The Influence of Japanese Anime Characters on the Cultural Identity Formation of Youth in the Greater Middle East

Abstract Japanese animation, commonly referred to as anime, has had major success world-wide (Wahab, Anuar & Farhani, 2012). Its impact is especially apparent in the Middle East where generation after generation of Arab kids grew up watching anime as their main source of entertainment (Tashkandi, 2019). Despite anime’s prevalence, there has been little research conducted on its cultural impact on the Middle East. Using Jensen and Arnett’s (2012) theory on cultural identity formation as the theoretical framework for my paper, I analyzed the impact of Japanese anime characters on the cultural identity formation of youth growing up in the Middle East. I argue that, based on several cultural dimensions outlined by Dedoussis (2004), the similarities between the Japanese and Middle Eastern cultures contributed to the popularity of anime in the region, while the diverging attributes of the characters helped bring in a different perspective to youth growing up in the Middle East and subsequently introduced new cultural elements which broadened their world view. In accordance with Jensen and Arnett’s theory (2012), I argue that such an emerging new perspective likely contributed to positive outcomes, including increased gender equality and increased civic involvement. To assess the outcome of greater gender equality, I examined the Japanese magic girl genre and the anime Ojamajo Doremi (Todo, 2002). To assess the outcome of greater civic involvement, I examined the anime UFO Robot Grendizer (Nagai, 1975). I conclude that the magic girl genre empowered young girls while still allowing them to embrace their femininity, thereby contributing to the trend of greater gender equality. In addition, I conclude that the anime UFO Robot Grendizer contributed to greater civic involvement by creating a shared generational identity which allowed young people to come together and use that very identity as a way to protest. This work was supported by secondary data analysis

Anime Studies

Anime Studies: Media-Specific Approaches to Neon Genesis Evangelion aims at advancing the study of anime, understood as largely TV-based genre fiction rendered in cel, or cel-look, animation with a strong affinity to participatory cultures and media convergence. Taking Neon Genesis Evangelion (Shin Seiki Evangerion) as a case study, this volume acknowledges anime as a media form with clearly recognizable aesthetic properties, (sub)cultural affordances and situated discourses.;First broadcast in Japan in 1995-96, Neon Genesis Evangelion became an epoch-making anime, and later franchise. The initial series used already available conventions, visual resources and narrative tropes typical of anime in general and the mecha (or giant-robot) genre in particular, but at the same time it subverted and reinterpreted them in a highly innovative and as such standard-setting way.;Investigating anime through Neon Genesis Evangelion this volume takes a broadly understood media-aesthetic and media-cultural perspective, which pertains to medium in the narrow sense of technology, techniques, materials, and semiotics, but also mediality and mediations related to practices and institutions of production, circulation, and consumption. In no way intended to be exhaustive, this volume attests to the emergence of anime studies as a field in its own right, including but not prioritizing expertise in film studies and Japanese studies, and with due regard to the most widely shared critical publications in Japanese and English language. Thus, the volume provides an introduction to studies of anime, a field that necessarily interrelates media-specific and transmedial aspects.;In Anime Studies: Media-Specific Approaches to Neon Genesis Evangelion, anime is addressed from a transnational and transdisciplinary stance. The disciplinary and methodological perspectives taken by the individual chapters range from audio-visual culture, narratology, performance and genre theory to fandom studies and gender studies. In its first part, the book focuses on textual analysis and media form in the narrow sense with regard to filmic media, bank footage, voice acting and musical score, and then it broadens the scope to consider subcultural discourse, franchising, manga and video game adaptations, as well as critical and affective user engagement

Contradictory Character Traits as Seen in Persona 4: the Animation

Anime is Japanese cartoon that has a vast popularity due to its story and art. The popularity of anime results in the various genres such as: crime-fiction, urban fantasy, and slice of life. One of the popular animes that combines the three genres is Persona 4: the Animation. The popularity and the combination of three genres of that anime makes me interested in analyzing this anime. I am particularly attracted to the two main characters in Persona 4: The Animation namely, Yu Narukami and Tohru Adachi. Those two main character possess contradictory character traits and represent a certain symbol on the society. In this paper, I examine the values that influence their character traits. Using Carl Gustav Jung's theory of individuation, I proves that they have contradictory character traits by looking through their Persona, Shadow, Ego, and Self. Through the analysis of character traits, I find that they symbolize yin yang. Like yin yang, they are contradicting as well as complementing. Yet, they also are not paragon of evil or goo

