Final Essay |
ENG 100 final Essay
This essay was our final essay for my ENG 100 college class. We had to pick a topic and then do very in-depth research about it, and eventually write an essay. I decided to pick the history of Anime, because I was (still am) very interested in the topic. |
21st-century skills,
self directional, Information skills, global awareness. My self-directional skills were developed a lot during this Essay. I had waited for the last few weeks of this essay to start it, that was a mistake. I ended up using my whole day. It took a lot of self-discipline to make myself get up and do the work I had to do. My Information skills were specially developed throughout this experience. We where instructed to find reliable and good sources. We did that by going into the UHMC online library and searching for sources there. |
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Edana Phillips
12/14/21
ENG 100
Ms. Andaluz
Anime Going West
Anime and manga have been around since the 1920s and have continued to grow since then. Popular mangas like Attack on Titan have sold around 2.5 million copies in the U.S. alone and Crunchyroll (a popular anime website) has around 120 million viewers. However, anime has not always been so popular. Anime has faced several challenges in its quest to become a mainstream form of entertainment in the west. Challenges like, miscommunication, and lack of respect, have both been factors. Anime was not always well received in the west, but it is now a great way for many to experience various aspects of Japanese culture.
Before anime was able to move to the west, it first needed to be created, and the origins of most anime come from the manga. Manga has a similar appearance to graphic novels but is created in the same art style as anime. The oldest origins come from caricature or more specifically, caricature drawings. According to Japanese visual culture by Mark, W. Williams The word caricature “refers to criticizing or slandering the defects and shortcomings of society or of particular people”(26). Caricature drawings usually depict a group of individuals being criticized sarcastically or humorously. One of the oldest and most popular caricature drawings comes from the 11-12th century, Bishop Toba’s, Chōjū giga (The Animal Scrolls). Mark W. Williams explains the Animal scrolls to be a depiction of various animals, including frogs, hares, monkeys, and foxes mocking the practices of the upper class (26). The sarcastic and mildly offensive humor of common caricature in the 11-12th century would not be accepted so easily in today's society.
Older technology is crucial to our understanding of how far anime has progressed in the west. Wood blocking technology, developed during the Edo period (1600-1868), enabled many artists' works to be duplicated and produced in larger quantities. Ukiyo-e (Pictures of a floating world) was the common name. Landscapes, plants and animals, and everyday life were common topics in these prints. Katsushika Hokusai was among the people who used wood blocking. The first person to use the word manga was Hokusai. Hokusai's manga had many caricature elements and used long limbs to show more dynamic action.
Jumping to 1917, a huge step in anime history, The creation of the first Japanese animation. Three separate people made these animations, Shimokawa Oten (1892– 1973), Kouchi Jun-ichi (1886– 1970), and Kitayama Seitaro (1888– 1945). These animations were short cartoons that were around 2-5 minutes long. The topics were usually, Japanese folk tales or goofy cartoons. They were inspired by the French and American cartoons that were popping up in Japan at the time.
Omasu Tensuka was one of the first people to ever create story manga (sutorii manga), the most common form of manga in the west and Japan. Omasu Tensuka's most well-known anime series is, Astro Boy. Astro boy follows a robotic boy created to replace a scientist's dead son. Action-packed animation and a variety of different characters were very entertaining, especially for younger audiences. In Japanese visual culture, Williams explains that Omasu found inspiration for his stories in European and Asian history, classic stories and myths, English detective stories, and science fiction films (68). Astro boy was not only influential in his creative storytelling and plot but also in the style his anime followed. In Anime Its explained that Omasu used European film techniques like close-ups, and unusual angles, to better capture the emotions of the characters (Odell, La Blanc 43). The style he chose for his manga and anime could be described as kawaii because of the big eyes and chibi style. Big eyes convey a lot of emotion, which was why Omasu decided on that style. Omasu Tensuka is so important because of the developments he made for manga and anime. He recognized that anime is not just for kids, He created story manga, and he also understood the emotions that can be conveyed just through a series of drawings.
