Rosemarie Campone Mrs. Grant ENGL 1102 15 March 2014 Anime: An Under-Rated art o!

American op C"#t"re As pathetic as it seems$ % &ent to m' !irst anime con(ention d"rin) m' !irst 'ear o! co##e)e$ e(en tho")h % &ent to *apan +e!ore e(er )oin) to an American anime con(ention. E(en +e!ore )oin) to *apan$ % ha(e st"died *apanese !or 'ears. M' !irst anime con(ention is somethin) that % &i## ne(er !or)et$ especia##' ho& m"ch !"n % had connectin) &ith peop#e o! simi#ar interest. % ha(e &atched anime since % &as se(en, it has p#a'ed a ma-or part in m' #i!e. %t spar.ed m' interest in #earnin) *apanese and a+o"t other c"#t"res. Anime is /st'#e o! animation that &as created in *apan and that "ses co#or!"# ima)es$ stron) characters$ and stories that ha(e a #ot o! action0 1Anime2. Anime is ori)ina##' !rom *apan$ it came to the United 3tates aro"nd the 14506s$ &ith Astro Boy 17a)8o")2. 3ince then it has +ecome (er' pop"#ar in America. %n recent 'ears$ anime has +ecome a part o! the American pop c"#t"re$ this is seen thro")h the chan)es that Americans ha(e done to anime$ the chan)e in American (a#"es as a res"#t o! anime$ and most important#' the &idespread pop"#arit' in the United 3tates. 9here are man' reasons &h' anime +ecame so pop"#ar &ith the American p"+#ic. Man' Americans en-o' the stor' #ine o! anime$ +"t the characteristic that Americans #o(e most is the (er' detai#ed dra&in) that anime "ses. 9his &as tr"e &hen Spirited Away$ a *apanese anime !i#m +' :a'ao Mi'a8a.i$ &on an Academ' A&ard !or ;est in Animated <eat"re. 9his &o"#d +e the !irst time that a *apanese anime !i#m &on a)ainst an American animated !i#m 13pirited A&a': A&ards2. Another characteristic o! anime is that e(er'one can &atch it, is not on#' !or chi#dren.

9eens and e(en ad"#ts &atch anime #i.e Pokmon, Dragon Ball Z, and Sailor Moon$ e(en i! the tar)eted a"dience is chi#dren. 9his is one o! the reasons &h' Mi'a8a.i !i#ms are so pop"#ar in American$ his !i#ms do not ha(e a speci!ic a"dience +"t e(er'one is a+#e to &atch them. Anime is (er' simi#ar to the American comic +oo. and its re#ated te#e(ision sho&s$ &hich are (er' pop"#ar &ith most Americans. ;oth ha(e stron) ma#e #eads &ith (er' m"sc"#ar +odies$ and their dra&in)s are more detai#ed compared to the a(era)e American cartoon. ="e to the !act that anime &as (er' pop"#ar in the 14406s$ this )eneration considers anime a part o! their chi#dhood. >hen the' remem+er their ear#' anime e?periences$ the' tr' to recapt"re those !ee#in)s +' re&atchin) o#d anime or ne& ones 1God&in2. 9his has )reat#' impacted the )ro&th in anime in the #ast !e& 'ears. 9he #ast .e' !actor that has a##o&ed anime to +ecome a part o! the American c"#t"re is the c#ose connection shared +' *apan and America. 9he partnership o! *apan and America has a##o&ed !or easier trade +et&een the t&o nations$ this inc#"des the importation o! anime to America. %! *apan and America did not ha(e s"ch a re#ationship$ then anime &o"#d not ha(e +ecome so pop"#ar. Anime has &on the hearts o! Americans &ith its dra&in)s$ simi#arit' to comic +oo.s$ and its &ide a"dience ran)e. %n +ecomin) a part o! the American c"#t"re$ anime has chan)ed American ideas and (a#"es. 9he +i))est e!!ect that anime has on America is the increase in peop#e &antin) to #earn *apanese. 9his is +eca"se most anime is on#' in *apanese and it ta.es a #on) time !or anime to +e either s"++ed or d"++ed in to En)#ish 1God&in2. A#on) &ith the increase in #earnin) *apanese$ there is a#so an increase in tra(e# to *apan. %n )enera#$ most American )o to *apan +eca"se the' ha(e &atched anime 1>orma#d2. 9he chan)e in American idea#s a#so e?tends to the &ho#e &or#d. >e ha(e +ecome more acceptin) o! other peop#e and other nations. 9his is +' "nderstandin) and +rea.do&n stereot'pes that &e ha(e a+o"t the *apanese and other peop#e. 9hro")h anime &e

