A look into the transformative journey of Japanese anime from World War II propaganda reels to today's billion-dollar, Pokemon-filled world.
How animation and soft power transformed perceptions of Japan from military threat to peddler of fantasies and dreams.But if not, what if we were to tell you they're not just cartoon characters, but some of the most influential soft power figures in modern history?
"It's a utopia away from reality for me," Jessica says, referring to the world of anime, short for Japanese animated films."When times are tough and I feel like giving up, I strive to push forward like the Japanese characters I love."Japanese anime found its way into the hearts of millions of kids around the world, and the widespread fascination rapidly transformed it into a global industry worth tens of billions of dollars.
"Many artists had experiential stories of the war and the post-war trauma — they also had very little, if any confidence in their elders." This led to the first programming of Japanese colour TV animations in the USA in the 1960s, like Kimba the White Lion was the first full-colour, feature-length animation out of Japan.Dragon Ball Z is one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.But throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Japan’s wartime shadow continued to loom large — the image of the "two-faced, despicable" traitor as portrayed by American wartime cartoons and propaganda films, according to Renato.
Matt says he was exposed to Japanese pop culture in the 1980s, mainly in the form of toys, cartoons and video games. Despite the growing popularity, manga and anime generally remained a subculture in Japan that many adults perceived as low-brow or vulgar — but elsewhere, perceptions were starting to change., the waning fortunes of heavy industry in the United States prompted lay-offs just as their Japanese counterparts — like Mitsubishi or Fuji — were making major inroads into American markets.
“A lot of the cartoons we watched growing up — like Transformers — it wasn't clear that they were from Japan. There aren't even any Japanese people credited in them. It's all the Western side.“We were busy playing Super Mario and Pokémon, or watching Voltron, Sailor Moon and Gundam Wing.” The story revolves around teenage protagonist Shōtarō Kaneda and his friends, who recklessly roam the streets of a post-war, dystopian "neo-Tokyo" world — filled with corruption, anti-government protests, terrorism and gang violence — on their motorcycles.
The success of Akira also marked the start of a "small but growing movement" to recognise anime as a "legitimate art form".On the heels of anime's growing popularity, the Walt Disney Company and Tokuma Shoten formed a partnership in 1996 wherein Walt Disney Studios would become the sole international distributor for Japan's now-famous Studio Ghibli animated film studio.
The service also helped spread more nuanced portrayals of Japan as told through anime productions and exports. The launch of the $US500 million Cool Japan Fund intended to triple overseas sales of "Cool Japan" content — such as anime, manga, figurines and merchandise — within five years.
Soft Power Anime Manga WWII War Ghibli Spirited Away Mario Nintendo Pokemon Pop Culture Military
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