In the western, anime is still being considered children’s entertainment, a “sub” culture or low culture medium. However, in Japan, anime is “at present a “popular” or “mas” culture, a “truly a main-stream pop culture phenomenon.” (Napier, 2005). According to Napier (2005) for Japan, anime is considering to be high cultural medium, as it is “an intellectually challenging art form”. Anime allows Japan to become “increasingly significant player in the global cultural economy.” In the 1990s, anime began to developed and extend its’ reach, it became Japan’s new export product, as before that the export product was things such as haiku and martial arts. During this time, anime started to expand around the world, first in Asia countries such as Korea and Taiwan, as well as Southeast Asia, where an anime series ‘Doraemon’ become popular within Thailand. Then in Europe countries such as United Kingdom and France, followed by America (Napier, 2005).
Anime is not only for children like the Disney cartoon animation, it is not all pure and innocent, it also has mature, sexual, dark and violent concept to it. Some of it are able to be great at capturing many concepts and issues of the society and the world, such as history, politics and many other social issues, which “has powerful resonance with contemporary society and culture.” (Napier, 2005). These concepts are link to the subgenres of anime.
Subgenres of anime are quite different to the Western’s subgenres, as it operates in its own unique ways. It is impossible to used the same “rigid frame of reference” of the western animation, to analyse or categories them. As anime are considering to be “a storytelling ecosystem unto itself that must be understood as such.” (Kahn, 2020). There are many subgenre of anime, but the main examples of japanese anime’s subgenres that have great impact and are popular within the western, are Cyberpunk genre and Mecha genre. Cyberpunk genre is fiction story which focus on dystopian or technological world future. Where humanity is struggling and fighting to survive within the society or world that are overpowering by technology and machine. An example of this genre is the 1988 anime Akira, which also have the elements of historical background of Japan as well. Mecha genre, a short form of English word Mechanical, is fiction story about Robot, again technology. According to Napier (2005), these subgenres are appropriate for the current society and world where technology is increasingly becoming one of the important elements that human and society needs.
In conclusion, anime is a high cultural medium for Japan as it is regard as “an intellectually challenging art form” (Napier, 2005). With subgenres which captured many concepts and issues of the society and the world.
References:
Kahn, J. (2020, February 19). Anime genres explained. Looper. https://www.looper.com/189420/anime-genres-explained/
Napier, S. (2005). Anime and Local/Global Identity. In Anime: from Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle (pp.15-34). Hampshire: Palgrave/Macmillan.
Napier, S. (2005). Why anime? In Anime: from Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle (pp.3-14). Hampshire: Palgrave/ Macmillan.
Pop Genres 2020 