School centric anime and their importance in current day Japan

As Goodman (2011) points out, the Japanese education system provided a clear connection for both male and female workers between success in education and the quality of the jobs they could secure (Goodman, 2011; 52). Generally speaking Japanese school children are made aware from an early age of the direct correlation between the size of a potential employer and the job security, salary, and status that employer would be able to offer. From the early Post-War period onwards, top employers would choose their new workers from top universities, which in turn chose their intake based on high school hierarchies, that in turn took students based on scores of the high school entrance exam that everyone sits when they are 15. The entire education system of Japan is based on a meritocratic structure that engenders high competition amongst students, and produces what Ronald Dore (1976) describes as a ‘very expensive intelligence testing system with some educational spin-off, rather than the other way around’ (Dore, 1976; 48-49).

Samurai Society: an exploration of Japaneseness in post-war Jidaigeki

Post-war samurai films, or ‘Jidaigeki’ (period drama) represented a renewed interest in the cultural foundations of Japanese society, and are part of a broader search for national and cultural identity that embodied notions of Japan’s unique place in history a newly globalised world. The samurai in such films, while fictional figures, are nonetheless grounded in a version of Japan’s historical past that has been embellished by oral traditions and isolated from the problems and insecurities of an unfamiliar period, thereby elevating them to the level of myth (Silver, 1977). Jidaigeki, like The Samurai Trilogy, present us mythical, often tragic heroes who both push against authority, while also conforming to widely held cultural and social norms. The reality of historical figures, such as Miyamoto Musashi, is replaced by the legend of someone who is seen to embody essential elements of ‘Japaneseness’, and who helps to demonstrate the true power and prestige of the Japanese people.

‘Animating’ society

Anime is a fascinating cultural artefact, with over 50% of Japanese studios producing animated works instead of live action, thus demonstrating a shift in the Japanese studio system from live action films of the 1950s and 1960s to one focussed on anime as its primary product. This shift to the animated medium means that anime is arguably one of, if not the best way with which we can explore Japan’s depiction of its own society and culture. The wide variety of anime, ranging from early morning children’s shows through to late afternoon/early evening series focussed for families and then onto edgier, often darker series for teenagers or those in there twenties is astounding. Such wide variety of series and anime’ broader appeal puts it in an important place within contemporary Japanese culture; whereas traditional culture such as Sa-do, Kyu-do and Ka-do have been refined over centuries and are the very basics of Japanese culture, anime is a relatively recent phenomenon, starting in 1963 with the release of Osamu Tezuka’s legendary Tetsuwan Atomu (Astro Boy). Furthermore, whereas traditional culture is often focussed on the self, a form of meditation and a path to Zen enlightenment, anime provides a fascinating and important means with which we can view Japanese society and culture, along with the issues that are important at any given time.

Does anime promote an orientalist view of Japan: or, a case of ‘lost in cultural translation’? – Part 1

When viewing anime, it is possible to see how it, as a cultural medium, promotes an orientalist view of Japan with its astonishing visuals, along with the numerous exotic and strange creatures and creations. Anime as a Japanese cultural commodity incorporates elements of the country’s history, society, and culture into its myriad stories and settings that range from the historical through to contemporary scenarios, and near future, along with fantasy settings that take their influence from a mix of traditional Japanese culture, dystopian and cyberpunk settings. It is therefore a very broad medium, and one that has become increasingly popular in the west, with films like Akira and Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (spirited Away) garnering significant critical acclaim (Ebert, 2002; Maslin, 1990; Mitchell, 2002; Horwitz, 2002; Turan, 2002). It has been argued that Japanese culture is ‘odourless’ (Douglas, 2002; Koichi, 2002), one without cultural or social roots, a form of ‘soft power’ that can change its form or shape depending on where it is. Koichi (2002) argues that anime doesn’t look Japanese, describing this aspect of Japanese culture as ‘mukokuseki’ (something or someone lacking any nationality), thus implying that anime lacks racial or ethnic charactertics and therefore cannot be culturally embedded (Koichi, 2002; 317). If the characters within anime are a part of mukokuseki, then there is a necessity to add something else that embeds anime within its culture and society. The use of historical events (in the case of Akira), or cultural artefacts (in the case of Sen to Chihiro) can be viewed as an attempt to ground these films in a very specific time and place. Sato (2004) suggests that, according to Japanese intellectuals, Japanese traditional beauty, which ‘resides in subtle layers of mysterious darkness is being wiped out by the flood of bright electronic lights of western technology’ (Sato, 2004; 343). This attempt to regain the ‘harmony of Japanese culture’, and a unique Japaneseness further reinforces animes’ promotion of an orientalist view of Japan by highlighting the essence of the orient in western imagination (Sato, 2004; 341). Anime emphasis Japan as a place of romance, exotic beings, and haunting memories and landscape, while also further stressing the distinction between Japanese culture and that of the west (Said, 1978; 1).

Does anime promote an orientalist view of Japan: or, a case of ‘lost in cultural translation’? – Part 2

Cultural Imperialism:

Sterling (1990) argues that Japanese ethnicity happens to embody no element of historicity or locality in the American eye, and that the cyberpunk films such as Akira are effectively a part of a globalised, and arguably Americanised culture (Sterling, 1990; 72). This argument is therefore suggesting that Japanese anime lack historical imperatives and are no longer grounded in local culture, they are instead a product of a globalised, and arguably, Americanised culture. In this respect the exoticism and ‘otherness’ of anime has been integrated into a broader Americanised culture as a form of cultural imperialism, thus allowing Japanese cultural products to be viewed as something weird and wonderful, while also maintaining a sense of familiarity (Said, 1994; 200). The use of ‘new’ and ‘traditional in anime like Akira and Sen to Chihiro helps to differentiate between one culture and another, creating a boundary between globalised and Americanised culture and the traditional overtly ‘Japanese’ culture. The ‘new’ technology demarcates a modern, consumerist Japan that is obsessed with gadgets and neon; this cultural imagery of technology has, as McKay (1997) argues, ‘come to dominate our iconography of (American) modernity’ (McKay, 1997; 16).

