Japanese
culture: exploring the origins of Manga and Anime
There are many
different forms of storytelling which have been devised throughout history,
these stories have been adapted or evolved into different form of storytelling
so that the philosophy behind them remain with every passing generation. Japan
is no different to any other country when it comes to storytelling and most
counties are concerned with adapting comic books and literature, so what is the
significance of these materials? This dissertation examines three live-action films
which have been adapted from Manga; these films are as follows, 20th Century Boys (2008-2009),
Battle Royale (2000) and Death Note (2006). Japan has an influential
history which Manga has flourished as an art form over the last 100 years
because of the impact that technology has had and Japanese popular culture is a
well-established global product.
The concept of
adaptation seems to a universal concept, Hollywood also are adapting comics via
companies such as Marvel and DC comics, so it is apparent that similar
materials are being adapted in a similar way. Countries throughout the world
are reproducing older concepts or ideas to simply generate as much profit as
the possibly can and Manga is derived from woodblock painting so this makes
Manga an art form:
Japanese woodblock
paintings are a similar storytelling system to Manga, consequently Manga
appears to be heavily influenced by the cultural ideas of woodblock and strive
on Japanese folktales or myths. Woodblock paintings were a method of recording
history so that generation told read this almost like a narrative, although the
woodblock painting where time-consuming
and therefore expensive so is another method of storytelling which has
been enhanced. Manga is a popular form of storytelling which generates a high
amount of sales and it is easy distributed worldwide like comic books or even
literature:
Manga and Anime use
Asian folklore as references throughout their narrative, Japanese animation was
manufactured to Manga expanding and exploring other markets to gain more fandom
towards their merchandise. Japanese animation studios in their golden age were
influenced by Chinese folktales, Japanese legends and even classical literature
from throughout the world. Early Anime was aimed solely for children since the
popular genre were of fairy-tale or even fantasy and even western countries were
targeting children because it would appear to be a profitable market. Osamu
Tezuka as an auteur exploited these genres, such as fantasy or science-fiction,
although his work like Disney appealed towards both adults and children. These
genres at the time would have been near to impossible to produce, hence Anime
was an ethical practice of storytelling, and therefore Anime could be produced
and distributed to a wider audience:
The interesting concept
appears to be that live-action television programmes and movies were being
produced as well as Anime was being manufactured but genres like
science-fiction or fantasy was far too expensive to produce as live-action edition.
Anime was more economical for creating storylines for a lot more genres; Anime
could be extremely experimental with imagery which live-action media at the
time would have been more limited and Anime is still a widespread form of
storytelling. Anime has common themes that run throughout them that attract
individuals from all nationalities because they are recognisable issues that
the audience can connect with:
Japanese fiction is
constructed around a limitless market which has developed over the course of
time, Anime like all of Japanese fiction caters for a diverse range of tastes
that have increased through globalisation and sometimes are controversial in
the case of Hentai. Even though Japan has different values to western society,
the stories display universal subjects that are not threating and the western
audience may be oblivious to Japanese ideologies or political messages for they
are hidden in the background of the narrative. It also would appear that
Japanese narratives are not just designed of males, but females are also a
profitable audience base as well:
It would seem as though
woman are a marketable audience in Japan unlike the U.S. who concentrate more
on the male spectators. Woman appear to be culturally significant throughout
Japanese mythology or even Japanese history and Japanese society seem to be
more interested in marketing toward the female fan base. Japan use various
different products to attract the female audience member, whether it is genres
that cater to the female taste and using strong female characters which could
be compared to the American equivalent of Buffy Summers or the Japanese version
who is Mitsuko Souma. The narrative of the female protagonist is something that
has been constant throughout history; in Japanese folktale the female characters
have been strong and determined personalities for hundreds of years so it seems
to be a widespread concept. In the films that have been reviewed it would seem
that the role of the female varies in their capability or dependency on other
characters, in 20th Century Boys
the characters are all equal in terms of gender, in Battle Royale the role of gender is irrelevant because it is a
matter of personal endurance and in Death
Note the female protagonist is in fact a fragile child. It proves that
there is a variation in people’s ideals and perceptions on the world:
The female character
seems to be a prominent figure in Japanese popular culture, in the science-fiction,
thriller and other genres the female is empowered to decide her own destiny by
becoming ever the protagonist or antagonist. Female antagonists are sexualised
which the male spectators may admire but also find threatening because the
female form is demonised. Nevertheless, Manga is the most read material
throughout Japan with 90-95% of the literature read in Japan is Manga and this
is unlike any other countries, hence females are undoubtedly significant
audience members. However, Manga should not be misinterpreted as a genre which
has been intended solitary for children, there are narratives that are designed
specifically for children and others that narrative for adults under the title
Hentai which consist of sexual imagery or even explicit fetishes. In Japanese
Anime and Manga there seems to be a distinct age certification simply because
of the severity of content in which these genres could possess extreme imagery
of violence or of sexual nature:
Japan is flourishing as
a worldwide product, Anime, television programmes or Manga are both
recognisable product that associated with Japanese culture and these themes or
concepts are influencing the United States. The United States are constantly
remaking popular Japanese television shows like Kamen Rider which was transformed to America equivalent Power Rangers. Kamen Rider’s concept appears to be derived from samurai legends
and has elements of a science fiction theme which of course makes it culturally
relevant to Japan.
