Anime as Icon: Pilgrimage Becoming Culture Waseda University Noriko Takao 1M160538-2 Professor Graham Law 1 Table of Contents Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………2 Introduction………………………………………………………………………………..3 Chapter I: Defining Anime………………………………………………………………...5 1. Anime in Japan 2. Anime and Media Mix 3. Anime and the Fans Chapter II: Defining Pilgrimage…………………………………………………………..9 1. Pilgrimage and Contents Tourism 2. History and Development 3. Pilgrimage and the Fans 4. Defining Pilgrimage Chapter III: Case Studies………………………………………………………………...13 1. Girls und Panzer 2. Free! 3. In Saitama Prefecture 4. Rinne no Lagrange Chapter Ⅳ: Conclusion……………………………………………………………….24 1. Effects Made by Pilgrimage 2. Anime as Culture Works Cited List………………………………………………………………….……26 2 Abstract This dissertation will discuss about how anime, referring to the Japanese animation industry broadly within Japan, works as a representative culture in the country. By focusing on the fan activities done relating to the anime, how fans get influenced and become active for them will be described. Moreover, taking deeper steps into pilgrimage, which is one of the popular actions taken by the fans relating to anime influence, and effects made to the people, the local place and to the anime itself are analyzed. Pilgrimage as a culture will be defined from two different aspects: the location information and the affect made to the actual places relating to the anime. Case studies are also used, according to the definition made earlier, to mention the various influences that anime could make in the terms of pilgrimage and make it as a proof of anime holding an effective power to bring about a change to regions. Lastly, through concluding the analysis, the effects of pilgrimage and the effects of anime are redefined to answer the research questions that were mentioned in the first part of this dissertation. 3 Introduction “We are the ones who are moving the economy of this country!” This is one of the phrases “otaku” people are in the habit of saying today. It might sound foolish; however, it cannot be said that is just a joke among otaku themselves. Otaku is a Japanese term referring to those who are absorbed to one thing especially in subculture contents, which started to be used since the 1970s. Japanese otaku culture is now one of the big contents that holds influence not only within their fans, but also to the actual world. In terms of otaku, what mostly are imagined are anime. Anime is now one of the most popular contents among various age groups. From how it is influencing people as a content industry, it is possible to remark that Anime is becoming an iconic culture. Therefore, throughout this dissertation, anime as an icon of Japanese culture will be discussed, how anime could be defined as an icon of the Japanese culture and its process of how it became so. By focusing on the fan activities relating to Anime, how this otaku culture could affect people in real life will also be investigated. Revealing the real fact of the fan activity will lead to the conclusion of the discussion, that will try to prove how anime is now one of the main culture Japan holds which could affect not only within the fans or the producers, but to the real world, as an icon of the Japanese culture. From all the various fan activities held today, pilgrimage, in other words, “contents tourism,” will be focused on. Pilgrimage becoming to hold metaphorical meaning could also be part of the discussion of how Anime has an influence as a cultural icon. Anime contents tourism and pilgrimage is now a topic taken up by tourism study from its big change made in a short period of time. Therefore, theses such as Lucky Star the anime and its influence made to the background location are published by several experts. In the wake of contents tourism as a subject of research, resources which demonstrate tourism and anime culture contains deep connection that could influence each other do not happen by chance but with concrete evidence as culture. Materials used in this dissertation are mainly those which focuses on anime as culture and its effect 4 made to fans and tourism. Especially Yamamura Takayoshi, who studies the effect of contents tourism and the historical transition of the pilgrimage as in term of cultural study is referenced for its reliability from his number of studies and lectures done about contents tourism and anime history. Regarding the anime that were used as reference in the case studies for defining the actual effects of pilgrimages, these are chosen for their definite popularity among the anime otaku community. Arguments both for and against are mentioned in the discussion, although every anime are equally be thought valuable, interesting, and produced with efforts by numbers of concerned people. This is a prerequisite in order to keep in mind the importance of this industry as one of the representative Japanese cultures. 5 ChapterⅠ: Defining Anime 1. Anime in Japan First, as a premise, anime as in Japanese animation industry will be explained, how it is unique. The vocabulary “Anime” used in this discussion indicates the animation culture developed in Japan. The main characteristic Japanese animation has is its unique production, dramatic and complex story and specific targeting age called “young adults.” Unique production process is one of the unique features Japanese Anime has. What is unique is that animators and staffs have to create a work within the low budget and short span, because of the increase in the demand of animation production. In Japanese animation, techniques such as camera works, still images and editing are highly valued. Moreover, abbreviation of these techniques due to the busy cycle, brought out tempo and movements that became Japanese Anime feature. By all these skills, Japanese animation aimed to compete with American animation. Japanese Anime is also thought unique from its dramatic and complex stories. How it is dramatic is that there is more depiction of character’s entire life from one’s growing to an end. Since the 1970s, the style of main themes started to turn to individual stories rather than focusing on social movements. Aiming at “young adults” is also the unique part of the Japanese anime. Animation used to target children to have fun, however, for those who did not “graduate” watching animation eventually began to be called young adults, between teenager and mature adult. Due to these grown-up audiences demanding reality for fictional animation, complexity in settings and backgrounds began to be produced. Therefore, of the demand, maniac animation also started to increase, targeting only a specific group of people. For example, animation depicting idols and animation that is based on the characters which is the personification of animals are some of the major popular but also maniac stories. 6 For these reasons, the Anime industry is now attracting various age groups, and growing in several ways. This growth is helping people to have more opportunity to get into the Anime world and eventually to become a core fan. Despite all the praise the Japanese animation has, there also are criticisms made relating to the possible effects made by animation projects. One opinion is that animation might somehow include bad influence especially for children to what in terms of thought and morality, by watching those kinds of genres that has extreme violence or sexual expression. In addition, as mentioned formerly, Japanese animation is relatively careless about serious issues today such as stereotypes among different society and female depiction. By overcoming those critical points, anime as Japanese culture is trying to develop more oversea, as well as in domestic industry. 2. Anime and Media Mix Then, how anime has become one of the big culture industries will be focused from the point of view of media mix progress in order to concentrate more on the actual effects made by anime. Today, various opportunities exist to diffuse anything, especially through the Social Networking Service. For example, uploading derivative works to You Tube, collecting information and gathering them into their own website, or binding a book with one’s personal consideration, and propagating to another fans is the way how people in this world spread their supporting contents and enjoy as a part of fan activity. Moreover, some people would make a costume and wear them as a group and call it a gathering event or distribute the derivative work, or “doujinshi” at such place for example the Comic Market. Yamamura mentions how fans are both consumers of the anime content and producers of secondary contents, are in other words are “prosumers” of the content, and this aspect of the fans are affecting the contents in a big way (2011). Yamamura also mentions that contents that were born from 7 fan movements are letting another culture grow; blogs and reports made by fans help other fans to be encouraged to follow. As fans and tourists, or “prosumers,” fans each other affects one another to be interested in doing the pilgrimage among the anime content. The development of media is helping the contents to be famous with the fans’ individual interactions. It is now becoming a common action for otaku to create an account in such SNS as Twitter, just for the use of their relations in hobbies, aside with one’s actual relation. With the usage of account just for the hobbies, this will help them to collect information more easily and variously by following official accounts or connecting with another otaku friends who like the same contents. Movements made by these accounts are now one of the important powers to support a content to know their interests towards them. Additionally, by having more friends to follow the same or similar contents, will help otaku to gather and deepen communication as one real relationship other than those created in schools or companies.