Documentaries

I’ve been looking at a few documentaries that relate to my dissertation that I think I will reference as they include opinions and interviews with famous Japanese animators. A few of these documentaries are;

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8Q5nWF98_k&feature=related – Mad Manga Tokyo Otaku

2.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCu_Z-gG4H0 – Anime: Drawing a Revolution

3.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=felu6P4jryE&feature=related – Otaku Documentary

The documentaries here are ones that I’ve looked at and have taken from, there are a few more than I haven’t found yet that I will look for and see if anything relates to any specific part of my dissertation;

Otaku Unite! (2006).
Scrolls to Screen: The History and Culture of Anime (2003).
Go Go Anime! (2004).
Akihabara Geeks (2007).
Cosplay Encyclopedia (2002).

A few notes that I wrote while watching Anime: Drawing a Revolution

Anime: Drawing a revolution

• Anime- noun, Japanese animation often characterised by highly stylised art and adult themes.
• Americans were hooked on the Japanese story telling style of this cinematic art form.
• Cartoons like they were full length features, much more in touch with impacting the audience in an emotional way.
• Rob Zombie – “I always liked it because it seemed edgy, American animation seems safe and boring, the Japanese animation always seemed psychotic”.
• Jon Favreau-“as a film maker, anime started to inform a lot of the way action was being handled and I would see a lot of correlation as to what was happening in Japanese animation and what was showing up in movies”.
• Ghost in the shell inspired the brothers that made the matrix.
• Transformers first popped up in 1984, the transformers franchise started from a successful chain of toys that developed into a comic book and then into a Saturday morning cartoon, the animated series was only made as a way to promote the toys. The show was produced in the US but drawn in Japan. 20 years later the children that got immersed in the new franchise of Japanese animation are now Hollywood executives, like Michael Bay who directed the 2007 live action transformers movie.
• Manga- noun, Japanese comic books or graphic novels characterised by highly stylised art.
• Action adventure, science fiction, fantasy, romance, horror, sports and pornography are genres that are covered by manga.
• Successful manga are usually created into animes.
• Contemporary manga started just after the second world war in a post apocalyptic japan, artists found a new freedom of expression as the country was being rebuilt.
• One artist emerged to shape the storytelling style of manga, his distinct approach became the influence for modern day anime, his name is Osamu Tezuka.

Dissertation draft

For November 1st I have been told I need to submit a 2 chapter draft of my dissertation with the skeleton and bibliography. The things I have to focus on are;
firstly keep writing, don’t stop to reference just leave a mark or something so I can come back later to stick the reference in. Secondly, if I get stuck while writing a chapter, stop and begin writing another one. Keep writing, the worst thing I could do is stop writing, get everything down on paper and get the feedback.

Dissertation Skeleton

Dissertation skeleton
Introduction
1. The question that I want to answer.
2. The aim of my dissertation.
3. Other questions that will arise.
4. Other things I will look into to answer those questions.
5. Why I chose the subject I did.
6. Structure.
7. Terminology.
Chapter 1 –Anime & Manga
1. What anime & manga are
• Brief description of anime and manga
2. History of anime & manga
• Brief history of anime and manga
3. When Japanese animation became Japanese
• Kitazawa Yasuji
• Okamoto Ippei
• Tezuka Osamu
4. The popularity of anime & manga
• The popularity of anime and manga
• The way in which Japan has a history of looking at illustrations with Kanji….
• The popularity in Japan and other countries
• Terminology
Chapter 2 – Japanese myths, legends and folktales in anime and manga
1. Overview of Japanese myths and Legends
• What Japanese myths, legends and folktales are…..
• The importance of Japanese myths, legends and folktales…..ancient stories and lessons passed down through the ages, in a way survived America’s influence after WW2 when America said to keep manga aimed at children?
• How they are seen in Japan….ways to tell stories to teach lessons?
• A few examples of Japanese myths and legends
2. Relevance in Japanese anime and manga
• The influence of Japanese myths, legends and folktales in anime and manga
• My opinion on why Japanese myths, legends and folktales are relevant in anime and manga……Japan specific motives, Japan specific audiences etc.

