Susan Napier, "Confronting Master Narratives: History as Vision in Miyazaki Hayao's Cinema of Deassurance":
Napier's article mostly elaborates on themes she only touched on regarding Miyazaki in her book. To start, she puts forth the idea that a society's historical narratives and ways of perceiving itself are, these days, largely controlled by mediums like film and television. The products of the entertainment industry hold great sway in cultivating a mass national identity based on a shared sense of history and values. Napier sees this trend as being especially present in the works of the Disney studio, a "cinema of assurance" as she calls it. The vision promoted is one where all the world's problems can be solved by sticking to American ideals and values. Even films which borrow mythology and characters from other cultures (e.g. Mulan) assign their protagonists and plot lines with values that are representative of current American trends, not the values of the culture/time period from which the story comes. Animation, however, Napier sees as far more subversive, often serving as a "cinema of deassurance" which criticizes both history and culture. As for Miyazaki, Napier points out that he often puruses the same humanistic messages as Disney, albeit in a different way: Miyazaki doesn't rework traditional myths of other cultures so much as incorporate elements of them into his own original vision, his characters tend to combine distinctly Japanese and distinctly Western characteristics (reflecting a harmonization between the concepts of Nihonjinron and Kokusaika in Japanese attitudes towards the West), he explores differences rather than attempting to reconcile them (Napier looks at attempts to reconcile such differences in the West through films like "Tarzan" and "The Lion King"), and he is often critical of popular notions of Japanese identity and history. Napier pays particularly close attention to Miyazaki's treatment of women, looking in depth at his departure from traditional heroines and dark undertones in plot in "Princess Mononoke" and it's three female protagonists: San, Lady Eboshi, and Moro.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
Week Three
Japanamerica
Chapters 3 and 4:
Kelts moves from the phenomenon of anime's popularity in the West to an exploration of the industry itself, particularly how and why it has failed to capitalize on the massive profits to be made off of anime in countries like the United States. For one thing, the people interested in becoming animators have evolving expecatations. Whereas before an animator could expect to live with a low income but doing what he or she loved, the new generation of artists wants more. Despite Japan's economic slump, they expect to be able to wrangle a high-income and fast promotions out of animation as a business without putting the requisite time and effort in. However, the industry, despite a growing interest in anime both in Japan and the West and the limitless money-making potential of tie-ins (e.g. toys), has failed to predict the market. Used to marketing material goods like car parts and electronics abroad, Japanese businesses can't seem to latch onto any clear patterns of what Western viewers want, meaning that it is the West that is reaping the profits of Japanese animated hits in America. Additionally, at the same time as the industry is growing, the rapid demand of the West for new material means that the quality of material is dropping in order to meet time constraints. New generation animators haven't achieved the level of skill or attention to detail as the old masters and many of the more laborious animation processes are being outsourced to other Asian countries. Furthermore, the concern with making "hits" means that, soon, there is a danger of only certain types of anime being made, narrowing the diversity and intellectual depth that has made anime a respected medium in the first place. However, at the same time as appealing to a foreign market has its pitfalls, as the birth rate steadily drops in Japan, the industry has no choice but to find children abroad to market their products to. And, as the Pokemon craze in the States has proved, what a market the West is...
