Term Paper on "Anime Is, in Essence, the Japanese Form"

Term Paper 8 pages (3418 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Anime is, in essence, the Japanese form of animation. In general, it is characterized by extremely stylized and colorful graphics, and the use of vivacious and vibrant colors. The graphics used depict energetic and effervescent characters that are set in a large number of scenes and settings. The storylines used too are numerous, and comprise a large variety, and they are aimed at a variety of different types of audiences. (Definition, Anime) In English, the word 'anime' actually transliterates a Japanese term, and its history of origin can be traced back to the abbreviation of the transliteration of the English word 'animation', into Japanese. Initially, the word 'Japanimation' was used to describe anime, and today, it is also referred to as 'manga'. The word 'manga' in Japanese generally refers to both animation and comics. (Anime, terminology)

Anime features in a large number of genres and some of them are adventure, science fiction, live action, romance, erotica and at times, medieval fantasy and the occult, and the horror. Most of the time, however, anime would include two or more of these genres in one work, and this work is more often than not of a strictly commercial nature. The producers and marketers of anime aim at a certain specific audience, which generally would include focused categories meant for boys, also 'shonen', and girls, also 'shojo'. At times, teenagers and adults too would be targeted. (Anime, characteristics) 'Hentai' is yet another genre of anime, and this is primarily meant for adult audiences. Hentai is the literal translation of the Japanese term for perversions, and it generally refers to sexually explicit anime. (Anime: Hentai)

Why has anime been so very successful? How has it become globalized today? A major part of the reason for the popularity of anime is that it has managed to spread all throughout the world, and everyone knows what it is. As in the general case where something that spreads all over the world quite naturally becomes a global phenomenon, global recognition and fame means that anime has now become a global occurrence and it is well loved by people other than form whose nation it originally was created. One must study the extent of the globalization of anime based on the amount of permeation or penetration into other societies that it has managed to achieve in recent times. This also means that one must look carefully at and analyze the numerous factors involved in why exactly anime became a global phenomenon, and this would in turn mean that one would be able to comprehend how it became so very popular among a large variety of people, all over the world. One must now understand the age old practice of using 'subs' and 'dubs', which are short forms of subtitles and dubbing. The processes involved in coming up with appropriate subtitles and for dubbing in a suitable and appropriate voice for the characters must never be underestimated, and another important fact to remember is that the basic appeal and charm of a particular character comes from the acting of the voice, or the dubbing, behind it. This 'voice acting' is in fact hidden behind the animated 'mask' of the character of the anime. (Animel Info. Org, Lesson 1)

The very nature of the sub, in an anime, is based on the essence of the character. In general, the subs in the anime preserve the original Japanese format, even though it is being translated into the language desired. This means that not only would the language be translated, but so would the songs, the titles, the on-screen characters, and so on. One important advantage of using subs is that the original audio would be preserved, and the audience would be able to actually listen to their favorite characters conversing in their mother tongue, while at the same time understanding what is happening on the screen, because of the subs. (Animel Info. Org, Lesson 2)

However when one feels that they cannot follow subs while at the same time concentrating on the action taking place on screen, then one must think of using dubs, which in other words means that one must use one's own native language and overlay it on the anime's language. Today, most professionals in the field of anime have made significant progress in dubbing, and gone are the days when characters would move their mouths while the dialogue on screen would have stopped running a long while ago. Synchronized dubbing is today progressing, and most producers of anime are today extremely proficient in this aspect of popularizing anime all over the world, and thus making it a global phenomenon. The basic and most important advantage of using a dub is that one gets the feeling that one is watching the anime in one's own native language, without the inevitable distractions of having to watch out for subtitles while engrossed in the actions on screen. (Animel Info. Org, Lesson 3)

In addition, dubs have made it infinitely easier for an individual to be introduced to anime for the first time, and are a lot less intimidating for that person, because he does not have to feel that he is watching an alien or a foreign film, which he would not understand at all. One perfect example of this is the 'Toonami' that is aired on 'Cartoon Network', in various parts of the world. Without dubs, this may not have been possible at all. However, one disadvantage of using dubbing for the characters of the anime is that one is at the mercy of the translators, who may or may not do a good job of the translation of the original Japanese version into any other language. (Animel Info. Org, Lesson 3)

It was in the year 2003 that the development and the growth of Japanese culture, especially in relation to anime, or Japanese animation, was reviewed and re-evaluated. This was also the year in which the Japanese anime fans celebrated the fictional Birthday of the fictional character 'Astro Boy', and also the year in which the contract was signed for the creation of a brand new Hollywood series based on a Japanese anime. The year 2003 was also the year in which the anime film, 'Spirited Away', by Miyazaki Hayao happened to win the coveted Academy Award. Therefore, it can be stated that this was the most important year for the medium known as anime, since this was the year that it managed to gain a foothold into the global arena, with recognition and accolades coming its way that same year, from all over the world. (Yoshida, 2004)

Anime has a place in the global arena of today, and is today also a part of the globalized cultural industry. What it does is that it relates the children's media industry to the various other national cultures of the world. One important aspect of the globalization of anime lies in the fact that national identities are being shaped by the numerous power sifts and the changing dynamics that have been brought in through regionalization or localization. In particular, children's media is a fantasy that is constructed by animation, and this in fact is what has made it so very popular. Theodore Levitt states that a global marketing strategy is what would ultimately lead to the development of a sort of cultural convergence, and when this has been achieved, and then it would mean that anime would be able to penetrate even more of the global market. In essence, Japanese anime is a sort of a hybridized product, because of the capability exhibited by Japan in importing in an extremely selective manner, while at the same time demonstrating an ability to retain much of its core national and cultural identity. (Yoshida, 2004)

In short it can be said that Japanese anime has become a global phenomenon because of its interactions with Disney or in other words, American hegemony and supremacy, and Asian regionalism. For example, when the parent of an American child were to sit down and take notice, then he would have to face the fact that for the past few years, his child has in fact become completely enamored of Japanese culture, through the very cute and charming animes that are aired regularly on all the poplar children's television channels. This comes as a shock because until today, American domination and its predominance over other cultures in terms of popularity, especially in the global and world wide market, was recognized. Today, however, it seems that the Japanese anime has gained in popularity even over the most poplar American cartoons, and the various theories of American or in other words, Western cultural imperialism are not able to satisfactorily explain the rising of the anime phenomenon in their culture.

Susan Napier stresses on the fact that anime is indeed becoming more and more poplar in the global stage, and she states that this needs to be investigated. She also stated that the medium has indeed become a major cultural force… READ MORE

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