I think anime is media and also genre. Although it used to be considered as just "Japanese animation", now, anime has its reputation for its highn culture background. For instance, "they also move and provoke viewers on other levels as well, stimulating audiences to work through certain contemporary issues in ways that older art forms cannot" (Napier, 2005)
7.What is the "Syojyo" and how does it often function in anime?
"Syojyo" means "a young girl" in Japanese. In anime, they often have long hair, huge roundy eyes, ridiculously long legs compare to thier upper bodies and all of them are pretty.
Napier(2005) stated that, although Miyao Hayazaki makes anime films, which contains hopes and rebirth, other Japanese anime tend to be darker, focusing on the destruction of the sociery. It is because although so many years has passed now, Japanese still can't get over an atomic bomb which attacked Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Also, although now, Japan has earned some kind of economic stability, there was a huge economic collapse in 1989, which still affects Japanese society.
Napier basically discussed that the image of "Syojyo" is used to put people in under the illusion to escape from the severe reality.-although it didn't work well-
4.Is it a high or low cultural genre/media, according to Napier?
I think Napier discussed anime as high culture genre/media. He stated that "anime is a popular cultural form that clearly builds on previous high cutural tradition" by examplifying Kabuki.
Yes,I agree with Maho for the first question, I think Anime could be defined as a genre and media. According to Napier(2005), "over the last decade, anime has been increasingly seen as an intellectually challenging art forms", and I think the contents of the animes always have some deep issues to make people think of them, for example, in the princess Mononoke, Miyazaki was set up the film between both human and nature, and it can also imply to the reality, if we do not respect the nature and overdevelop the nature, we might have a big trouble from it.
I think "Syojo" plays an important role in the anime and always appear with a pretty face, and nice body in the anime. According to the textbook, (p.250), the meaning of "Shojo" is young girl who may usually aged 12 or 13. and “On a metaphorical level, it is alludes to the transitional stage between infancy and maturity, and its admixture of sexlessness and budding eroticism.” However, in my personal understanding of the word "Syojo" can also imply as the innocence.
I am agree with Maho and Yian about the "syojo". The syojo's image have changed in these few years. As what Yian said syojo can imply as innocence in animes but I think syojo can also imply as dark image in nowadays.
Anyway in some of the comedy animes syojo's image also changed althought the syojo characters still stay with long hair, large eyes but they don't have long legs or nice bodies they become more cute and more funny.
Victor, you are right, I just saw a Japanese anime named Lucky Star which is made in 2007. Do you see it before? The "Syojo" characters in the anime is looking quite funny lol. And it is quite nice.
Hi all Sorry for the late response. For Q3, I believe that anime is indeed a high cutural genres in Japan as Napier (2005) states that "anime clearly appears to be a cultural phenomenon worthy of being taken seriously, both sociologically and aesthetically." Furthermore, Napier also suggests that "....precisely because of their popular reach they affect a wider variety of audiences in more ways than some less accessible types of high cultural exchange have been able to do."
I couldn't agree more with Napier on this point as not only he defines the reputation of anime, but also anime has turly developed itself into a mainstream pop cultural phenomenon in Japan.
Regarding to Q6, I'm not a big fan of anime, however I do watch Hayao Miyazaki's animes and thats pretty much it. Therefore I don't know much about "syojo". But i agree with both Maho and Yi-an as they both states that "syojo" manga or anime usually involves young pretty girls with huge eyes and stars shining in their eyes, huge breasts, long legs....etc. I guess I better ask the otaku brothers more about these kinda stuff since they are the masters when it comes to Japanese animes, especially animes with pretty girls. (By the way, I'm not an otaku, I'm only wearing those glasses for fun, it's not like I need glasses to see clearly, so yea. I know I look like an otaku too) :P
1) I think anime is more of a genre. Anime is the abbreviation of the word "animation, and it is considered that anime is a subset of animation.
Anime is usually hand drawn, but it is recently assisted and enhanced by computer animation. Anime, like any other entertainment medium, the story lines represent most major genres of fiction.
Anime is usually broadcasted on television, or DVD, videotape, and sometimes an anime is expanded into video games.
There are also times that anime can be developed into a full length motion pictures.
Anime is ually influenced by manga, light novles and other cultures.
7) Syojho (japanese) can be translated as "little girl" in English.
Usually syojho appears as a protagonist in melodramatic stories of romance.
Syojho is usually a beautiful cahracter with intricately drawn eyes that may spontaneously surrounded by hearts, flowers and/or stars. (The usual fluffy wuffly girly stuff)
Syojho is not a style or genre, but more like a demographic.
According to Prindle, girls occupy a distinctive place in Japan's mass media, including films and literature. What fascinates the Japanese is that the shojo nestle in a shallow lacuina between adulthood and childhood, power and powerlessness, awareness and innocence as well as masculinity and feminity.
I think that syojho plays a great role in Japanese studies.