Anime: From Akira to Howl's Moving Castle
Chapter 13:
Napier begins by pointing out the fact that Japan and the West share a certain fascination with apocalyptic thinking. On a religious basis, however, Buddhism and Shinto do not envision the final battle between good and evil that is so prevalent in Western ideology. However, despite this religious distinction, much of the imagery of apocalypse between the two cultures is the same: mass destruction, gruesome deaths, and messianic figures. Napier sees a root in these destruction visions in, perhaps, the archipelago's vulnerability to earthquakes and volcanoes, as well as the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Napier looks at animation as particularly adroit at portraying these destructive images as it is not boud by "the restrictions of language and live-action cinema." Napier sees further parallels with post-war ideology in the fact that most animated features revolving around apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic worlds contain inherent criticisms of societies that misused technology and allowed traditional social values to fall apart. Napier then goes on to examine four different works in the genre (Nausicaa, Akira, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Legend of the Overfiend) to show the varying perspectives each takes on apocalypse and humanity. When dealing with "Nausicaa", Napier sees it as the most hopeful and optimistic of the works. Though human folly brought about destruction, there is hope for rebirth in the messianic figure of Nausicaa herself. As order and authority are eventually restored, Napier views it as an example of "conservative apocalypse." Napier sees this, much like the more pessimistic views of the other three films studies, as reflective of the period in which it was made (the 1980s, in which Japanese society showed a faith in the united middle class and optimism in what the future would bring.)
"Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art":
Not much to say about this one. It restated, in more depth, a lot of what other pieces touched on: the generally bad rap that comics get but how they have a basis in very old forms of art (from
the Egpytians to the Aztecs to the Middle Ages), the instrinsic relation between comics and animation, and the fact that comics can really cover any subject matter.
Chapters 3 and 4:
Kelts moves from the phenomenon of anime's popularity in the West to an exploration of the industry itself, particularly how and why it has failed to capitalize on the massive profits to be made off of anime in countries like the United States. For one thing, the people interested in becoming animators have evolving expecatations. Whereas before an animator could expect to live with a low income but doing what he or she loved, the new generation of artists wants more. Despite Japan's economic slump, they expect to be able to wrangle a high-income and fast promotions out of animation as a business without putting the requisite time and effort in. However, the industry, despite a growing interest in anime both in Japan and the West and the limitless money-making potential of tie-ins (e.g. toys), has failed to predict the market. Used to marketing material goods like car parts and electronics abroad, Japanese businesses can't seem to latch onto any clear patterns of what Western viewers want, meaning that it is the West that is reaping the profits of Japanese animated hits in America. Additionally, at the same time as the industry is growing, the rapid demand of the West for new material means that the quality of material is dropping in order to meet time constraints. New generation animators haven't achieved the level of skill or attention to detail as the old masters and many of the more laborious animation processes are being outsourced to other Asian countries. Furthermore, the concern with making "hits" means that, soon, there is a danger of only certain types of anime being made, narrowing the diversity and intellectual depth that has made anime a respected medium in the first place. However, at the same time as appealing to a foreign market has its pitfalls, as the birth rate steadily drops in Japan, the industry has no choice but to find children abroad to market their products to. And, as the Pokemon craze in the States has proved, what a market the West is...
Anime: From Akira to Howl's Moving Castle
Chapter 13:
Napier begins by pointing out the fact that Japan and the West share a certain fascination with apocalyptic thinking. On a religious basis, however, Buddhism and Shinto do not envision the final battle between good and evil that is so prevalent in Western ideology. However, despite this religious distinction, much of the imagery of apocalypse between the two cultures is the same: mass destruction, gruesome deaths, and messianic figures. Napier sees a root in these destruction visions in, perhaps, the archipelago's vulnerability to earthquakes and volcanoes, as well as the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Napier looks at animation as particularly adroit at portraying these destructive images as it is not boud by "the restrictions of language and live-action cinema." Napier sees further parallels with post-war ideology in the fact that most animated features revolving around apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic worlds contain inherent criticisms of societies that misused technology and allowed traditional social values to fall apart. Napier then goes on to examine four different works in the genre (Nausicaa, Akira, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Legend of the Overfiend) to show the varying perspectives each takes on apocalypse and humanity. When dealing with "Nausicaa", Napier sees it as the most hopeful and optimistic of the works. Though human folly brought about destruction, there is hope for rebirth in the messianic figure of Nausicaa herself. As order and authority are eventually restored, Napier views it as an example of "conservative apocalypse." Napier sees this, much like the more pessimistic views of the other three films studies, as reflective of the period in which it was made (the 1980s, in which Japanese society showed a faith in the united middle class and optimism in what the future would bring.)
"Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art":
Not much to say about this one. It restated, in more depth, a lot of what other pieces touched on: the generally bad rap that comics get but how they have a basis in very old forms of art (from
the Egpytians to the Aztecs to the Middle Ages), the instrinsic relation between comics and animation, and the fact that comics can really cover any subject matter.Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Week Two
Anime: From Akira to Howl's Moving Castle
Chapter 8:
A good auteur is one with unique enough of a visual style that their work is immediately recognizable to the viewer. Miyazaki's works, Napier argues, can be defined by two elements in particular: his rich fantasy worlds and strong female characters. The worlds he creates, down to the minute details, exhibit both "what is lost" - a world where nature has not yet been dominated by humanity - and "what could be" - a world in which nature is still an independent force to be reckoned with. As a result, many of Miyazaki's films are either post-apocalyptic or pre-modern society in their settings. The protagonists he chooses to inhabit these worlds are generally young females who, in contrast to the typical shojo, show many traditionally coded masculine characteristics: independence, courage, competence, and strength. Though he draws on traditional Japanese fairy tale elements (e.g. most of the girls are orphaned or in situations without parental guidance), Miyazaki also breaks down norms of what constitutes femininity by making his girls curious and assertive in the fantastic world and situations they find themselves in. It can be argued that he uses such characters because, as children and young women (meaning they will not be in the situation of existing as potential future rulers as a young man would), they can perceive the world differently. Yet, he also makes his female protagonists essentially human: they fight with one another (as in "My Neighbor Totoro"), fail at their tasks (as in "Kiki's Delivery Service"), and lose control of their emotions (as in "Nausicaa"), meaning that, while strong characters, they remain flawed too, creating believable characters within the confines of Miyazaki's narratives. His characters not only defamiliarize the viewer from what they think of reality as, but provide a unique perspective that is critical and hopeful at the same time.
Freud: "Totem and Taboo":
Freud's article looks at the instance of animism amongst "primitive" cultures of people, a phenomenon which he sees as the precursor to religion and, finally, science in a hierarchy of belief systems. According to Freud, animism likely developed as a reaction to issues like death, wherein primitive man, unable to control it, relinquished some of his omnipotent control over his reality to the idea of "spirits", which were also a convenient way of rationalizing grief. Every emotion was externalized into reality, in the form of "good" and "evil" spirits. It is essentially a narcissistic set of beliefs, argues Freud, with man believing not only that things are governed by spirits but that, by abiding by a certain set of rules, one could obtain mastery over them. Perhaps one can even master death, negating the need to acknowledge its supremacy over mankind. Hence the close association of animistic beliefs with magical beliefs, where one can effect an outcome through personal use of magic. Says Freud, animistic belief naturally evolves into religious belief, in which man relinquishes more power into the idea of a god or multiple gods, a concession that will, with time, give way to a faith in science.
Chapter 8:
A good auteur is one with unique enough of a visual style that their work is immediately recognizable to the viewer. Miyazaki's works, Napier argues, can be defined by two elements in particular: his rich fantasy worlds and strong female characters. The worlds he creates, down to the minute details, exhibit both "what is lost" - a world where nature has not yet been dominated by humanity - and "what could be" - a world in which nature is still an independent force to be reckoned with. As a result, many of Miyazaki's films are either post-apocalyptic or pre-modern society in their settings. The protagonists he chooses to inhabit these worlds are generally young females who, in contrast to the typical shojo, show many traditionally coded masculine characteristics: independence, courage, competence, and strength. Though he draws on traditional Japanese fairy tale elements (e.g. most of the girls are orphaned or in situations without parental guidance), Miyazaki also breaks down norms of what constitutes femininity by making his girls curious and assertive in the fantastic world and situations they find themselves in. It can be argued that he uses such characters because, as children and young women (meaning they will not be in the situation of existing as potential future rulers as a young man would), they can perceive the world differently. Yet, he also makes his female protagonists essentially human: they fight with one another (as in "My Neighbor Totoro"), fail at their tasks (as in "Kiki's Delivery Service"), and lose control of their emotions (as in "Nausicaa"), meaning that, while strong characters, they remain flawed too, creating believable characters within the confines of Miyazaki's narratives. His characters not only defamiliarize the viewer from what they think of reality as, but provide a unique perspective that is critical and hopeful at the same time.