Miyazaki Hayao was another influential person in the globalization of anime. Miyazaki's first manga was Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, which was released in 1984. Instead of big robots and fighting, Nausicaa was all about nature and ecological themes, these themes would continue throughout his work. This creation marked the long line of successful films that would earn Miyazaki multiple awards around the world. After creating Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Miyazaki and Takahata (coworker) started a new studio called Studio Ghibli. After creating movies, Kiki's delivery service, and My Neighbor Totoro, Miyazaki was still relatively unknown in the west. That all changed After creating Princess Mononoke. Princess Mononoke features a traveler between two powerful women, one the leader of the iron town and a wild wolf girl. This film was much darker than his other films but has a deep and powerful view. According to Gale Biographies, Princess Mononoke broke Japanese box office records and was released by Disney's Miramax division in the United States (Gale). Miyazaki considered retirement after his success of Princess Mononoke, but instead in 2001, he released Spirited away. This film was Japan's largest grossing film up to that time and won the best-animated feature at the 75th academy awards.
Miyazaki's films are full of beautiful animation and great plots that are popular in Japan as well as America. His films do have a variety of ratings but all have beautiful themes and animation to go along with them. Miyazaki's love of flying machines and the natural environment make its display in many of his films (Anime 48). These themes very obviously had a positive effect on many western audiences, with his film Spirited away also making the 22nd spot in internet databases top 100 movies.
Multiple problems arose when anime started to make its way to the west, including miscommunication. In the 1960s-70s, the market for anime in the west was mainly children's shows. The downside was that these anime had horrible dubs and were very heavily edited. Shows like Astro boy hit the western tv screens around this time. Sadly, many problems were arising with the content of the shows. According to Anime by Colin Odell, and Michelle Le Blanc “The Japanese tolerance of violence in fantastical settings and mildly salacious scenes to add naughty humor to proceedings caused issues for many Western TV stations” (36). Japan and the west had different perceptions of what was acceptable for younger audiences.
Anime targeted at older audiences were starting to pop up in the west, but at first, were edited with a lack of respect for the original material. One of Miyazaki's films, specifically, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, was released to the west heavily edited. This left much of the important plot out of the movie. The problem was that people in the west had a closed mindset on anime, thinking its success would come only from younger audiences. Miyazaki then withdrew his films from being distributed in the west for some time. Eventually, more adult films were being released in the west, but these films were far and few.
When computers and mobile tech appeared it was much easier for many in the west to access anime, unedited. Fans started making “fansubs” which allowed many people to view the anime without having to listen to the horrible dubs. These fansubs were technically copyright, but these shows were typically distributed without profit. Computers and online anime access contributed a lot to the growth and popularity of anime.
Before anime had the ability for the west to better appreciate Japanese culture, anime first needs to be important to Japanese culture. Anime reflects many cultural aspects of Japan. According to Anime by Colin Odell, and Michelle Le Blanc “Japanese society has managed to retain its customs, practices, language, food, and etiquette and, as a result, Japanese history, culture and elements of everyday life feature strongly in anime” (34). Akira (1988) is an example of a highly influential anime featuring important parts of Japanese history. For example, the effects of nuclear warfare. Expressing Japanese culture through animation has been a very important part of Japan.
Anime has a big impact on western views and has allowed many to experience the various cultural aspects of Japan, through a form of entertainment. Even though Japanese settings and culture are different from the west, many can relate to emotional scenes shown in anime. The ability to show those emotions successfully through animation is a big feat. Slow-mo shots, huge tears, and exaggerated movements are all things that could make you cry in addition to a compelling story and characters. Being able to observe the various aspects of Japanese culture is also very important. In shows like Ouran Host Club or The Disastrous Life of Saiki K, you will be able to see, popular places around Japan, Japanese holidays, and the traditional homes in Japan.
Anime has been a great way for many in the west to experience the many cultural aspects of Japan. Anime started from short 5 min clips to thousands of different series and movies. Even since anime went to the west the fan base has been steadily growing. Apps like, Tik Tok, Instagram and Youtube can contribute to animes success. Anime has not always been a popular form of entertainment in the west, but now has a fanbase of so many different people. Being able to witness many aspects of Japanese culture through a beautiful entertainment form is truly an amazing part of anime.
"Miyazaki, Hayao." Gale Biographies: Popular People, edited by Gale Cengage Learning, 1st edition, 2020. Credo Reference, https://mccproxy.lib.hawaii.edu/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/galegbpp/miyazaki_hayao/0?institutionId=4869.
Odell, Colin, and Blanc, Michelle Le. Anime, Oldcastle Books, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/mcc-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1572137.
Japanese Animation : East Asian Perspectives, edited by Masao Yokota, and Tze-yue G. Hu, University Press of Mississippi, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/mcc-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1113449.
Macwilliams, Mark W., and Mark W. MacWilliams. Japanese Visual Culture : Explorations in the World of Manga and Anime, Taylor & Francis Group, 2008. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/mcc-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1900027.
