In the world of anime, there are countless quantities of varied series. As an American, it becomes somewhat difficult to see as much anime as desired, because it mainly is created in Japan. The word anime is Japanese for animation. This type of cartoon became attractive at a young age, and therefore I will examine one of the most popular anime series to date, Dragon Ball Z. Firstly, this television series had three versions, Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball GT. Dragon Ball involved the main character at a young age, was light-hearted and more appropriate for younger views as well as adults. Dragon Ball Z was focused on the adulthood of the protagonist, was darker and increasingly violent, and thus aggrandized my interest. The last, Dragon Ball GT, although somewhat unfamiliar to me, had many of the characteristics of Dragon Ball Z, but had the original protagonists offspring as the focus, although many of the traditional characters made appearances. One of the reasons that Dragon Ball Z had so much popularity was that it moved away from the innocence of its prior series Dragon Ball. The predominant character in both series is Goku, who is an extraterrestrial being with astounding abilities. He comes from a race that is called the Saiyan. In the Dragon Ball series, Goku is a child and has many adventures, which introduce many pivotal figures in the series. I always felt that Dragon Ball was too childish for my taste, but was informative and introduced many important themes and character histories that were somewhat intriguing. When Dragon Ball Z started, Goku had become an adult and honed his talents to become one of the greatest fighters on the earth. By utilizing teachings in the Dragon Ball series he can fight at super speed, fly, release energy, and other incredible feats. Additionally, he has married his wife, Chi-Chi and has produced a son, Gohan. When the series begins, some of its best qualities are immediately noticed. This television program does not hesitate on the action, and fights are prompt, lengthy, and violent. The viewers are quickly introduced to Piccolo, who is a Namek, a race that has the qualities of green skin and antennae, many of the traditional elements of the original alien. He too has amazing abilities and becomes Gokus rival. They eventually have conflicts, and Piccolo becomes a secretive and interesting character, due to his incredible intelligence and discipline. Eventually, more Saiyans arrive, and Goku and Piccolo become allies as they try to save the Earth from its demise. From here on Piccolo becomes a friend and a secondary protagonist. This is where we see the true beauty of the show. Although many of the characters find themselves at odds with one another, they forge allies quickly, especially when they are in danger. It is difficult to gauge when one is a foe or a friend. Vegeta is then introduced, who is also a Sayian and although is defeated by Piccolo and Goku, remains on earth, astounded by Gokus power and his kind nature. Vegeta is the prince of the Saiyans, arrogant, power-hungry, and opposite to Goku. Although he becomes an ally, he never really is well-liked by the group of characters. Goku also has allies who are from planet earth, but they tend to be rather weak in terms of fighting abilities and are usually relied on for comic relief or as the reason for Goku to protect the earth. The most prevalent human characters are Krillin and Yamcha, as well as Bulma. There also is Tien and Chiaotzu, who are extra-terrestrials and make many appearances as well. Although many of these characters have back-stories in Dragon Ball, the main focus is on the characters Vegeta, Goku, and Gohan up to this point, being that they are the strongest and most pivotal to the protection of the earth. One of the most curious elements of the whole show is that Goku is the most talented and strongest warrior, but he uses his powers for good, rather than evil. This question is prevalently asked by Vegeta, who finds it flooring that another of his race is staying on earth for its protection rather than its take over. Furthermore, the relationship between Vegeta and Goku is very amusing. Vegeta wants to be the strongest in the universe and works as hard as he can to attain that goal. However, Goku who is more laid back always seems to be ahead of him, which Vegeta finds deplorable. As the series progresses, we are introduced to other various characters such as Vegetas future son Trunks. However, the real main antagonists of the show are the villains. As aforementioned some of the villains became allies, but after Vegeta most of the villains that are seen are so evil that it comes down to killing or being killed. Dragon Ball Z does a great job of introducing new and intimidating evildoers that makes the viewer worried about the characters they have grown to love. (Dragon Ball Z characters) You do care about them, and want to get to know more about them. (AnimeReview). Moreover, there is a theme of love that is hidden in the series. In one of the sagas, Goku reaches an amazing power level because he has to protect those who have become close to him. This ability is called Super Sayian, and although on the outside it seems like just another remarkable talent, it can only be achieved by letting everything go, which is eventually realized by Vegeta. Dragon Ball Z is a multi-faceted show that primarily seems like another violent male-dominated show but brings up important themes that are prevalent in everyday life as well as asking the most extreme in inquiry. Would you sacrifice yourself for the betterment of the human race or your loved ones?
Various anime series and animations of other styles are different primarily for two reasons. The first one is that anime is often defined as Japanese animation, as most of it made in Japan is called anime. The other reason is that anime is not only a style but also a genre of animation in some sense. The specifics of it lie in a distinct drawing style which is only seen in anime, and the characteristics of the genre in terms of how different things are depicted in scenes. For example, emotional expressions, dialogues, and battles have their tone in anime compared to other animation styles. Even though the difference between them is not defined by one factor, the characteristics mentioned are sufficient to identify the genre in most cases.
The perception of anime by non-Japanese consumers does not differ significantly from that of viewers from Japan. It seems that non-Japanese fans understand the cultural context of the animations they are watching because most anime viewers are interested in Japanese culture as well. Therefore, mostly, it is any kind of animation for both categories. Anime is divided into subgenres of all kinds, and certainly, some viewers prefer ones to others. Nevertheless, they are aware of the existence of other titles that may be very different from each other in terms of realism, the presence of violence, romanticism, and many other aspects that vary in genres.
The concept of communication presented in Stuart Halls theory seems the most appropriate to explain the distribution of popular culture. The model suggests three types of interpretation regarding the level of information being interpreted compared to what the initial source meant. The full understanding of initial meaning, particular rejection, and absolute rejection of intended interpretation are these levels of decoding. This measure may vary due to gender, education, ethics, cultural context, and many other social factors. When viewing anime from this perspective, it seems that the specifics of the genre make it understandable not only to Japanese viewers but to fans worldwide as well.
