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 Japan, Korea, China)?
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’ (also spelt 'shoujo' or 'syojyo' in English) and how does it often function in anime? How does Miyazaki challenge the stereotype?
7. What genres/subgenres of anime can you identify?
8. After viewing Howl's Movinng Castle, what are your impressions of the film? Any surprises?
Feel free to widen the discussion to talk about works of anime you have viewed and enjoyed (or not, as the case may be!).
Hi everyone..hows the week going..anyway i would like to comment on question 1.I feel that question 1 is a bit tricky. I think anime has developed over the past years.As Napier(2005)claimed that anime is very popular especially in the japanese culture and over the years anime "has been increasingly seen as an itellectually chalenging art form"(pg4).As for whether anime could be media, Napier also suggested that anime is shown on the Sci-Fi channel,blockbluster vidoes and comes in other forms of media..Anime could also be a genre just like genres such as romance,science fiction,fantasy etc.I think because Anime is so popular in may countries because of its distinguish features and even Napier states about the two anime's most popular genre(2005,pg11).I personally feel in my opinion now maybe we can consider anime as a genre because its applied in many forms and its inspired alot of people around the world.this is my opinion so far..do you all agree??
I also think anime can be a genre, because according to Napier (2005 ), it is a phenomenon of popular culture. It's an intellecturally challenging art form. Furthermore, it is a popular cultural form that clearly builds on previous high cultural traditions,eg. Kabuki, the woodblock print and 20th century cinema and photography, etc).
In addition to this, Napier (2005) introduces some genra of anime such as , meca,fairy tailes,fantagy, scifi,shojo, history and pornography.
But I was confused because I thought it can be a branch of film as well. We can see the anime as a film
Question 2 is very interesting has i fould many interesting information about anime that is influnced in other countries.According to Lent(2000), he mentioned countries such as China,India,South korea,Thailand,Taiwan and other south east asian countries are are creating alot of anime.Apparently in china, most of the anime that had been created had alot of western influence especailly for Disney production for example 'The smiling Mikey' which was a copy of Mickey Mouse.However as time went by most of the animation had more chinese influence as Lent stated that "The Chinese added more local stories to their animation repertoire after Mao ascended to full power in 1949".He further said that two originators of the post-1949 animation studio, Jin Xi, wanted most animations to have 'the originality of Chinese culture'. I think this is better way because people are able to see and know more about the chinese traditon and values.This also shows that chinese are able to show their skills of creating an anime by themselves without any western influence.What do you all think??
For the question 6, according to Cavallaro (2006) the term shoujo literally means ‘ little female’ and is commonly used to designate girls aged 12 or 13. (p.11). The general appearance of young girl in shoujo stories is cute, pretty, white, slim with long legs and hair.
Stereo type of Miyazaki’s anime is also shoujo in terms of their age and general appearance. But the young girl characters , Muska (Laputa), Sen ( Spirited Away) in Miyazaki’s anime has a different characteristic from some other anime based on shoujo stories, because there are some shoujo who are pretty, cute, but weak, so they always need protection from guys, while Miyazaki’s characters are not. They are a hero in the story, for example in the Spirited Away, she helps mater ‘Haku’ who is a guy instead get protection from him. I think it could be said that it tells the changing of women’s position in the society.
I agree with what Deli and Kirsty said for question 1- But i think 'the anime' could be both! a genre as well as a media - (As Deli said it was bit confusing ...t.t but finally decided as "both"...!)
Anyway! Firstly, I think the anime could be a genre as they are defined as like romance, SF, comedy ,action and animation etc. Also, it's a part of a mass media as delivering some ideas to our culture and society.
what do u think? ^^;;;
and i think the anime is a branch of film as well as TV series as Napier(2005, p.7)said.
For question 2, i think the anime places quite highly in most of Asia, especially in Japan, Korea and China, and the popularity is still growing.
