According to Napier (2005), Anime is Japanese animation as it always refers to both Japan and the west and is a phenomenon of popular culture. Anime works with popular taste or what the market demands, hence it is short lived. The question is, is Anime a high or low culture. Napier (2005), states that anime has roots in high culture forms and is a challenging art form in the market place. Napier (2005), affirms that “anime is a popular cultural form that clearly builds on previous hig
Napier (2005, p.4), also makes a statement by saying that “anime clearly appears to be a cultural phenomenon worthy of being taken seriously both sociologically and aesthetically”. Napier (2005), then elaborates on anime, its popularity and its worldwide influence because of its high culture genre which differentiates anime to other forms of art or cartoons. Napier (2005), states that Japan has always known for its high cultural products such as Haiku, Zen and Martials arts Japan then started to develop other forms of art. In 1990, Japan developed animated films and videos. An example of Japanese art influence on the world is that the Japanese word “Anime” is an abbreviation of the English word animation, which has now also extended the American vocabulary.
Despite cultural differences anime has continued to attract a range of audience. Anime is shown on the science fiction channels on mainstream videos as blockbuster video and a whole section is devoted to Virgin Mega store in London. (Napier, 2005)
Napier (2005, p.4), also points out that Japanese anime has influenced the world starting from “Pokemon toy give-away in 1999 at Kentucky fried chicken to American Museums where anime inspired artists such as Yanobe Kenji have received favourable critical comments”. Therefore, anime is a wide spread and has influenced many despite all cultural differences.
Going back to anime the” high culture” genre, Napier (2005, p.8), states that “Japanese culture is a strictly fascinating contemporary Japanese art form with a distinction narrative and visual art that both harks back to traditional Japanese culture and moves forward to the cutting edge of art and media”. By stating this Napier (2005), points out rich Japanese culture which makes it the high culture and so this high culture is transformed into anime. It is also noted in Napier (2005, p.9), text that the “most valuable feature of the concept of culture is the concept of difference” which is certainly obvious in anime as it is a persistent difference which has dominated the low context American cultures.
The complex storylines of Anime is also another fact which makes it a challenging genre. The dark tone and content bring surprise to audience. Napier (2005) defines anime as a narrative art form. Anime is a different visual element with philosophical structure to produce a unique world. Anime involves work specifically around Japanese context such as period of Samurai warfare; texts like Grave of the fireflies, set in the WWII days also suggest issues like politics and history.
Miyazaki’s (2006) Prinicess Mononoke also consists of historical epic nature through a mixture of modern and fantasy world. (Napier, 2005) The AUT screening of Princess Mononoke is a great example if high culture anime. This film is an animated historical fantasy featured film in which the struggle between supernatural guardians of a forest and the human of Iron town who damage the forest and consume the resources, is the storyline. It us a typical Japanese anime in which the name of places and the storyline link greatly to the Japanese culture.
Napier (2005), has also mentioned two of anime’s most popular genres, Cyberpunk and the so called Mecha genre, which are all within science fiction. Cyberpunk which is well known western science fiction classics such as Gibson’s Neuromancer which shows humans struggle in a technological world. Mecha genre, which is actually short of mechanical, is a favourite form from Japanese popular cultures. Both of these films are western science fiction films.
Therefore, it is quite apparent that anime has a distinctive feature compare to western cartoons. Anime is a part of truly main stream popular culture. Images from anime are deeply related throughout Japan. Since Japan is a country that is traditionally more pictocentric compare to cultures of west. Thus anime fits well with the contemporary cultures of the visual. As a result, due to the high Japanese culture and its great influence on anime, anime is certainly considered as a high culture genre.
Reference:
Napier, S. (2005). Why anime? In Anime: from Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle (pp.3-14).
Hampshire: Palgrave/ Macmillan.AUT Screening: Miyazaki, H. (Director). (2006). Princess Mononoke. Tokyo: Studio Ghibli Productions.
I agree with this post.
ReplyDeleteJapanese is clearly a high culture, given its complex language, traditions, rich culinary institutions and many artisitic forms. For a relatively small country (albeit one with a large population) it has contributed more than its fair share in many areas. This is evident with anime, which has pervaded Western society to such an extent that characters like Pokemon are commonplace knowledge. Anime relates much of Japanese history and traditions despite portraying caucasion appearances.
For example, Deathnote is set in Tokyo with characters living a "typical" Japanese lifestyle.
Princess Monokoke is another good example, as aillustrated above.
However, anime is still relateable to the West. I wonder if this is because so much of Japanese culture has infiltrated into our own, or if it is because anime has a universal appeal beyond the aesthetics??
I agree with both Aafia and Helen. Anime in general is clearly a part of Japanese culture. Examples from our texts we have looked at believe that Japanese enjoy anime for its cutesy images and its relation to youth culture and ability to have a free range. Helen's example of Pokemon and I will add also Dragonball Z, are Japanese creations which although they are in Japanese settings they can be related to western culture and are if not more popular in western society. From these anime's which became a global phenomenon then came a huge money making enterprise as with watching the tv series came the toys and product lines and therefore anime is more and more popular in Japanese culture and overseas.
ReplyDeleteSure, it is a high culture. I think there are some technology contents have involved in the animi genre in Japan, especially related to the sub –genre Mecha. The beautiful robot narratives have lots of fans around the world. Meantime, these char actors also reflect the thinking of human nature. In the future, who will dominate the world would be a concern of the cyberpunk works.
ReplyDelete