Introduction to Anime and Manga Studies

1. Introduction to Anime and Manga Studies MIKHAIL KOULIKOV KATHRYN HEMMANN LISA LACKNEY AUGUST 8, 2014

3. “Anime/manga studies” • Exploration of the historical, cultural, sociological and religious dimensions of Japanese animation and comics, their production, and global reception • “Anime and manga are a key part of contemporary Japanese visual culture • “Anime and manga play an increasingly important role in the global mediscape…that is shaping the collective imaginations, experiences and feelings of people throughout the world.”

4. “Anime and manga studies” • What do we mean by “studies” • “The idea, practice and process of critical thinking” • Asking questions • Looking for / finding answers • Participating in a conversation

5. What anime/manga studies is NOT • Anime/manga studies is not a “formal” subject area or academic discipline • No such thing as • BA, anime studies • “department of anime studies” • “professor of anime studies”

6. What anime/manga studies IS • ‘Emerging field’ • ‘Community of interest’ • ‘Way of asking questions’ • Interdisciplinary OR multidisciplinary OR pluridisciplinary practice • Why does this matter?

7. “What is anime” / “What is manga” ? • Asking the question implies certain answers Anime = Japanese animation? ‘Anime’, ‘anime-shon’, ‘manga fuirumu’, several other terms Manga = Japanese comics? Comics = sequential narratives, strips, editorial cartoons?

8. Establishing the ‘knowledge base’ (1) • Anime is a subset of film/animation • Anime is a form of Japanese culture? • Manga is a form (type, genre) of sequential art, comics, literature • Anime companies’ activities are forms of? • Anime fans’ practices are forms of?

9. Establishing the ‘knowledge base’ (2) • Historical contexts • Knowledge concerning the historical period portrayed in the work, as well as any historical allusions. This is also relevant for works set in the contemporary world or in the future! • Sociopolitical contexts • Knowledge concerning how the work in question engages with the social, political, and legal contexts in which it was created. • Economic contexts • Knowledge concerning issues such as who financed the production of a work, financial success (or lack thereof) in domestic and international markets, franchising, advertising, and so on. • Cultural contexts • Knowledge concerning aspects of a work that arise from its engagement with “Japanese” or “foreign” culture, which include literary allusions, religious traditions, attitudes towards gender, etc.

10. Where do anime/manga scholars “live”? • Related to the ‘knowledge base’ question • Asian Studies / Languages / Cultures • History • Anthropology • English / Comparative Literature • Cinema Studies • Media Studies • Do you need to be an academic to participate?

11. Major trends and directions • Representations of gender(s) and gender-related issues • The place of anime/manga in presenting a picture of current Japanese society and Japan’s history • Global impact and reception of anime/manga • Fan activities and practices: Cosplay, fanfiction, AMVs • Commentary on prior work – establishing a dialogue

12. Shortcomings and criticism • Thomas Lamarre – too much focus on anime as text, not enough on the “animated-ness” of anime (uses of particular animation techniques to carry and present content) • Mitsuyo Wada-Marciano – over-emphasis on anime’s perceived “Japaneseness;” connection to film studies marginalizes discussions of anime on television • Jacqueline Berndt – “Blind spots” • Tendency to treat the work of Hayao Miyazaki as “typical of anime as a whole” • Ignorance of the deep connections between manga, anime, and other components of Japan’s media mix • Limited to non-existent familiarity with Japanese writing on anime/manga

13. Things to keep in mind • Not everything that is published is “academic research” • Anime Explosion: The What? Why? & Wow of Japanese Animation • Anime and Philosophy / Manga and Philosophy • ANYTHING by Dani Cavallaro • Problems • Biases and outdated ways of thinking • Lack of peer review • Lack of engagement with current scholarship

14. Scholarship vs. fan activity • Scholarship is defined by • Style • Rigor – any claim is backed up by evidence • Context – awareness of and connection to prior research on related topics • Format – talks/lectures, presentations, publications • BUT: Scholars can be fans – fans can be scholars • Anime/manga studies is what we do, NOT “who we are”

15. “I wanna do anime studies!” (1) • Look at examples • Single books • From Impressionism to Anime: Japan as Fantasy and Fan Culture in the Eyes of the West • Straight from the Heart: Gender, Intimacy, and the Cultural Production of Shōjo Manga • The Anime Machine: A Media Theory of Animation • Essay collections • Cinema Anime: Critical Engagements with Japanese Animation • Japanese Visual Culture: Explorations in the World of Manga and Anime • Robot Ghosts and Wired Dreams: Japanese Science Fiction from Origins to Anime • Journal articles

16. “I wanna do anime studies!” (2) • Locate your knowledge bases – what are you actually looking at • Type of approach (historical, cultural, sociopolitical, economic) • Narrow your focus • Specific titles • Specific individuals • Specific activities/practices

17. “I wanna do anime studies!” (3) • Locate your linguistic bases • English • Most international scholarship on anime and manga is published in English. • Japanese • Not being able to read Japanese is like only looking at the tip of the iceberg in terms of what’s out there. • Other European languages • Useful for understanding international fan cultures and licensing/translation markets, not to mention magazines, exhibition catalogs, online reviews, and cinema theory. • Other Asian languages