The strategy of the Japanese manga industry is very developed in terms of distributing content worldwide, yet it considers the local market as well. The presence of different magazines that publish manga is related to the existence of different groups of consumers. These groups are usually defined by gender and age, as they affect their interests. Nevertheless, the consumer groups cross not only for the reason of interest but for the reason of the cheapness of manga journals. Manga is usually printed in monochrome coloring, which makes the production costs even lower. Because of this, often manga journals are left in different waiting rooms, school classes, and public transport stations. This is the reason many consumers get engaged in exploring genres that are not initially intended to be distributed to them, yet it provides the genres with new fans. Manga journals are posted on the internet as well, which increases their accessibility.
The distribution of manga in other Asian countries is one of the goals of the industry. Despite this, there are cultural and social specifics that have to be considered when developing marketing strategies for these markets. For example, the Chinese government prohibited the distribution of some manga titles because of erotic content or social and political reasons. Besides, South Korea has its genre of comics called manhwa, and local consumers might be prejudiced towards manga because they claim that manhwa has no association with manga in terms of its development. In the United States, it seems that the main strategy that should be adopted is to avoid scanlations. The scanlations are the unofficial distribution of manga translated by fans themselves. This not only takes away earnings from distributors but negatively affects the interpretation of the material as well.
One of Naruto’s famous sayings was “Real strength is not what you have when fighting for only yourself. When you have something special that you want to protect, only then can you become truly strong!” (Lina, 2015). This is one of Naruto Uzumaki’s famous inspirational quotes throughout the Japanese series Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, and Boruto. During the series of Naruto and Naruto Shippuden, Naruto Uzumaki ends up fighting his way to the top, achieving his goal, and becoming known as the seventh Hokage. Naruto and Naruto Shippuden are about a ninja named Naruto Uzumaki who goes on several missions with his friends and mentor and has grown throughout the series becoming a very powerful ninja through training and battles. Naruto Uzumaki proves to have gone through several character developments and has grown overall throughout the series. Naruto has shown his growth throughout the series from a 12/13-year-old boy who is learning more about what he wants to become in the future and his abilities, to a 17-year-old teenager who is determined to become a strong-willed ninja and become the Hokage, to a ninja possessed by the nine-tailed fox, and finally to a teenage boy who finally learned to control his power and become known as the 7th Hokage.
In “Naruto”, the viewers are introduced to the protagonist who is named Naruto Uzumaki. In the beginning, Naruto Uzumaki was a kid who was reckless and caused trouble to the grown-ups not caring about the consequences. He is proven troublesome toward the grownups while he lived in the village. In the anime, Naruto has blonde hair that is spiky and blue eyes. He also has some form of whiskers on the sides of his face. He wore an orange jumpsuit and wore a pair of goggles on his head to substitute as a head protector that is given to shinobis when they pass a test in school. Throughout the series, Naruto is shown to be determined to become a shinobi and become the Hokage, but people do not believe he could live up to his dreams because he could not summon clones for the test and become a ninja. But through determination and his strong personality, he ends up proving everyone wrong and gets his headband which shows he is a shinobi. As said before, Naruto wore an orange jumpsuit where the orange could represent his enthusiasm and determination throughout the series. The blue that is on his shoulders could represent his confident, trustworthy, and loyal personality. As the series goes on, Naruto makes two friends who are introduced as the other main characters, Sasuke and Sakura, and the viewers can notice the difference between each character. But later in the series, as Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto started to become closer, Sasuke ends up leaving and betraying Naruto Uzumaki.
3 years later, Naruto comes back to the village, where he is welcomed back and reunited with his friends. The viewers can see the changes in Naruto’s new outfit and how he has matured and become wiser. Naruto Uzumaki’s new jumpsuit only contains two colors, black, and orange. As the viewers can see, the blue from his previous outfit was gone. This could symbolize Naruto’s lack of trust and faith. Since his best friend Sasuke Uchiha betrayed him, he feels that he was betrayed and lost his trust in his best friend. But he still has a strong-minded personality and is determined to get his friend back. This shows his determination through the color orange in his new outfit. But the black in his outfit portrays death and power. Throughout the Naruto Shippuden Series, Naruto goes through and experiences several deaths such as his mentor, Jiraiya who was one of his closest friends and teacher. But through those deaths, he became powerful and more determined to defeat the enemy. This shows how through his outfits people can notice how the colors are portrayed throughout the series and symbolize several meanings. But viewers can also see the similarities in Naruto throughout the series, such as how he is always dressed in jumpsuits and how he always wears orange and his headband. This can illustrate to the viewers how even though Naruto Uzumaki is growing up and becoming wiser and stronger, some parts of him will stay constant and symbolize how his determination is what made him stronger as he grew.
As Naruto continued to grow and become stronger, he trained to control his abilities of the nine-tailed fox which was imputed into his body for safekeeping and used as a weapon. As he grew stronger and started to control the nine-tailed fox’s power, he started to become more and more powerful. This proved to be hard for Naruto to control the nine-tailed fox’s power, which resulted in the nine-tailed fox using this to his advantage and using Naruto as a vessel to gain control of his body. Naruto was violent and aggressive toward others and started to harm others, even harming his best friend Sakura Huron. But that was not the last occurrence and he lost control of his emotions and the nine-tailed fox used Naruto again to show his hatred toward humankind for trapping him in a boy, aka Naruto Uzumaki. During a fight against an enemy known as pain, Naruto loses control again and transformed into the nine-tailed fox but only when he had 4 tails. The viewers can notice his drastic change to the nine-tailed fox. His appearance is red, and he has a red aura his eyes are wide and pure white, with no pupils, and his mouth is like the mouth of a scary Jack o’ lantern. This gives the audience scary and dangerous vibes from Naruto and shows how he is aggressive and fearful. The red could symbolize danger, anger, and power. Naruto lost control because of his friend who ended up being harmed which shows how he is angry, and the red can portray how that anger affected Naruto and caused him to lose control. As well as power, because in this form he shows great power and fights against the enemies using this power representing the strength of the nine-tailed fox’s power.