Freud: "Totem and Taboo":
Freud's article looks at the instance of animism amongst "primitive" cultures of people, a phenomenon which he sees as the precursor to religion and, finally, science in a hierarchy of belief systems. According to Freud, animism likely developed as a reaction to issues like death, wherein primitive man, unable to control it, relinquished some of his omnipotent control over his reality to the idea of "spirits", which were also a convenient way of rationalizing grief. Every emotion was externalized into reality, in the form of "good" and "evil" spirits. It is essentially a narcissistic set of beliefs, argues Freud, with man believing not only that things are governed by spirits but that, by abiding by a certain set of rules, one could obtain mastery over them. Perhaps one can even master death, negating the need to acknowledge its supremacy over mankind. Hence the close association of animistic beliefs with magical beliefs, where one can effect an outcome through personal use of magic. Says Freud, animistic belief naturally evolves into religious belief, in which man relinquishes more power into the idea of a god or multiple gods, a concession that will, with time, give way to a faith in science.
Week One
Anime: From Akira to Howl's Moving Castle:
Chapters 1 and 2:
Susan Napier begins her book by answering a question particularly important when studying anime from a Western perspective: Why has anime achieved such a wide degree of popularity across such a diverse, multicultural audience of people in a way that Western animation has not yet? She introduces her answer to the question by first distinguishing between anime as an art form and other styles of animated art (particularly Disney). Napier argues that anime not only boasts an "arresting visual style" but a narrative form that offers a depth not found in predictable Western anime. In addition, its examination of themes and settings that are universal to all cultures, despite the obvious "otherness" of it as a Japanese art form, give it a broad-ranging appeal to most people in most places. Napier further argues that everything from character design to choice of locations (futuristic worlds or schools) makes anime works not synonymous with Japanese society, instead creating an independent space particular to anime itself. Anime, she states, is especially appropriate at the turn of the century, considering that many of its plot lines revolve around technology and fluid notions of gender and sexuality. However, Napier sees three themes - all of which mix traditional and modern elements of Japanese society - as being especially recurrent in the genre: apocalypse, festival, and elegy. Apocalypse stems from Japan's dark recent history and highly technological society, ranging from the optimistic to deeply pessimistic about mankind's future, and capturing many fears and disillusioned ideologies in Japan. The festival ventures away from anime's austere side to explore grossly exaggerated themes and visual imagery that picture what we can't experience in our own societies. The final theme, elegiac, concerns itself with more of a sense of melancholy and nostalgia for the past, celebrating as well as mourning the loss of many cultural traditions and norms in post-war society. These three themes, says Napier, are almost always present, in some form of another, in any animated work on the market.