18. “I wanna do anime studies!” (4) • Locate your research bases • Original texts • Critical theory: Ways of asking questions • Western-language scholarship • Japanese scholarship • Primary materials (interviews/surveys) • Quantitative materials / data • Business materials (company annual reports) • Legal materials (court decisions)

19. “I wanna do anime studies!” (5) • Knowledge of Japanese? • Beneficial but not absolutely required • Expands available resources • Untranslated anime/manga • Comparative approaches • Japanese scholars and scholarship • Need to consider • Status of anime/manga scholarship in Japan • Differences in patterns of scholarly communication

20. What are my options? (1) • Undergraduate • 3-5 years • Semester/year abroad • Senior thesis • Access to a range of “foundational” classes: Japanese history, Japanese literature, Japanese film, film studies, gender studies, etc. • Many possible major/minor options • Outcome: Employment in publishing, cultural institutions, anime/manga industry OR NEXT STEP • MA program • 1-3 years • Summer abroad • Thesis • Outcome: Salaried positionORNecessary prerequisite to further graduate study

21. What are my options? (2) • PhD programs • 6-10 years • 1-2 years abroad • Expectations of publishing and teaching • Job outcome: Teaching at the university level (Hopefully!) • Japanese animation/Japanese comics as a specialty • Other academic programs • JD, MBA, MLS • Cost considerations • Can I afford this? • Will I be able to afford my life after this?

22. Factors to Consider (1) • Location • Cultural resources: museums, cinemas, bookstores • Ease of travel to conferences and abroad • Available programs and classes • History in welcoming Anime and Manga Studies professors • As tenure-track faculty • As invited guest speakers • Access to specialized resources • Centers for Asian Studies • Other specialized institutes (for Gender Studies, new media, etc.) • Libraries and special collections • Funding prospects

23. Factors to Consider (2) • As an applicant to an undergraduate program • Do they have an Asian Studies department? • Are they affiliated with any study abroad programs in Japan? • Do they offer funding for undergraduate research projects? • As an applicant to an MA program • Is there someone who can serve as your advisor and mentor? • Will they be able to help support you financially? • Will they expect you to act as a teaching assistant? • As an applicant to a PhD program • Are there at least two associate professors who can advise you? • Will they be able to fully support you financially? • How conservative is the department?

24. Program Examples: WARNING: CONSIDER EACH PROGRAM INDIVIDUALLY • University of Florida • Dep’t of English, MA or PhD • “Comics and Visual Rhetoric” track • Georgia State University • Moving Image Studies (PhD) • Concordia University (Canada) • Film Studies (MA) / Film and Moving Image Studies (PhD) • Other major centers: • Duke University • Ohio State University • University of Southern California

25. I’m an anime scholar, yay! Now what do I do?!? (1) • The end goal of scholarly activity is knowledge-sharing • Conferences: • Mechademia: Conference on Asian Popular Cultures • PCA/ACA Annual Conference • AX Anime and Manga Studies Symposium • Regional and discipline-specific conferences

26. I’m an anime scholar, yay! Now what do I do?!? (2) • Publications • ‘Knowledge Base’ approach • Anime as animation / manga as comics • Animation Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal • Animation Practice, Process and Production • ImageTexT: Interdisciplinary Comics Studies • Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics • Anime/manga as culture-specific products • Japan Forum • Japanese Studies • U.S.-Japan Women’s Journal • Intersections: Gender, History & Critique in the Asian Context • Journal of Japanese and Korean Cinema

27. I’m an anime scholar, yay! Now what do I do?!? (3) • Anime/manga as science fiction • Intensities: The Journal of Cult Media • Science Fiction Film and Television • Science Fiction Studies • Anime/manga fan activities • Journal of Fandom Studies • Journal of Popular Culture • Transformative Works and Cultures • Essay Collections • Monographs / Single-author books

28. I’m an anime scholar, yay! What does it pay? • It does not • Anime/manga studies is what we do, NOT “who we are” • Journal articles/book chapters - no payment to author • Editor of essay collection - 10-15% of sales • Author of monograph - $2K and/or % of sales • Sales: several hundred copies at $30-50 / copy • You need to have a separate source of income – academic or professional

29. Anime/Manga Studies Resources • Anime and Manga Studies Blog • Anime and Manga Research Circle • AMRC-L mailing list • H-Net Network on Japanese History and Culture • The CFP List – www.cfplist.com • CFP.English.UPenn.edu

30. Anime and Manga Studies: Recent Examples • Did manga conquer America? Implications for the cultural policy of 'Cool Japan‘ • International Journal of Cultural Policy • Layers of the ethereal: A cultural investigation of beauty, girlhood, and ballet in Japanese shojo manga. • Fashion Theory: The Journal of Dress, Body & Culture • Magic, shojo, and metamorphisis: Magical girl anime and the challenges of changing gender identities in Japanese society. • Journal of Asian Studies • The comfort and disquiet of transmedia horror in Higurashi: When They Cry (Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni) • Refractory: A Journal of Entertainment Media • The heroic villain: Anime in moral education and English language learning • Language Arts in Asia 2: English and Chinese Through Literature, Drama and Popular Culture • The hysterical subject of shojo: The dark, twisted heroines in Puella Magi Madoka Magica • Heroines of Film and Television: Portrayals in Popular Culture