Japan have the same capability
as the United States because in the case of Studio Ghibli, Japan shows similar
attributes to Disney in terms of merchandising for the animated films and
appear to be even a collectable item. Studio Ghibli offer many different
merchandisable items such as soundtracks to the film, countless type of artist
books displaying the film in alternative perspectives to Studio Ghibli’s
original narrative, there are various plush toys of well-known characters and
fans can also visit the Studio Ghibli museum with is based in Tokyo. The United
States have recognised Japan as being a profitable business, therefore they are
willing to promote these products as much as possible, in the case of Viz media , Dark Horse and even Tokyopop are
willing to accommodate of the publication of Manga on worldwide scale:
This is the direction
that Japan are moving toward throughout all media base artefacts, the key
concept of Japanese literature seem to be universal opinions of dark, gothic
and somewhat apocalyptic theme which run alongside the main narrative. Even
Studio Ghibli promote an environmental message throughout their narrative and
Akira shows Japans concerns with technology taking over to the degree of
destroy humanity. There also seems to be a worldwide anxiety about technology’s
effects on society, these concept constantly reflect off one another and have
become a form of ideology that reflect on societies dependency on technology in
the modern landscape:
Adaptation is a common
theme that runs through all types of media such as literature, painting and
even comic’s books that regenerate ancient narratives. Adapting narratives into
different forms of media allows the audience to interact with legends or
folktales that they might not have any prior knowledge of and adaptation is a
practice that is not original at all, in fact story have always been
communicated throughout history to inform the next generation of foreseeing
dangers.
It is apparent that
Japan can now fund live-action Japanese science-fiction films, Japanese films are
the most popular and there is a distinct audience based for all Japanese
products. Hollywood’s success with comic based movies seems to be an important
influence for the production Japanese live-action Manga films, it would seem
that Manga and Anime as an individual narrative device is quiet successful
enough. The mutual idea of the United States and Japan appear to be to increase
their sales, the live-action version of their narrative are to appeal to a
broader audience base and adaptation seems to be a successful method of
increasing popularity to unknown topics. The films that will be discussed are 20th Century Boys by Naoki Urasawa,
the story is a science-fiction based narrative which consists of apocalyptic
narrative that is based in an alternative future; Battle Royale is written by Kounshun Tatami, this story is a
horror-action based narrative which is based on an alternative future where a
death game for teenager takes place and Death
Note is written by Koushun Tatami, this story is a mystery-thriller and is
based on the notion of a book that more dangerous than an manmade weapon. The
overall narratives seem to have a dark perception, they seem to fear the
concept of having little control over society and individuals sense of humanity
seem to become non-existent so the characters quest seems to be to find some
sense of normality.
Movies
adapted from Manga
20th Century Boys
(2008-2009)
Adaptation seems to be
an important theme even when it comes to the films themselves, even if that
from the perspective of the narrative was being inspired by music to a degree
and this means that adaptation can be limitless to the resources it uses.
20th
Century Boys was a specific Manga series so when the
narrative was adapted being a film, the universe that the Manga had described
was far too diverse to exhibit in only the film and so the narrative was
constructed into three chaptered movies. In fact the narrative was so specific
that the director seemed to rely on the audience’s prior knowledge of 20th Century Boys and the
film encourages the audience to interact with Manga.