Later in the Naruto Shippuden series, Naruto trains and trains until he can control the power of the nine-tailed fox. He successfully learns to control the power of the nine-tailed fox and is introduced as Kurama and becomes friends with Naruto. When Naruto officially becomes friends with Kurama and helps Naruto become stronger and more powerful, a war starts between the Shinobi and the bad guy. This encourages Naruto to come and help his friends fight his newly founded power with the help of Kurama. He ends up inheriting a new appearance with his new abilities. He ends up being surrounded by an orange aura and engulfed by yellow and black symbols on his outfit. The yellow could represent intellect and power. Throughout the series, Naruto has proven to be a powerful person and helping others with that power and protecting his loved ones, and became known as a hero. And he has grown wiser and become more powerful and his outfits throughout the war have shown how powerful he did become and how much he has developed as a character. His yellow aura represents how he is still optimistic and his positive personality and how he was able to encourage people with his positive attitude. The yellow could also represent the friendship between his colleagues and his old best friend who is reunited with him again. This shows how much he developed as a character and is no longer the immature kid who is reckless and acts without thinking to a more mature and wiser adult who is strong-willed and more determined.
In conclusion, Naruto Uzumaki has proven to be a well-written protagonist that viewers enjoy watching. Naruto has represented Japanese values and through value representation, Naruto has represented current Japanese culture. For example, in “Naruto” and “Naruto Shippuden” manga and anime, woman is portrayed as strong individuals but mostly is there to support the main male characters (Harvey, 2019). Naruto has been part of Japanese pop culture for a long time even to this day, Naruto has been continuing as a big part of Japanese culture and expanded across the world. He has developed and started from the reckless kid who caused trouble, to an older kid learning how to become stronger and become a full-fledged ninja and the Hokage, to a kid who was losing control of his power, to someone who tamed his power and became the 7th Hokage and known as a hero. This shows how through visual representation he has shown his growth as the main character and continued to thrive even in the new series “Boruto” as the 7th Hokage and a parent.
Jojo’s bizarre adventure (JBA) is a fighting Japanese anime that was adapted from the manga(comic). The comments of the anime are two extremes. Some people love this anime , but some people can’t accept its unique style of painting, so why is this anime so popular? This report analyses and comments on the anime in an objective way.
Painting style
The painting style of JBA is unique, people can find out the anime is JBA with only the painting style, this is also one of the main features of JBA, but on other hand, some people find out that it is really hard to accept the painting style because the painting style of JBA is very rough, it contains strong contrast, thick lines, 3D onomatopoeia(sound effect) and the “JoJo Pose”(An action that is basically impossible for humans, this is used to reflect the tension of anime), which is not completely correct, . Objectively, the painting style is very hard to accept, but if the people keep watching, they will get used to the painting style which is called “Social Psychology”in science. If people still cannot accept it, people can start watching the anime from season four or five because the painting style of JBA is neater and less buff, so basically the painting style of JBA is not a defect, it is more likely to be a sign of this anime
Costume design
The costume design of JBA reflect the style and the disposition of each character, some of the consumes even made headlines on the fashion magazines and were able to sell in Gucci(luxury brand), It is no exaggeration to say that the designs have reached the trend of fashion, and it is a representative of avant garde(futurious and advanced stage). ( All of this is beneficial because the narrator Hirohiko Araki graduated from Sendai Design Training School.) He has made sufficient progress in his painting skills, and it is also a starting point of his “comic road”.
Plot
JBA’s plot is one of the main reasons why JBA is so popular. All the plot of JBA is surrounded by the “golden spirit”, which means that people will never give up, will never fall back in the face of fate. In the first season, after knowing that DIO( villain in the anime)has become an omnipotent vampire, the first Jojo Jonathan still fights against DIO without hesitation, even if in the end he sacrificed himself and DIO was buried under the sea, this is the best manifestation of the golden spirit. Other than that, JBA also got unexpected smart wars and image characterization. It’s not hard to see the author’s intentions in this manga. For JBA plot, people are consistent praise.
Conclusion
In general, JBA is really a connotative and good quality anime based on the quality plot and brilliant costumes, the manga contains the praise to humanity and sublime spirit of golden, plus the unique type of painting and exciting plot made it a masterpiece.
Japan is a nation well loved and respected for its many types of unique and fascinating culture, long and brutal history, and long-standing traditions, such as geishas, tea ceremonies, samurais, gardens, and numerous ancient festivals, which have existed for centuries. It is also well known for cars, fashion and computer games. None other than what most people can refer to as anime is one of the biggest contributions from Japan that is still iconic to this day. Anime, which originally originated from the English word animation, has contributed so much that people around the world who enjoy any kind of genre feel the overwhelming urge to go and visit the country of its birth, and sometimes even learn Japanese.
Anime is a term used to characterize the Japanese animation style and has been around since the beginning of the 20th century. Today, with an industrial value of over 15 billion US dollars, anime and its comic book equivalent, manga, are hugely popular in Japan and beyond. Anime does not only include childrens TV series, but even TV shows for adults and even movies. Anime comprises childrens TV programs, TV shows and films for adults. Although the concept of anime and manga is widely debated, in my view anime is animation and Manga is comic books originating in eastern Asian countries, typically Japan, but now South Korea and China more recently, but all of them have roots in a specific Japanese style.