ha(e +een a+#e to #oo. at ho& other nations (ie& "s and their stereot'pes o! "s. ;' "nderstandin) this &e can impro(e o"r ima)e as a nation and as indi(id"a# peop#e. >e are no& a+#e to "nderstand important idea#s and +e#ie!s that the *apanese ha(e thro")h anime. 9he )reatest and most important e!!ect that anime has on the American c"#t"re is it has made Americans more c"#t"ra##' a&are o! other nationa#ities. As anime entered into American pop c"#t"re$ there ha(e +een chan)es to anime to ma.e it more American. 9he most o+(io"s incorporation &o"#d +e the more detai#ed )raphics in sho&s and in )ames. 3ho&s #i.e Teen Titans or Avatar: The Last Air Bender, ha(e +een de+ated as to &hether the' are considered cartoon or anime$ +"t +oth are de!inite#' in!#"enced +' anime. An e?amp#e o! American )ames inspired +' the dra&in) st'#es o! anime is ingdom !eart. Ma)a8ines ha(e a#so +een in!#"enced +' anime$ &ith the creation o! "tak# $SA$ a ma)a8ine dedicated to anime. America has e(en created a ni)ht dedicated to the sho&in) o! *apanese anime$ ca##ed Toonami% Toonami is a #ate ni)ht anime pro)ram that sho&s anime !rom 11:@0 pm to 5:00 am 1God&in2. 9his channe# has p#a'ed an important ro#e in spreadin) anime thro")ho"t American and .eepin) anime a part o! American c"#t"re. Another (ita# American creation$ that has a##o&ed the spread o! anime$ is anime con(entions. Anime con(entions are a )atherin) o! peop#e &ho &atch anime and #i.e to dress "p as their !a(orite anime characters 1God&in2. At these con(entions$ peop#e can disc"ss anime and interact &ith peop#e &ho share the same interests. Anime mi)ht ha(e started in *apan$ +"t Americans ha(e de!inite#' created their o&n st'#e o! anime$ #i.e sho&s$ )ames$ ma)a8ines$ and e(en te#e(ision pro)rammin). A## o! the anime that Americans see is !rom *apan$ meanin) that the anime is +ased on *apanese (a#"es and c"stoms. =espite o"r di!!erences in (a#"es Americans sti## en-o' anime. Ane &a' that &e di!!er is o"r acceptance o! se?"a#it' and n"dit' in te#e(ision. *apan does not care