The first chapter
introduces the audience to the main character Kenji, the viewers see the rise
and fall of Kenji. Kenji must defeat the evil cult who is trying to destroy the
world, but it would seem that Kenji was one of the authors of the book of
prophecy which he and his friends adapted from science-fiction Manga novels
such Tetsujin
28-gō is mention in the narrative of the Manga. The first chapter runs in the
form of a narrative within a narrative which is basically the tale of Kenji
which is in fact a reference to him being categorised as a legend and the movie
is structured in a less complicated way than the Manga so that spectators who
are unfamiliar with plot. There are no real relationships throughout the
narrative, there are hints towards a possible romance throughout the three
movies and this is to not complicate the science-fiction genre which already
complicated enough. Even though Kenji is classed as a protagonist, it would
seem that the only reason that he is fighting the evil cult is because he is
being forced to simply for the reason that his family and friends are in
danger. The film is making comparisons with Nazism by expressing its fears over
cult religion effects on society and its influence over people personal
morality. Kenji is portrayed as a messiah type character that is condemned by
society for he is classed as a terrorist and the narrative on a whole makes
references to Christianity. The concept of the book of prophecy is derived from
the concept of the Bible, the homeless man in the story is called God and other
characters are described as being chosen. It is not surprising that
Christianity is an important inspiration to the story simply because it impacts
on a global scale and 20th Century Boys is depicting a
religion that impacts some of society on a wide scale.
In the second chapter the audience is
introduced to Kanna Endo who is the niece of Kenji. Kanna continues the battle with
the evil cult and therefore is the female protagonist
of the story, but it would seem that she is in more danger than Kenji because
the evil cult is in fact oppressing society, which seems to be a very senseless
and unconcerned population who appear to be grave danger. Kanna is seen to be rebellious
towards authority, Kanna is conscious of the corrupt nature of society;
furthermore her uncle has been categorized as a terrorist figure and Kanna is
forced to be the main female protagonist even though she is an adolescent.
Kanna sets out to expose the evil cult, she and her friend Kyoto journey to an
amusement park there Kanna goes to
determine the cults weaknesses. It would seem that the book of prophecy is
causing problems of the character by in some way inspiring the evil cult which
is unclear to the spectator at this time and the cult are becoming a global
phenomenon.
The last chapter marks
the return of Kenji, the narrative does not concentrate of any individual
character because the narrative is directing toward it climax where the
character are divided by their ethics. The narrative is quite similar to other
Japanese apocalyptic fiction such as X (1992) which is written by Clamp, the
character are separated by those who want to protect humanity and those who
want to terminate life.
20th
Century Boys is an extremely well designed
production which is constructed on a large scale and it would appear that Japan
is capable of producing films of this quality and it is unnecessary for
Hollywood to adapt these narratives. Music symbolises freedom throughout
storyline, the character have been adapted very well from the Manga, it would
seem as though the narrative follows better if the audience has a prior
knowledge of the Manga and it also generates a fascination for the spectator to
gain more understanding for the characters. Kanna is a consistent personality
throughout both narratives, unlike the film the Manga describes Kyoto as being
a popular but naïve individual whereas Kanna is a socially awkward person, so
the two characters do not interact at first and their relationship develop
throughout narrative.
The internet enables
the audience to read Manga worldwide, there are thousands of titles available
to choose from, with a number of genres to suit a range of tastes. Products can
be downloaded or imported to the spectator’s leisure, but the only negative
aspect of this is the expensive cost.
Battle Royale (2000)
The concept of the narrative is based on an alternative future where
teenagers fight to the death. This does not appear to be an original idea,
instead it appears to be a notion that has been adapted throughout time and
continues to inspire other narratives such as the Japanese movie called Tokyo 10+01. Unlike the literature, it
would appear that the film only concentrates on the main characters, but the
film contains unnecessary additions to the main narrative like categorising
characters that are a part of the main narrative in the literature as being
additional characters or as they are referred to as transfer students.
