Week 5: is it a high or low cultural genre, according to Napier (2005)? What are some of its subgenres?
In the text, Napier thinks ‘anime’ is a visual art performer. She seems to know that ‘anime’ is better than Japanese counterparts. She points ‘anime’ is a kind of culture with sociology and aesthetics; and ‘anime’ is a mainstream culture in Japan.
However, it is hard to tell whether it is good or not and the way she thinks of Japanese ‘anime’ is in an American’s point of view. Actually, ‘anime’ in Japan is marginal culture; it does still have a big distance to popular culture. She mentions western audiences have been satiated of American popular culture and that’s the reason anime successes in western. In fact, as an American, Katsuhiro Otomo, Hayao Miyazaki and Mamoru Ozu, who have a strong impact but these works could not represent the source of Japanese ‘anime’.
Cyberpunk and mechanica are most popular genres. “Both these genres are particular appropriate one for our increasingly high-tech world.”(p11).
Napier, S. (2005). Why anime? In Anime: from Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle (pp.3-14).Hampshire: Palgrave/ Macmillan.
Interesting that you note that anime is a marginal culture in japan, i was under the impression it was more popular than that so it is hear your point of view.
ReplyDeleteYou say that Anime is a marginal culture in Japan. which is interesting - but does Napier (2005) consider anime a 'high' or 'low' culture more generally? Don't forget to use page numbers to quote extracts from the texts as well.
ReplyDeleteI found it is quite interesting that you say Anime is a marginal culture in Japan. In my mind, the Japanese animation has been in the mainstream culture, after all, Japanese animation is very famous, no matter from drawing style or technology. so your point of view gives me a diffent understanding on Japanese Animation.
ReplyDeleteDo you mean that in Japan today, western popular culture has become more mainstream (not hard to imagine really - californication is everywhere), and that japanese anime has really taken off in the West? The big anime films such as Howls MOving Castle are definately mainstream (am i imagining or did Disney/Pixar have something to do with these productions?). I can understand this point. Things go through trends, and perhaps these days the younger generation is more interested in the Hollywood blockbusters over traditional anime. Likewise, in the west, anime provides something different for us, in comparison to these movies.
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