a+o"t n"dit'$ +"t America has stron) con(ictions a+o"t &hat chi#dren can &atch. Anime does contains a #ot o! se?"a#it' and n"dit'$ and this is a (er' hot topic in America. E(en tho")h the anime that is te#e(ised censors o"t most o! the n"dit'$ there sti## is a #ot o! n"dit' in anime. 9his is &h' anime is te#e(ised at a #ater time to pre(ent chi#dren !rom seein) it and to #imit the amo"nt o! censorin) that is done to the anime. A#tho")h the se?"a#it' in anime has ca"se a hidden chan)e in Americans (ie& on se?"a#it' in )enera#. 9he se?"a#it' in anime has made Americans more open a+o"t se?"a#it' and n"dit'$ +eca"se peop#e ha(e +ecome "sed to the se?"a#it' in anime. 9his is sho&n thro")h the m"#tip#e inn"endos in chi#d-#i.e mo(ies$ #i.e the ones in Planes$ &hich is a chi#dBs mo(ie &ith re!erences to ho& prett' a )ir#s +"tt #oo.s 1God&in2. %n the past 'ears$ America has +ecome more open a+o"t homose?"a# co"p#es on te#e(ision. 9his is a#so tr"e !or anime. %n *apan$ the' ha(e a#&a's +een acceptin) o! homose?"a# co"p#es +eca"se most o! their anime dea#s &ith homose?"a# re#ationships. An an episode o! &ow'oy Be'op, aired on Toonami, there &as a ma#e homose?"a# co"p#e. %n the past$ this &o"#d ha(e +een edited o"t or not sho&n at a##. Another .e' di!!erence +et&een Americans and the *apanese is o"r (ie&s on (io#ence in te#e(ision sho&s. A#most a## o! the anime that is aired in America dea#s &ith (io#ence. 9he *apanese do not care a+o"t the (io#ence that is sho&n in the anime$ #i.e sho&in) &hen peop#e are +#eedin). :o&e(er$ Americans are sti## concerned a+o"t the impact that the (io#ent content &o"#d ha(e on chi#dren$ so most o! the (io#ence is a#so edited o"t. Another ma-or pro+#em that Americans ha(e a+o"t anime is the distorted +od' ima)e that is )i(en o!! +' the anime men and &omen. Us"a##' the &omen ha(e +i) +reasts$ are rea##' s.inn'$ and do not ha(e m"ch c#othin) on, &hi#e the men are "s"a##' (er' masc"#ine$ m"sc"#ar$ and ha(e (er' stri.in) !acia# !eat"res. Americans +e#ie(e that this can distort the ima)e that +oth men and &omen ha(e to&ards the opposite se?. ;' ho#din) peop#e at a hi)h#' "nrea#istic standard. =espite the

(io#ence$ se?"a#it'$ and the distorted +od' ima)e in anime$ American !ans sti## en-o' anime. %n !act anime !ans #o(e anime +eca"se o! these !eat"res$ most#' +eca"se it is !or+idden in American te#e(ision. A#so these characteristic are not sho&n in American cartoons$ ma.in) peop#e #oo. to&ards anime !or (io#ence and se?"a#it'. A#tho")h *apanese and American (a#"es di!!er a+o"t se?"a#it'$ n"dit'$ and (io#ence$ American anime !an sti## en-o' it. Anime mi)ht ha(e ori)inated in *apan$ +"t it has +ecome a part o! the American pop c"#t"re. ;' #oo.in) at the *apanese anime in!#"ence on America$ one can see ho& the American pop c"#t"re is not +ased so#e#' on American made concepts. American pop c"#t"re is made "p o! a mi?t"re o! di!!erent nations6 pop c"#t"res. 9here mi)ht +e some parts o! American pop c"#t"re that come !rom America. ;"t one sho"#d not #imit the scope o! pop c"#t"re to on#' thin)s that ha(e come !rom one6s o&n co"ntr'. 9here are m"#tip#e concepts that ha(e +een )ained +' other c"#t"res or co"ntries. Ane on#' has to #oo. o"tside the +o? in order to !ind the connections to other c"#t"res.

>or. Cited CAnime.C Merriam()e'ster%*om. Merriam->e+ster$ n.d. >e+. 25 *an. 2014. God&in$ De#se'. ersona# inter(ie&. 25 *an. 2014. C3pirited A&a': A&ards.C +MD'. %M=+.com$ n.d. >e+. 25 *an. 2014. >orma#d$ =ean. C>h' 9ra(e# to *apanE 9op 10 Reasons to Go and Fisit.C ,apan Travel Mate. N.p.$ n.d. >e+. 25 *an. 2014. 7a)8o")$ Mar&ah. C9he :istor' o! Anime and Man)a.C The !istory o- Anime and Manga. ;#ac. :ori8on Anime and C.9. E(ans$ Apr. 2001. >e+. 24 *an. 2014.