Anime Creativity: Characters and Premises in the Quest for Cool Japan
This article examines ethnographically the production of anime (Japanese animated films and TV shows) by focusing on how professional animators use characters and dramatic premises to organize their collaborative creativity. In contrast to much of the analysis of anime that focuses on the stories...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en_US |
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Sage Publications
2010
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/54243 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5858-4526 |
| _version_ | 1826194926023475200 |
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| author | Condry, Ian |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Foreign Languages and Literatures |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Foreign Languages and Literatures Condry, Ian |
| author_sort | Condry, Ian |
| collection | MIT |
| description | This article examines ethnographically the production of anime (Japanese animated films and TV shows) by focusing on how professional animators use characters and dramatic premises to organize their collaborative creativity. In contrast to much of the analysis of anime that focuses on the stories of particular media texts, I argue that a character-based analysis provides a critical perspective on how anime relates to broader transmedia phenomena, from licensed merchandise to fan activities. The ideas of characters, premises, and world-settings also specify in greater detail the logic of anime production, which too often is glossed as emerging from a generalized Japanese culture, as in the ongoing debates about `cool Japan'. I conclude that an ethnographic approach to anime production through a focus on characters can offer new ways of thinking about what moves across media, what distinguishes anime from other media forms, and what gives anime its value. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T10:04:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/54243 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | en_US |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T10:04:21Z |
| publishDate | 2010 |
| publisher | Sage Publications |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/542432022-09-30T18:43:12Z Anime Creativity: Characters and Premises in the Quest for Cool Japan Condry, Ian Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Foreign Languages and Literatures Condry, Ian Condry, Ian This article examines ethnographically the production of anime (Japanese animated films and TV shows) by focusing on how professional animators use characters and dramatic premises to organize their collaborative creativity. In contrast to much of the analysis of anime that focuses on the stories of particular media texts, I argue that a character-based analysis provides a critical perspective on how anime relates to broader transmedia phenomena, from licensed merchandise to fan activities. The ideas of characters, premises, and world-settings also specify in greater detail the logic of anime production, which too often is glossed as emerging from a generalized Japanese culture, as in the ongoing debates about `cool Japan'. I conclude that an ethnographic approach to anime production through a focus on characters can offer new ways of thinking about what moves across media, what distinguishes anime from other media forms, and what gives anime its value. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Foreign Languages and Literatures Mitsui Career Development Professorship Harvard University. Program on US-Japan Relations Japan Society for the Promotion of Science National Science Foundation 2010-04-27T21:39:12Z 2010-04-27T21:39:12Z 2009-03 Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/SubmittedJournalArticle 0263-2764 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/54243 Condry, Ian. "Anime Creativity: Characters and Premises in the Quest for Cool Japan." Theory Culture Society 2009 26: 139-163. © 2009 Sage Publications. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5858-4526 en_US http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0263276409103111 Theory, Culture and Society Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. application/pdf Sage Publications Ian Condry |
| spellingShingle | Condry, Ian Anime Creativity: Characters and Premises in the Quest for Cool Japan |
| title | Anime Creativity: Characters and Premises in the Quest for Cool Japan |
| title_full | Anime Creativity: Characters and Premises in the Quest for Cool Japan |
| title_fullStr | Anime Creativity: Characters and Premises in the Quest for Cool Japan |
| title_full_unstemmed | Anime Creativity: Characters and Premises in the Quest for Cool Japan |
| title_short | Anime Creativity: Characters and Premises in the Quest for Cool Japan |
| title_sort | anime creativity characters and premises in the quest for cool japan |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/54243 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5858-4526 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT condryian animecreativitycharactersandpremisesinthequestforcooljapan |