DOCSLIB.ORG

Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the US Free

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the US Free FREE JAPANAMERICA: HOW JAPANESE POP CULTURE HAS INVADED THE US PDF Roland Kelts | 256 pages | 03 Jan 2008 | St Martin's Press | 9781403984760 | English | New York, United States Roland Kelts on Japanamerica and Journalism – Interview Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Preview — Japanamerica by Roland Kelts. The book highlights the shared conflicts as American and Japanese pop cultures dramatically intersect. Get A Copy. Hardcoverpages. Published November 1st by Palgrave MacMillan first published More Details Original Title. Other Editions 5. Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Japanamericaplease sign up. Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 3. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Dec 23, Patrick Sherriff rated it it was amazing Shelves: essaysjapan. As a Brit in Japan, I was intrigued by the parallels Kelts sees between the British invasion of the States in the s and the Japanese invasion that has been ongoing since the late '70s or so. Just as the Brits learnt from US black culture and re-exported it back to white Americans, the Japanese manga and anime post-war innovators learnt from Disney and re-exported that knowledge to the US, but with a Japanese twist, that being an obsession with detail, an interest in JapanAmerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the US post-apocalyptic an As a Brit in Japan, I was intrigued by the parallels Kelts sees between the British invasion of the States in the s and the Japanese invasion that has been ongoing since the late '70s or so. Just as the Brits learnt from US black culture and re-exported it back to white Americans, the Japanese manga and anime post-war innovators learnt from Disney and re-exported that knowledge to the US, but with a Japanese twist, that being an obsession with detail, an interest in the post-apocalyptic and morally ambiguous themes ignored by mainstream US culture until recently at least. Kelts' telling insight was the observation that US society is far more violent and dangerous than Japan's, but is up tight and censorious about its art consider the shock of the Janet Jackson nipple sighting during the Superbowlwhereas Japanese society is far more up tight about behaviour, but freer about cultural expressions consider the popularity and acceptance of hentai manga porn, juxtaposed with the abhorrence of speaking loudly in an JapanAmerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the US, for example. The book's only fault is that it is maybe showing its age. It was written just before ebooks and self-publishing had really taken off and I'd be curious what the author has to say about recent US-Japan endeavours such as Baymax, the Ghost in the Shell movie and the Pokemon Go phenomenon, for example. Japanamerica is not an exhaustive reference book, but offers a sound overview of the issues involved and a number of great interviews with key folk involved in the business. Great stuff. Aug 11, Natty rated JapanAmerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the US it was amazing. Extremely insightful connection between history and JapanAmerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the US pop culture, and why Americans in particular are fascinated by it. Nov 30, Aaron rated it really liked it Shelves: anthropologygeneralsocial-studiesmanga-comicsociology. Japanamerica is an excellent introduction to the world of anime and manga for the general public. Roland Kelts explores the topic from several angles including the history of the medium, postwar Japan, film production production, business, marketing, Japanese fandom, foreign fandom, and the projected future of anime. Two main comments about this book: First, Kelts does an excellent job of making meaningful and sound comparisons between particularly "Japanese" characteristics of anime JapanAmerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the US what's Japanamerica JapanAmerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the US an excellent introduction to the world of anime and manga for the general public. Two main comments about this book: First, Kelts does an excellent job of making meaningful and sound comparisons between particularly "Japanese" characteristics of anime and what's more familiar to a Western audience. He does this without compromising his content into shallow, or worse disparaging, metaphors such as, say, "Disney in kimono! Instead he goes back to one central metaphor to describe the long history and relationship between the United States and Japan as a moebius strip. From there he uses a lot of the familiar examples Blade RunnerBambiStar WarsThe MatrixAmerican Idol to name a few to show how ideas and styles have crossed the Pacific many times. Essentially, we've spent the last 90 years inspiring each other and upping the ante. Second, he covers a lot of the "peripheral" topics related to anime, particularly related to anime as an industry. Several of the criticisms I've read on Goodreads are aimed at this, saying it wasn't really what they were looking for, or that Kelts was too concerned with the business side of things. Fair enough. This book is less written for hardcore otaku than for friends and family who probably wonder, "What the hell got into Johnny? He can't get enough of it. Susan Napier's Anime from Akira to Howl's Moving Castle is a superb piece of scholarly work on any topic - serious, rigorous, thorough, fun, enough sheer brain power to get me to consider anime a worthy