of Animation. (2000). Retrieve April 20, 2003 from the World Wide Web.
One could, from watching anime, notice the characters’ behavior are different and food and customs are different from American or western cartoon. Strangely, these differences in the anime, eastern media features, appeared in the philosophy of Confucius. Confucianism has played an important role in creating and maintaining the social values and order such as forgiveness, manner, respect, loyalty, and honesty since the sixth century. While Japanese society has become so much different since the early postwar era, these same principles are still highly valued as they are in some other forms. Recent shônen anime, anime for pre-teen and teen-age boys like Naruto and Bleach, is hooking their viewer with interesting storylines and action scenes while Confucian values spread. As this culture value mixed in, anime became interesting and seem to attract a wider audience every day because of its ability to make its audiences to see themselves in the show.
Most people believe that graphic novels are just an art book with minimal text. They believe it is just for entertainment for kids or young adults. They think that graphic novels are just like comics. But to get to the point, graphic novels are just like all the other novels. They are a piece of literature that tells a story and pulls out the reader’s imagination, so that they feel that they are a part of the story or can even relate to the story. Graphic novels have changed and developed into such remarkable pieces of literature and should be accepted by all scholars to be placed in that category. According to John Ridley, “There are still some people out there who believe comic books are nothing more than, well, comic books. But the true cognoscenti know graphic novels are-at their best-an amazing blend of art, literature and the theater of the mind”.
Kishimoto, Masashi. Naruto: the Official Fanbook. Viz Media, LLC. San Francisco , 2002. First English edition.
As the depression cast a dark curtain over America in the 1930s, no one had much time for comics. The American economy had fallen into disrepair and the unemployment rate was at an all time high. Just as FDR set forth his New Deal plan to aid America, the second World War was soon upon the country, drafting hundreds of thousands of men into the army to fight the Axis Powers. Boys were sent to the training camps and mature men returned in their place. These soldiers came back and wanted to enjoy the simpler things of life. As the economy picked up, more people were captivated by the entertainment industry. Comic books and comic strips began to regain popularity. Thus, America was launched into what is now known as the Golden Age of Comics—a time period when comic books were first seriously published at high demand and when their popularity soared.