We can focused on three major issues in discussion. Firstly, there is the issue of her identity. The syojho is stuck between the identity of childhood and adulthood, very attractive looking but outside the heterosexual economy and associations with freedom. Syojho is often percieved as useless and silly and indulging in fantasies, power and adventure and also retaining the irresponsibilities of a child at the same time.
The second issue we can look at the character of syojho is the the character's relation to consumer culture. Syojho are often perceived as an icon of cute and beautiful in Japan's consumer culture and consumer goods. For example: Syojho is often donned in ditzy/fluffy fashion, accessories, cutesy pets and making childish emotions (e.g: giggling, eyes wide open in amazement or sulking).
The third issue I will like to discuss is the relationship between the syojho and audiences/readers. Syojho acts as an attractive and non-threatening figure of feminity, unlike an adult woman, who is usually feared because of her maternal or sexual power,the syojho is a figure of identification for young girls. Not only that, Syojho also have some nostalgic appeal to adult women who are seeking escape from the pressures of their lives.
I think syojho can be criticized as something that is encouraging the nostalgic forms of feminine narcissism, but also it can be seen in a positive light, that syojho is actually acts as a rebellion against established social values and found to be oppositional and utopian in its anti-heterosexuality, humanism, and sensitivity.
However, I will like to comment that syojho in Miyazaki's works are usually different than the typical syojho character in anime.
Although Miyazaiki's heroines are the classic syojho in terms of their age, pets and sexual innocence, Napier has argues that the herioines also possessed the characterisitics of the typical masculine hero: they are active, assertive, brave and adventourous.
Some of Miyazaki's heroine such as Nausicaa and San (notably)- are very 'heroic'. They are fighting the evils of envrionemtal destruction, capitalism, wars and also help and supporting the victims that suffered from the aggression.
17 comments:
1.Is Anime media or genre?
I think anime is media and also genre. Although it used to be considered as just "Japanese animation", now, anime has its reputation for its highn culture background. For instance, "they also move and provoke viewers on other levels as well, stimulating audiences to work through certain contemporary issues in ways that older art forms cannot" (Napier, 2005)
7.What is the "Syojyo" and how does it often function in anime?
"Syojyo" means "a young girl" in Japanese. In anime, they often have long hair, huge roundy eyes, ridiculously long legs compare to thier upper bodies and all of them are pretty.
Napier(2005) stated that, although Miyao Hayazaki makes anime films, which contains hopes and rebirth, other Japanese anime tend to be darker, focusing on the destruction of the sociery. It is because although so many years has passed now, Japanese still can't get over an atomic bomb which attacked Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Also, although now, Japan has earned some kind of economic stability, there was a huge economic collapse in 1989, which still affects Japanese society.
Napier basically discussed that the image of "Syojyo" is used to put people in under the illusion to escape from the severe reality.-although it didn't work well-
4.Is it a high or low cultural genre/media, according to Napier?
I think Napier discussed anime as high culture genre/media. He stated that "anime is a popular cultural form that clearly builds on previous high cutural tradition" by examplifying Kabuki.
Yes,I agree with Maho for the first question, I think Anime could be defined as a genre and media. According to Napier(2005), "over the last decade, anime has been increasingly seen as an intellectually challenging art forms", and I think the contents of the animes always have some deep issues to make people think of them, for example, in the princess Mononoke, Miyazaki was set up the film between both human and nature, and it can also imply to the reality, if we do not respect the nature and overdevelop the nature, we might have a big trouble from it.
Hope you guys enjoyed the movie (those who saw it). Some questions to discuss:
1. Is anime a genre or a media? Is it a branch of film or another mode?
2. According to Lent (2000), what place does animation occupy in Asian societies? How different is this across Asia (ie comparing China and Japan)?
3. Is it a high or low cultural genre/media, according to Napier (2005)?
4. What are some of its subgenres?
5. Looking at Napier and Cavallaro (2006), discuss how anime is culturally ‘located’ – in the East or West, or somewhere else?
6. What is the ‘shojo’ and how does it often function in anime? What genres/subgenres of anime can you identify?
Also, feel free to widen the discussion to talk about works of anime you have viewed and enjoyed (or not, as the case may be!).
Look forward to reading yr comments.
I think "Syojo" plays an important role in the anime and always appear with a pretty face, and nice body in the anime. According to the textbook, (p.250), the meaning of "Shojo" is young girl who may usually aged 12 or 13. and “On a metaphorical level, it is alludes to the transitional stage between infancy and
maturity, and its admixture of sexlessness and budding eroticism.” However, in my personal understanding of the word "Syojo" can also imply as the innocence.
I am agree with Maho and Yian about the "syojo". The syojo's image have changed in these few years. As what Yian said syojo can imply as innocence in animes but I think syojo can also imply as dark image in nowadays.