scholarly topic in its own right. But at the same time I doubt your grandmother would find it so interesting. Or explanatory, which is more to the point. I picked this book up at Anime Boston where Kelts gave a presentation for the Japanese Consulate, and he basically said just that. He saw copies JapanAmerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the US Totoro in the DVD shelves of many friends and family, next to all the other "kids" movies; he realized how deeply anime has penetrated into some pockets of American culture, yet often also seems to remain so foreign, odd, and out of place. This book does a lot to explain why that is. For all the JapanAmerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the US and the weirdness, the fun and the fascination this book is a good read, and the best place to start next time you feel curious. Aug 04, Jennie rated it it was ok Shelves: japan. It's a shame because this book has some really great ideas but it's cloaked in sub par prose. The author is not a bad writer really, but this JapanAmerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the US not a nonfiction book, it's an honor's thesis. It is written exactly like an essay written by a high achieving grad student, meant to impress a professor. The mission statement is clear and oft repeated, arguments are made for and against, transitions are rigid and clear cut and evertything is wrapped up in a nice concluding statement. If I were Kelts p It's a shame because this book has some really great ideas but it's cloaked in sub par prose. If I were Kelts professor, this would be an A paper, but it makes for an annoying leisure read. Also, do not be fooled, this is not a book of "pop culture" it's is strictly about manga and anime - and mostly aboout the business side of things. If you are a real anime otaku this is worth a read. Otherwise just check out the BBC series Japanarama. So far this is kind of boring and too general. Don't know if I will get through it. I saw Roland Kelts read and it was really interesting. He was more engaging than his book I only read half of this book! Mar 22, Jess rated it really liked it Shelves: media. Well, it only took me three years to read it but it was worth it! I started reading it for various assignments on Japanese culture. Though it is essentially cultural criticism and social academia, it actually reads quite easy, and I am glad I put in the time to finish reading it beyond scholarly research. If you are interested in Otaku culture and post war Well, it only took me three years to read it but it was worth it! If you are interested in Otaku culture and post war japanese culture then this is well worth a read. My only criticism is that at times it becomes a superficial analysis rather than critically reading into the culture - but considering this is aimed more at the everyday reader and otaku enthusiast it does well to keep a wider audience in mind. In this sense it could be used as reading material for year 11 and 12 students. May 10, Jean rated it liked it Shelves: commentarynon- fictionlplcontemporaryjapan. This book is written by a man who exists between two cultures -- Japanese and American. He looks at the Japanese influences in American pop culture and discusses the history, depth and the current struggles of Japanese anime industry. I really enjoyed reading this account and found it very informative though at times romanticized. I was also very pleased that he did mention though very brief the female market. It did irk me how the males viewed the "strong, weak" female archetype as a celebrati This book is written by a man who exists between two cultures -- Japanese and American.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University
    IIAS Newsletter 47 | Spring 2008 | free of charge | published by IIAS | P.O. Box 9515 | 2300 RA Leiden | The Netherlands | T +31-71-527 2227 | F +31-71-527 4162 | [email protected] | www.iias.nl Photo ‘Blue Buddha’ by Lungstruck. Courtesy www.flickr.com 47 New Religious Movements The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University The Indian-based BKWSU arose from a Hindu cultural base, but tors are all ethnic Indian women although they have long been resident overseas. distinct from Hinduism. It began in the 1930s as a small spiritual National coordinators may be ethnic Indian, local members, or third country community called Om Mandli (Sacred Circle), consisting primarily of nationals, and some are males. In this sense the BKWSU closely resembles a young women from the Bhai Bund community of Hyderabad Sindh, multinational corporation (MNC) in tend- ing to have home country nationals posted now part of Pakistan. Since the 1960s the community has been known to key management roles overseas, with a degree of localisation at the host country as the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University (BKWSU), translated level. The use of third country nationals, or members from one overseas branch from the Hindi, ‘Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya’. It is posted to lead another overseas branch, attests to the strength of its organisational significant that the movement included a ‘world’ focus in its name, culture and the strength of shared values of its members. even though active overseas expansion did not begin until 1971. BKWSU is an international non–govern- mental organisation (NGO) that holds Tamasin Ramsay and Wendy Smith dle East), the US (America and Carib- general consultative status with the Eco- bean Islands), Russia (Eastern Europe) nomic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the he BKWSU headquarters in Mt.
