Japanese Visual Culture: Explorations in the World of Manga and Anime (East Gate Book)

Born of Japan's cultural encounter with Western entertainment media, manga (comic books or graphic novels) and anime (animated films) are two of the most universally recognized forms of contemporary mass culture. Because they tell stories through visual imagery, they vault over language barriers. Well suited to electronic transmission and distributed by Japan's globalized culture industry, they have become a powerful force in both the mediascape and the marketplace.This volume brings together an international group of scholars from many specialties to probe the richness and subtleties of these deceptively simple cultural forms. The contributors explore the historical, cultural, sociological, and religious dimensions of manga and anime, and examine specific sub-genres, artists, and stylistics. The book also addresses such topics as spirituality, the use of visual culture by Japanese new religious movements, Japanese Goth, nostalgia and Japanese pop, "cute" (kawali) subculture and comics for girls, and more. With illustrations throughout, it is a rich source for all scholars and fans of manga and anime as well as students of contemporary mass culture or Japanese culture and civilization. Contents Foreword A Note on Language Introduction Manga and Anime as Contemporary Japanese The Globalization of Manga and Anime The Approach and Scope of This Book Note 1. Manga in Japanese History Antecedents of Manga in Premodern Japan Manga in Modern Japan The 1960s and On The 1970s and On The 1980s and On Note 2. Contemporary Anime in Japanese Pop Culture The History of Anime What Makes Anime Different? Beyond Anime and Manga Postscript Notes 3. Characters, Themes, and Narrative Patterns in the Manga of Osamu Tezuka From 1947 to the Mid-Sixties: Tezuka’s Classical Period The Seventies: Tezuka’s Horror-Gothic Period Mid-Seventies to 1989: Tezuka’s Historical Realistic Period Selected List of Tezuka’s Manga Notes 4. From Metropolis to Metoroporisu: The Changing Role of the Robot in Japanese and Western Cinema Introduction Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927) Fritz Lang’s Metropolis: The Edited Version Osamu Tezuka’s Metoroporisu Katsuhiro Otomo and Rintaro’s Metoroporisu Conclusion Notes 5. Opening the Closed World of Shojo Manga Introduction The Invention of the Shojo Gender Drawing the Shojo Image Interpreting Shojo Manga Iconographic Conventions What Marginalized Shojo Manga? Conclusion Notes 6. Situating the Shojo in Shojo Manga: Teenage Girls, Romance Comics, and Contemporary Japanese Culture Shojo Culture and Girls’ Magazines Same-Sex Desire and Sameness Narrating the Shojo Self Flat and Superflat Black Eyes and blue: Refiguring Shojo Manga Notes 7. Intellectuals, Cartoons, and Nationalism During the Russo-Japanese War The Formative Years Nationalistic Fervor Fighting the Enemy Conclusion Notes 8. Framing Manga: On Narratives of the Second World War in Japanese Manga, 1957–1977 Introduction The Late 1950s to Late 1960s The Late 1960s to Late 1970s War Manga as Mirrors: Collective Representations of the Historical Moment The Social Frames of Manga Tales Notes 9. Aum shinrikyo and a Panic About Manga and Anime Harumagedon in Popular Culture and Aum Aum’s View of the Mass Media Aum’s View of Manga and Anime Aum, Manga, and Anime in the Mass Media Scholarly Analysis of Aum, Manga, and An Concluding Reflections Notes 10. Medieval Genealogies of Manga and Anime Notes 11. The Utopian “Power to Live”: The Significance of the Miyazaki Phenomenon Introduction Miyazaki’s Popularity and the Underlying Ideasl Behind His Work Chihiro’s Heroic Journey Chiro and Modern Individualism Miyazaki’s Utopian Faith Miyazaki and the Japanese World Miyazaki and Salvation Conclusion 12. Heart of Japaneseness: History and Nostalgia in Hayao Miyazaki’s "Spirited Away" Miyazaki’s Historical Past Miyazaki’s Personal Past Reimagining the Past—Miyazaki’s Nostalgi Notes 13. National History as Otaku Fantasy: Satoshi Kon’s Millennium Actress Satoshi Kon: Emerging Talent Millennium Actress: Not Your Usual Anime The Discourse on Otaku Cinema, History, and Otaku as Storyteller Notes 14. Considering Manga Discourse: Location, Ambiguity, Historicity Blind Spots in the Study of Manga Tezuka and Beyond: Recapitulating Manga Criticism in Japan Dis/continuity with Premodern Painting: Notes Bibliography Introduction Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 About the Contributors Index Born of Japan's cultural encounter with Western entertainment media, manga and anime are two of the most universally recognised forms of contemporary mass culture. This text probes the richness and subtleties of these deceptively simple cultural forms