Mitsuko is a consistent character throughout all narratives; she is the
main female antagonist with a straight forward goal and this to survive the
game. Mitsuko is an extremely complicated character who appears to be a loner
because she is a very sexualised character and misunderstood. Mitsuko is the
female antagonist for she is psychotic due to her abuse as a child;
unfortunately in the film other characters are not willing to fight back which
is boring or even unrealistic whereas in the literature narrative more
characters want to survive the game. Unfortunately the two weakest characters
win the game in all narrative forms simply for a moralistic ending but they
have not achieved anything throughout the story that indicates that the deserve
to win and it would seem that Noriko is favoured in the film to the degree of
being saved from being killed by Mitsuko which is an impracticable element to
the narrative:
In the Manga version the characters are identified more specifically,
the readers engage with the character more freely and have a better understanding
of their motivations. Characters have their own section of the Manga which is interesting
to see the characters reaction to their situation that they are experiencing
but in the movie some characters are not mentioned or even seen. Takako is
explained better in the Manga as being a female protagonist unlike Mitsuko but
has similar characteristics to Mitsuko, like she is a complicated personality
who is also misunderstood but she seems to be a moralistic version of Misuko.
Mitsuko is symbolised as being a damaged doll or just her innocence was taken
from her and Mitsuko seems to destroy everything she touches. The two transfer
students characters in the film have a more believable narrative in the Manga
and the literature, to the point of the characters relationships with other
classmates, makes more sense:
The whole narrative surrounds the game which surrounds the characters on
many levels, the literature narrative seems to concentrate on the characters
psychological aspects. The author tries to explain the reasoning behind
complicated characters such as Mitsuko and this make the characters more
interesting than they appear in the films. The audiences are able to interact
with the product in diverse ways, they are encouraged to gain knowledge with
the narrative and gain an appreciation for the characters. The costumes are
easily recognisable so a fan can dress up like the characters or buy various other
merchandise which is related to the film and therefore interact with characters
in many different ways.
Death
Note (2006)
Death Note is a Manga that has been adapted into a live-action and television
Anime. It is a well merchandised series throughout the world and Hollywood have
become extremely interested in the narrative that appears to have become
popular, so are interested in reproducing the live-action movie which has to be
seen. The Death Note universe like Battle Royale has become iconic to fans
and it is easy to mimic aspects of the story. Items of the story that have been
merchandised are video games of certain character of story, animated films that
add depth to the main narrative, plush toys of versions character and even
items of clothing that is designed like the characters.
Light is the main character that is struggling with the concept of
society’s law system so the Death Note
is glamourized from the beginning for the audience relate to Lights prospective
of society. Light is perceived to be the male protagonist but becomes
controlled by the Death Note becoming
extremely selfish and in fact becomes a murderer. When L is introduced to the
audience it is apparent to the spectator that L is the true protagonist which
alters Lights persona as the antagonist. L is perceived as being childlike in
the way he presents himself but despite this he is exceptionally intelligent
and the element to the narrative perceives conflict between generational acknowledgements
throughout society. The pairs opinions do not appear to be taken seriously,
even though L and Light can achieve more than the average person it would seem
that their youth makes it harder to be acknowledged.
The Death Note is referenced
as a weapon, the audience observe Light slipping more into his antagonist role
as any his morality finally terminates and he is willing to harm his own
family. Misa even though she is controlled by Light, is still a female
protagonist simply because her intentions are untainted, but she is also naïve
because Light is willing enough to consider destroying her. Even though she is
famous and blessed in many ways she chooses to be controlled by Light.
Ironically Light’s father is another male protagonist throughout the narrative
and goes to extraordinary lengths to save humanity from peril dangers. Some
aspects of the Manga’s narrative were far too complex, for example when L dies
they replace him with another character that resembles L and it almost sets
away from the original narrative just to introduce another character.
Death Note is a very high profiled Manga that received numerous
platforms of merchandise that the audiences relate to very well and the concept
of the Death Note is something that
fans could fantasize about almost like the concept of superhero movies. Fans identify with the characters simply
because they have real human emotions, they are not just labeled as being good
and evil but instead it is a matter of person interpretation of the characters
intentions.