    [Show full text]
  • Pokémon, Cultural Practice and Object Networks Jason Bainbridge
    iafor The IAFOR Journal of Asian Studies Volume I – Issue I – Winter 2014 IAFOR Publications Executive Editor: Joseph Haldane The International Academic Forum The IAFOR Journal of Asian Studies Editor Seiko Yasumoto, University of Sydney, Australia Associate Editor Jason Bainbridge, Swinburne University, Australia Advisory Editors Michael Curtin, University of California, Santa Barbara, United States Terry Flew, Queensland University of Technology, Australia Michael Keane, Queensland University of Technology, Australia Editorial Board Robert Hyland, BISC, Queens University Canada, United Kingdom Dong Hoo Lee, Incheon University, Korea Ian D. McArthur, The University of Sydney, Australia Paul Mountfort, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand Jin Nakamura, Tokyo University, Japan Tetsuya Suzuki, Meiji University, Japan Yoko Sasagawa, Kobe Shinwa Womens University, Japan Fang Chih Irene Yang, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan Published by the International Academic Forum (IAFOR), Japan Executive Editor, IAFOR Publications: Joseph Haldane Editorial Assistance: Lindsay Lafreniere IAFOR Publications, Sakae 1-16-26-201, Naka-ward, Aichi, Japan 460-0008 The IAFOR Journal of Asian Studies Volume I – Issue I – Winter 2014 IAFOR Publications © Copyright 2014 ISSN: 2187-6037 Online: http://iafor.org/iafor/publications/iafor-journals/iafor-journal-of-asian-studies/ Cover image by: Norio NAKAYAMA/Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/norio-nakayama/11153303693 The IAFOR Journal of Asian Studies Volume I – Issue I – Winter 2014 Edited by
    [Show full text]
  • J-Pop and the Marginalization of Mixed-Heritage Japanese Americans
    POKEMON(ORACIAL): J-POP AND THE MARGINALIZATION OF MIXED-HERITAGE JAPANESE AMERICANS . A thesis submitted to the faculty of San Francisco State University 3 Q> In partial fulfillment of The Requirements for The Degree Master of Arts In Ethnic Studies by Morgan Michele Melendres Mentz San Francisco, California May 2016 Copyright by Morgan Michele Melendres Mentz 2016 CERTIFICATION OF APPROVAL I certify that I have read Pokemon(oracial): J-pop and the Marginalization of Mixed-Heritage Japanese Americans by Morgan Michele Melendres Mentz, and that in my opinion this work meets the criteria for approving a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree: Master of Arts in Ethnic Studies at San Francisco State University. A A ' Ethnic Studies Dawn missa Mscner Professor of Africana Studies POKEMON(ORACIAL): J-POP AND THE MARGINALIZATION OF MIXED-HERITAGE JAPANESE AMERICANS Morgan Michele Melendres Mentz San Francisco, California 2016 This thesis deconstructs the use of Japanese popular cultural iconography by art and community festival spaces in Bay Area Japantowns and critiques the ways in which they reinforce traditional and new Orientalist stereotypes of the Japanese American community. Through use of Japanese popular culture these spaces create a visual narrative that promotes homogenous and monoracial stereotypes of the Nikkei community. Leveraging ethnographic observations of community gallery and festival spaces this work investigates how meaning is constructed and derived within Japantown spaces through the use of Japanese popular culture imagery. Furthermore, this thesis explores how such imagery reinforces Japanophilic delineations of the Nikkei community that distort the heterogeneous mixed-heritage make-up of the Japanese America.
