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How have the Western world, especially America, influenced anime’s significance in Japanese culture?
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The Cultural Significance of Anime
Anime is “simply the Japanese word for cartoon or animation” (Stephenson, 2018, p.1), but to the outside world, it is indicative of cartoons with characters with large eyes, exaggerated expressions and colourful hair. There is an abundance of different genres of anime and with that comes a vast range of age ratings. -
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The Cultural Significance of Anime
Anime has transcended cultural barriers and has become popular around the world, because of this, it is available dubbed or subbed in a variety of different languages. Though it is clear that anime has influenced the surrounding world, it is also evident that it has been influenced by the world. -
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The Cultural Significance of Anime
Culturally, anime holds great significance. It is a form of entertainment which people use for enjoyment but also becomes an activity friends or families can watch together and then discuss much like any other tv show or story. In this was, anime can be seen as a way to bond with others and find common ground with others. While anime is primarily significant due to its entertainment abilities, it also holds much greater significance than that. -
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The Cultural Significance of Anime
Anime is a way in which values, beliefs and material things can be taught and passed down to younger generations. For example “Hikaru no Go – a series about young and talented boys playing the traditional Japanese board game go – created a “go boom” in Japan. It exposed many children (and some adults) to the charms of go and invigorated this old sport” (Nadave, 2012, p.2). This example demonstrates how important anime is to passing on culture, even teaching a traditional board game. -
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The Cultural Significance of Anime
Anime can be traced back to manga, or drawings which than can be traced back centuries, but the influence of the outside world can be seen very early on. -
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The Origins of Anime: Manga 6th and 7th Century
Some of the first examples of manga can be seen on scrolls drawn by Buddhist monks. In the scrolls, the passage of time was shown by blowing red leaves or cherry blossoms (Sharer, 2001, p.1). “The most famous of these works is Choujuugiga, meaning "animal scrolls", a work that depicted animals behaving like humans and satirized Buddhist priests”(Sharer, 2001, p.1). -
The opening of Japan: 19th Century
During the late 19th century Japan, when Japan was finally opened, meaning establishing regular trade with the west, manga became influenced by European countries like Norway, Britain, France and America. This influence brought shading and perspective to the drawings and added writing in bubbles around the pictures. The comedy genre, from the west, became popular in comics. -
The Release of Anime: 1917-1920s
The first anime released was in 1917. It was made by “by Shimokawa Oten, made with chalk, and less than five minutes long”(Cooper, n.d., p.1). Animation at this time was a novelty, it was a way for many people to escape the sad reality of World War I. -
The Release of Anime: 1917-1920s
WWI influenced what was depicted in these cartoon. Much of it depicted hard labour, samurai, sports or Japanese folk tales. The ideas of hard work, and suffering mirroring the war, was mixed together with comedic scenes which directly took inspiration from comedy in the west. Originally it had no sound. -
The Release of Anime: 1917-1920s
Anime at this time helped pass on folk tales which had instilled values of their culture in a way which appealed to all ages. Yet the comedic aspects of the films changed what citizens came to expect out of a cartoon. -
The Release of Anime: 1917-1920s
Throughout the 1920s anime suffered as “imported cartoons had already made money in their home countries, so they were sold cheaply to theaters in Japan. Animation artists could not implement the expensive techniques used by Disney and still sell their cartoons at a competitive price” (Richey, 2014, p.3).
The anime Taro-san no Kisha (Taro's Train) held the lesson to teach children not to act like animals in public and to listen to their parents. -
Technology and World War II: 1930s-1940s
In the 1930s, anime producers tried to make a comeback as the quality was starting to become closer to the quality of Disney animations.The biggest influence during this time period was World War II. Much of the anime being created still kept its light comedic tone but it had an ulterior motive. The main role of anime at this time was to perpetuate war propaganda. -
Technology and World War II: 1930s-1940s
The most radical, irreversible influence America forced upon anime came due to the horrific bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6th and 9th 1945. The anime which immediately followed these attacks had underlying tones of anger and pain. The main characters of the stories became orphaned children trying to survive, or children who have strange mutations and become superheroes (Fuller, 2015, p.2). -
Technology and World War II: 1930s-1940s
Anime mirrored the sad reality that thousands of children had been orphaned, or killed and many of them suffered severe mutations which they would never recover from due to radiation. Anime gave these children an outlet in which they could find hope and see themselves in the superheroes. -
The change in significance
Anime thus far had gone from a tool to teach cultural ideas and used for entertainment to a wide spread source to release pain. It had become not only a source of entertainment but a pathway to spread hope and feelings of security. Just what the country needed after a traumatizing war. -
Times of Change: 1950s-1960s
Anime still reminisced of the war, many being centered around peace and harmony. The first full colour anime came out in 1955. During this time period Japanese animators were forced to follow Western studio systems if they wanted to stay competitive in the world of animation. America’s role at this time was to constantly force Japanese animators to be more innovative and follow new advancements in order to stay in business. -
Times of Change: 1950s-1960s
In the 1960s, the television drastically changed the way in which anime could be viewed. “Prior to 1958, if you wanted to see animation, you had to go to a theater or have a wealthy friend with a projector and access to reels”(Cooper, n.d., p.4). -
Times of Change: 1950s-1960s
Anime began to succeed or fail due to there tv and international rating. Due to this, animators felt pressure to continually add colour to there animation or else the anime would not succeed in America and other Western countries. -
Times of Change: 1950s-1960s
Probably the most famous anime to come out of this time period is Astro Boy. It is about “a scientist attempts to fill the void left by his son’s death by creating a humanlike android named Astro Boy” (Fuller, 2015, p.2 ). Astro Boy is rejected by that scientist but then goes on to become a superhero. This anime was important for Japanese culture because it showed the mutual fear for the growing technology but it also demonstrates that change and technology are nothing to be afraid of. -
The Golden Age: 1970s-1980s
Anime during this time period thrived. Due to its high demand it began to gain popularity around the world. There was an explosion of different genres at this time. Anyone could find an anime which would interest them. Sports became a huge topic for animes, specifically soccer. Children anywhere in the world could relate to an anime about soccer which taught the importance of teamwork and friendship(Cooper, n.d., p.4). -
The Golden Age: 1970s-1980s
Though anime continued to take inspiration from the West, this time period allowed anime to define itself as an independent prominent form of animation not needing guidance from Western countries. Because of this the genres continued to expand, many pulling inspiration from traditional, forgotten Japanese games, traditions or values. The notorious anime Dragon Ball, which then became Dragon Ball Z was created during this period. -
1990s-2000s
In the 1990s Japan’s economy crashed, “budgets were cut back and many anime film and OAV studios closed(Cooper, n.d., p.5). Pokémon was a game changer for the anime industry as a whole. Until this point in time, anime was always competing on an international stage with the cartoons from America. Pokémon became so popular, it actually created a large demand for anime in North America. Pokémon was the gateway to anime’s international success. -
2010s-Present
Anime has become an international success. With the wide variety of genres, and target age groups. While it is continually being influenced by the Western world it continues to spread traditional values and beliefs, as well as very progressive ideas the youth around the world can appreciate (Moriarty, 2015, p.3). -
2010s-Present
In our present day the cultural significance of anime has been greatly expanded. It is a source of entertainment, a way to spread innovative ideas and dreams. Anime is a form of media in which viewers can relate to as well as a way to teach the history of Japan and the outside world, and traditional Japanese games and values.