As Deli mentioned i think it's a good idea when the chinese reformed anime to more local-way and related it with their cultural background. Also it was successful- But, what i remember is when Korean produced some anime in Korean styles they were failed generally although there were some hits. I think it's bit related with what we've seen so far, like Disney and Japanese anime. For me i grew up with reading and watching western anime and there are lots of Japanese anime mania in Korea. Maybe we are too familiar with or used to with Western styles and Japanese anime...
First of all, I think the point of view for the anime has changed a lot during the last decades not only in Japan but also in Western countries. In according to Napier (2005, p.4), "anime is a popular culture form that clearly builds on previous high cultural traditions" which means anime has its roots at high culture and it's a cultural phenomenon that could be taken seriously in both sociological and aesthetical. Also there are all different kinds - cartoons, fantasyies, SF etc. - Or classics (Heidi)to romantic comedies (No Need for Tench). So i think the anime has enough characteristics to be a high cultural genre/media.
I want to add bit more for question 1. Napier (2005, p.10) said that "Anime is a medium in which distinctive visual elements combine with an array of generic, thematic and philosophical structures to produce a unique aesthetic world." and "anime may be the perfect medium to capture what is perhaps the overriding of our day, the shifting nature of identity in a constantly changing society." (p.12) I hope it helps- ^^;;
As for question 6, i agree with u kristy.I think reading Miyazaki's text, he has emphaisised more on Women for example in sprited away,and Howls moving castle.I think its just not thier beauty itself but the strong personality that they have in women.I guess those days or in some anime, normally a male will take lead and would be always have the attention but i think Miyazaki has changed that and has created this image of a female who has all the power and beauty.i think as you mentioned kristy that the role of women is changing these days and now I feel that women are dominating most of the time especially in many areas.
I agree with Hanna’s point, I also think that the anime could be both: a genre and a media.
According to Napier (2005), anime can has different genres such as romance, SF, comedy, action, fairy tails, fantasy, history and pornography. Also, it can be “the perfect medium to capture what is perhaps the overriding issue of our day, the shifting nature of identity in a constantly changing society”, Lent (2000, p232)
As Napier (2005) points out, the anime is a branch of film as well as TV series.
hi hanna you could be right on question 1..yeah it was bit confusing but i think it could be either both..i think it could be also a genre and also media because it many forms of media as i mentioned before..=)
As for the question2,as deli and hanna mentioned, anime is popular in Asian countries. According to Lent (2000), since 1990s, Japan began to export animated films and videos to other Asian countries. “Through anime Japan has become an increasingly significant player in the global cultural economy” (p.228). As their “chief cultural export”, Japanese amines are influencing Asian areas such as Korea, Taiwan and Southeast Asia. estion,
I totally agree with your opinion about the question 3.
According to Napier (2005), anime is a form of popular culture that builds on previous high cultural traditions. It is highly influenced by traditional arts. Also, anime affects a wider variety of audiences because of its popularity in more ways than some types of high cultural exchange that less accessible have been able to do.
Therefore, anime is a cultural phenomenon which is worthy to be taken seriously, both sociologically and aesthetically. Is it a high cultural genre/media, according to Napier (2005).
As for question4, according to Lent (2000), there are some sub genres of anime: tapes, videodiscs, toys, children's animated television show, anime-inspired arts and cover story.
I believe that anime is indeed a high cutural genres in Japan as Napier (2005) states that "anime clearly appears to be a cultural phenomenon worthy of being taken seriously, both sociologically and aesthetically." Furthermore, Napier (2005) also suggests that "....precisely 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 do."
I couldn't agree more with Napier on this point as not only he defines the reputation of anime, but also anime has turly developed itself into a mainstream pop cultural phenomenon in Japan.
Hi guys, i also agree with anime is popular in Asian conturies. I think, animation impacts on mass media. Lent(2000)points out, "Politically, filmed cartoons have served govenmental and bureaucratic goals: promoted campaigns even propagandising for the presidency and its favorit project." Also,animation hugely influence on Asia's economy as Lent(2000)says,"in economic terms, animation also found its niche in part of Asia, the enticement of foregin studios and their work for hire and co-production schemed brought in foregin money."
