Japanese Animation and its Influences on American Culture

Introductionworld are also written with a sense of fantasy in mind.
On a Friday night after a long week of diligent work,During the 18th and 19th centrury, wooden mechanized
Mrs. Thompson, a mother of two young boys, decideddolls called Karakuri were used to carry tea to guests.
to go to the video store to rent some cartoons so theThe word 'Karakuri' means a "mechanical device to
family can spend some quality time together. She doestease, trick, or take a person by surprise". It implies that
not know exactly what they like, but she does have athese dolls are driven by hidden magic, offering an
general idea of their tastes. Ninjas, cars, robots andelement of mystery. Voltron, Trigun, and Macross 7
monsters right? How hard can it be? As she walkedare shows that display Japan's fascinating imagination
down the long aisles of movies, she stumbled upon awith science-fiction and machines, and is not surprising
cartoon called Ninja Scroll. "Oh perfect!" she thought,to see that they have gained a lot of attention from
"the kids will love this!" Without thinking twice regardingAmerican fans. Besides this science-fiction genre, there
what the movie is actually about, she paid at the frontare also stories that deals with things closer to home
desk and rushed back home to prepare dinner. Afterlike school, baseball, and or swimming, but also with a
having a filling meal, everyone gathered in front of theirtwist. A boy lives an ordinary life when one day he
50" plasma TV and Mrs. Johnson popped in the DVD.meets a female alien, changing his life forever FLCL,
Little did she know, this animated feature was theOnegai Teacher, Shingetsutan Tsukihime. With plot
most violent, gory and sexually explicit film she haslines like this one and many others, anime makes a
ever seen. She had to stop the movie half wayconnection from the familiar to the unfamiliar, the norm
because her two sons were shocked in fear. She feltto the supernatural.
that this quality family time she had planned for wasOther common plot lines might revolve around historic
ruined . "Who would make such a disgusting andreferences, adding depth and intellect to the anime. On
horrific cartoon?!" she yelled.August 6 and 9, 1945, the cities of Hiroshima and
This "disgusting" and "horrific" cartoon that Mrs.Nagasaki were annihilated by the first atomic bombs
Thompson has a grudge against falls under a genre ofever used in warfare history. With such dark history
imported media called Japanese Animation, or morewritten down in Japanse history, many anime titles
commonly known as "anime" (sometimes also writtendepicted the horrific use of such weapons of mass
as "animé" as a French word). Anime is adestruction. It is a subconsciously embedded in the
sophisticated form of animated art that originate fromjapanese mind-set. An magnanimous semi circle
Japan during the world war eras. Anime is a wholeengulfs the city of neo-Tokyo in Akira , house and
new world of televised media. Some titles aretrees are torn from its roots from the shockwave of
specifically made for kids, but there is also a vastthe blast in FLCL, and the ever so infamous mushroom
selection for the more sophisticated and mature minds.cloud appears in the distant horizon in the first episode
The misconception of anime being simply another kindof Neon Genesis Evangelion. To the Japanese, anime
of cartoon targeted at the younger audience, whois a good way to remind themselves and the world
wakes up every Saturday morning and turns on Kidshow deadly these weapons really are should never be
WB, is very common among Americans, but during theused. A major difference in story telling between
past ten years, Japanese Animation and other formsAmerican cartoons and anime is characterization. An
of modern Japanese art have greatly influenced theanime expert on AnimeNation explains:
American culture and is becoming more and more"American cartoons will place characters in the
accepted into the mainstream media. It is a genre thatsituation. Anime places situations around characters.
is always pushing the standards and boundaries andMany anime shows have a continuing story, while very
will never cease to amaze its fans.nearly all American cartoons are episodic, created
The Historyspecifically to be a series of individual, stand -alone
Motions pictures and animated features began tostories rather than small pieces of a whole. Even in the
appear during the early 20th century. Japanese artistscase of anime series' that are episodic, the characters
and animators did not however start experimentingdevelop and change from episode to episode. Anime,
with animation until 1914, primarily due to the fact thattherefore, engenders more personal involvement
western studios dominated the cartoon field. Waltbetween the show and the viewer than typical
Disney, creator of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck,American cartoons do".
and the Fleischer Brothers, creators of Popeye theCartoons like Scooby Doo, Tom and Jerry,
Sailor and Superman, have brought some of the mostThundercats, and Powerpuff Girls all show individual
well known characters to life with their masterfulepisodes that have no connections with the previous
works that set the bar for what "cartoons" should be.or proceeding one. All the characters are to go on
Japan's involvement in creating animated films waswithout change, throughout the every single episode.