Japanamerica:
Ronald Kelts' book, on the other hand, deals more specifically with the issue of why anime is so popular in America in particular, whether it is Japan or America or both changing that has led to the cross-pollination of Eastern and Western culture seen in anime (a topic only briefly touched on in Napier). From sushi to Pokemon, Japanese creations have become well-integrated into American popular culture. How is this possibly when the two countries hold cultural values that are almost diametrically opposed at times? Kelts argues that, at the very least, both cultures (albeit in different ways) value a sense of creative freedom (especially seen in the world of anime, where illustrators/directors are given almost complete artistic freedom as they rise in the ranks), making it very easy for American tastes to adapt to Japanese tastes (and visa versa). Especially considering America's current financial and political woes, the escapist pleasures of anime, combined with the sincerity of its characters' aims and feelings (as opposed to the often sarcastic nature of characters in American cinema), make the art form particularly appealing at the moment. Furthermore, Kelts makes an analogy between the effects of the atomic bombs on Japan and 9/11 in America, making our understanding and interest in apocalypse themes more acute. The appeal of the blurry line between good and evil (where Disney only pushes black-and-white characterizations of morality) is something Americans are more receptive to in our time. Even Miyazaki, whose films are still seen as "children's films in the U.S." and whose protagonists are almost always children, explores themes such as right, wrong, longing, and loss in such depth that adults can't help but be drawn in. In a nutshell, Japanese just feels a lot physically and culturally "closer" than it did before.
Chapters 1 and 2:
Susan Napier begins her book by answering a question particularly important when studying anime from a Western perspective: Why has anime achieved such a wide degree of popularity across such a diverse, multicultural audience of people in a way that Western animation has not yet? She introduces her answer to the question by first distinguishing between anime as an art form and other styles of animated art (particularly Disney). Napier argues that anime not only boasts an "arresting visual style" but a narrative form that offers a depth not found in predictable Western anime. In addition, its examination of themes and settings that are universal to all cultures, despite the obvious "otherness" of it as a Japanese art form, give it a broad-ranging appeal to most people in most places. Napier further argues that everything from character design to choice of locations (futuristic worlds or schools) makes anime works not synonymous with Japanese society, instead creating an independent space particular to anime itself. Anime, she states, is especially appropriate at the turn of the century, considering that many of its plot lines revolve around technology and fluid notions of gender and sexuality. However, Napier sees three themes - all of which mix traditional and modern elements of Japanese society - as being especially recurrent in the genre: apocalypse, festival, and elegy. Apocalypse stems from Japan's dark recent history and highly technological society, ranging from the optimistic to deeply pessimistic about mankind's future, and capturing many fears and disillusioned ideologies in Japan. The festival ventures away from anime's austere side to explore grossly exaggerated themes and visual imagery that picture what we can't experience in our own societies. The final theme, elegiac, concerns itself with more of a sense of melancholy and nostalgia for the past, celebrating as well as mourning the loss of many cultural traditions and norms in post-war society. These three themes, says Napier, are almost always present, in some form of another, in any animated work on the market.
Japanamerica:
Ronald Kelts' book, on the other hand, deals more specifically with the issue of why anime is so popular in America in particular, whether it is Japan or America or both changing that has led to the cross-pollination of Eastern and Western culture seen in anime (a topic only briefly touched on in Napier). From sushi to Pokemon, Japanese creations have become well-integrated into American popular culture. How is this possibly when the two countries hold cultural values that are almost diametrically opposed at times? Kelts argues that, at the very least, both cultures (albeit in different ways) value a sense of creative freedom (especially seen in the world of anime, where illustrators/directors are given almost complete artistic freedom as they rise in the ranks), making it very easy for American tastes to adapt to Japanese tastes (and visa versa). Especially considering America's current financial and political woes, the escapist pleasures of anime, combined with the sincerity of its characters' aims and feelings (as opposed to the often sarcastic nature of characters in American cinema), make the art form particularly appealing at the moment. Furthermore, Kelts makes an analogy between the effects of the atomic bombs on Japan and 9/11 in America, making our understanding and interest in apocalypse themes more acute. The appeal of the blurry line between good and evil (where Disney only pushes black-and-white characterizations of morality) is something Americans are more receptive to in our time. Even Miyazaki, whose films are still seen as "children's films in the U.S." and whose protagonists are almost always children, explores themes such as right, wrong, longing, and loss in such depth that adults can't help but be drawn in. In a nutshell, Japanese just feels a lot physically and culturally "closer" than it did before.
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