    [Show full text]
  • Japanophilia: Becoming the Other
    Theory and Practice in English Studies Volume 8, No. 2, 2019 E-ISSN: 1805-0859 JAPANOPHILIA: BECOMING THE OTHER Marcel Koníček Abstract Even before the dissolution of Shogunate and the Meiji Reforms around 1868, which opened Japan to the world, Japan has been of considerable cultural influ- ence on the English-speaking world. This remote country in East Asia has for a long time been a foil to the Western view of the world in the 19th century, with its isolated culture that willingly refused “superior” western culture and religion and was perceived as developing in a unique condition of complete isolation. With its opening Japan aimed to embrace modernity and distance itself from its tradition, but its efforts attracted various artists, such as van Gogh and Monet, who admired the traditional Japanese art and incorporated it into their works. At the same time, foreign scholars invited by the government to industrialise Japan and teach the young elite, started to see Japanese art and culture as superior to the European. They not only regarded Japan as their new homeland but also strove to become Japanese themselves. Today Japanese culture is again gaining popularity, this time the interest be- ing centred around animation and popular culture. This current wave of Japano- philia shares many similarities with the 19th century one. Current fans of all that is Japanese also frequently strive to attain Japanese identity and also interact with the fantasy of an “eastern Other” in complex ways. This paper will discuss the comparison of these waves and how this relates to historical and cultural issues surrounding the relationship between the Anglo- phone and Japanese cultures.
    [Show full text]
  • The Cultural Dynamic of Doujinshi and Cosplay: Local Anime Fandom in Japan, USA and Europe
    . Volume 10, Issue 1 May 2013 The cultural dynamic of doujinshi and cosplay: Local anime fandom in Japan, USA and Europe Nicolle Lamerichs Maastricht University, Netherlands Abstract: Japanese popular culture unifies fans from different countries and backgrounds. Its rich participatory culture is beyond any other and flourishes around comics (manga), animation (anime), games and music. Japanese storytelling showcases elaborate story worlds whose characters are branded on many products. The sub genres of Japanese pop-culture and the lingua franca of their audiences shape Western fandom. In this article, I scrutinize the global dynamic of manga. I specifically focus on the creation of fan manga (‘doujinshi’) and dress- up (‘cosplay’) as two migratory fan practices. The form and content of fan works, and the organizational structure behind them, varies intensely per country. If manga is an international language and style, where is its international fan identity located? In this article, I explore this uncharted territory through ethnographic views of diverse Western and Japanese fan sites where these creative practices emerge. This ethnographic overview is thus concerned with the heterogeneous make-up and social protocols of anime fandom. Keywords: Anime fandom, doujinshi, cosplay, conventions, ethnography Introduction Japan’s global and exotic identity is historically rooted. In the nineteenth century, Euro- Americans performed their fascination for the island through ‘Orientalism’ in Western impressionist art, Zen gardens and architecture (Napier, 2007; Said, 1978). When World War II penetrated this culturally rich image, the fascination for Japan became more ambivalent, characterized by both fear and curiosity. By now, the country’s global identity, which lingers between East and West, inspires Western corporate businesses, art and media as it represents a mixture of spiritual traditions, strong labour and family morals, as well as an advanced technocapitalist model (Ivy, 1995; Wolferen, 1995).
    [Show full text]
  • Anywhere out of the World Translating Décadence in Japanese Literature, 1885-1925 Isabelle Lavelle 5615D011-9 January 24, 2018
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by DSpace at Waseda University Anywhere Out of the World Translating Décadence in Japanese Literature, 1885-1925 Isabelle Lavelle 5615D011-9 January 24, 2018 A doctoral dissertation submitted to the Graduate School of International Culture and Communication Studies Waseda University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my advisor Professor Adrian Pinnington for the continuous support, for his patience, motivation, and immense knowledge. His guidance and passion helped me in all the steps of this research. I would like to thank my sub-advisors, Professor Graham Law and Professor Morita Norimasa, for their insightful comments and encouragement, which incentivized me to widen my research from various perspectives. I am also grateful to Professor Asō Takashi for his careful reading and numerous helpful comments. This research was made possible thanks to the generous funding of the Japanese Ministry of Education. I also thank my fellow Ph.D. candidates Paula Martínez and Hayakawa Yumiko for the stimulating discussions and for the friendship we have had in the last three years. Finally, I would like to thank my husband, Dr. Tarek Katramiz, for proofreading and formatting the thesis, and for contributing to my foray into Decadence. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS INTRODUCTION------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 PART ONE. THE DECADENT MILIEU --------------------------------------------------23 CHAPTER ONE TRANSLATION AS A CREATIVE ART. THE LANGUAGE OF DECADENCE ----------------28 1. Introducing Symbolism: Ueda Bin’s Linguistic Revolution --------------------29 2.