TINDAK TUTUR PERLOKUSI DALAM ANIME “KAWAII DAKE JA NAI SHIKIMORI-SAN” KARYA KEIGO MAKI DITINJAU DARI PRINSIP KERJA SAMA GRICE

AbstrakPenelitian ini meneliti tentang tindak tutur perlokusi dalam anime Kawaii dake ja Nai Shikimori-san karya Keigo Makimenggunakan pendekatan Searle (1983). Selain itu, Peristiwa tutur pada dasarnya merupakan rangkaian dari sejumlahtindak tutur yang tersusun untuk mencapai tujuan sehingga dalam berkomunikasi diperlukan sebuah prinsip yaitu prinsipkerja sama oleh Grice (1975) agar komunikasi dapat berjalan dengan lancar. Berdasarkan hal tersebut akan diteliti tindaktutur perlokusi anime Kawaii dake ja Nai Shikimori-san yang ditinjau dari prinsip kerja sama. Sehingga didapatkanrumusan masalah yaitu (1) Bagaimana bentuk tuturan perlokusi dalam anime Kawaii dake ja Nai Shikimori-san karyaKeigo Maki jika ditinjau dari prinsip kerja sama Grice? (2) Bagaimana efek tindak tutur perlokusi dalam anime Kawaiidake ja Nai Shikimori-san karya Keigo Maki?Jenis pendekatan yang digunakan adalah pendekatan deskriptif kualitatif karena data berupa tuturan-tuturan perlokusidalam anime Kawaii dake ja Nai Shikimori-san. Proses penyajian data berupa tabel kemudian peneliti mendeskripsikantuturan yang mengandung perlokusi oleh tokoh utama dalam anime Kawaii dake ja Nai Shikimori-san yang ditinjau dariprinsip kerja sama.Hasil yang ditemukan dalam penelitian ini adalah pertama terdapat empat bentuk tuturan perlokusi dalam anime Kawaiidake ja Nai Shikimori-san yaitu bentuk asertif, direktif, ekspresif, dan komisif. Jumlah data bentuk tuturan perlokusidalam anime Kawaii dake ja Nai Shikimori-san terdapat 75 data. Yang kedua, efek tindak tutur perlokusi terbagi menjadidua, yaitu efek positif dan efek negatif.Kata Kunci: Tindak Tutur, Tindak Tutur Perlokusi, Prinsip Kerja sama, Efek Tindak Tutur.AbstractThis research examines perlocutionary speech acts in the anime "Kawaii dake ja Nai Shikimori-san" by Keigo Maki,using Searle's approach (1983). Additionally, speech events essentially consist of a series of speech acts organized toachieve goals, and to facilitate smooth communication, the principle of cooperation by Grice (1975) is necessary. Basedon that, the perlocutionary speech acts in the anime "Kawaii dake ja Nai Shikimori-san" will be investigated from theperspective of the cooperative principle. From these reasons, the formulation of the problem is obtained as follows: (1)How are perlocutionary speech acts manifested in the anime "Kawaii dake ja Nai Shikimori-san" by Keigo Maki whenexamined from the perspective of Grice's cooperative principle? (2) What are the effects of perlocutionary speech acts inthe anime "Kawaii dake ja Nai Shikimori-san" by Keigo Maki?The chosen approach for this research is a qualitative descriptive approach because the data consists of perlocutionaryspeech acts in the anime "Kawaii dake ja Nai Shikimori-san.". The research methodology involves using a qualitativedescriptive approach to analyze perlocutionary speech acts in the anime "Kawaii dake ja Nai Shikimori-san." The data ispresented in a tabular form, and the researcher provides descriptions of the speech acts that contain perlocutionary,focusing on the cooperative principle.The research findings reveal two main results. Firstly, there are four forms of perlocutionary speech acts identified inthe anime "Kawaii dake ja Nai Shikimori-san": assertive, directive, expressive, and commissive speech acts. The totalnumber of perlocutionary speech act data found in the anime "Kawaii dake ja Nai Shikimori-san" are 75. Secondly, theeffects of perlocutionary speech acts can be categorized into two types: positive effects and negative effects.Keywords: Speech Acts, Perlocutionary Speech Act, Cooperative Principle, The Effect of Speech

'Thinking of Spain in a flat way:' visiting Spain and Spanish cultural heritage through contemporary Japanese anime