3. How they are used in anime and manga
• As a great story, playing on the tales that frightened their ancestors….night parade of 100 demons.
4. Why they are used in anime and manga
• Do the anime and manga influenced by myths, legends and folktales teach the same lessons that the myths, legends and folktakes do?
• Can these anime and mangas be considered the modern way to teach these lessons?
Chapter 3 – Japanese culture in anime & manga
1. Overview of Japanese culture
• Harmony
• Sense of loyalty
• Community
• Doing good deeds
2. Ideology in Japan
• Government limitations before WW2
• American limitations after WW2
3. Japanese Philosophy
4. Japanese notion of wa (harmony)
• Cultural customs
• Respect

Chapter 4 – Japanese social and political issues in relation to anime & manga
1. Overview of Japanese social and political issues
• Brief description of the social and political issues specific to Japan
• Brief description of how manga and anime were being seen as more than just illustrations or caricatures, but ways of spreading a sense of duty and honor, or providing entertainment so that children could have something to get excited over, providing people with a little escape from their defeated country.
2. Animation pre and post WW2
• Manga for travel – the desire to get out of the country
• Manga with soldier’s picture shows
• Providing entertainment for children
• Keeping Japanese culture alive?
3. School life
• Suicides?
• stress
4. Japanese perception on what’s deemed acceptable
• Relation to ideology
5. Sex in anime & manga
• Stress relief
• Over crowdedness, no privacy
Conclusion
1. My findings
2. My analysis

The boom

The whole boom of manga and anime was because compared to TV and movies comics were cheaper and easier to get, especially in the 70’s, which is when more anime and manga were made specifically for adults and teenagers.

Since the 70’s manga and anime became a media with the same depth and sophistication as novels and film. This is true only in Japan as it stands but I think that it’ll branch out and this’ll be true in other countries as well.

After WW2 Japan was in a state of shock that they had been defeated so easily and had lost so much, so there was a gap in the heart of the Japanese people that needed to be filled, something that will spread hope and give people something to look forward to so, this was when Osama Tezuka the proclaimed god of manga, was growing up and experienced these emotions and surroundings first hand. What Tezuka did was introduce film making techniques into manga which influenced a whole new generation of comic artists. Animation came about from Tezuka’s desire to make his comics real, so it is said that all Japanese animation is basically moving comics. This is where it differs from other forms of animation where the characters are completely original, Japanese animation can be described as just moving manga.

The influences for manga and anime and what they mean to Japan

For the past couple of days I have been looking at the influences for manga and anime. What struck me as a shock was just how many influences there are for them and just how diverse manga and anime actually is. The influences range from; Japanese politics, Japanese social issues, Japanese sexuality, Japanese fantasy and philosophy etc.

Then I started looking at what anime and manga actually means to Japan, what purpose does it have in the eyes of the Japanese? I was shocked at just how much manga and anime mean to the Japanese people and just how important it is for many reasons. They range from relieving stress that is built up due to the Japanese people’s hectic daily routines to teaching young males about sex.

1st Tutorial

After the first dissertation tutorial today everything has been put in perspective for me, from the notes that I’ve made it’s clear that my dissertation has to be from 5000 to 10,000 words long and must have a specific purpose. The question as it stands has to be going in the right direction but during the course of me writing my dissertation it can and will most likely be changed.

A few questions that came up during this tutorial are; Why am I looking at this subject? What is it that I’m really trying to find out? What makes Japanese animation so unique?

Also there’s alot more that I should look into to discover what makes Japanese animation so unique, they are things like; Japanese politics, Japanese issues, Japanese culture, Japanese morals, Japanese folktales etc.

I’ve been clued in on a woman called Helen Mccarthy who has written a few interesting books on japanese animation and also the work of studio ghibli, these I will look into and see what I can find.