The Otaku Lifestyle: Examining Soundtracks in the Anime Canon
THE OTAKU LIFESTYLE: EXAMINING SOUNDTRACKS IN THE ANIME CANON A THESIS IN Musicology Presented to the Faculty of the University of Missouri-Kansas City in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree MASTER OF MUSIC by MICHELLE JURKIEWICZ B.M., University of Central Missouri, 2014 Kansas City, Missouri 2019 © 2019 MICHELLE JURKIEWICZ ALL RIGHTS RESERVED THE OTAKU LIFESTYLE: EXAMINING SOUNDTRACKS IN THE ANIME CANON Michelle Jurkiewicz, Candidate for the Master of Music Degree University of Missouri-Kansas City, 2019 ABSTRACT Japanese animation, or anime, has been popular around the globe for the last sixty years. Anime has its own fan culture in the United States known as otaku, or the obsessive lifestyle surrounding manga and anime, which has resulted in American production companies creating their own “anime.” Japanese filmmakers do not regard anime simply as a cartoon, but instead realize it as genre of film, such as action or comedy. However, Japanese anime is not only dynamic and influential because of its storylines, characters, and themes, but also for its purposeful choices in music. Since the first anime Astro Boy and through films such as Akira, Japanese animation companies combine their history from the past century with modern or “westernized” music. Unlike cartoon films produced by Disney or Pixar, Japanese anime do not use music to mimic the actions on-screen; instead, music heightens and deepens the plot and emotions. This concept is practiced in live-action feature films, and although anime consists of hand-drawn and computer-generated cartoons, Japanese directors and animators create a “film” experience with their dramatic choice of music.
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