    [Show full text]
  • What Japanese Language Teachers Should Be Aware of Kana
    ABSTRACT American Students’ Interests in the Japanese Language: What Japanese Language Teachers Should be Aware Of Kana Abe, M.A. Mentor: David W. Schlueter, Ph.D. This thesis illustrates that the relationship between American students’ interests’ in Japanese culture and the Japanese language. The result of the thesis demonstrated that the majority of the college students are interested in Japanese popular culture upon their decisions to take a foreign language class. Particularly, video games are more prevalent than anime and manga among American college students. However, through Japanese language courses, they often expand their interests in other aspects of Japanese culture. The role of teacher is significantly important in order to raise students’ awareness to other aspects of culture. American Students' Interests in the Japanese Language: What Japanese Language Teachers Should be Aware Of by Kana Abe, B.A. A Thesis Department of Communication Studies ___________________________________ David W. Schlueter, Ph.D., Chairperson Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Baylor University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Approved by the Thesis Committee ___________________________________ David W. Schlueter, Ph.D., Chairperson ___________________________________ Jeff D. Bass, Ph.D. ___________________________________ Clark Baker, Ph.D. Accepted by the Graduate School August 2009 ___________________________________ J. Larry Lyon, Ph.D., Dean Page bearing signatures is kept on file in the Graduate School.
    [Show full text]
  • Those Almond-Eyed Children of the Far East
    Those almond-eyed children of the Far East. An exploration of japonist thought and Japanophilia in fin-de-siècle Nordic painters. Word count: 28948 Charlotte Van Hulle Student number: 01504426 Supervisor(s): Prof. Dr. Mick Deneckere A dissertation submitted to Ghent University in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Oriental Languages and Cultures–Japanese Language and Culture. Academic year: 2019–2020 PREAMBLE CONCERNING COVID-19 Due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic of 2020, it should be kept in mind that the research conducted for the purpose of this thesis could not take place as originally intended. The outbreak of the pandemic had direct consequences for the process of completing this master’s thesis—at the time when I began my research, I resided in Finland as a student at the University of Helsinki. A significant part of this thesis relied on the access to source material, as well as access to translation by native speakers of Finnish and Swedish, that this location provided. However, due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, I was unable to stay in Finland, and saw myself forced to leave the country. Before the borders closed, I flew out to Sweden, to be with my partner and family-in-law during this crisis. I was, overall, among those fortunate enough to be able to move ahead with their research throughout the pandemic. That is, no field work was conducted for the purpose of this thesis’ argument, meaning that closed borders and national lockdowns had no bearing on my research as such.
    [Show full text]
  • New Voices in Japanese Studies Volume 11
    Vol.11 newvoices.org.au New Voices in Japanese Studies Volume 11 An interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal showcasing the work of emerging scholars with ties to Australia and New Zealand and research interests in Japan. GUEST EDITOR, VOLUME 11 Dr Emma Dalton, RMIT University EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD (in alphabetical order) Professor Kent Anderson, The University of Newcastle Professor Brendan Barrett, Osaka University Dr Alexander Brown, Japan Women’s University Dr Barbara Hartley, The University of Queensland Dr Eric Hsu, The University of South Australia Emeritus Professor Hiroji Isozaki, Iwate University Associate Professor Kyoko Koma, Meiji University Dr Stephanie Lavau, The University of Melbourne Associate Professor Julian Lee, RMIT University Dr Sally McLaren, UNSW Sydney Professor Emerita Tessa Morris-Suzuki, Australian National University Professor Kaori Okano, LaTrobe University Dr Hironori Onuki, The University of Wollongong Professor Hirofumi Tanada, Waseda University Professor Gabriele Vogt, University of Hamburg SERIES EDITOR Elicia O’Reilly, The Japan Foundation, Sydney All submissions to New Voices in Japanese Studies are peer reviewed by a board of independent academic experts to meet the HERDC requirements for refereed journal status. This and other volumes are available for download via the New Voices in Japanese Studies website, EBSCO Host, the Directory of Open Access Journals and Ingenta Connect. To link to this volume: https://doi.org/10.21159/nvjs.11 www.newvoices.org.au | www.doaj.org | www.ingentaconnect.com The views expressed in this journal are those of the authors, and do ISSN 2205-3166 not necessarily coincide with those of the editors, the members of the Editorial Advisory Board or The Japan Foundation, Sydney.
