ORIENTALISM AND WESTERN FANS: A LOOK AT FANDOM SURROUNDING MASASHI KISHIMOTO'S NARUTO A Thesis By JEFFREY ADAM GARRISON Submitted to the Graduate School at Appalachian State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS May 2013 Department of English ORIENTALISM AND WESTERN FANS: A LOOK AT FANDOM SURROUNDING MASASHI KISHIMOTO'S NARUTO A Thesis by JEFFREY ADAM GARRISON May 2013 APPROVED BY: Craig Fischer Chairperson, Thesis Committee Holly Martin Member, Thesis Committee Thomas McLaughlin Member, Thesis Committee James Fogelquist Chairperson, Department of English Edelma D. Huntley Dean, Cratis Williams Graduate School Copyright by Jeffrey Adam Garrison 2013 All Rights Reserved Abstract ORIENTALISM AND WESTERN FANS: A LOOK AT THE FANDOM SURROUNDING MASASHI KISHIMOTO'S NARUTO Jeffrey Adam Garrison B.A., Appalachian State University M.A., Appalachian State University Chairperson: Craig Fischer Edward Said's concept of Oriental ism has been influential in literary studies, allowing new methods of insight into cross-cultural interaction. Said posits that the western idea of an eastern "Orient" is an illusion, created by and distinguishing western culture through contrast (Said 20-21). Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto is a popular manga and anime title with a large following in the United States. As a point of cultural connection between Japan and the US, Naruto serves as a locus around which we can observe the interaction between western readers and an eastern text. This thesis examines western fandom of anime and manga to see if those fans Orientalize, stereotyping in their perceptions of Japan. It specifically examines western fandom of the popular anime and manga, Naruto, and the attitudes that fans hold toward Japan. A textual analysis of Naruto is utilized to determine if it is self-Orientalist, pandering to an Orientalist audience. Following this, I examine fan forums to determine if fans of Naruto hold Orientalist views. iv Ultimately, I assert that Orientalism does exist within fan communities, but that it is a minority among a culture that largely resists Oriental tendencies. This thesis suggests the idea of the stereotypical (and stereotyping) fan as a misconception, the result of negative hierarchical perceptions in US popular culture as well as within fan communities themselves. I also gesture toward the increasing enmeshment of Japanese cultural products in the lives of Americans, a blurring of "foreign" and domestic intellectual consumption. v Acknowledgements I could not have completed this thesis without the patience and guidance of Dr. Craig Fischer. His constant encouragement and helpful criticism made it possible to take on what seemed like an insurmonntable task. The careful reading and suggestions by Dr. Holly Martin helped keep several aspects of my argument on track. Dr. Thomas McLaughlin provided several theoretical insights during the conception of this essay and his advice was indispensable in writing this thesis. Special thanks to Donna Corriher, who helped me through the formatting of my front-matter and several other process issues. I would never have dreamed of writing something like this if I had not met Christopher Slezak, who introduced me to anime, and Adam Carhart, who introduced me to Naruto. My interest in Japan and cultural awareness is, I see now, at least an indirect result of these friendships. vi Dedication This thesis is dedicated to my parents, Michael and Karen Garrison, who have believed in and supported me all along the way. Through a revolving door of career changes, they have always been there. vii Table of Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements ................................................................................................ vi Dedication ............................................................................................................. vii Introduction: ............................................................................................................ 1 Chapter One: A Closer Look at Naruto .................................................................. 9 Chapter Two: The Fans of Naruto ............. :.......................................................... .31 Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 58 Works Cited ........................................................................................................... 62 List of Figures ....................................................................................................... 67 Vita ........................................................................................................................ 69 viii I INTRODUCTION I have been a fan of Japanese animation (anime) and manga (comics) for almost a decade now. As happens with many college kids, my roommate decided to introduce me to anime. Trigun, a title that is now nearly 20 years old, was funny, action packed, and resonated with me in its treatment of philosophy and themes that I hadn't realized could be housed within a simple cartoon. This, of course, opened the door to viewings of other anime titles over the next few years. I began reading manga to see what would happen later in a series I was watching. Friends would recommend other titles, animations and comics that reached deep into my imagination more readily than any live-action show I had ever watched. Like many fans, I couldn't really articulate why I liked anime and manga (and by no means did I enjoy everything that I watched), but something about the two kept me engrossed. Years later, I was presented with an opportunity to live and work in Japan. The pull I felt toward that country was something I now realize was at least partially a result of my love of anime and manga. For a few years, I worked as an English teacher in Fukushima and Tsuchiura, Japan. During this time I was able to talk to friends and colleagues about anime and manga culture and observe the act of reading manga in its "natural habitat." In a way, some of my expectations were fulfilled. I was struck by the pervasiveness of visual cues (what Neil Cohn, of the University of California, calls Japanese Visual Language) in Japanese culture- manga visuals were everywhere, more so than the cartoon imagery of the States. I ordered from Pizza Hut once and was surprised to see a manga-style 2 rendition of a delivery girl on the box, offering me a discount on my next order. Despite this, Japanese fans seemed to be fans of a specific series of manga or anime more than of the genre as a whole. In fact, anime and manga fandom, though pervasive, did not seem to coalesce into one definitive group in Japan. There were definitely differences between Japanese and Western fandoms. One of these was the use of the word "Otaku," which is often proudly used by Western anime fans. During a discussion with a coworker concerning Otaku culture, I was told that the term could refer to someone with an obsessive interest in anything. There are train Otaku, math Otaku, food Otaku - the best way to translate the meaning would be "nerd." The word Otaku is removed, though not completely separate, from the western meaning of "anime/manga fan." The disconnect between Japan as perceived and as a real place was made especially clear when I visited Akihabara, the Mecca for fans of manga and anime. In this ward of Tokyo, initially known for electronics, anime and manga is available on a massive scale. Girls dressed as maids passed out advertisements for maid cafes, an establishment popularized in "Akiba" and visited by Japanese as well as foreign customers. The occasional cosplayer (literally taken from "costume play") would walk by dressed as a favorite character, distinct from the plainly dressed citizens around him. Something else I noticed was the sheer number of other foreigners roaming around this supposed anime paradise. The most noticeable aspect was the absence of any real place that actually represented what we were all looking for. There were shops, hundreds of them, filled with every kind ofmanga imaginable. Video games saturated the atmosphere in dusty corner-shops and flashy, fluorescent-lit superstores. But they were just that- shops and businesses. Even the maid cafes, a kind of role-playing restaurant, were a form of fabricated reality that barely 3 maintained its illusion. It seemed a bit empty to me. I had always known, of course, that the industries themselves were just like any other- manga and anime both revolve around commerce. The significance of this simply didn't hit me until then. The fantasy culture created by manga and anime simply wasn't there- it was a phantasm existing only on paper and in the mind. This is how I started thinking about the difference between western perception and the reality of Japanese culture. It isn't that I actually expected any of the grandiose posturing of Ultraman in everyday life, nor that I would suddenly gain superpowers or cat ears after setting foot in Japan. I just thought that being in the country of origin would bring me closer to the- well- origin of stories that I had enjoyed for so long. The idealized, fantasy-world version of Japan that had existed (perhaps subconsciously) in my head was gone. After returning to the United States for grad school, I continued to notice that in discussion of Japan there is sometimes a gap between cultural