The story of the machine: cyberpunk, merchandising and
globalization
There are many different sub genres including science-fiction which
reflect on humanity’s fundamental conflict with an uncertain future, the
narrative consists of a gothic, dark and even apocalyptic theme. However, the
fantasy element to the narratives also presents a distraction for the fan to
escape their daily lives, fans develop attachments to characters or the
philosophical significance behind the narrative and therefore become major
consumers to their products of a potentially alternative reality. Films follow
a cyberpunk notion, cyberpunk is basically anti-technology or just an anxiety
over humanities reliance over it dependency over technology and how it could
possibly corrupt society. Narratives of
a fantasy of a science-fiction theme seem to derive from a universal theme of a
modern and ancient concept. Narratives are established for a range of daring
and specific preferences that fan interact with:
Japan adapt narratives such as fairytales so the ideas can be
interrupted into a more sexual or even impression of the original plot so that
they attract a mature fandom. Fighting monsters is a concept that a lot of
narrative use whether it be a horror, action or even science-fiction genre, but
in films like Akira the monstrous
force is one that can take over the body and take away individuals humanity.
Ironically this technology is being controlled by the government; Akira is similar to Death Note for it has exploiting adolescences to the point of
experiencing on humans but the teenagers are the only citizens who are willing
to battle the enemy which empowers the youths and they are categorized as being
rebellious:
Cyberpunk reflects society’s fears of any form of mutilation of the
human form, also a fear of global destruction or the concept that technology
will corrupt civilisation. The narrative of the very destructive adolescences
seem to be a reused idea throughout Japanese fiction, Battle Royale and Death Note
both show this narrative, there is a clear division or alienation depicted to
be directed towards the adolescence which trigger off their destructive nature.
Labelling characters in terms of their
roles such as protagonist or antagonist is a little pointless for there are no
real favoured individuals, it would seem that in Japanese fiction that the
antagonist also can be favoured if the motive is more plausible and there is no
guarantee of a certain personality being victorious:
Even though the antagonists are characters who are doing things that
are wrong, it would seem that Japan tries to present some kind of reasoning
behind the characters behaviour and reveal the antagonist to be merely human
rather than the biblical sense of philosophy. The antagonist has developed a
destructive attitude so it would appear to reasonable or moralistic for the
protagonist to triumph, but coincidently it would seem that the narratives does
not focus on the idealism of good v.s. evil for humans are far more complicated
than that. Do these narratives reflect of what society is capable of
doing? Are these narratives warning the
next generation of a dangerous future or is it simply a form of philosophy that
already exists which has been passed down each generation:
Japan seem to obsess about technology being a corrupt force but it
would seem that it is not merely a bad device for the internet has presented a
portal of opportunity for the Japan to gain more fandom and essentially become
a global product. Products can be purchased a lot easier than about 10 years
ago, there are websites that are dedicated solely on Japanese products and mainstream
stores dedicate sections of the store for Japanese products such as Forbidden
Planet (comic store) and HMV (megastore). Fans go to great lengths to import
Japanese products despite how expensive this may be, they develop an attachment
for these products and become engrossed with the culture that surround them:
Japanese products such as Manga and Anime have gained global
recognition, so it is not a surprise that they have produced adaptations of
their popular culture for their already marketable products. For instance,
Manga is easily available by international audiences in locations such as on
newsstands, they are obtained in sections
of a bookstore and many other locations including on the internet where fans can
obtain them for free, but nonetheless, fans do prefer their Manga in a more
physical form. There is a marketplace available in the United States for
Japanese goods therefore it is significant to Japan to maintain their liaison
with the United States so Japanese studios are targeting their products toward
both a American and Japanese viewer. Viz introduced Japans well-established
comic book named Shone Jump into the
United States everywhere around 2002 and were intending to trade 1 million
issues a month by 2005. Japanese products have become more globally
commercialised, it would seem that Japan has improved financially so that they
can produce more advanced concepts and their special effects are at a similar