Q.8. After viewing Howl's Movinng Castle, what are your impressions of the film? Any surprises?
I was impressed by sound of this anime. I read an article about Howl's Moving Castle. It said that Miyazaki went to France to record sound of train in France, because the place in the anime is France.
The thing i was surprised about this anime was that there is kind of love story in Howl's. The reason for surprising is that normally in Miyazaki's anime, there is no love between characters.
Anyway, i was really enjoyed watching this anime although it was the second time to see Howl's.
I really enjoeyd watching 'Howl's moving castle' yesterday~~ What an amazing movie! The characters are so vivid, cute and touching. Also I think it tries to tell (or even teach) about something for life, like being beauty, the effects of war etc. I reckon this film includes more than the ordinary anime could tell- I'm sure I'll watch this film again with my children in the future~~ There will be no problem at all- ^^;;
Question 6. I agree with what Kirsy said. ^^ Kirsty well pointed the definition of 'Shojo' so i think i don't have to mention it again-
Accroding to Cavallaro (2006)," the worlds depicted by 'shojo' stories are serenely dreamy and bathed in an atmosphere of magic and wonder, in sharp contrast with the dark side of anime. (p.11). So, I think the 'shojo' is one of the important elements to form stories especailly in Japanese anime that already almost of them have 'shojo' characters.
However, Miyazaki's heroines have bit different characteristics comparing with ordinary shojo. They are active, independent, courageous and inquisitive although some of their apperance is reperensted with shojo mask.(Cavallaro,2006) For example, Kiki's brave venture into a new life an unfamiliar city (Kiki's delivery), San's entire course of action (Mononoke) and of course Sophie's positive risk-taking aspects and wills to fight for wrong matters.(Howl's moving castle). As Kirsty said, it shows the changes of women position in society. Also i think it indirectly says that the role of women is getting broad comparing with traditional limits.
I want to add bit more to Grace's idea for question 4 and like to talk about question 4 & 7together-
According to Lent(2000) and Cavallaro (2006), anime has a huge variety of genres as well as subgenres. For example, including what Grace said, there are 'Scienct Fiction' that contains mainly mecha and cyberpunk, 'Fantasy' that based on lost of different stories, like myth, legends or tradition, and comedy, romance, adventure, horror and so on.
Within these numerous kinds,anime is classifiable in three main categories accroding to Cavallaro(2006, p.18) 1)catastrophic anime ; this reflects n the legacy of atomic bombing and its aftermath 2)carnivalesque anime ; embodies a key component of Japan's social and ceremonial existence comparable to the Western carnival 3)nostalgic anime ; this has a melancholy feeling that inspired by a deep awarness of the transience of life and pleasure.
Also we can't talk about the anime without the 'manga' which related with the western concept of comics and cartoons.
For question 5, I think the anime is located quite largely in culture not only in the East but also in West. But i guess as the anime comes from japan they seize most of influential power as one of the cultural aspects-
According to Napier and Cavallaro (2006), i found that it's a one of the 'global culture' especially in terms of enthertainment. (p.22) Cavllarto(2006) said "they are as equally interested in and influenced by western cultural influences as they are by specifically janapese ones".
But in some ways the themes, issues or stories could be bit cultually specified of japanese society although the characters in Miyazaki's anime, for example, look like westerners.
However, the anime could be 'another world' (Cavallaro,2006) to connect the East and West where has lots of differences, like in culture, ideology etc. Thus, i think the anime is not specially located culture only for East nor West - it's one of the fast growing global culture. ^^;;
Yes I agree with Hanna about that anime is located not only in Asian conturies, but also in Western conturies. The evidence for this is that we can see a lot of Japanes anime in borders here in New Zealand. I am sure that they can be found easily in other western countries.
One thing I curious about Japanes anime is how they can be largly located in Western countries. I do understand they can be essily located in Asian countries because people have quite similar cultures ,emotion and sentiment.
24 comments:
Hey guys - some more 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 Japan, Korea, China)?
