Anime from Akira to Princess Mononoke: Experiencing Contemporary Japanese Animation

ISBN-13: 9780312238629 / Angielski / Twarda / 2003 / 311 str.

Susan J. Napier

Opis

With the popularity of Pokemon still far from waning, Japanese animation, known as anime to its fans, has a firm hold on American pop culture. However, anime is much more than children's cartoons. It runs the gamut from historical epics to sci-fi sexual thrillers. Often dismissed as fanciful entertainment, anime is actually quite adept at portraying important social and cultural issues like alienation, gender inequality, and teenage angst. This book investigates the ways that anime presents these issues in an in-depth and sophisticated manner, uncovering the identity conflicts, fears over rapid technological advancement, and other key themes present in much of Japanese animation.

Recenzje

'This is a riveting and inspiring book. One that I have thoroughly enjoyed reading and from which I have learned a great deal. As a source of concrete information about Japanese animation it is invaluable...On publication it will be the only in-depth, sophisticated study of Japanese animation available in the English language.' - Sharon Kinsella, Research Fellow in Japanese Studies, Cambridge University

'This book...is informative, well-written, insightful, and yet entertaining - an unusual combination. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it...Napier's study...is both generous and critically insightful, based on a thorough knowledge of most of the important genres of anime. I think that this tone of enthusiasm for the material, combined with scholarly rigor, will make the book appealing to a wide audience.' - Sharalyn Orbaugh, Associate Professor of Asian Studies, University of British Columbia

'...Anime from Akira to Princess Mononoke...provides an essential toe-dip into the tsunami of Eastern films that have influenced modern blockbusters such as The Matrix series.' - The Times

Spis treści

PART ONE: INTRODUCTION Chapter 1: Why Animé? Chapter 2: Animé and Global/Local Identity PART TWO: BODY, METAMORPHOSIS, IDENTITY Chapter 3: Akira and Ranma ½: The Monstrous Adolescent Chapter 4: Controlling Bodies: The Body in Pornographic Animé Chapter 5: Ghosts and Machines: The Technological Body Chapter 6: Doll Parts: Technology and the Body in Ghost in the Shell PART THREE: MAGICAL GIRLS AND FANTASY WORLDS Chapter 7: The Enchantment of Estrangement: The Shojo in the World of Miyazaki Hayao Chapter 8: Carnival and Conservatism in Romantic Comedy PART FOUR: REMAKING MASTER NARRATIVES: ANIMÉ CONFRONTS HISTORY Chapter 9: No More Words: Barefoot Gen, Grave of Fireflies, and "Victim's History" Chapter 10: Princess Mononoke: Fantasy, the Feminine, and the Myth of "Progress" Chapter 11: Waiting for the End of the World: Apocalyptic Identity Chapter 12: Elegies Chapter 13: Conclusion: A Fragmented Mirror Appendix: The Fifth Look: Western Audiences and Japanese Animation

O autorze

Susan J. Napier is Professor of Japanese Studies at Tufts University, USA. She is the author of four books, including The Fantastic in Japanese Literature: The Subversion of Modernity and Anime from Akira to Howl's Moving Castle .