This article contextualizes the representation of Spain and Spanish culture among Japanese cultural producers, particularly through the production of Japanese commercial animation (commonly named anime). Toward that goal, it provides a historical background of Japan-Spain relations within the context of the tourism industry, as well as some examples of the diverse forms of representation within several creative industries. Subsequently, the article reviews the ways in which popular culture has been contributed to national branding. There is special attention to the Spanish case and the proliferation of such images sometimes resulting in the (mis)representation of Spain's tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Internationally-distributed anime productions will be examined as a reflection of Spanish national branding on Japanese audiences and this global industry. Three cases among contemporary anime productions have been selected due to the combination of fictional and misrepresented Spanish cultural features in their narratives

Hentai – erotyka z mangi i anime

Polish Abstract Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie japońskich komiksów (manga) oraz kreskówek (anime) o tematyce erotycznej zwanych hentai. W tekście omówiona zostaje geneza hentai na tle przemian historycznych, w których seksualność stanowiła znaczący motyw kształtujący rozumienie mangi oraz anime. Zaprezentowane zostają poszczególne gatunki hentai, zawierające treści: homoseksualne (yuri, yaoi), heteroseksualne (ecchi, bakunyū/kyonyuu), dziecięce (lolicon, shotakon), BDSM (kinbari), transwestytyzm (futanari). W podsumowaniu zostaje zwrócona uwaga na konieczność przyjęcia właściwej perspektywy umożliwiającej zrozumienie nierzadko zaskakujących przejawów japońskiej seksualności. English Abstract The aim of this paper is to present Japanese comics (manga) and cartoons (anime) with sexual content called hentai. I briefly review some history of Japanese art and culture, in which sexuality has always been a legitimate subject for art and which forms the cultural underpinnings of manga. I summarize the erotic themes and visions of manga with sexual content, including female and male homosexuality (yuri, yaoi), heterosexuality (ecchi, bakunyū/kyonyuu), BDSM (kinbari), transvestitism (futanari), children (lolicon, shotakon). In conclusion, I pose the question of the need to adopt the right perspective to understand the often surprising manifestations of Japanese sexuality

Breaking Binaries: Transgressing Sexualities in Japanese Animation

As a visual medium that articulates all genres of fiction, from children’s card games to extreme pornography, Japanese animation, better known simply as ‘anime’, is an art form that has gained international recognition among both academics and passionate devotees. The central purpose of this thesis is to closely examine representations of sexuality in mainstream adult anime – in this context, non-pornographic anime primarily aimed at teenagers and adults – and to interrogate the main themes and concepts which are used to engage in discussions of it. Using specific anime titles as literary texts and thereby analysing the symbolism, characterisation, and key scenes being depicted, this thesis investigates the ways in which sexuality is portrayed, and how this portrayal through animation entails radically distinctive forms of representation and narrative. I also employ the current body of anime criticism to illuminate these anime titles, in conjunction with a contextualisation of these sexual representations within a Japanese cultural context. As an aid to analysis, I utilize the aesthetic philosophy of Robin George Collingwood and the gender theories of Judith Butler, whose arguments on the topics of art as artistic expression and on gender as a performative act respectively allow for both an exploration of the aesthetics of anime, as well as a means of navigating the often distinctively complex representations of sex and gender in anime. Both Collingwood and Butler have been chosen for their utility in opening up the highly aestheticized representations of gender and sexuality in anime – a medium well-known for its artistic sensibilities – combined with formalised and, at times, ritualised extremes. These are to be read as closely as possible in terms of the anime-ic art form itself, rather than in terms of psychoanalytic categories or abstract symbolism. The aim of this thesis is not to interpret anime through one or more specific conceptual lenses, as has been done in the past, but instead to critically examine what Collingwood calls the imaginative space, and to make observations based on Butler’s approach to gender and sexuality gender as it appears when no longer defined by biological or binary fact. This thesis is therefore structured around a breakdown of dualistic thought, with the main sections designed to transcend boundaries of dualism, even – or especially when – this requires the viewer to step back from what is considered as being ‘normal’ or ethically acceptable. In studying a form of popular art that has been written about extensively in terms of its history, aesthetic design, and audience consumption, this thesis explores new territory in that it examines a topic which has not previously been the subject of much academic discussion from the perspective of aesthetics that predates post-modern theory and post-World War II psychoanalysis. From harems and sexbots to portrayals of homosexuality and incest, the primary interest of this thesis is to study how representations of sexuality in anime – no matter how unconventional, fantastic, or disturbing – are brought to life on screen as art