Swenson, Tamara, and Swenson. "Anime." Encyclopedia of Children, Adolescents, and the Media, edited by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, Sage Publications, 1st edition, 2007. Credo Reference, https://mccproxy.lib.hawaii.edu/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/sagecam/anime/0?institutionId=4869.
12/14/21
ENG 100
Ms. Andaluz
Anime Going West
Anime and manga have been around since the 1920s and have continued to grow since then. Popular mangas like Attack on Titan have sold around 2.5 million copies in the U.S. alone and Crunchyroll (a popular anime website) has around 120 million viewers. However, anime has not always been so popular. Anime has faced several challenges in its quest to become a mainstream form of entertainment in the west. Challenges like, miscommunication, and lack of respect, have both been factors. Anime was not always well received in the west, but it is now a great way for many to experience various aspects of Japanese culture.
Before anime was able to move to the west, it first needed to be created, and the origins of most anime come from the manga. Manga has a similar appearance to graphic novels but is created in the same art style as anime. The oldest origins come from caricature or more specifically, caricature drawings. According to Japanese visual culture by Mark, W. Williams The word caricature “refers to criticizing or slandering the defects and shortcomings of society or of particular people”(26). Caricature drawings usually depict a group of individuals being criticized sarcastically or humorously. One of the oldest and most popular caricature drawings comes from the 11-12th century, Bishop Toba’s, Chōjū giga (The Animal Scrolls). Mark W. Williams explains the Animal scrolls to be a depiction of various animals, including frogs, hares, monkeys, and foxes mocking the practices of the upper class (26). The sarcastic and mildly offensive humor of common caricature in the 11-12th century would not be accepted so easily in today's society.
Older technology is crucial to our understanding of how far anime has progressed in the west. Wood blocking technology, developed during the Edo period (1600-1868), enabled many artists' works to be duplicated and produced in larger quantities. Ukiyo-e (Pictures of a floating world) was the common name. Landscapes, plants and animals, and everyday life were common topics in these prints. Katsushika Hokusai was among the people who used wood blocking. The first person to use the word manga was Hokusai. Hokusai's manga had many caricature elements and used long limbs to show more dynamic action.
Jumping to 1917, a huge step in anime history, The creation of the first Japanese animation. Three separate people made these animations, Shimokawa Oten (1892– 1973), Kouchi Jun-ichi (1886– 1970), and Kitayama Seitaro (1888– 1945). These animations were short cartoons that were around 2-5 minutes long. The topics were usually, Japanese folk tales or goofy cartoons. They were inspired by the French and American cartoons that were popping up in Japan at the time.
Omasu Tensuka was one of the first people to ever create story manga (sutorii manga), the most common form of manga in the west and Japan. Omasu Tensuka's most well-known anime series is, Astro Boy. Astro boy follows a robotic boy created to replace a scientist's dead son. Action-packed animation and a variety of different characters were very entertaining, especially for younger audiences. In Japanese visual culture, Williams explains that Omasu found inspiration for his stories in European and Asian history, classic stories and myths, English detective stories, and science fiction films (68). Astro boy was not only influential in his creative storytelling and plot but also in the style his anime followed. In Anime Its explained that Omasu used European film techniques like close-ups, and unusual angles, to better capture the emotions of the characters (Odell, La Blanc 43). The style he chose for his manga and anime could be described as kawaii because of the big eyes and chibi style. Big eyes convey a lot of emotion, which was why Omasu decided on that style. Omasu Tensuka is so important because of the developments he made for manga and anime. He recognized that anime is not just for kids, He created story manga, and he also understood the emotions that can be conveyed just through a series of drawings.
Miyazaki Hayao was another influential person in the globalization of anime. Miyazaki's first manga was Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, which was released in 1984. Instead of big robots and fighting, Nausicaa was all about nature and ecological themes, these themes would continue throughout his work. This creation marked the long line of successful films that would earn Miyazaki multiple awards around the world. After creating Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Miyazaki and Takahata (coworker) started a new studio called Studio Ghibli. After creating movies, Kiki's delivery service, and My Neighbor Totoro, Miyazaki was still relatively unknown in the west. That all changed After creating Princess Mononoke. Princess Mononoke features a traveler between two powerful women, one the leader of the iron town and a wild wolf girl. This film was much darker than his other films but has a deep and powerful view. According to Gale Biographies, Princess Mononoke broke Japanese box office records and was released by Disney's Miramax division in the United States (Gale). Miyazaki considered retirement after his success of Princess Mononoke, but instead in 2001, he released Spirited away. This film was Japan's largest grossing film up to that time and won the best-animated feature at the 75th academy awards.
