As a main genre, the genre to which anime belongs, according to Napier (2005), is he culture of 'popular' or, in Japan, the 'mass' culture. However, in America it fall under a 'sub' culture.
As stated by Napier (2005), anime has been seen more as an intellectually and more challenging form of art which is a form of popular culture that adds to high culture traditions as it not only includes influences from traditional Japanese arts such as Kabuki.
The issue of appearance within Japanese anime has often been brought up by critics. The characters that the Japanese comics portray typically look non-Japanese. Napier (2001) believes that a possible reason for this choice of style is that the Japanese audiences that the artists design anime for, are able to receive a sort of "alternative world" (Napier 2005, p.25 ). Napier then goes on to describe the design of the facial characteristics of the anime characters, saying that it's quite ironical how the facial features such as the large childlike eyes and lipless mouths that are so common in the Japanese anime characters, actually originate from the American cartoons of the 1930's.
In relation to the issue of appearance with the Japanese anime that I have raised, you can see with characters in Princesse Mononoke that, even though, their clothing remains intact with the Japanese tradition, their facial appearance relates to more of a European look. If you look at Princesse Mononoke's eyes, they're round and almost childlike - adapting the American cartoons technique. Even the character Jigo, very Japanese in clothing and style, but his face looks more Russian that it does Japanese because of these facial features that have been westernized.
References:
Napier, S. (2005). Anime and Local/Global Identity. In Anime: from Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle
(pp.15-34). Hampshire: Palgrave/Macmillan.
I agree that anime is part of the 'mass' culture and popular in Japan, whereas it fall under a sub culture in America (and maybe in NZ too). So i think there still are arguments whether it's High culture or Low Culture. The genre of Amine may be recognise as High culture in Japan, but in America, they might just think it's Low culture.
ReplyDeleteHi Holly, can you please provide some examples from Mononoke to support your arguments?
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Boyoung, I think that anime in New Zealand probably falls into a sub culture - I think other genres, such as fantasy are more popular, and therefor fit into the 'mass' culture.
ReplyDeleteIn relation to the issue of appearance with the Japanese anime that I have raised, you can see with characters in Princesse Mononoke that, even though, their clothing remains intact with the Japanese tradition, their facial appearance relates to more of a European look. If you look at Princesse Mononoke's eyes, they're round and almost childlike - adapting the American cartoons technique. Even the character Jigo, very Japanese in clothing and style, but his face looks more Russian that it does Japanese because of these facial features that have been westernized.
Yea I agree to your statement by the appearances of the Japanese anime. From the movie Princess Mononoke, the background was a historic period in Japan but their facial appearance looks like Europeans with big eyes and more. I think this is an interesting point and going back to other animations, they are mostly drawn like that. Obviously the westernized facials in animations are so popular and people practice drawing them and making it as their hobby
ReplyDeleteHi Holly,
ReplyDeleteI agree that characters with non-japanese like facial characteristics are evident in almost all anime. Do you think this could be a way of idolising European features over Japanese features - such as wide eyes? I have a Japanese friend who has told me about the obsession with pale skin and big eyes in Japan, that she knows many Japanese girls who have gone through plastic surgery to make themselves appear more European like. Do you think anime may have impacted this, presenting Japanese characters as European looking? Or vice versa? I find it really fascinating!
Hi Jess,
ReplyDeleteYes, I've heard about Japanese girls having plastic surgery to widen their eyes. It's very popular within the music scene - especially pop music. Maybe it makes them feel like they could connect with a wider audience?! What do you think? Maybe this has spread into the anime scene. I don't know what has influenced the other - as in, which one came first... but I definitely think that they are linked in a way. We can see throughout a lot of pop genres that similar themes or characteristics have been brought through, and have almost evolved over the years. I think that the media has such a large influence on the human society and how we 'should' see appearance - who's to say that this isn't a similar issue - May Kim, how do you feel about appearance? Is there a need or desire from an Asian perspective to have more westernized features?
Yes definitely could make them feel more appealing to a more international audience..hmm! I was looking through some Asian magazines at a bubble tea cafe recently; and all the girls in the pictures were completely Europeanised! (Don't think thats a word, but I just made it one). It was almost impossible to tell whether they were of Asian or European decent. I'm not sure about why they would want to do so..but I do know that it is scientifically proven that people find large, wide eyes an attractive feature in women. Apparently, even subconciously, big eyes make a person more attractive. Strange huh? Also, maybe because we are all so heavily influenced by American/British pop culture - film, music, etc. that the looks of European celebrities are the ones we idolise world wide?
ReplyDelete