The themes of anime and manga have changed as the world changed. With freedom of speech in any genre and for any audience, Anime has become one of the greatest prospects today to tell stories in an animated form, which contrasts with conventional cartoons that are mostly targeted at children. When early series such as Dragonball, Astro Boy, Sailor Moon, and Slam Dunk aired, Anime gained popularity in other countries. There are many people who, after watching some of these series, have started to become interested in Japan. They are also motivated to learn Japanese, often. As a reaction, the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) was established in 1984 (SOAS University of London. 2020). As they wrote about their and other social issues and problems, the ever changing world was followed by the writers, not just those that have endured over the years, but also those that are new to our modern society. Anime and manga have often had themes and subjects that they discuss in their works since its beginning in 1952. For instance, to explore how ethical artificial intelligence and cybernetic improvements can be, the first recognized anime,Astro Boy, looked at the theme of robots and androids.
There are various works that have addressed several different subjects, and there are a number of issues that could be suggested for review with the wide variety of anime already developed and the new series beginning each season. This essay will concentrate on 5 different topics and themes: suicide, schools and their strictness, loneliness and exclusion, loss and relationships, with different anime and manga examples associated with each subject. The purpose of this essay is to illustrate how various writers are telling us how to improve society and how to solve these problems. To do this, I will have to state the numerous themes they illustrate and how this is an issue. In order to clarify what my essay is about, I have found some websites that I have searched and I will sum up every study to get directly to the point.
Many individuals remain obsessed with anime. To some people who are not privy to the industry, anime often appears as Japanese cartoons catered for children. While there are certain shows and movies whose target audience are children, many otakus tend to like anime so much for a number of reasons.
Contrary to misconceptions, animation is designed for people of all ages. These have different genres as well in order to appeal and cater to a much wider audience even outside of Japan. Although anime and manga have long been key players in making up Japanese culture, its widespread reach has continued to influence those who live in North America.
Over the years, animated shows and films has cemented itself as a true contender against Western shows and films. As a matter of fact, in 2017, the Japanese anime industry bagged an all-time high of more than 2.15 trillion yen. Part of its success can be owed to the growing expansion and demand outside of Japan, especially in the West and in China.
The popularity and continued success the industry experiences today can be owed to a lot of factors. Some people say they enjoy watching the storylines improve from one episode to another. Meanwhile, others share that they have grown attached to how their favorite characters continue towards their respective journeys in the series.
Taking the World by Storm
Studies say the industry’s success can also be traced to its West-centric creations. As the population of Japan continues to decline, so does the number of viewers and profits the companies make within the country. Partnerships with different Western companies allowed Japanese creators and artists not only to produce shows and movies that are more palatable to a broader audience but one that required fewer expenses.
Other scholars who have studied the craze surrounding the Japanese world of animation says the collaborative efforts and creativity from various sectors all factored in the rise of anime. From the input of the artists down to the feedback and reception from fans, each niche contributed greatly to shaping the world of anime today.
Enthralling Storylines
There’s no surprise that most people stay for the vibrant sense of energy that animated shows and films impart. It appears that one of the main reasons why people like anime so much is that it offers them a wide range of perspectives on life, culture, and everything else in between.
The storylines are engaging and thought-provoking primarily because these provide social commentary on past, present, and future landscape, even touching on political notes that resonate with viewers around the globe. Adult themes such as wars, destruction, and death leaves viewers with a devastating yet realistic view of life. Other topics and storylines also revolve around the concepts of morality, acceptance, and friendship.
Despite being presented in a colorful and animated cartoon style, most of these shows and film present themes that would have been otherwise challenging to present and discuss in real life. Through these avenues, viewers have a more solid grasp of what these topics and themes are like. By extensions, viewers are able to identify these issues in real-life situations, and by extension, identify and examine how they feel about these ideas.
Take for example of one of the most harrowing animated films to exist on the planet, Grave of the Fireflies. Created by none other than Studio Ghibli, the movie follows two siblings who desperately tried to navigate their way and fend for themselves during the Second World War. This creation took viewers along on an emotional journey that kept them to their feet until the very end. Spoiler alert! Look up and you’ll see that the lights in front of your very eyes are not fireflies at all.
Engaging and enthralling storylines abound if you know where to look. From keeping you entertained with hilarious antics to drawing you in with heartbreaking scenes, anime invites you to look deep within yourself and connect with the story.
Magnificent Artwork
The animated characters in themselves are definitely works of art. Come to think of it, most, if not all of the characters are created with such finesse and detail that you’re hard-pressed to find one that doesn’t live up to expectations in terms of visual impact.
Although it may be quite unfair to compare one industry to another, there’s no denying that hours of hard work go into creating a single scene, much more a single sequence or even a whole movie. Just thinking about the whole creative process and design is exhausting, to say the least. Despite the painstaking and laborious undertakings of artists who work in the industry, each character, movement, and background continue to be one work of art after another.
In the end, the vibrant and colorful visuals tend to draw viewers into what is being shown on the screen, especially at times when these provide a realistic worldview. Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away and Kiki’s Delivery Service perfectly capture landscapes and countries they were originally inspired from. If you look closely, you’ll find that the bathhouse in Spirited Away is largely inspired by a tea house found in Jiufen, Taiwan. Even the array of food featured in the classic Hayao Miyazaki creation was seemingly inspired by the abundant offerings found in the charming mining community.
Whatever the story might be, it’s undeniable that the distinctive styles and approaches by artists and directors alike help add visual interest to their world of anime.
Perfect Soundtracks
Apart from the moving storylines and the detail-oriented illustrations, another reason why people like anime so much is that it provides perfect soundtracks to each and every one of its episodes or films. While some people tend to disregard and brush off the musical scoring of a series, most people believe soundtracks help create and bring the world to life.
The right choice and placement of music can lend a deeper and more emotional aspect of the storyline. After all, the music serves as an underlying component which furthers the scene and makes it more resonant with the viewers.
Animated series and films undergoes a lot of thought process, including finding a great and suitable soundtrack to match the message of the show. Often, the music found in these series and movies elevate and shape new meanings for viewers. Some of the music-laden series and movies that found their way to the hearts of viewers and fans today include Cowboy Bepop directed by Shinichiro Watanabe, Fullmetal Alchemist with its orchestral songs, and Kimi No Na Wa with its heartbreaking soundtrack.