rather slow. This was probably influenced by justCharacters in Anime, on the other hand, change
having came out of its global isolationism that thedramatically as a result of the situation and their
country invoked upon itself (over 50 years ago). Whenrelationships with others. A story is told through a
Japan was in its post WWII stage, a man by the namelength of many episodes, developing the character and
of Osamu Tezuka worked in a factory and wasgiving character depth as each episode progresses.
heavily influenced by the early works Walt Disney andAlia, an anime enthusiast with her own website
the Fleischer Brothers. As he tried to draw his ownfurthers the point:
original characters by trying to imitate the two western"The best animes make their characters real, with real
styles, he found great popularity and respect amonghuman emotions that never seem out of place for the
his co-workers. In 1947, Tezuka gained much attentioncharacter. Anime creators take great pains in making
with his novel-length drawn stories. However, in 1963,their characters fully developed and defined individuals,
the work that would define and give birth to the animewith their own conflicts and flaws".
medium was his internationally successful animationSometimes, the characters can be spontaneous and
series called Testuwan Atom, or Astro Boy. His pursuitdo unexpected things. This is in direct correlation with
in animation crowned him the title of being the pioneertheir personalities, just like in real life. Thus, many anime
of anime and graphic novels, known as manga.fans watch anime because it lets them imagine the
As Tezuka and his studio paved the road forreality of the characters and escape to their world ,
Japanese animation, the 1970s saw a change andrather than seeing actors and actress in a live action
growth in this form of entertainment. Trends started tomovie acting and pretending someone they are not.
appear in various works by various studios. TheseMusic is also very important to the world of anime.
trends were passed down the generations and areMany times, it is a tool to help further the
present in today's anime. One of the most influentialcharacterization of the show. In Love Hina, a show
trends is the "mecha" types of anime, which hasabout a college-bound student living in a all-girl resident,
become a sub-genre itself. Mecha is short ofeach character had its own theme song, depicting their
mechanical, or simply meaning giant robots andpersonalities. The songs would vary in styles, from
machines, usually controlled or piloted by variousslow to hard rock, classical to jazz. Songs and music
human characters. This proved to be a very attractiveare also used to emphasize a theme, whether it's the
characteristic of anime, because creating a live actionpassing of time, the vastness of space, or humanity's
mecha movie would require very tedious work andlost dreams. They are also used to display situations:
demanded strong financing. Another trend that beganjoyful, silly melodies for humorous situations and
appear in anime during the 70's was modifying thesuspenseful and serious tunes for troublesome events.
conventional way of how a story was told in earlyUnlike most American cartoons where theme songs
works of anime. Instead of having a cliché goodare performed by anonymous musicians, Japanese
vs. evil plot, story writers began to apply interestingmusicians take great pride in performing for an anime
twists and fresh concepts that would make the storytitle. Today, many famous Japanese musicians such as
more engaging. The anime Lupin III depicted "good"Sowelu, L'arc~en~ciel, Yoko Kanno, Do as Inifinity, and
protagonist with somewhat of a mischievousNobuo Uematsu write original songs for the opening
personality. Devilman was another show that had itsand ending theme of many shows. Anime is also a
protagonist possessed by a demon, giving him splitgood way for debut artists to gain popularity and
personalities and when a battle occurs, his demonicrecognition.
side would take control. Known as one of the mostHow influential is it?
acclaimed anime series of all time, Mobile Suit GundamAfter having explained all the techniques and the
was a story of a inter-stellar war between Earth andgenesis of anime, One could not help but ask the
its first space colonies, using both mechas, uniquequestion: in what ways is it influencing the American
characterization and never-before-seen battles. Thisculture? When Princess Mononoke from Studio Ghibli
series became highly marketable and captivated acame out in the states, it stunned movie goers and
huge number of audiences. These concepts and manygained a large number of fans. Some, however,
others spawned more ideas and added morejudged a book by its cover, thinking that the title
ingredients to the anime soup.suggests it would be a fairy tale with a happy ending.