Anime Studies

Anime Studies: Media-Specific Approaches to Neon Genesis Evangelion aims at advancing the study of anime, understood as largely TV-based genre fiction rendered in cel, or cel-look, animation with a strong affinity to participatory cultures and media convergence. Taking Neon Genesis Evangelion (Shin Seiki Evangerion) as a case study, this volume acknowledges anime as a media form with clearly recognizable aesthetic properties, (sub)cultural affordances and situated discourses.;First broadcast in Japan in 1995-96, Neon Genesis Evangelion became an epoch-making anime, and later franchise. The initial series used already available conventions, visual resources and narrative tropes typical of anime in general and the mecha (or giant-robot) genre in particular, but at the same time it subverted and reinterpreted them in a highly innovative and as such standard-setting way.;Investigating anime through Neon Genesis Evangelion this volume takes a broadly understood media-aesthetic and media-cultural perspective, which pertains to medium in the narrow sense of technology, techniques, materials, and semiotics, but also mediality and mediations related to practices and institutions of production, circulation, and consumption. In no way intended to be exhaustive, this volume attests to the emergence of anime studies as a field in its own right, including but not prioritizing expertise in film studies and Japanese studies, and with due regard to the most widely shared critical publications in Japanese and English language. Thus, the volume provides an introduction to studies of anime, a field that necessarily interrelates media-specific and transmedial aspects.;In Anime Studies: Media-Specific Approaches to Neon Genesis Evangelion, anime is addressed from a transnational and transdisciplinary stance. The disciplinary and methodological perspectives taken by the individual chapters range from audio-visual culture, narratology, performance and genre theory to fandom studies and gender studies. In its first part, the book focuses on textual analysis and media form in the narrow sense with regard to filmic media, bank footage, voice acting and musical score, and then it broadens the scope to consider subcultural discourse, franchising, manga and video game adaptations, as well as critical and affective user engagement

Effort Upon Effort: Japanese Influences in Western First-Person Shooters

This paper looks at two Western first-person shooters, Shogo: Mobile Armor Division and F.E.A.R.: First Encounter Assault Recon, which successfully transplant Japanese cultural elements into their design. Shogo captures the essence of mecha anime by seamlessly blending the man-machine bond characteristic of Japanese mechs with the first-person perspective, enabling players to ‘become’ the pilot/robot and fully immerse themselves into an anime experience. F.E.A.R. embodies the sense of vulnerability of Japanese horror films by making use of dark, dreary environments and chilling sound effects to heighten tension. The author argues that Japanese-influenced FPSs can make for riveting experiences when Eastern cultural elements and Western game mechanics are harmoniously mixed

Anime for Architects: A new Perspective on Architecture

The primary argument of this study is that the medium of anime and manga, Japanese cartoons and comics, has the potential to offer a new perspective on the representation of architectural space. This might come as a surprise due to a preconceived notion that cartoons and comics are an immature art form without any value outside of the entertainment realm. Hence it is the goal of this dissertation to reveal how the methodology of manga, in particular, has the ability to enhance architectural representations in terms of the multi-sensory and space-time perception of architecture through characteristics of manga, such as narrative, portrayal of the invisible realm and the expression of both space and time by panel arrangements. To do this, a foundation with the beginnings, development, and basic visual vocabulary and grammar of comics is described and compared to other art forms. Through this comparison, the communicative power of comics is assessed by its combination of picture and word, ability to make visible the invisible through iconic images, and closure, which creates sequencing and narrative. Next, a comparison is made to show how manga is unique and visually distinctive from Western comics. Manga is found to make more use of the “masking” effect, aspectto- aspect and moment-to-moment panel transitions, length, hyper-stylization, and minimalist art. In order to argue that these manga differences have a better relationship in representing architectural space, important characteristics of architectural space are identified. These characteristics are the built environments presence in a multi-sensory world, space-time, and its association with experiential and lived space. These are then examined in relationship to the ability manga methodology has in representing these three characteristics. Finally, manga is compared to the current methods of representing architectural space such as conventional architectural drawings and writings, 3d architectural animations, virtual reality, and film. It can be concluded that manga is a more complete way of representing architectural space. As a demonstration of this, a sample manga that focuses on one particular area in Tokyo, Ikebukuro, is drawn to illustrate how this method can work utilizing the characteristics of manga, such as narrative, portrayal of the invisible realm and expression of both space and time by panel arrangements