quality to Hollywood standards:
Authors are producing narratives with the intention of producing movie
versions of the product, authors are more commercially aware of their
narratives and understand that fans want to be more involved with concepts like
characters. Fans are willing to dress like certain characters and go to great
lengths to imitate certain characteristic of the personalities by even playing
video games. As well as comic book conventions, it would seem that fans are
willing to go to extreme lengths to interact with their obsessions such as they
are willing to visit Studio Ghibli’s museum which is based in Toky. Although it
appears to be extremely expensive, it gives the fans an opportunity to interact
with the narratives in another manner which even Disney do to ploy fans into
purchasing more merchandise:
Today Anime is just as popular as it was in the 1960’s, if not more
so. Anime and Manga has become increasingly more accepted by each generation
that passes. Comparing Japanese products
with American products such as comic books, reflect upon their popularity on
certain audience types, so it seems viable to adapt these narratives into
live-action edition. Additionally, the United States have influenced Japan to
do this merely to enhance their sale figures, but the United States are only
enthusiastic about retailing Japanese products that have a distinctive fandom:
Since the Japanese
products are easily accessible on a global scale and these products are not as
costly as they once was. Manga is not
aimed for a primarily male audience, so therefore it has gained a wider
following in the United States over the last decade and these narratives are
sounded with ideology. In terms of
reflecting on modern day society, Misa wears through the narrative her Lolita
clothing which is a very popular fashion in Japan and probably the rest of the
world. Lolita clothing imitates the Victorian period, they also appear to look
a little doll like and it is apparent that it is a fetish for men for women to
dress in the manner of young girls. It is clearly apparent that in Japanese
fiction there are two contrasting ideals of the female personality for on the
one hand they devise an extremely strong minded female character and on the
other the females are delicate which is symbolic to the concept of domination. The
narrative is attempting to appeal to a female audience without alienating a
male audience whereas the female fans are concerned with the endearing
principles of Japanese culture; they value Japanese fashion or even plush toys
of specific characters or various fashionable accessories which are pretty:
Through the internet
it is possible to discover more about Japanese culture as you can download many
different applications through the websites including games, literature and
even television programmes that are exclusive to Japan. There are set
categories of Japanese fiction such as Manga, these are as following: Kodomomuke which is aimed for children, Shonen Manga which is
aimed for adolescent boys, Shojo Manga
which is aimed for adolescent girls, Seinen Manga
which is aimed for adult men and Josei Manga
which is aimed for adult females which have monthly magazine dedicated to them.
The internet offers an opportunity to connect with author of these products or
other fans of their interest which give them discuss their preference further:
It is a common practice for fans to dress up as various characters at conventions;
this is a practice that happens on a global scale so that fans of a somewhat ‘nerdy’
fashion can connect to the hobby with the assistance of other followers. Japanese
culture is being exported to a worldwide audience but the only problem is that
not all of the products are being distributed through the United States so only
popular products are benefiting which mean that in the present day more product
are being imported because popularity is increasing. It is the United States
that the main distributer of product on a worldwide scale:
All generations share an interest in these products but the older
generations have developed a profound bond with the consumption of these
products and generate interest for these products of the next generation of consumer’s.
Most of the merchandise is designed to be cute so that they attract consumers
who either are children or have attachments to the product from their childhood
whether they are male or female this is irrelevant for merchandise is seen to
be genderless. The characters that are presented are a little different for the
western interstation of characters so they appeal to a very distinctive
audience member who is looking for a partial type of narrative:
Conclusion
The
‘Americanization’ of japan is itself one of the mutated flowers of Hiroshima:
and these slumbering, heraldic monsters, stung to outrage by (usually) atomic
testing, are a half-dream of vengeance coupled with a truly terrifying sense of
self-annihilation of (McConnell 34) for each reason, and from both Japanese and
American cultural viewpoints, it is apparent that basic fear and guilt and
anxiety (Anisfield 1995,
p.56).
