Structures of Agency and Uncanny Animacy in Animated Media
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Destabilizing Animation: Structures of Agency and Uncanny Animacy in Animated Media Cole Armitage A Thesis In The Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema Presented in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Arts (Film Studies) at Concordia University Montréal, Quebec, Canada June 2020 ãCole Armitage, 2020 CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY School of Graduate Studies This is to certify that the thesis prepared By: Cole Armitage Entitled: Destabilizing Animation: Structures of Agency and Uncanny Animacy in Animated Media and submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (Film Studies) complies with the regulations of the University and meets the accepted standards with respect to originality and quality. Signed by the final Examining Committee: Chair Examiner Dr. Joshua Neves Examiner Dr. Alexander Zahlten Supervisor Dr. Marc Steinberg Approved by. Dr. Marc Steinberg, Graduate Program Director _____________2020 Annie Gérin, Dean of Faculty iii ABSTRACT Destabilizing Animation: Structures of Agency and Uncanny Animacy in Animated Media Cole Armitage This thesis examines the destabilization of a hierarchical ordering of human vs. nonhuman agency found in digital media which present a surge of “animacy” – perceptible qualities of “agency, awareness, mobility and liveness” (Chen 2012). It examines one webtoon (The Bongcheon-Dong Ghost 2011) and two video games (Undertale 2015 and Doki Doki Literature Club 2017), which push at the boundaries of their respective media forms by channeling technical/computational forces (e.g. Javascript or memory storage) into character animation; “animation” in a doubled sense: both as the fusion of discontinuous instants afforded by the mechanical succession of images as well as the production of a social Other possessing qualities of life and agency (Silvio 2019). The result is a perception of agency (and thus animacy) that resists the categorization of both the character and the media object. Challenging dominant structures and theories of comic readership, video game play, or “database consumption” (Azuma 2009) respectively, these works argue against the control that the human operator is presumed both to have and to require as part of a framework which constitutes the works themselves as media objects. This thesis further argues that the structures critiqued and challenged by these works index a broader conceptualization of human action in the world, predicated on “animacy hierarchies” which are buttressed by binaries of human/nonhuman, animate/inanimate, moving/still, subject/object, and will/determination. By adopting an animist logic, in which images/media/characters might potentially act in unforeseen ways, these works challenge and destabilize such binaries. iv Acknowledgements This thesis is only possible as the result of sustained feedback and support from many people whom I will attempt to list here. First and foremost, I am indebted to my supervisor and mentor Marc Steinberg, who has consistently been a thoughtful, considerate, and encouraging presence throughout the completion of my degree. Marc’s earnest, attentive, and critical feedback has been a constant source of constructive criticism that has pushed this thesis to be, I hope, more than a mash-up of fragmented thoughts. Marc’s careful and practical disposition has been an invaluable counter- balance to my at-times obtuse ideas and my penchant for the obscure. I would also like to offer my sincere gratitude to the wonderful, brilliant, and supportive faculty at the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema at Concordia University, particularly to Joshua Neves, Masha Salazkina, Haidee Wasson, and May Chew, whom I have had the pleasure of learning directly from. The diverse methodologies and perspectives of these faculty members has been the foundation upon which my growth as a scholar over the past two years has taken place. I would also like to thank the professors for whom I have acted as a teaching assistant, Alison Loader as well as Donato Totaro, for aiding my professional development and inspiring me to make connections in ways I hadn’t previously considered. Faculty outside of Concordia have had a significant impact on this thesis as well. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from Thomas Lamarre, whose ideas, approaches, and attitudes have influenced both this thesis and my values as a scholar. At Yokohama National University I had the opportunity to conduct research that has influenced this thesis, and I would be remiss not acknowledge the incredible support I received from Akiko Sugawa-Shimada there. Faculty at my undergraduate university, Trent University, have also been foundational to this research, with special thanks to Paul Manning and Liam Mitchell, whose courses and ideas initially sparked my desire to take up this project, and who have continued to offer me invaluable support in the time since. This thesis has also only been possible thanks to incredible financial support. First and foremost, I must acknowledge the support of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, who graciously awarded me with a Canada Graduate Scholarship to fund my studies. Next, I would offer my thanks to the joint-funded Mitacs-JSPS Summer Program that funded my research in Japan at Yokohama National University. Finally, I would acknowledge the financial support of Concordia University, that has aided me through a combination of a scholarship, a fellowship, and a travel award, as well as teaching and research assistant positions. I fail to imagine a world in which I could have successfully completed this thesis without the continual support of my fellow colleagues and friends at Concordia University. I am especially grateful to those who took their time to read, review, and provide feedback on my work regularly throughout the writing process: Claire, Patrick, Miles, and Max. I also wish to offer thanks to those students in the PhD program who have both given me opportunities to explore my ideas and have also been models for better scholarship: Jacqueline, André, Aurélie, Marco, and Kristen, to name a few. I also wish to offer thanks to the welcoming and intellectually stimulating folks at TAG (Technoculture, Art and Games) for their continued support. In this area, the biggest thanks to my “otaku” colleagues and friends, who have shared this challenge with me most closely: Alex and Victoria. v Last, but certainly not least, I must acknowledge the support of my friends and family in Peterborough, Ontario. My closest friends have continued to push me, and have also continued to believe in me, since long before I began my post-secondary education, and their enthusiasm has always been a primary motivator for me; thanks to Mack, Alex, Jack, Kyle, Hannah, and Ren. My biggest source of comfort and of motivation has come from my family however, without whom I would not be the person I am today; thanks to Brittany, Dallas, Carter, Dad, Katt, Darren and Mike. This thesis is dedicated to my mother, who has instilled in me the values of kindness and selflessness, and whose care and support is the cornerstone of any success I find. vi Table of Contents List of Figures vii Introduction 1 Age of Animation………………………………………………………………………… 3 Animacy and Agency…………………………………………………………………….. 6 Animism …………………………………………………………………………………..9 Animators – Puppeteers, Operators, Users, Gods……………………………………..... 13 Methodology……………………………………………………………………………. .14 Chapters…………………………………………………………………………………. 16 Chapter One: Javascript Ghost: The Uncanny Animator of The Bongcheon-Dong Ghost 19 Webtoon as Media Form………………………………………………………………... 23 Comic Readers as Animators…………………………………………………………… 25 Animation as Techne, Animation as Animacy………………………………………….. 29 Uncanny Animation, Uncanny Animator……………………………………………….. 34 Conclusion: Lingering Potential……………………………...…………………………. 38 Chapter Two: “Filled With Determination”: Animacy Through Temporal Agencies and World Divergence in Undertale 40 The Player as Animator, Operator, God………………………………………………… 42 Undertale………………………………………………………………………………... 49 Chara and kyara…………………………………………………………………………. 60 Conclusion: Machine Operator Acts ……...……………………………………………. 64 Chapter Three: “Just Monika”: Destabilizing Database Consumption in Doki Doki Literature Club 66 Double-Layer Consumption and the Agency of the Player………………………………70 Act 1: The Player’s Mastery and Manipulation of the System………………………….. 75 Act 2: Monika’s Mastery and Manipulation of the System……………………………... 80 Act 3: “Just Monika”……………………………………………………………………. 85 The Uncanny Character Encounter……………………………………………………… 88 The Computational-Animist Life Force………………………………………………… 90 Act 4: The End…………………………………………………………………………... 93 Conclusion 96 References 100 vii List of Figures Figure 1: Screenshots of The Bongcheon-Dong Ghost, taken on mobile phone (Horang 2011) 21 Figure 2: Comic movement explanation (Scott McCloud 2013) 26 Figure 3: Still from Killer Toon (Yong-gyun Kim 2013) 37 Figure 4: Screenshot from Undertale (Toby Fox 2015) 50 Figure 5: Screenshot from Undertale (Toby Fox 2015) 51 Figure 6: Screenshot from Undertale (Toby Fox 2015) 53 Figure 7: Screenshot from Undertale (Toby Fox 2015) 54 Figure 8: Screenshot from Undertale (Toby Fox 2015) 56 Figure 9: Screenshot from Doki Doki Literature Club (Team Salvato 2017) 76 Figure 10: Screenshot from Doki Doki Literature Club (Team Salvato 2017) 77 Figure 11: Screenshot from Doki Doki Literature Club (Team Salvato 2017) 79 Figure 12: Screenshot from Doki Doki Literature Club (Team Salvato