Looking at Napier and Cavallaro (2006), discuss how anime is culturally ‘located’ – in the East or West, or somewhere else?
It would be impossible to deny the uniquely Japanese roots of Anime. As described by Napier (2005), anime as a medium has evolved from a complex interplay of Japanese cultural traditions, including Woodblock painting and later Manga, amongst others. This translates to many of the conventions and design elements present within anime being wholly Japanese in origin. That being said, we exist in an increasingly globalised word where there is an ongoing exchange of ideas, technical knowledge and creative products. As both Napier and Cavallaro (2006) showcase in their respective texts, this exchange has caused a metamorphosis, where anime’s identity is no longer solely Japanese in character, being derived from a combination eastern and western cultural influences. While Napier explores on a wider scale how anime has been influenced by the pervading globalization of the 20th and 21st centuries, causing this previously mentioned shift in identity, Cavallaro highlights this transformation through the exploration of Hayao Miyazaki’s animated filmography.
From a consumer perspective, anime is certainly no longer located in Japan alone, with a significant viewership having developed in the western world. When Napier published her book in 2005, she wrote about a growing anime following outside of japan, with works, such as Miyazaki’s films and Akira making notable splashes in the international box office. Since this time, Anime’s popularity has only continued to explode. Particularly popular shows such as Dragonball, Pokémon and One piece all made their way onto popular spots on broadcast television, and the transition to streaming services has meant many major providers such as Netflix and Hulu have added anime titles to their catalogue. Now anime exclusive streaming services, such as Crunchyroll, have established themselves as competitors to these western streaming giants (Laux, 2019). This major following not only suggests that anime studios undoubtedly feel a pressure to cater to non-Japanese audiences, but that anime has a fundamental ability to transcend cultural barriers that other eastern mediums may lack. Napier and Cavallaro both provide extensive explanations as to why this universality exists within anime.
Anime, even in the early days of the medium, was created predominantly by a younger Japanese generation who had been exposed to western art and entertainment caused by the lasting colonial chokehold of the global cultural marketplace. This exposure led to anime adopting many influences from western film, television and literature alongside its traditional Japanese roots. Creators would often design settings which weren’t entirely Japanese in nature, with many of Miyazaki’s films amongst other anime utilizing European iconography, mythos and environments, and others creating fictional, culturally non-specific settings that avoid or merge cultural elements from a multitude of societies. Even in settings which are clearly Japanese in nature, cultural barriers are often overcome by the exploration of themes which are universal in their message. Cavallaro particularly emphasises this point, discussing how many of Miyazaki’s works engage with themes of coming of age, environmental destruction, the dangers of unrestrained capitalism and the brutality of totalitarianism, all of which are themes western audiences and beyond can engage with. Similarly, films like Akira discuss the threat of rapid technological advancement, fear of nuclear apocalypse and degradation of community values. While many of these themes do originate from the lasting trauma inherited by the Japanese from the Second World War, their messages engage with fundamental aspects and fears of all human societies. Finally, both academics highlight many technical elements inherited from western cinema tradition. Anime is very much an adaptation of manga, adopting an art style and a mise-en-scene which is which is deeply reminiscent of this earlier medium, however in the process of transition from stage to screen, many studios, including studio Ghibli, opted to use a distinctly western use of cinematographic techniques, including westernised frame movement and shot transition, along with elements of western animation’s fluidity. The combination of these various elements acts to create narratives that western audiences can at least partially understand and relate to.
Through highlighting the sheer scale of interplay that occurs between Japanese and western discourse and texts within anime, both Napier (2005) and Cavallaro (2006) outline the fact that anime cannot be culturally located easily within Japan alone. Much like western cinema, which increasingly features a great many cultural influences, anime has become a product of the global community. Despite its undeniable ties to Japan, anime now operates in an ambiguous grey area between western and eastern, and as cultural boundaries continue to blur, this evolution will only exacerbate anime’s international identity.
Napier, S. (2005). Why anime? In Anime: from Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle (pp.3-34). Hampshire: Palgrave/ Macmillan.
Cavallaro, D. (2006). Anime Art of Hayao Miyazaki (pp 5-28). Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers.
Laux, C. (2019). Is Japanese anime going mainstream? BBC Future. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20191127-the-spirited-world-of-japanese-anime
Pop Genres 2020 