During the 1980s, a Japanese artist by the name of GoThey were ultimately proven wrong and were
Nagai began to create anime for adults, breaking thedisturbed by its violent nature. The director, Hayao
concept that animated features are only for kids. FromMiyazaki, contends:
clever satires to full blown nudity and sexual"One of the things that I wanted to portray in my film is
engagements, Go Nagai's ingenious idea helped tothat violence is, indeed, a part of human essence. The
attract even more fans to the medium. In 1988, oneissue is how to manage it and how to control
major milestone was created and is still thought to beit…I think it's foolish to say that presence of
ahead of its time, even by today's standards. Theviolence in a film makes it a bad picture for children.
movie Akira is set in the futuristic and apocalypticThe truth is that, in their daily lives, they encounter
Tokyo, where a motorcycle gang faces numerousviolence inside themselves and around them. The issue
obstacles after they find out that a member acquiredis to try to help them address what to do with it, not to
ominous psychic abilities that can potentially destroyignore it".
the world. With an intriguing and engaging plot, packedToday, high schools and colleges around the country
with incredible nail-biting suspense and gory action,are creating anime clubs, where members share
Akira gained tremendous fame all over the world. Itanime, watch them and have thoughtful discussions.
was, for many fans, an eye opener to the trueThese clubs make effort to spread awareness to the
potential of animated films. In 1995 came morepublic that anime is indeed not a medium targeted just
milestone quality works. Masamune Shirow's Ghost inat kids. Mrs. Wolfson, Honors physics teacher and
the Shell explored the depth the human mind, depictinganime club advisor at Shrewsbury High School said:
elements of psychological manipulation and throwing in"I gained interested in anime during my college years,
a life vs. machine conflict where humans are enhancedwhen they ran an Akira Marathon at the club and it
with cybernetic parts and have the ability to travelopened my eyes to this medium. I think anime is
through a vast sea of information, into another realmaffecting to the American culture by increasing the
(very much like the Internet).diversity awareness and acceptance of Americans.
In the same year, two studios joined forces to createdThe mass media loves it because it is something fairly
one of the most talked about and well known animefresh and new to this country. It is far more attractive
series of all time. Gainax and Production I.G. workedthan the mundane cartoons that are so overly used".
around the clock to create Neon Genesis Evangelion.The MIT Anime Club, one of the top anime clubs in the
This epic 26-episode show takes place in the yearcountry gives public viewings every week. Due to its
2015, where "Angels" from a parallel universeprestigious and well-established name, many anime
appeared on Earth and started attacking the humanworks have incorporated aspects of the university as
race. As an act of self defense, biological andpart the show! Ben, the club president of Cal Animage
mechanical fighting machines called "Evangelions" werein UC Berkeley described that it used to be only 20
created and are piloted by three candidates toguys that would show up at one showing. Now the
confront them. The show itself incorporates everythingnumber increased to 200, mostly dominated by males
its predecessors have, and at the same time involveswith a majority of 18 to 24 years of age, and a
an immense amount of character depth, plot twists,minority of 25 to 30 years of age. Officers also
breath taking action, historical, scientific and biblicalsponsored free weekly showings of anime to the
references. This one-of a-kind anime spawned thepublic on campus. Among the audience, Asians and
Eva Phenomenon in Japan and is regarded very highlyCaucasians where dominant and were in almost equal
by anime critics. Today, anime continues to grow. Moreproportions.
and more studios are making bigger and better showsApart from clubs at school, the so-called information
to air on TV. Among all the fascination, one questionsuperhighway (or the Internet) is an essential tool for
surfaces: why is anime such of an attraction tothe spread of anime among Americans. As more and
Americans and the western world? Why is itmore shows are made in Japan, American distributors
influencing the American culture?can not keep up with the pace. As the demand for
The Techniquesnewer animes rises, groups of people with a rich
The artistic techniques behind anime are veryunderstanding of the Japanese language started
sophisticated and is a major factor on why the genrerecording raw shows airing on Japanese Television via
is such an infuence on western popular culture. Onetheir computers and, to their best efforts, translate full
aspect of anime that is very attention grabbing is itsepisodes into a English subtitled features. These
attention to detail. Tezuka purposely made Astro Boy's"fansub" groups then upload them onto the Internet,
eyes to be round and big to show expressive faces.within the reach of millions of anime fans. They usually
He noted that that these features can allow him tohave their own websites, and have affiliates to other
display a wide range of emotions. The display ofpartners. "Subtitled by fans for fans. Not for sale or
different emotions are quite distinctive in animerent" is usually written at the beginning of each subbed
compared to American cartoons. Other than showingepisode. This way of distributing anime is also perfectly
facial expression, artists would draw outer-physicallegal, since none of these new shows have been
elements that would exaggerate the emotion, makinglicensed by American distributors. Fans are able to get
anime more unique and spontaneous as a genre.their hands on the latest anime, without having to wait
Elements such as a big cross-like vein would pop outfor the long process of licensing. With this growing
on the left or right side of a character's head when heever so popular, anime internet forums are also
or she gets frustrated, or an abnormally big sweatflourishing. Anyone from any place in the world can
drop appears behind the head when he or she gets income to Minitokyo.net, one of the largest and diverse
trouble. The characteristic of blushing is veryanime fourms on the net, and exchange ideas, share
emphasized in anime as well. A rough light red patchknowledge, get news, share artwork, and create their
drawn under the character's eyes would appear whenown custom pages.
