Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive Theses and Dissertations 2020-03-01 “Descending into Eeriness”: Navigating “the Uncanny Valley” Present in Hollywood Adaptations of Japanese Narratives Megan Jo Finley Brigham Young University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd Part of the Arts and Humanities Commons BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Finley, Megan Jo, "“Descending into Eeriness”: Navigating “the Uncanny Valley” Present in Hollywood Adaptations of Japanese Narratives" (2020). Theses and Dissertations. 8495. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/8495 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact
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[email protected]. “Descending into Eeriness”: Navigating “the Uncanny Valley” Present in Hollywood Adaptations of Japanese Narratives Megan Jo Ann Finley A thesis submitted to the faculty of Brigham Young University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Dennis R. Cutchins, Chair Dennis Ralph Perry Marc T. Yamada Department of English Brigham Young University Copyright © 2020 Megan Jo Ann Finley All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT “Descending into Eeriness”: Navigating “the Uncanny Valley” Present in Hollywood Adaptations of Japanese Narratives Megan Jo Ann Finley Department of English, BYU Master of Arts Hollywood adaptations of Japanese stories derived from manga have failed to connect with a Western audience, and not for a lack of fan interest. Instead, the core issues one encounters are matters of mistranslation, which construct the fatal flaws of American adaptations of manga. In my research, I identify three major errors in adaptation typically present in these narratives.