Shinbo and Nisioisin – Nekomonogatari and a creative dead end

I deliberately chose these screenshots as I feel they are representative of Nekomonogatari and to a greater or lesser extent the majority of the Monogatari Franchise.

Most should know of Shinbo Akiyuki and Nisoisin, they have both been involved with numerous projects that have been highly successful for one thing, and they are also well known for their particular style in directing and writing. However, over the past couple of years, it has become increasingly obvious that this director and writer seem to have hit a creative dead end, as can be neatly demonstrated in the stupid, pretentious, and downright offensive works that have been released recently. Nekomonogatari in particular neatly demonstrates some of the significant problems that these individuals have come across, while also showing us how little they have really changed despite their success, and arguably because of their success. With Nekomonogatari we are perhaps seeing the inevitable conclusion of their creative vision, a OVA film that lacks any substance and instead focuses entirely on the sexualisation of its female characters, while working under the pretence of a deeper, more complicated story. It is an OVA that helps to demonstrate what is wrong with Nisioisin’s writing style at the moment, while also showing us how little Shinbo has really progressed since his earlier works.

Loli and Lolita in anime (non-Hentai – Misused, Misunderstood, Misrepresented

Please bare in mind that this post is far from definitive and I have barely even begun to explore the varied and complex issues surrounding Lolita in Japanese society, especially with regards to anime and more broadly speaking ‘otaku culture’. 

The Lolita or ‘Loli’ character has become ubiquitous in anime over the years, with numerous series employing younger characters or those dressed in Lolita fashion to varying affects. In a more general sense, Lolitas of ‘Lolis’ are young women and men who dress as anachronistic visual representations of Victorian-era dolls, covered from head to toe in lace, ruffles, and bows. This term in the west is most often associated with the title character of Vladimir Nabokov’s 1955 novel, depicting an adolescent girl who has a sexual relationship with her middle-aged stepfather; in Japan however ‘Lolita Complex (lolicon)’ also refers more generally to older men who are attracted to young girls. Part of the problem with these terms however is the way they are used an interpreted in conjunction with anime and the numerous ways with which the Lolita is represented in the anime medium. One of the interesting elements of Lolita in Japan is that they are usually young women (not girls), who dress in cure, childlike, and modest fashions without the overly sexualised appearance typically associated with Nabokov’s Lolita. This representation of the Lolita is further complicated by the broad nature of anime fandom’s description and understanding of the Lolita complex, with numerous fans referring to any young character as a ‘Loli’, whether they are dressed in Victorian-era clothes or not. This particular description makes the whole notion of the Loli far more complicated, as there is an implicit understanding amongst western fandom that Loli is linked with Nabokov’s character.

The Werewolf in Anime – Dangerous, Yet Beautiful

Werewolves will be familiar to anyone who has ever watched any western horror, or horror themed films (twilight counts in this respect), they are often beasts of immense strength, but also primeval and dangerous. In western traditions, the werewolf is often a symbol of becoming a pariah, for losing or failing to find an acceptable role in the social order. This theme can be linked with notions of puberty, sexuality, along with race, class, and gender roles, with werewolves displaying notions of hyper masculinity, along with an inability to truly fit into human society and becoming a dangerous force that must be crushed. Similar ideas run through anime and manga, with many wolf roles being high sexualised, or incapable of fitting in with their current society, which ultimately leads them to rejecting it entirely. Werewolves are however oddly absent in a lot of anime, at least in the ways that you might see them in western stories. Instead werewolves, or more accurately wolves and wolf gods in anime tap into a vat repertoire of Shinto and Animism beliefs within Japanese culture and society. Rather than werewolves, we more often see wolves who change shape, gods who manifest themselves in the form of a wolf, or perhaps a Kitsune, although in this case the mythology and beliefs associated with it are quite different.

Something called the Aniblogger Interrogation Game

So apparently I have been tagged, not once, but twice by Justin and Naru in this Aniblogger Interrogation Game, which came as a bit of surprise since I rarely read blogs lately and had no idea that it even existed. But, once I had found some spare voodoo dolls and a handy tree to nail them to, thus cursing Justin and Naru I set about thinking of answers, questions, along with philosophising about the sound that a falling tree makes when there is no one there to hear it. This interrogation game appears to have been thought up by Iso of Nabe! as a way with which various bloggers could ask and answer questions thus sharing some information and various facts about themselves as human beings as opposed to disembodied existences on the internet.

The mysterious world of humans and fairies in Jintai wa Suitai Shimashita

Arguably the fairies are central to the story of Jintai wa Suitai Shimashita, or more accurately it is the impression of the fairies that we get through the eyes of Watashi that becomes the central driving force of this series. These fairies are mysterious and complex, we know that they exist in a very real way, and yet there are so many aspects about them that remain strange and perplexing. The impact that these beings have on this curiously comic dystopian realm where magic is in the air and food appears out of nowhere is profound, even more so when we barely see them and know even less. In some respects it could almost be argued that they are simply a creation of humanity, looking for an explanation as to why specific events take place.