one is in a romantic or embarassing situation.Anime has also influenced the way Americans use
Unlike like Disney cartoons, where lighting details on thetheir pass time. Each year, anime conventions such as
characters are almost none-existent, proper globalOtakon and Anime Expo are held around the nation
lighting plays a big role in anime. A character mustwhere just-released titles and merchandise are
have the proper shading and lighting on the apparels,advertised can be bought with a great bargain. Other
the face and most intricately, the hair, which isthan the buying and selling, one major attraction at
soemtimes one of the most difficult part to draw.anime cons are the cosplayers. Cosplaying is normally
Since it is almost impossible to hand draw everysomething kids do when they go trick-or treating on
strand of hair (yet possible with computer generatedHalloween, but anyone from teens to adults cosplay at
models), artists draw hair as much thicker strands,anime cons. Costumes featured on anime characters
allowing them to easily maneuver them and applycan be found and bought in anime stores, but many
proper lighting. Lighting on the eyes are also very vividlyhardcore cosplayers prefer to make their own outfits.
depicted. Reflections of light on the Cornea is veryCosplaying gives the cosplayers a chance to become
bright and usually very large. It tends to augment itsthe character they love, and allows them to display the
size when one feels like crying or when one feelspersonalities the characters possessed.
envy towards someone or something.One aspect that is very influenced by anime is the
Anime pioneered a technique called frame shifting.American media. Movies like Akira, Princess Mononoke
Akira used this technique and created a perspectiveand Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust required American
of a motorcycle gang member going into through thevoice actors and actresses for it be shown in the
city streets, by shifting edifices proportionally to the leftstates. After dubbing such a feature, many thespians
and right. Another illusionary technique that is widelywere amazed by the ingenuity and the level of
used thena nd today even is western animation ismaturity theses films possesses. Major live action films
called action-lines. During the midst of a heart-stoppingare incorporating anime scenes to spice up the action
battle, the protagonist's coup de grace is shown with(Kill Bill). Cartoon Network, perhaps the biggest cartoon
him jumping in the air, going straight for his enemy.distribution network in the world, devotes
Action-lines are the fast moving lines behind theapproximately 1/3 of its air time to anime or cartoons
character, filling the entire background, suggesting towith great anime influence: Teen Titans, Totally Spies!,
the audience that their hero is moving very fast andHi Hi Puffy Amiyumi, the whole Miguzi line-up, Toonami
very forcefully.line-up, Adult Swim for those 14 years and older. Major
The quality of animation directly correlates with thecompanies such as T-mobile, the popular cell phone
animation budget, which equals the time given tocompany from Deutsche Telekom, teamed up with
complete the project. Many animated series such asProduction I.G., one of the top anime studios to created
Dragonball and Rurouni Kenshin may have over aa 9-short episoded commercial of a character called
hundred episodes but will not have the quality ofJohnny Chase to promote the new T-Mobile
animation compared to a six episode show. MovementSidekickÂ(R).
of the characters will not be as smooth due to a lowConclusion
frame rate. The greater and the number of cells anAnime is slowly being accepted by mainstream media
artist creates and the more detail he or she includes,and is slowly being respected as a completely
the more time he or she will need, thus requiring aseparate genre of animation. Yet when it comes down
bigger budget. This is why animated features alwaysthe basics, it is only animation. Despite all of its
show a higher quality of animation compared toinfluences, many Americans still see anime as a form
animated television series. Yet when a comes to storyof eye candy and entertainment for the younger
development, a television animated series would be atgeneration. To the Japanese, however, anime is a
advantage.medium in which a story can be told and glorified. The
Of all the techniques, anime also focuses on plenty offuture of anime looks very promising. With the
romanticism. Romanticism is nothing new to Japan. Thedevelopment computer generated graphics and
world's first full novel Tale of Genshi, written by Ladyenhanced interfaces, characters and environments
Murasaki, contained elaborate imagery and poeticnever looked so real. The advancement in technology
emotions. Japanese folklore told tales of ghosts,just might one day break away the generalizations
monsters and the supernaturalThus, it is not surprisingmade by the public and give this remarkable genre a
that anime would also carry this tradition. Anime, like allmore respected status in the world of films.
forms of animation, relies primarily on visual images.References
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