Magical Realm
Watching animated shows transports viewers into a magical realm which allows them to temporarily escape their current mindset and landscape. More than this, animated series and films allow viewers to expand their imaginations and encourage them to cross boundaries. Anime otakus are thrust into a world where they can easily break barriers; they know that the best part of watching anime is being drawn to the endless possibilities being presented to them on-screen. At the same time, these animated renditions provide access for individuals to test and construct how they perceive their notions of what’s real and what’s magical.
Conclusion
The list could go on and on, but we think that this article managed to explain the main reasons why people like anime so much. With witty humor, excellent visuals, and unique storylines, there’s no wonder this industry remains supreme.
Many individuals remain obsessed with anime. To some people who are not privy to the industry, anime often appears as Japanese cartoons catered for children. While there are certain shows and movies whose target audience are children, many otakus tend to like anime so much for a number of reasons.
Contrary to misconceptions, animation is designed for people of all ages. These have different genres as well in order to appeal and cater to a much wider audience even outside of Japan. Although anime and manga have long been key players in making up Japanese culture, its widespread reach has continued to influence those who live in North America.
Over the years, animated shows and films has cemented itself as a true contender against Western shows and films. As a matter of fact, in 2017, the Japanese anime industry bagged an all-time high of more than 2.15 trillion yen. Part of its success can be owed to the growing expansion and demand outside of Japan, especially in the West and in China.
The popularity and continued success the industry experiences today can be owed to a lot of factors. Some people say they enjoy watching the storylines improve from one episode to another. Meanwhile, others share that they have grown attached to how their favorite characters continue towards their respective journeys in the series.
Taking the World by Storm
Studies say the industry’s success can also be traced to its West-centric creations. As the population of Japan continues to decline, so does the number of viewers and profits the companies make within the country. Partnerships with different Western companies allowed Japanese creators and artists not only to produce shows and movies that are more palatable to a broader audience but one that required fewer expenses.
Other scholars who have studied the craze surrounding the Japanese world of animation says the collaborative efforts and creativity from various sectors all factored in the rise of anime. From the input of the artists down to the feedback and reception from fans, each niche contributed greatly to shaping the world of anime today.
Enthralling Storylines
There’s no surprise that most people stay for the vibrant sense of energy that animated shows and films impart. It appears that one of the main reasons why people like anime so much is that it offers them a wide range of perspectives on life, culture, and everything else in between.
The storylines are engaging and thought-provoking primarily because these provide social commentary on past, present, and future landscape, even touching on political notes that resonate with viewers around the globe. Adult themes such as wars, destruction, and death leaves viewers with a devastating yet realistic view of life. Other topics and storylines also revolve around the concepts of morality, acceptance, and friendship.
Despite being presented in a colorful and animated cartoon style, most of these shows and film present themes that would have been otherwise challenging to present and discuss in real life. Through these avenues, viewers have a more solid grasp of what these topics and themes are like. By extensions, viewers are able to identify these issues in real-life situations, and by extension, identify and examine how they feel about these ideas.
Take for example of one of the most harrowing animated films to exist on the planet, Grave of the Fireflies. Created by none other than Studio Ghibli, the movie follows two siblings who desperately tried to navigate their way and fend for themselves during the Second World War. This creation took viewers along on an emotional journey that kept them to their feet until the very end. Spoiler alert! Look up and you’ll see that the lights in front of your very eyes are not fireflies at all.
Engaging and enthralling storylines abound if you know where to look. From keeping you entertained with hilarious antics to drawing you in with heartbreaking scenes, anime invites you to look deep within yourself and connect with the story.
Magnificent Artwork
The animated characters in themselves are definitely works of art. Come to think of it, most, if not all of the characters are created with such finesse and detail that you’re hard-pressed to find one that doesn’t live up to expectations in terms of visual impact.
Although it may be quite unfair to compare one industry to another, there’s no denying that hours of hard work go into creating a single scene, much more a single sequence or even a whole movie. Just thinking about the whole creative process and design is exhausting, to say the least. Despite the painstaking and laborious undertakings of artists who work in the industry, each character, movement, and background continue to be one work of art after another.
In the end, the vibrant and colorful visuals tend to draw viewers into what is being shown on the screen, especially at times when these provide a realistic worldview. Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away and Kiki’s Delivery Service perfectly capture landscapes and countries they were originally inspired from. If you look closely, you’ll find that the bathhouse in Spirited Away is largely inspired by a tea house found in Jiufen, Taiwan. Even the array of food featured in the classic Hayao Miyazaki creation was seemingly inspired by the abundant offerings found in the charming mining community.
Whatever the story might be, it’s undeniable that the distinctive styles and approaches by artists and directors alike help add visual interest to their world of anime.
Perfect Soundtracks
Apart from the moving storylines and the detail-oriented illustrations, another reason why people like anime so much is that it provides perfect soundtracks to each and every one of its episodes or films. While some people tend to disregard and brush off the musical scoring of a series, most people believe soundtracks help create and bring the world to life.
The right choice and placement of music can lend a deeper and more emotional aspect of the storyline. After all, the music serves as an underlying component which furthers the scene and makes it more resonant with the viewers.
Animated series and films undergoes a lot of thought process, including finding a great and suitable soundtrack to match the message of the show. Often, the music found in these series and movies elevate and shape new meanings for viewers. Some of the music-laden series and movies that found their way to the hearts of viewers and fans today include Cowboy Bepop directed by Shinichiro Watanabe, Fullmetal Alchemist with its orchestral songs, and Kimi No Na Wa with its heartbreaking soundtrack.
