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The Dissertation Committee for Amanda Landa certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Contemporary Japanese Seishun Eiga Cinema Committee: Lalitha Gopalan, Supervisor Janet Staiger, Co-Supervisor Kirsten Cather Shanti Kumar David Desser Michael Kackman Contemporary Japanese Seishun Eiga Cinema by Amanda Landa Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the GraduateSchool of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin May 2017 Acknowledgements The dissertation process is always present and foreboding in one’s graduate career. An always looming presence, the first chapter is always theoretically sketched, perhaps even drafted, but the rest are generally to be filed under “fiction.” The same, of course, happened for me, and throughout this endeavor I have learned to draft, to re-read and edit, and most especially to never be afraid to start over. My primary goal was to hone my writerly voice, to elevate from description into argument and most of all, to slow down. Time and financial pressures are plentiful, and early in the writing process I wanted to rush; to achieve quickly what was later revealed to me something that could not and should not be rushed. I chose to write chapter by chapter as the films and genre categories presented themselves, allowing myself to enjoy each chapter’s research process in small achievable steps. Integral to this process are my co-supervisors, Associate Professor Lalitha Gopalan and Professor Emeritus Janet Staiger. In particular, I want to give thanks for Lalitha’s rigorous mentorship, guidance, and enthusiasm for this project and its films and Janet, a constant mentor, whose patience and attendance to both my writerly and emotional well- being will never be forgotten. My dissertation committee: Professor Emeritus David Desser, Associate Professor Kirsten Cather, and Associate Professor Michael Kackman. David’s work and teaching on Japanese cinema inspired me and enabled this project to come to fruition; Kirsten, whose kindness, support and feedback are invaluable; and Michael, who not only supported and guided me by asking me the hard questions, but also carved the path for me to become Instructor of Record for History of Broadcasting at UT- Austin, I give humble thanks. In addition, I have been fortunate to cross paths with many iii like-minded colleagues and friends in my graduate career. Those who have suffered and succeeded alongside me and, though varied opportunities have scattered many of us, listened, commiserated and cheered me. In no particular order I heartily thank Faith Stein, Colleen Montgomery, Morgan Blue, Paul Monticone, and Katya Balter. Equally grateful am I to Adrienne McCallister, Justin Huse, Nikaela French, my Asti family, and Emmett and Lisa Fox, whose levity, love and laughter I owe an insurmountable debt. To my family, without whom, I would not be who I am nor have what I have achieved: Maria Chilton, Domingo Landa and Michelle Hibbard, I give unconditional thanks and love. Finally, I want to thank my partner, best friend and husband, Luke Hursey, who has been by my side for every second of this journey. Without your constant support, humor and love, I would be lost. iv Contemporary Japanese Seishun Eiga Cinema Amanda Landa, Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin, 2016 Supervisors: Lalitha Gopalan, Janet Staiger Abstract: Contemporary Japanese Seishun Eiga Cinema examines Japanese popular films of the last 30 years that focus on youth protagonists, analyzes new generic modes and how Japanese film history and tradition informs and influences them. This project tracks thematic trends in the films themselves, particularly those trends that intersect with current youth movements in Japan. Four chapters include: “New Japanese Cinema Seishun Eiga,” “Death Game films,” “Yankii films,” and “Near-Disaster films.” The scope of this project comprises “youth” representation not as a genre but as a set of limitations, such as films that cast young adult actors and address social issues typical of young adulthood in Japan such as enjo kosai, ijime (bullying), class conflicts, social media technologies and global cinema cultures. I follow thematic patterns as cycles and thus also analyze how the previously stated new genre categories intersect and overlap. Each chapter analyzes three to six films as a sampling of the group. The chapters do not write a historical overview of the entire movement but instead investigate the relationships around youth, themes, and historical context and input them into generic modes. Cultural categories such as the socio- economic classifications freeter, NEET, hikikomori, and yankii are discussed throughout each chapter. This project is a delineation of these sub-genres of Japanese youth films, their narrative tropes, and commercial impact. The sampling includes studio genre films, v independent films as well as selections from film festivals in order to discuss aspects of genre film theory as intersectional with industry and to track a cultural moment in contemporary Japanese film. vi Table of Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................ iii Table of Contents .................................................................................................. vii List of Figures ..........................................................................................................x Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................1 Review of Relevant Literature ........................................................................3 Youth and Genre in Japanese Cinema Studies ......................................5 Japan And Analysis of Its Post-Economic Bubble ................................8 Recent Work on Contemporary Japanese Films ..................................12 The Contemporary Japanese Film Industry and Adaptations ..............20 Theoretical Framework and Method .............................................................24 Outline of the Project ....................................................................................28 1: New Japanese Seishun Eiga: Youth Problem Films at the turn of the Millennium ..................................................................................29 2. The Death Game ..............................................................................30 3:Yankii Films: Wild Youth .................................................................32 4. The Near-Disaster Film....................................................................35 Conclusion ....................................................................................................36 Chapter 2: New Japanese Cinema Seishun Eiga: Youth Problem Films at the Turn of the Millennium ..............................................................................................36 Nuberu Bagu and Seishun Eiga ....................................................................38 The International Art Film and New Japanese Cinema ................................41 New Japanese Seishun Eiga ..........................................................................45 The Films ......................................................................................................46 Mise-en-scène: Personal and Domestic Space in Tokyo Trash Baby ..49 Soundtrack and Emotions in All About Lily Chou-Chou .....................58 Image Manipulations, Fractured Subjectivities: All About Lily Chou-Chou .....................................................................................................68 Conclusion: Ambiguous Endings, Narrative and Form ................................79 vii Chapter 3: The Death Game: Horror-Thriller Films and Japanese Youth .............86 Survival Horror as Precursor to the Death Game .........................................90 The Death Game Narrative ...........................................................................91 The Films: Game Motifs and Structures .......................................................95 Battle Royale ........................................................................................95 Death Note and Death Note: The Last Name ......................................98 Gantz and Gantz: Perfect Answer ......................................................100 Surveillance in Battle Royale: Technology and Government .....................105 Surveillance in Death Note: Television and the Supernatural ....................114 Gantz: Surveillance and the Alien ..............................................................124 Conclusion ..................................................................................................131 Chapter 4: Yankii Films: Wild Youth ..................................................................136 Formative and Classical Phases of Yankii Films in Japan ..........................143 Taiyōzoku, The Japanese New Wave and Pink Film’s Sukeban Series144 Manga Series and Adaptations...........................................................148 British Rock and Punk and its Influence in Japan .............................153 Yankii Narratives of the 2000s ....................................................................156 Blue Spring: Punk Narrative ..............................................................157 Kamikaze Girls: A Clash of Cultures.................................................168