Verified Document

Japanese Animation Term Paper

Japanese Animation Japan is known for its creative and unique animations. Pokemon, Astroboy and Doraemon are only a few beloved Japanese animation characters. The genre dates back to the early 1900s. The first animated Japanese movie was Kyoto, a tale about a boy in a navy uniform waving. At only 50 frames, the film was considered an innovative breakthrough. In the years to come however, there was very little animation (also known as "anime" and "manga") created until the Nationalist Pre-war government thought that it could be a useful propaganda tool (Halsall, 2010). The Ministry of the Navy commissioned two movies in the 1940s to help encourage morale and raise the spirits of the Japanese people during the war. The films featured "Peach Boy," a Japanese folk hero that spearheaded a naval unit of people and animals representing other nations in Asia.

There were many starts and stops in the field of Japanese animation in the years that followed. An artist named Osamu Tezuka was the creator of Astroboy, a 1963 robotic character that fought...

Astroboy was a direct representation of the struggle for democracy during World War II (Lamarre, 2002). Osamu is said to have created the extremely large eye style common in Japanese animation. Later, an animator named Hayao Mizyazaki founded the famous Ghibli Studio. The studio specializes in feature length, science-fiction Japanese anime to this day and is often referred to as the "Japanese Walt Disney" (Halsall, 2010). Anime is very humanistic and filled with magical settings and rich, fantasy characters. These characteristics continue today -- imaginative visuals, fairy-tale plots, struggles of good vs. evil, heroes, heroines and moral lessons are still very common.
Notable works of the studio include Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986), My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Kiki's Delivery Service (1989), Porco Rosso (1992), Whisper of the Heart (1995), and Grave of the Fireflies (1988). Mizyazaki also created Spirited Away (2001), which received an Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film. It was the very first anime feature to take…

Sources used in this document:
References

Halsall, J. (2010). Anime Goes Mainstream. School Library Journal, 56(9), 32-33.

Lamarre, T. (2002). From animation to anime: drawing movements and moving drawings. Japan Forum, 14(2), 329-367. doi:10.1080/09555800220136400.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Japanese Anime Manga
Words: 2277 Length: 6 Document Type: Term Paper

Japanese Anime/Manga A Division of Gender Culture: The Shojo and the Sh-nen Countless arguments have risen about the dividing line of Japanese animation and comics marketing, especially regarding the age and gender groups. When looking at a specific comic or animation on a shelf, one usually examines it and decided then and there whether it is a work specifically geared to girls (shojo) or one targeting an audience of boys (sh-nen). Sometimes

Princess Mononoke Although Japanese Culture
Words: 1974 Length: 6 Document Type: Term Paper

While not a nostalgic or positive portrayal of nature, Miyazaki appears to strip away all civilized and male-dominated pretences towards what appears to be, and portrays to the Japanese people a vision of what lies beneath the pretence and the civilizing influence of traditionalism. Perhaps this is why his film was the highest-grossing ever in Japan at the time. Another possible reason is the sense of cultural loss that Japan

Art Influence of Japanese Art on Western
Words: 3463 Length: 13 Document Type: Term Paper

Vincent Van Gogh, Frank Lloyd Wright and Madeleine Vionnet. What did this 19th century artist, architect, and fashion designer share in common? Very simply: They all incorporated Japanese techniques into their works of genius. When Commodore Perry opened the doors to this Eastern country in 1853, an abundance of unique and influential styles of art rushed out and captured the imaginations of artists throughout the Western world. As author Emile

Japanese Anime and American Superheroes
Words: 985 Length: 3 Document Type: Research Paper

Superheroes as Positive Psychological Role Models One of the universal appeals of animation and manga is their ability to blend reality and fantasy. While each story takes place in a fantastical realm populated by mythical creatures and superheroes with superpowers, there is always a metaphor for the human dimension. Superheroes might have superpowers, but they also have weaknesses that can be exploited by the enemy. Superpowers are, moreover, often depicted as

Post-Modern Japanese Cultural Society and
Words: 1595 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

Cellular phones and video games did not exist in the past due to the absence of technology back then. The Japanese video game industry has revolutionized the world with its innovative games from giants such as Nintendo, Sega and Sony. The role-playing games genre has been a big contribution by the Japanese and a large part of their culture. They did not have video games back then but they

Music From Japanese Anime in the US
Words: 732 Length: 2 Document Type: Research Paper

Japanese Music from Anime and Video Games on American Culture Music found in Japanese anime and video games has found its' way into American culture, as the popularity of these mediums has provides a route through which Japanese artists and creative works may extend beyond the Asian region (Shahriari 179). The cross cultural nature of music can be seen in the development of today's Japanese popular music; known as J-Pop,

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now