NATHAN WILLIAMSON

10 MacDonald

English Language SBA, Reflective Writing

First Draft

November 16, 2018

PLAN OF INVESTIGATION

I can’t remember the first time I watched Dragon Ball Z, but I knew that it was the most interesting
cartoon I had seen. It made me completely forget my obsession with dinosaurs. The internet
allowed me to research and find all the episodes, the games available on Xbox, PS3, PS4, books,
clothing, similar Japanese cartoons and other enthusiasts. I haunted my parents to buy all these
games. I started to talk of this interest at school and was pleasantly surprised to know that so many
boys at Kingston College share the same passion. I now have a new obsession. It is called anime.

I thought this would be an interesting topic to research to try to find out more about the popularity
of anime, especially in Jamaica. Since there isn’t much printed material on the topic, the internet
will be the main source of information. Various anime websites, videos and articles on the annual
conferences will be used.

This SBA will help to develop my research skills and will allow me to read and analyse material and
make my own assessment on the relevance of the materials consulted to the research topic.

Reflection 1

I do agree with Mr Masami Suda that anime is the work of unlimited imagination. In the article
Anime-Ated in Kgn, printed in the Sunday Gleaner on August 31, 2014, his interview provided great
insight to the addictive nature of these characters. They are actually designed for the audience to be
emotionally attached to the characters. That explains why so many teenagers engage in heated
arguments about their favourite anime cartoons and characters. Sometimes we even compare the
strength and wisdom of characters from different anime cartoons. He also thinks that there is a lot

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of potential for its development in Jamaica. This might be true, but certainly not in the near future.
The level of imagination of Japanese cartoonist does not exist in Jamaica. To be able to write and
produce series and episodes of anime over many years is no easy feat. In 2018 (four years after his
interview) this is still not a reality. Also, anime is a part of the Japanese culture like reggae is to ours.
It is popular with all age groups. Although it is growing in popularity among teenagers, it is mostly
among the boys.

The Embassy of Japan in Jamaica, in 2012, sponsored The Third Anime Convention in Jamaica. This
attracted over 300 anime enthusiasts to the Waterfalls where it was held. The number of people
who attended proved that there certainly is a lot of interest in anime. I think the Jamaican anime has
a long way to go in terms of its development. The Jamaican anime presentations were done only at
the conventions and I have not heard of them ever since. This proves that there is no continuous
work being done in that area by the Jamaican artists. I think the people dressing like their favourite
anime characters shows the wide gap between Japanese and Jamaican anime popularity. Nobody
came dressed like Anancy or any of the characters from Jamaican folklore.

I think the recently held Anime Fest and Comic Con in New York held on October 9 2018 and july 19
2018 are both ways for anime enthusiasts to show their love for their favourite anime. However,
despite them both being anime conventions, there are many differences that really sets them apart.
I think in terms of organization, anime fest is the more organized of the two. I think in terms of
popularity, comic con is more wide spread and is more vibrant. It also gives the opportunity for the
attendees to meet and talk to their favourite artist. However, in terms of how many video games are
being played, anime fest would be more popular for having more areas for people playing video
games and getting information about the type of anime. In my opinion, although the popularity of
anime is growing in the western hemisphere, it is still far less popular than other forms of comic such
as Marvel.

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 Reflection 2

The use of descriptive writing style in the Sunday Gleaner on August 31, 2014 article Anime-Ated in
Kgn helped me to understand the great gap between the developments of anime in Jamaica versus
Japan and gives me insight to some aspects of the culture in Japan. Simple adjectives and
personifications helps to explain why the anime characters seem to be alive to the fans.
Exaggeration in mentioning the demand for even memorabilia as soon as they are released makes
me imagine what it would be like living in a society with such rich history in anime and as a fan, I felt
the excitement. The writing style also allowed me to understand Mr Masami Suda’s humble
personality. Even though he is very well respected and obviously extremely talented, he seems not
to be arrogant or boastful. In my opinion, that seems to be the general nature of the Japanese
people.

The use of descriptive writing in the article about the anime convention at waterfalls, liguanea,in
2012 helped to understand more about the love and passion for anime in Japan and Jamaica and
how they express that love. It was brief and straight to the point. It also gave me knowledge as to
how people adore their favourite characters by having their faces or even other characters from the
series on common items such as lunch boxes, pens, books, etc. Some people love it so much that
they even buy stickers or learn how to draw each of the characters. This article also gave me insights
as to how the Japanese people express their love for certain parts of their culture. But the thing that
I really loved about it was that it showed me that there are other people in the world that love
anime and they are not afraid to show it. In my opinion, I think the people of japan are better at
expressing love for anime than Jamaicans.

The type of descriptive writing in this article about the recently held comic con and anime fest held
in New York helped me to understand the major differences between the organization of the Comic
Con and Anime Fest. The contrast was clear by the constant comparison between the events that
took place at these events. They contrasted the amount of people that went, the bathroom lines,
how many booths were setup and how many people played the games that were provided at the
event. It also gave me knowledge as to what happens at events like these. There were things like
video presentations, different presentations about various anime, information about the series and
characters themselves. In my opinion, I think that Anime Fest provides a more comfortable
environment than Comic Con. However, Comic Con is more of an information gathering type of
event.