Magical Realm
Watching animated shows transports viewers into a magical realm which allows them to temporarily escape their current mindset and landscape. More than this, animated series and films allow viewers to expand their imaginations and encourage them to cross boundaries. Anime otakus are thrust into a world where they can easily break barriers; they know that the best part of watching anime is being drawn to the endless possibilities being presented to them on-screen. At the same time, these animated renditions provide access for individuals to test and construct how they perceive their notions of what’s real and what’s magical.
Conclusion
The list could go on and on, but we think that this article managed to explain the main reasons why people like anime so much. With witty humor, excellent visuals, and unique storylines, there’s no wonder this industry remains supreme.
In the world of anime, there are countless quantities of varied series. As an American, it becomes somewhat difficult to see as much anime as desired, because it mainly is created in Japan. The word anime is Japanese for animation. This type of cartoon became attractive at a young age, and therefore I will examine one of the most popular anime series to date, Dragon Ball Z. Firstly, this television series had three versions, Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball GT. Dragon Ball involved the main character at a young age, was light-hearted and more appropriate for younger views as well as adults. Dragon Ball Z was focused on the adulthood of the protagonist, was darker and increasingly violent, and thus aggrandized my interest. The last, Dragon Ball GT, although somewhat unfamiliar to me, had many of the characteristics of Dragon Ball Z, but had the original protagonist’s offspring as the focus, although many of the traditional characters made appearances. One of the reasons that Dragon Ball Z had so much popularity was that it moved away from the innocence of its prior series Dragon Ball. The predominant character in both series is Goku, who is an extraterrestrial being with astounding abilities. He comes from a race that is called the Saiyan. In the Dragon Ball series, Goku is a child and has many adventures, which introduce many pivotal figures in the series. I always felt that Dragon Ball was too childish for my taste, but was informative and introduced many important themes and character histories that were somewhat intriguing. When Dragon Ball Z started, Goku had become an adult and honed his talents to become one of the greatest fighters on the earth. By utilizing teachings in the Dragon Ball series he can fight at super speed, fly, release energy, and other incredible feats. Additionally, he has married his wife, Chi-Chi and has produced a son, Gohan. When the series begins, some of its best qualities are immediately noticed. This television program does not hesitate on the action, and fights are prompt, lengthy, and violent. The viewers are quickly introduced to Piccolo, who is a Namek, a race that has the qualities of green skin and antennae, many of the traditional elements of the original alien. He too has amazing abilities and becomes Goku’s rival. They eventually have conflicts, and Piccolo becomes a secretive and interesting character, due to his incredible intelligence and discipline. Eventually, more Saiyans arrive, and Goku and Piccolo become allies as they try to save the Earth from its demise. From here on Piccolo becomes a friend and a secondary protagonist. This is where we see the true beauty of the show. Although many of the characters find themselves at odds with one another, they forge allies quickly, especially when they are in danger. It is difficult to gauge when one is a foe or a friend. Vegeta is then introduced, who is also a Sayian and although is defeated by Piccolo and Goku, remains on earth, astounded by Goku’s power and his kind nature. Vegeta is the prince of the Saiyans, arrogant, power-hungry, and opposite to Goku. Although he becomes an ally, he never really is well-liked by the group of characters. Goku also has allies who are from planet earth, but they tend to be rather weak in terms of fighting abilities and are usually relied on for comic relief or as the reason for Goku to protect the earth. The most prevalent human characters are Krillin and Yamcha, as well as Bulma. There also is Tien and Chiaotzu, who are extra-terrestrials and make many appearances as well. Although many of these characters have back-stories in Dragon Ball, the main focus is on the characters Vegeta, Goku, and Gohan up to this point, being that they are the strongest and most pivotal to the protection of the earth. One of the most curious elements of the whole show is that Goku is the most talented and strongest warrior, but he uses his powers for good, rather than evil. This question is prevalently asked by Vegeta, who finds it flooring that another of his race is staying on earth for its protection rather than its take over. Furthermore, the relationship between Vegeta and Goku is very amusing. Vegeta wants to be the strongest in the universe and works as hard as he can to attain that goal. However, Goku who is more laid back always seems to be ahead of him, which Vegeta finds deplorable. As the series progresses, we are introduced to other various characters such as Vegeta’s future son Trunks. However, the real main antagonists of the show are the villains. As aforementioned some of the villains became allies, but after Vegeta most of the villains that are seen are so evil that it comes down to killing or being killed. Dragon Ball Z does a great job of introducing new and intimidating evildoers that makes the viewer worried about the characters they have grown to love. “(Dragon Ball Z characters) You do care about them, and want to get to know more about them.” (AnimeReview). Moreover, there is a theme of love that is hidden in the series. In one of the sagas, Goku reaches an amazing power level because he has to protect those who have become close to him. This ability is called Super Sayian, and although on the outside it seems like just another remarkable talent, it can only be achieved by letting everything go, which is eventually realized by Vegeta. Dragon Ball Z is a multi-faceted show that primarily seems like another violent male-dominated show but brings up important themes that are prevalent in everyday life as well as asking the most extreme in inquiry. Would you sacrifice yourself for the betterment of the human race or your loved ones?
Manga means comics in Japan. Anime refers to animated characters. The presentation of anime in manga literature and displays is a motivator of actions in individuals’ behaviors in the world today. The proliferation of this literature has been witnessed due to the increase in technology, and the development of information minded economies. The manga for women is varied in terms of girls and older females. The concern of girls’ manga, also known as Shoja manga, concentrates on relationship, romance and sex.
The Shoja manga is more fantastic and less realistic than the adult women manga that gives more realistic and sometimes brutal honesty on romance and sex. The adult anime and manga for women deals with issues of women at work or in offices, marriage, family sagas, and in-laws.
The writers of the manga, known as manga-ka for adult women, have a tendency to explore the dark, exotic sexual territories. This paper will look at the role that manga and anime has on Japanese women in society. The manga meant for adult women is known Josei Manga (Brenner, 2007).