    [Show full text]
  • Understanding Japanese Cool: the Changing Role of Japanese Arts and Culture in the United States from the 1870S to Contemporary Times
    Master Thesis Arts and Culture Understanding Japanese Cool: The Changing Role of Japanese Arts and Culture in the United States from the 1870s to Contemporary Times Name: Cintia Kiss Student number: 1921312 Email address: [email protected] Supervisor: Dr. M.H.E. Hoijtink Specialization: Museums and Collections Academic year: 2019-2020 Table of Contents Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 1 Chapter 1: World Fairs, Connoisseurs and the Museum: Japanese Culture in America between the 1870s and 1910s.............................................. 6 World Fairs: Cultural Platforms of Self-fashioning ............................................................ 7 Early Japanese Collections in America: The Case of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts .................................................................. 16 Chapter 2: Images of Japan in Post-war America and the Role of the Museum .......... 22 From Enemy to Ally, from Partner to Rival: The Cyclicality of the Japanese Image in Post-war American Thought ............................ 24 Patterns of Exhibiting Japanese Art and Culture in Cold War America ............................ 29 Chapter 3: Cool Japan and Superflat: Japanese Art and Culture in America between 1991 and 2011 ....................................... 36 From Japanese Sub-culture to Global Fame: The Success of Cool Japan Explained ........ 38 Superflat and Little Boy: Exhibiting the Arts of Edo, Trauma and Kawaii ......................
    [Show full text]
  • JAPONISME, ORIENTALISM, and the CREATION of JAPANESE LITERATURE in ENGLISH by JOHN WALTER DE GRUCHY
    ORIENTING ARTHUR WALEY: JAPONISME, ORIENTALISM, AND THE CREATION OF JAPANESE LITERATURE IN ENGLISH by JOHN WALTER DE GRUCHY B.A. McGill University, 1986 M.A. McGill University, 1991 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Department of English) We accept this thesis as conforming to the required standard THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA September 1999 © John Walter de Gruchy, 1999 In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of British Columbia, I agree that the Library shall make it freely available for reference and study. I further agree that permission for extensive copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the head of my department or by his or her representatives. It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Department The University of British Columbia Vancouver, Canada Date DE-6 (2/88) ABSTRACT This dissertation examines the principal Japanese translations of Arthur Waley (1889-1966): Japanese Poetry: The Uta (1919), The No Plays of Japan (1921), and The Tale of Genji (1925-33). These works have been overlooked as English literature of the British modern period, although Waley intended most of his translations to function as modern English literature. I include a short biography of Waley's formative years and maintain that aspects of his identity—Jewish, bisexual, and socialist—were important in the choice of his occupation and in the selection and interpretation of his texts.
    [Show full text]
  • Representations of Japan by the Video Game Industry: the Case of Ôkami from a Japanophile Perspective
    Representations of Japan by the video game industry: the case of Ôkami from a Japanophile perspective Marc Llovet Ferrer University of Tampere Faculty of Communication Sciences Internet and Game Studies M.Sc. Thesis Supervisors: Tuomas Harviainen, Heikki Tyni December 2017 University of Tampere Faculty of Communication Sciences Internet and Game Studies Llovet Ferrer, Marc: Representations of Japan by the video game industry: the case of Ôkami from a Japanophile perspective. M.Sc. Thesis, 83 pages December 2017 Abstract Video games contain representations, and these can have effects on players, for example on the ways they understand certain concepts or see certain places. The purpose of this thesis is to delve into how Japan is represented in video games. With that target in mind, the video game Ôkami (Clover Studio, 2008) for Nintendo's Wii console has been analyzed as a case study, and the potential effects of its representations have been reflected on. In order to carry out this work, the context of the Japanese popular culture industry has been considered, while the particular perspective of a Japanophile has been adopted. The first concept refers to the combination of enterprises responsible of popularizing Japanese culture internationally through products (with manga, anime and video games as leaders) since the last years of the 20th century. Regarding Japanophiles, they are understood in this thesis as the most avid (non-Japanese) consumers of those products who, carried by a 'Japanophile' euphoria, have formed a social movement and an identity that are bound to Japanese culture. The methods employed have mainly been an extensive literature review and a game analysis.
    [Show full text]