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’ (also spelt 'shoujo' or 'syojyo' in English) and how does it often function in anime? How does Miyazaki challenge the stereotype?
7. What genres/subgenres of anime can you identify?
8. After viewing Howl's Movinng Castle, what are your impressions of the film? Any surprises?
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 ^_^
Hi everyone..hows the week going..anyway i would like to comment on question 1.I feel that question 1 is a bit tricky. I think anime has developed over the past years.As Napier(2005)claimed that anime is very popular especially in the japanese culture and over the years anime "has been increasingly seen as an itellectually chalenging art form"(pg4).As for whether anime could be media, Napier also suggested that anime is shown on the Sci-Fi channel,blockbluster vidoes and comes in other forms of media..Anime could also be a genre just like genres such as romance,science fiction,fantasy etc.I think because Anime is so popular in may countries because of its distinguish features and even Napier states about the two anime's most popular genre(2005,pg11).I personally feel in my opinion now maybe we can consider anime as a genre because its applied in many forms and its inspired alot of people around the world.this is my opinion so far..do you all agree??
Hi Deli, I agree with you.
I also think anime can be a genre, because according to Napier (2005 ), it is a phenomenon of popular culture. It's an intellecturally challenging art form. Furthermore, it is a popular cultural form that clearly builds on previous high cultural traditions,eg. Kabuki, the woodblock print and 20th century cinema and photography, etc).
In addition to this, Napier (2005) introduces some genra of anime such as , meca,fairy tailes,fantagy, scifi,shojo, history and pornography.
But I was confused because I thought it can be a branch of film as well. We can see the anime as a film
Question 2 is very interesting has i fould many interesting information about anime that is influnced in other countries.According to Lent(2000), he mentioned countries such as China,India,South korea,Thailand,Taiwan and other south east asian countries are are creating alot of anime.Apparently in china, most of the anime that had been created had alot of western influence especailly for Disney production for example 'The smiling Mikey' which was a copy of Mickey Mouse.However as time went by most of the animation had more chinese influence as Lent stated that "The Chinese added more local stories to their animation repertoire after Mao ascended to full power in 1949".He further said that two originators of the post-1949 animation studio, Jin Xi, wanted most animations to have 'the originality of Chinese culture'. I think this is better way because people are able to see and know more about the chinese traditon and values.This also shows that chinese are able to show their skills of creating an anime by themselves without any western influence.What do you all think??
For the question 6, according to Cavallaro (2006) the term shoujo literally means ‘ little female’ and is commonly used to designate girls aged 12 or 13. (p.11). The general appearance of young girl in shoujo stories is cute, pretty, white, slim with long legs and hair.
Stereo type of Miyazaki’s anime is also shoujo in terms of their age and general appearance. But the young girl characters , Muska (Laputa), Sen ( Spirited Away) in Miyazaki’s anime has a different characteristic from some other anime based on shoujo stories, because there are some shoujo who are pretty, cute, but weak, so they always need protection from guys, while Miyazaki’s characters are not. They are a hero in the story, for example in the Spirited Away, she helps mater ‘Haku’ who is a guy instead get protection from him. I think it could be said that it tells the changing of women’s position in the society.
Hi, guys~~ been a long time..^^;;
I agree with what Deli and Kirsty said for question 1-
But i think 'the anime' could be both! a genre as well as a media - (As Deli said it was bit confusing ...t.t but finally decided as "both"...!)
Anyway! Firstly, I think the anime could be a genre as they are defined as like romance, SF, comedy ,action and animation etc.
Also, it's a part of a mass media as delivering some ideas to our culture and society.
what do u think? ^^;;;
and i think the anime is a branch of film as well as TV series as Napier(2005, p.7)said.
For question 2, i think the anime places quite highly in most of Asia, especially in Japan, Korea and China, and the popularity is still growing.
As Deli mentioned i think it's a good idea when the chinese reformed anime to more local-way and related it with their cultural background. Also it was successful-
But, what i remember is when Korean produced some anime in Korean styles they were failed generally although there were some hits.