Manga and anime influence on Japanese women
According to Brenner (2007), the gender reading of manga literature is blurred since at a number of times girls are found to read Shonen manga. For adult men, there is also a tendency to read Shoja manga, although this is only in America. The difference between American and Japanese manga lies in the interpretation of various words and views due to different cultures. However, in Japan, manga has influence on women gender roles in society. Manga and anime’s use of the word picture combinations has a recapitulation of traditional Japan.
The turn of 1970s heralded the influx of women manga-ka who felt that the men oriented Shoja manga lacked the sentimentality needed and expressed by a female audience. This process led to about 400 creative women. Therefore, it signaled the challenge of patriarchal point of view in the Japanese society. Gravett (2004) observes that manga provided the most powerful and female empowering forum for communication.
The plight of women deteriorated during the Mejji era where women were considered of lower class than men. At this age, imperialism and militarism eroded egalitarian ideals of the traditional Japanese wife, daughter, and mother. Resonating in other countries like America, the society has come to recognize and change the injustices against women. Japanese women started to change the differences between women and men as illustrated by Murasaki Shikibu.
Therefore, this strength found echoes in these women who had become scripter of what the woman felt and thought about the world. Thus, the panel took the form of the heart emotions and displayed by either fading or withering flowers.
This was meant to softened rules on borders, as well as overlapped or merged sequences into collages (Gravett, 2004). They used expressions on faces to communicate feelings and thoughts that ranged from fear, terror to confusion, and intoxication also reigned with a hand stroke of the creative women manga-kas.
The creation of what the female world looked and saw things in manga from these women used a plethora expressionistic effects and textures. This emphasized on facial and body posture that geared to capture the characters psychic auras.
In the end, artwork emphasis would disappear in place of dialogue balloons. This led to connection with the reader emotionally and thus Japanese manga-ka stood a chance to focus on genres like science fiction, exploration, social problems, and the issues surrounding women.
The presentation of gender boundaries and forbidden love were some of the early hits of manga-kas. For instance, Riyoko Ikeda was a mangaka whose work, “The Rose of Versailles” in 1972 set the ball rolling towards this important form of art. In this manga, two women are depicted loosing their true feelings for the sake of duty at the height of French Revolution. One lady, Queen Marie-Antoinette, is married to a Crown Prince since childhood and longs for a Swedish count.
The second girl is raised as a nobleman in order to satisfy her father’s need and wishes for a son. Oscar becomes Captain of the Royal Guard. However, she later resigned in order to follow her love, Andre, who is below her in terms of positions in the society. She joins in a battle and dies stressing the importance of women being free from the trappings of feminist.
In the same manga, the relationship between Andre and Oscar, disguised as a male character, explains the idea of women’s view on men. To a great extent, it illustrates that women are interested in love that is pure as represented by beautiful boys depicted in the manga.
The manga are consistently read by females, especially those who view themselves as related in a sister form of relationship. The presentation of aesthetic homosexual figures of manga boys presented the search for love in women who became apparent and ardent readers. Many women mangakas illustrate beautiful symbols that show that the examination of identity and self acceptance, personal fulfillment families, ageing and dying are the main concerns.
In the absence of love, manga reveals situations that young girls would take in various activities like bullying, depression, lesbian attraction, self harming, parental abuse and divorce, and pupil teacher scandals, suicide attempts, and conspiracies to blow up things. The effect of these Shojo manga as revealed in the study by Gravett (2004) that indicated that issues demonstrated by manga found resonance in the actions of women in society.
A female proclaimed that her departure from Japan to London was encouraged by Shojo manga by mangaka Moto Hagio and others. This mangaka had illustrated that people who were brave would chart new courses alone and survive successfully on successive repetitions.
The role of Shojo manga and anime to the Japanese women in the society probably is strongly illustrated by analysis of their influence to contemporary style of women’s writing. Shojo manga had an influence on the novels ‘Cobalt Series’ that can be compared to harlequin romance. Nonetheless, it was written by a man whose theme focused on teenage pregnancies.
The teenage girls were advised through the moral lesson to avoid such pregnancies in order to live life fully. However, the start of the 1970s saw the entry of women writers who composed their work in first person, just as was the case with the anime that got their material from manga.
The use of direct speech in both genres of manga and writing represented the real, lifelike verbal communication. The considerable use of onomatopoeia played a crucial role in representing the adult’s daily use of language to pass emotions and messages that mattered to them.
This was essentially true by comparing men’s writing that never indicated the use of first person. Nevertheless, the men writing made use of a third person, less of use onomatopoeia, and use of difficult to tread appearances that were not meant to create a personal relationship with the reader (Homem & Lambert, 2006).
What also came out as influence in writing was the thematic concern of these women writers. The depiction of sexual scenes through confident female sexuality illustrated by an adult woman showed that women were not to be confined in the traditional precepts of women. In the intentional refusal to portray motherhood and children, the writings copied from Shojo manga expressed the positive sexuality of the female gender in the society.
The use of narrative appeal writing style led to the presentation of family ideals, where Yashimoto works underlined the need fro teenagers to be supported by the family. Therefore, the family was a source of love as a testament of personal ideals in regard to the concern of women and influence in the society (Homem & Lambert, 2006).
On the contrary, other authors observe that the presentation of gender roles in manga depicts the mainstream way that conforms to the patriarchal society. Kinsella (2000) noted that manga and anime forms of expression had been recognized as part of cultural identity of the Japanese society.
Therefore, it is important in the cultural expression medium. As a result, they do not have any difference from the mainstream depiction of the position of women. In this regard, they remain in their traditional gender roles in this form of art.
However, on a different note, a study on Sailor Moon and Crayon Shin-chan reveal that the presentation of women is not a traditional picture. The female character, Sailor Moon, is only seen as a sexual allusion images that are liable for re-contextualization by men and other readers in the society.