There is a slight
conflict of interest between America and Japan when it comes to national
identity for their cultural backgrounds
are far dissimilar. America have a habit
of reusing Japanese narratives with film such as the Ring (2002), The Grudge
(2004), Pulse (2006), and One Missed Call (2008) and America
continue to adapt Japanese films into their own interpretations to the extreme
of rumours circulating about forthcoming
movie remakes. Fans of the original materials
do not appreciate the remakes but it appears that America dominates the film
industry and wants to fill the market for audience who do not appreciate
subtitled movies. There are clear differences between the United States and Japans
interaction with culture for in Japan individuals collect cultural objects as
social group but in America they collect cultural objects individually, as part
of a personal experience. Social groups in America seem to be more particular
about members for the social codes of conduct whereas Japanese social groups
are more understanding of personal circumstances and this shows that comic
culture has an impact on the two societies in different ways as their
interactions are diverse:
Video games are an important section of culture as video games
characters have been adapted into film narrative and sometimes the other way
around. The video game Tatsunoko vs
Capcom displays various characters from Anime or other narratives which
most notably would concern the character Casshan and Yatterman which follow the
Japanese tradition of have alternative narrative forms. This is a modern concept in term of most
industries whereas in Hollywood, Marvel, DC comics or even Japanese studios,
the appeal of producing video games seems to be on an overall high as they are
willing to spend vast amounts of money on video games, so they can interact
with their hobby more and there are more game consoles being produced. It is
apparent that Japan has become very symbolic in its very dark prospective on
the world and many films have followed in the footsteps of Battle Royale’s success such as Suicide
Club (2002) which follows the events leading up to the suicides of various
teenagers but the concept of the film is based on the concern of suicidal
citizens of Japan or just the concern of suicide throughout society. Japan produces films that force the audience
to question society or even question their own role throughout society by
touching on dark and many apocalyptic narratives, but this is something that
Hollywood does not do for Hollywood produce films that produce only for the
spectacle. However, from another prospective these media base platforms could
be seen as a distraction from social issues because there are many different
platforms of narrative which are adapted for the audience to interact with, so
maybe this is just a diversion of peoples demanding modern lifestyles:
Fans have formed an alliance with various Japanese programs such as Animes
which they produce their own interactive feedback or homage to the show by
creating online communities. There is a
large Anime fan base on YouTube who interact with Anime products in which case
abridging or fan dubbing appears to be extremely popular in the Anime
community. The concept of abridging Anime is to adapt the original inspiration
of the Anime and to dub it to your own personal prospect of the Anime, so that
other fans may see the Anime in another light. It also it gives the fans the
opportunity to imitate the role even further by becoming the characters in
another way. There are other ways that the fan can interact with other supports
online because the internet offers the prospect to voice the opinion of fans by
producing fan art, blogs or even podcasts :
Taylor discusses the concept that that people interact with Japanese toys
and fashion because they are childish or girlish in appearance so they are
non-threatening to their audience. In terms of Battle Royale, Miksuko is seen to be girlish or a non-fretting entity
simply because of her feminine charm, whereas in reality she is as capable as
the male characters. Japan is split down the middle with two opposite forms of
ideologies, the first being its obsession with vulgar gory imagery and the
other is obsessed with cartoony childish narratives which seem to interact very
well. Childish imagery is something that individuals interact with when they
are growing up and become attached to over the course of time. Products like
Hello Kitty are popular from a global prospective, also they offer fashion
accessories of individual of all ages simply because there is a market and
Taylor states it is something people do not grow out of:
So to conclude, Japan are a nation obsessed with tradition which has
been adapted throughout their work in many media platforms including Manga,
Anime, literature and even Video Games. Characters are appealing and the
narratives are filled with political messages designed to warn people of
self-destruction or destruction of society. There are conflicts between
American and Japanese culture even though the United States benefit Japan on a
global scale it still appears that Hollywood adapt Japanese narratives, so it
is essential for Japan to adapt their own materials to prevent this from
happening. Adaptations of Manga introduce audience to new narratives and Manga
increases sales which also mean that their social circle increases. It also
apparent that fans of Japanese Anime also could interested in American comic
books such as Marvel so this audience base will attend social events such as a
Cosplay, therefore America benefit from the importation of Japanese products.
The relationship between Japan and the United States is a mutual understanding
which sometimes is misused for the means of fandom or profit but it is
understandable why America are interested in Japan, simply because their ideas
are diverse. The only problem with Japan is their dependency with America,
there are far more narratives available from Japan which do not get imported in
other countries and fans have to use the internet to watch or even download these
materials. However, there is still far more DVDs available than there have been
in the past for America to recognize the marketable potential. Battle
Royale made a huge
impact on western society and it would seem that it was around the same time
that Spirited Away (2001) made a
similar impact on Disney which also made Studio Ghibli global sensation, hence
why Japan have become a worldwide sensation. There has always been fandom Japan
or Japanese products but as technology evolved it would seem that the internet
allows these products to be more accessible and fans can recreate narratives
with their own perspective added to the plot. Death Note has a well-established fandom, even before it was
released as a movie and has become more symbolic through its release. So it
appears that fans want to see more Japanese movies in the future and because
the success of Manga lives action film or even just Anime, there is a market
for these products.
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