I think it's bit related with what we've seen so far, like Disney and Japanese anime. For me i grew up with reading and watching western anime and there are lots of Japanese anime mania in Korea. Maybe we are too familiar with or used to with Western styles and Japanese anime...
I want to talk about Question 3.
First of all, I think the point of view for the anime has changed a lot during the last decades not only in Japan but also in Western countries.
In according to Napier (2005, p.4), "anime is a popular culture form that clearly builds on previous high cultural traditions" which means anime has its roots at high culture and it's a cultural phenomenon that could be taken seriously in both sociological and aesthetical.
Also there are all different kinds - cartoons, fantasyies, SF etc. - Or classics (Heidi)to romantic comedies (No Need for Tench). So i think the anime has enough characteristics to be a high cultural genre/media.
I want to add bit more for question 1.
Napier (2005, p.10) said that "Anime is a medium in which distinctive visual elements combine with an array of generic, thematic and philosophical structures to produce a unique aesthetic world." and "anime may be the perfect medium to capture what is perhaps the overriding of our day, the shifting nature of identity in a constantly changing society." (p.12)
I hope it helps- ^^;;
As for question 6, i agree with u kristy.I think reading Miyazaki's text, he has emphaisised more on Women for example in sprited away,and Howls moving castle.I think its just not thier beauty itself but the strong personality that they have in women.I guess those days or in some anime, normally a male will take lead and would be always have the attention but i think Miyazaki has changed that and has created this image of a female who has all the power and beauty.i think as you mentioned kristy that the role of women is changing these days and now I feel that women are dominating most of the time especially in many areas.
Hi, all
I agree with Hanna’s point, I also think that the anime could be both: a genre and a media.
According to Napier (2005), anime can has different genres such as romance, SF, comedy, action, fairy tails, fantasy, history and pornography. Also, it can be “the perfect medium to capture what is perhaps the overriding issue of our day, the shifting nature of identity in a constantly changing society”, Lent (2000, p232)
As Napier (2005) points out, the anime is a branch of film as well as TV series.
hi hanna you could be right on question 1..yeah it was bit confusing but i think it could be either both..i think it could be also a genre and also media because it many forms of media as i mentioned before..=)
As for the question2,as deli and hanna mentioned, anime is popular in Asian countries. According to Lent (2000), since 1990s, Japan began to export animated films and videos to other Asian countries. “Through anime Japan has become an increasingly significant player in the global cultural economy” (p.228). As their “chief cultural export”, Japanese amines are influencing Asian areas such as Korea, Taiwan and Southeast Asia.
estion,
Hi, Hanna,
I totally agree with your opinion about the question 3.
According to Napier (2005), anime is a form of popular culture that builds on previous high cultural traditions. It is highly influenced by traditional arts. Also, anime affects a wider variety of audiences because of its popularity in more ways than some types of high cultural exchange that less accessible have been able to do.
Therefore, anime is a cultural phenomenon which is worthy to be taken seriously, both sociologically and aesthetically. Is it a high cultural genre/media, according to Napier (2005).
As for question4, according to Lent (2000), there are some sub genres of anime: tapes, videodiscs, toys, children's animated television show, anime-inspired arts and cover story.
For the question 3, I agree with what Hanna said.
I believe that anime is indeed a high cutural genres in Japan as Napier (2005) states that "anime clearly appears to be a cultural phenomenon worthy of being taken seriously, both sociologically and aesthetically." Furthermore, Napier (2005) also suggests that "....precisely 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 do."
I couldn't agree more with Napier on this point as not only he defines the reputation of anime, but also anime has turly developed itself into a mainstream pop cultural phenomenon in Japan.
Hi guys, i also agree with anime is popular in Asian conturies. I think, animation impacts on mass media. Lent(2000)points out, "Politically, filmed cartoons have served govenmental and bureaucratic goals: promoted campaigns even propagandising for the presidency and its favorit project."
Also,animation hugely influence on Asia's economy as Lent(2000)says,"in economic terms, animation also found its niche in part of Asia, the enticement of foregin studios and their work for hire and co-production schemed brought in foregin money."
