1 2 Anime/Manga 101 Everything you wanted to know about Japanese comics and animation, but were to afraid to ask*
Presented by Dr. Kevin* 3 Discussed today:
• Defining some terms • History lesson • Popular genres • Major mangaka • Auteur directors • Fandom
4 “Anime” vs. “Japanimation” • アニメ can refer to Japanese or western animation in Japan, but only to Japanese animation in the west. • Japanimation only refers to Japanese animation.
5 So… which of these are anime?
6 Misconception: “Anime style”
7 Anime is inextricably linked to other Japanese popular media: • Manga (漫画) comic books • Video games (ゲーム) • Tokusatsu (特撮) effects shows • Light novels (ライトノベル) • Televi-Drama (テレビドラマ) telenovelas • Radio plays • Stage shows
8 Manga vs. American Comics
• Manga are generally in black & white • Manga are generally serialized in weekly or monthly anthologies • Manga usually have single authors and few spin-offs • Manga have high circulation in Japan, keeping costs relatively low
One Piece #67 (Japan) vs. Amazing Spider Man #1 (US) $4.30 vs. $5.99 3,800,000 copies sold vs. 530,000 copies 224 pages vs. 64 pages
9 Anime vs. American Animation
• In the US, networks create content with studios in order to sell time to advertisers. • In Japan, studios buy network time to air shows in order to merchandise them. • Results: No network meddling, fewer commercials, more expensive merchandising
10 • Japanese shows do not conform to American “season” structure, despite what you’ve heard:
11 History lesson!
12 Pre-War
• Manga and kamishibai mostly inspired by classical art, some western-styled. • Japanese animation dates back to 1917, but most are lost. • Most Pre-War anime were short; few talkies. • Educational and propaganda films dominated.
13 1940’s
• Allied GIs bring American comics with them to Japan. • Ban on US films lifted, Hollywood pictures appear to Japanese audiences. • 1948: Osamu Tezuka publishes New Treasure Island. • Manga becomes dominant entertainment for youth.
14 15 16 1950’s
• Ishiro Honda and Akira Kurosawa bring Hollywood- level spectacle to Japanese cinema. • Movie serials reign until TV is introduced to Japan. • 1958: Color anime features appear in theaters.
17 • Adventures of Superman sparks wave of Japanese imitators, including Tetsuwan Atom and Tetsujin 28.
18 1963
• First TV anime: Astro Boy and Gigantor
19 1960’s • Manga matures with “gekiga” trend, but anime remains child-friendly. • Weekly manga anthologies established.
20 1970’s • Henshin boom leads to multiple super hero shows. Lots of super robots and magical girls appear as a result. • Anime diversifies with more mature comedies and programs for women.
21 • 1974: Star Blazers, with its continuous soap- opera plot, changes TV anime format.
22 1980’s • Home video boom and good economy gives rise to OAV format, great creative diversity. • Production values of theatrical anime rise. • Mature and psychological anime hit their stride. • “Otaku” culture forms.
23 • Chinese martial arts explode (sometimes literally)
24 1990’s • Video games become mainstream. • Anime fandom in the US begins. • Dragonball drives trend towards either long- running series (One Piece, Detective Conan, Naruto, etc.) or short, 13-26 episode shows.
25 2000’s • Digital animation replaces cell-shaded animation. • Digital fansubs appear on internet. • Overall number of productions increases. • Visual novel market booms. • Moé dominates.
26 Misconception: The “classics”
• US • Japan
27 Anime can be any genre you know from western media…
28 Sitcom
29 Romance
30 Space Opera
31 Sword & Sorcery
32 Sports
33 Horror
34 Western
35 Mystery
36 37 …but there are a few genres that Japan basically owns.
38 Jidaigeki (Chanbara)
39 Ninja
40 Yokai
41 Kaiju
42 Super Robot
43 Real Robot
44 Avatar battlers
45 Chi battlers
46 Henshin Hero
47 Magical Girl
48 Magical Girlfriend
49 Moé
50 Harem
51 Yaoi
• Yama nashi, ochi nashi, imi nashi (山[場]なし、 落ちなし、意味なし) "No climax, no point, no meaning”
52 So, what should I watch?
The major demographics are: • Kodomomuke (子供向け) – young children • Shonen (少年) – male youth • Shojo (少女) – female youth • Seinen (青年) – adult male • Josei (女性) – adult female
53 • Judge these books by their covers!
54 Major mangaka
• Osamu Tezuka • Shotaro Ishinomori • Mitsuteru Yokoyama • Leiji Matsumoto • Go Nagai • Tatsuo Yoshida • Kazuo Koike • Rumiko Takahashi • Clamp
• Naoki Urasawa 55 Osamu Tezuka “God of Manga”
• Significant works include Buddha, Phoenix, Black Jack, Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion, Princess Knight, Space Giants, Magical Melmo, Unico, Dororo, and more…
56 • Tezuka’s bibliography is over 700 books and 150,000 pages
• Tezuka section at a regular Japanese book store!
57 Shotaro Ishinomori “King of Manga”
58 Mitsuteru Yokoyama
59 Leiji Matsumoto
60 Go Nagai
61 Tatsuo Yoshida
62 Kazuo Koike
63 Rumiko Takahashi
64 Clamp
65 Naoki Urasawa
66 Who to watch: auteur directors
• Hayao Miyazaki • Mamoru Oshii • Mamoru Hosoda • Yoshiaki Kawajiri • Rintaro • Hideaki Anno • Shinichiro Watanabe • Yoshiyuki Tomino • Satoshi Kon
67 Hayao Miyazaki
68 Mamoru Oshii
69 Mamoru Hosoda
70 Yoshiaki Kawajiri
71 Rintaro
72 Hideaki Anno
73 Shinichiro Watanabe
74 Yoshiyuki “kill ‘em all” Tomino
75 Satoshi Kon
76 Anime fandom
• Conventions • Cosplay
77 Doujinshi & Garage kits
78 Where to find anime/manga stuff:
• Streaming sites: Crunchyroll, Hulu, Netflix • Retail sites: Rightstuf, Animenation, Amazon • Conventions: Anime St. Louis, Kawa-kon, Natsucon, Arch Anime, Bishiecon, St. Louis Comic Con • Retail stores: Barnes & Nobel, Anime Eggroll, Wizard’s Wagon, Star Clipper! 79 Where to learn more:
• Recommended reading: Manga! Manga! (Fred Schodt), God of Comics (Natsu Onoda Power), Manga: The Complete Guide (Jason Thompson) • Otaku USA Magazine, NEO • AnimeNewsNetwork.com • Crunchyroll • University anime clubs • MaserPatrol.wordpress.com
80 Any questions?
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