Kinsella (2000) observed that manga is the sole reason that feminine consciousness has increased in the Japanese society leading to many female artists. This is because they read, watch, and come up with their fantasy stories. It is possible to understand and analyze manga through the presentation of traditional roles of women on television in Japan.
The depiction of homosexual figures in manga by the female meant for female audiences is a representation of confusing gender roles. The female readers, as well as mangakas, may be an illustration of the problems with female personality.
Therefore, such women might be expressing their discontent in their sexual orientation. Again, this may be as a result of negative presentation of the female gender by the television thus creating the feelings that men are superior to the women whose place is at home.
Although manga sales do well in Japan, and most are authored by women; the participation of women in manga and anime has not peaked as it remains a male dominated field. Most manga are concerned with violence and victory expressions that are typical of male artists and readers.
These forms the largest number in the field of manga hence continues to form the anime. On another level, the liberal presentation of sexual desires and graphic contents in manga, which is also in anime, has affected the generation of the modern female audience reader.
Traditionally, the woman’s respect and honor in Japan’s society lay in her not revealing such issues in public. Indeed, the prospect of making public sentiments like those was not a feat for women, but rather for the males who dominated the society (Kinsella, 2000).
Today, women have the liberty to stand in public and declare their stand on issues concerning intimacy. This is as a result of various changes in culture and ideologies that find encouragement in manga and anime forms of art. In terms of politics, the Japanese women are able to exercise power from the lowest grass roots level up to the national status level.
This has influenced their view of daily perspectives of life, and changed the social position of women in society. The manga and anime as genres of art and representatives of culture as cited by the government reproduce what is distinct in the society. In this process, the political power and the demand for equality, as proposed in the constitutional reform after the World War II, have seen women rise (Kinsella, 2000).
This is depicted by the household dominance of housewives in the increasing vacuum of working fathers and husbands. Manga and anime may not contribute to such themes directly, but its influence to the gender thinking based and guided by female mangaka presents a powerful correlation to the above.
Therefore, Shojo manga took the point of enlightenment and involvement since most creators of this genre were of the same age just like their fans. In the process, they joined in one speech that identified pressing issues that females were faced with and how to go about them (Lebra, 1984).
Conclusion
In conclusion, the role of manga and anime in gender issues among Japan women is present and rife. The number of sales of the female intended manga and anime reveals staggering statistics of the number of female consumers of this form of art. It is not only for women, but also for boys and men who consume the largest literature of manga and anime that addresses male themes of violence, sex and women bodies.
References
Brenner, E.R. (2007). Understanding manga and anime. Road West, West Port: Libraries Unlimited.
Gravett, P. (2004). Manga: sixty years of Japanese comic. Russell Street, London: Laurence King Publishing.
Homem, R.M.G.C. & Lambert, M.F. (2006). Writing and seeing: Essays on word and image. Amsterdam: Rodopi.
Kinsella, S. (2000). Adult Manga: Culture & Power in Contemporary Japanese Society. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press.
Lebra, S.T. (1984). Japanese Women: Constraint and Fulfillment. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.
Macwilliams, W.M. (2008). Japanese visual culture: explorations in the world of manga and anime. New York: M.E. Sharpe.
Various anime series and animations of other styles are different primarily for two reasons. The first one is that anime is often defined as Japanese animation, as most of it made in Japan is called anime. The other reason is that anime is not only a style but also a genre of animation in some sense. The specifics of it lie in a distinct drawing style which is only seen in anime, and the characteristics of the genre in terms of how different things are depicted in scenes. For example, emotional expressions, dialogues, and battles have their tone in anime compared to other animation styles. Even though the difference between them is not defined by one factor, the characteristics mentioned are sufficient to identify the genre in most cases.
The perception of anime by non-Japanese consumers does not differ significantly from that of viewers from Japan. It seems that non-Japanese fans understand the cultural context of the animations they are watching because most anime viewers are interested in Japanese culture as well. Therefore, mostly, it is any kind of animation for both categories. Anime is divided into subgenres of all kinds, and certainly, some viewers prefer ones to others. Nevertheless, they are aware of the existence of other titles that may be very different from each other in terms of realism, the presence of violence, romanticism, and many other aspects that vary in genres.
The concept of communication presented in Stuart Hall’s theory seems the most appropriate to explain the distribution of popular culture. The model suggests three types of interpretation regarding the level of information being interpreted compared to what the initial source meant. The full understanding of initial meaning, particular rejection, and absolute rejection of intended interpretation are these levels of decoding. This measure may vary due to gender, education, ethics, cultural context, and many other social factors. When viewing anime from this perspective, it seems that the specifics of the genre make it understandable not only to Japanese viewers but to fans worldwide as well.
The strategy of the Japanese manga industry is very developed in terms of distributing content worldwide, yet it considers the local market as well. The presence of different magazines that publish manga is related to the existence of different groups of consumers. These groups are usually defined by gender and age, as they affect their interests. Nevertheless, the consumer groups cross not only for the reason of interest but for the reason of the cheapness of manga journals. Manga is usually printed in monochrome coloring, which makes the production costs even lower. Because of this, often manga journals are left in different waiting rooms, school classes, and public transport stations. This is the reason many consumers get engaged in exploring genres that are not initially intended to be distributed to them, yet it provides the genres with new fans. Manga journals are posted on the internet as well, which increases their accessibility.
The distribution of manga in other Asian countries is one of the goals of the industry. Despite this, there are cultural and social specifics that have to be considered when developing marketing strategies for these markets. For example, the Chinese government prohibited the distribution of some manga titles because of erotic content or social and political reasons. Besides, South Korea has its genre of comics called manhwa, and local consumers might be prejudiced towards manga because they claim that manhwa has no association with manga in terms of its development. In the United States, it seems that the main strategy that should be adopted is to avoid scanlations. The scanlations are the unofficial distribution of manga translated by fans themselves. This not only takes away earnings from distributors but negatively affects the interpretation of the material as well.