Miyazaki's films are full of beautiful animation and great plots that are popular in Japan as well as America. His films do have a variety of ratings but all have beautiful themes and animation to go along with them. Miyazaki's love of flying machines and the natural environment make its display in many of his films (Anime 48). These themes very obviously had a positive effect on many western audiences, with his film Spirited away also making the 22nd spot in internet databases top 100 movies.
Multiple problems arose when anime started to make its way to the west, including miscommunication. In the 1960s-70s, the market for anime in the west was mainly children's shows. The downside was that these anime had horrible dubs and were very heavily edited. Shows like Astro boy hit the western tv screens around this time. Sadly, many problems were arising with the content of the shows. According to Anime by Colin Odell, and Michelle Le Blanc “The Japanese tolerance of violence in fantastical settings and mildly salacious scenes to add naughty humor to proceedings caused issues for many Western TV stations” (36). Japan and the west had different perceptions of what was acceptable for younger audiences.
Anime targeted at older audiences were starting to pop up in the west, but at first, were edited with a lack of respect for the original material. One of Miyazaki's films, specifically, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, was released to the west heavily edited. This left much of the important plot out of the movie. The problem was that people in the west had a closed mindset on anime, thinking its success would come only from younger audiences. Miyazaki then withdrew his films from being distributed in the west for some time. Eventually, more adult films were being released in the west, but these films were far and few.
When computers and mobile tech appeared it was much easier for many in the west to access anime, unedited. Fans started making “fansubs” which allowed many people to view the anime without having to listen to the horrible dubs. These fansubs were technically copyright, but these shows were typically distributed without profit. Computers and online anime access contributed a lot to the growth and popularity of anime.
Before anime had the ability for the west to better appreciate Japanese culture, anime first needs to be important to Japanese culture. Anime reflects many cultural aspects of Japan. According to Anime by Colin Odell, and Michelle Le Blanc “Japanese society has managed to retain its customs, practices, language, food, and etiquette and, as a result, Japanese history, culture and elements of everyday life feature strongly in anime” (34). Akira (1988) is an example of a highly influential anime featuring important parts of Japanese history. For example, the effects of nuclear warfare. Expressing Japanese culture through animation has been a very important part of Japan.
Anime has a big impact on western views and has allowed many to experience the various cultural aspects of Japan, through a form of entertainment. Even though Japanese settings and culture are different from the west, many can relate to emotional scenes shown in anime. The ability to show those emotions successfully through animation is a big feat. Slow-mo shots, huge tears, and exaggerated movements are all things that could make you cry in addition to a compelling story and characters. Being able to observe the various aspects of Japanese culture is also very important. In shows like Ouran Host Club or The Disastrous Life of Saiki K, you will be able to see, popular places around Japan, Japanese holidays, and the traditional homes in Japan.
Anime has been a great way for many in the west to experience the many cultural aspects of Japan. Anime started from short 5 min clips to thousands of different series and movies. Even since anime went to the west the fan base has been steadily growing. Apps like, Tik Tok, Instagram and Youtube can contribute to animes success. Anime has not always been a popular form of entertainment in the west, but now has a fanbase of so many different people. Being able to witness many aspects of Japanese culture through a beautiful entertainment form is truly an amazing part of anime.
"Miyazaki, Hayao." Gale Biographies: Popular People, edited by Gale Cengage Learning, 1st edition, 2020. Credo Reference, https://mccproxy.lib.hawaii.edu/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/galegbpp/miyazaki_hayao/0?institutionId=4869.
Odell, Colin, and Blanc, Michelle Le. Anime, Oldcastle Books, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/mcc-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1572137.
Japanese Animation : East Asian Perspectives, edited by Masao Yokota, and Tze-yue G. Hu, University Press of Mississippi, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/mcc-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1113449.
Macwilliams, Mark W., and Mark W. MacWilliams. Japanese Visual Culture : Explorations in the World of Manga and Anime, Taylor & Francis Group, 2008. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/mcc-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1900027.
Swenson, Tamara, and Swenson. "Anime." Encyclopedia of Children, Adolescents, and the Media, edited by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, Sage Publications, 1st edition, 2007. Credo Reference, https://mccproxy.lib.hawaii.edu/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/sagecam/anime/0?institutionId=4869.