Q.8. After viewing Howl's Movinng Castle, what are your impressions of the film? Any surprises?
I was impressed by sound of this anime. I read an article about Howl's Moving Castle. It said that Miyazaki went to France to record sound of train in France, because the place in the anime is France.
The thing i was surprised about this anime was that there is kind of love story in Howl's. The reason for surprising is that normally in Miyazaki's anime, there is no love between characters.
Anyway, i was really enjoyed watching this anime although it was the second time to see Howl's.
I really enjoeyd watching 'Howl's moving castle' yesterday~~ What an amazing movie!
The characters are so vivid, cute and touching. Also I think it tries to tell (or even teach) about something for life, like being beauty, the effects of war etc. I reckon this film includes more than the ordinary anime could tell- I'm sure I'll watch this film again with my children in the future~~ There will be no problem at all- ^^;;
Question 6.
I agree with what Kirsy said. ^^ Kirsty well pointed the definition of 'Shojo' so i think i don't have to mention it again-
Accroding to Cavallaro (2006)," the worlds depicted by 'shojo' stories are serenely dreamy and bathed in an atmosphere of magic and wonder, in sharp contrast with the dark side of anime. (p.11). So, I think the 'shojo' is one of the important elements to form stories especailly in Japanese anime that already almost of them have 'shojo' characters.
However, Miyazaki's heroines have bit different characteristics comparing with ordinary shojo. They are active, independent, courageous and inquisitive although some of their apperance is reperensted with shojo mask.(Cavallaro,2006)
For example, Kiki's brave venture into a new life an unfamiliar city (Kiki's delivery), San's entire course of action (Mononoke) and of course Sophie's positive risk-taking aspects and wills to fight for wrong matters.(Howl's moving castle).
As Kirsty said, it shows the changes of women position in society. Also i think it indirectly says that the role of women is getting broad comparing with traditional limits.
I want to add bit more to Grace's idea for question 4 and like to talk about question 4 & 7together-
According to Lent(2000) and Cavallaro (2006), anime has a huge variety of genres as well as subgenres.
For example, including what Grace said, there are 'Scienct Fiction' that contains mainly mecha and cyberpunk, 'Fantasy' that based on lost of different stories, like myth, legends or tradition, and comedy, romance, adventure, horror and so on.
Within these numerous kinds,anime is classifiable in three main categories accroding to Cavallaro(2006, p.18)
1)catastrophic anime ; this reflects n the legacy of atomic bombing and its aftermath
2)carnivalesque anime ; embodies a key component of Japan's social and ceremonial existence comparable to the Western carnival
3)nostalgic anime ; this has a melancholy feeling that inspired by a deep awarness of the transience of life and pleasure.
Also we can't talk about the anime without the 'manga' which related with the western concept of comics and cartoons.
For question 5, I think the anime is located quite largely in culture not only in the East but also in West. But i guess as the anime comes from japan they seize most of influential power as one of the cultural aspects-
According to Napier and Cavallaro (2006), i found that it's a one of the 'global culture' especially in terms of enthertainment. (p.22)
Cavllarto(2006) said "they are as equally interested in and influenced by western cultural influences as they are by specifically janapese ones".
But in some ways the themes, issues or stories could be bit cultually specified of japanese society although the characters in Miyazaki's anime, for example, look like westerners.
However, the anime could be 'another world' (Cavallaro,2006) to connect the East and West where has lots of differences, like in culture, ideology etc.
Thus, i think the anime is not specially located culture only for East nor West - it's one of the fast growing global culture. ^^;;
Great comments, guys. Not much I can add - you;re covering most of the bases.
Yes I agree with Hanna about that anime is located not only in Asian conturies, but also in Western conturies. The evidence for this is that we can see a lot of Japanes anime in borders here in New Zealand. I am sure that they can be found easily in other western countries.
One thing I curious about Japanes anime is how they can be largly located in Western countries. I do understand they can be essily located in Asian countries because people have quite similar cultures ,emotion and sentiment.
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