Anyway in some of the comedy animes syojo's image also changed althought the syojo characters still stay with long hair, large eyes but they don't have long legs or nice bodies they become more cute and more funny.
Victor, you are right, I just saw a Japanese anime named Lucky Star which is made in 2007. Do you see it before? The "Syojo" characters in the anime is looking quite funny lol. And it is quite nice.
Hi all
Sorry for the late response.
For Q3, I believe that anime is indeed a high cutural genres in Japan as Napier (2005) states that "anime clearly appears to be a cultural phenomenon worthy of being taken seriously, both sociologically and aesthetically." Furthermore, Napier also suggests that "....precisely because of their popular reach they affect a wider variety of audiences in more ways than some less accessible types of high cultural exchange have been able to do."
I couldn't agree more with Napier on this point as not only he defines the reputation of anime, but also anime has turly developed itself into a mainstream pop cultural phenomenon in Japan.
Regarding to Q6, I'm not a big fan of anime, however I do watch Hayao Miyazaki's animes and thats pretty much it. Therefore I don't know much about "syojo". But i agree with both Maho and Yi-an as they both states that "syojo" manga or anime usually involves young pretty girls with huge eyes and stars shining in their eyes, huge breasts, long legs....etc. I guess I better ask the otaku brothers more about these kinda stuff since they are the masters when it comes to Japanese animes, especially animes with pretty girls. (By the way, I'm not an otaku, I'm only wearing those glasses for fun, it's not like I need glasses to see clearly, so yea. I know I look like an otaku too) :P
1) I think anime is more of a genre. Anime is the abbreviation of the word "animation, and it is considered that anime is a subset of animation.
Anime is usually hand drawn, but it is recently assisted and enhanced by computer animation. Anime, like any other entertainment medium, the story lines represent most major genres of fiction.
Anime is usually broadcasted on television, or DVD, videotape, and sometimes an anime is expanded into video games.
There are also times that anime can be developed into a full length motion pictures.
Anime is ually influenced by manga, light novles and other cultures.
Sorry guys, for posting up comments so late.
My internet connection at my apartment stinks and I have to do it in campus or pop genre class. =_="
7) Syojho (japanese) can be translated as "little girl" in English.
Usually syojho appears as a protagonist in melodramatic stories of romance.
Syojho is usually a beautiful cahracter with intricately drawn eyes that may spontaneously surrounded by hearts, flowers and/or stars. (The usual fluffy wuffly girly stuff)
Syojho is not a style or genre, but more like a demographic.
According to Prindle, girls occupy a distinctive place in Japan's mass media, including films and literature. What fascinates the Japanese is that the shojo nestle in a shallow lacuina between adulthood and childhood, power and powerlessness, awareness and innocence as well as masculinity and feminity.
I think that syojho plays a great role in Japanese studies.
We can focused on three major issues in discussion. Firstly, there is the issue of her identity. The syojho is stuck between the identity of childhood and adulthood, very attractive looking but outside the heterosexual economy and associations with freedom. Syojho is often percieved as useless and silly and indulging in fantasies, power and adventure and also retaining the irresponsibilities of a child at the same time.
The second issue we can look at the character of syojho is the the character's relation to consumer culture. Syojho are often perceived as an icon of cute and beautiful in Japan's consumer culture and consumer goods. For example: Syojho is often donned in ditzy/fluffy fashion, accessories, cutesy pets and making childish emotions (e.g: giggling, eyes wide open in amazement or sulking).
The third issue I will like to discuss is the relationship between the syojho and audiences/readers. Syojho acts as an attractive and non-threatening figure of feminity, unlike an adult woman, who is usually feared because of her maternal or sexual power,the syojho is a figure of identification for young girls. Not only that, Syojho also have some nostalgic appeal to adult women who are seeking escape from the pressures of their lives.
I think syojho can be criticized as something that is encouraging the nostalgic forms of feminine narcissism, but also it can be seen in a positive light, that syojho is actually acts as a rebellion against established social values and found to be oppositional and utopian in its anti-heterosexuality, humanism, and sensitivity.
However, I will like to comment that syojho in Miyazaki's works are usually different than the typical syojho character in anime.
Although Miyazaiki's heroines are the classic syojho in terms of their age, pets and sexual innocence, Napier has argues that the herioines also possessed the characterisitics of the typical masculine hero: they are active, assertive, brave and adventourous.
Some of Miyazaki's heroine such as Nausicaa and San (notably)- are very 'heroic'. They are fighting the evils of envrionemtal destruction, capitalism, wars and also help and supporting the victims that suffered from the aggression.
whoa, verbal diarrhea.
my replies are super-long.
hey guys, reply to my comments if you happened to re-check week 5's questions,mmkay?
xo
Rex,
lol. I have to google otaku to know what it means.
victor and yi an is definetely obsessed with anime alright.
Mainly due to Classic syojho, i will say. (or not?)
hehe.
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