Shell Bongares - (Anime: Princess Mononoke)

2) Is it a high or low cultural genre, according to Napier (2005)? What are some of its subgenres?

The point of whether anime is a high or low cultural genre revolves around the perception of the given culture. From a Western perspective, anime is frequently viewed on the same plane as cartoons. That is, anime is normally cast aside by mainstream Western society because it is believed to be made for children or youth, and therefore lacks genuine substance (Napier, 2005). Superficially speaking, cartoons and anime are evidently alike; both are forms of animation wherein human characters, personified animals and objects are common. From this similarity, Western cultures usually view anime as a low cultural genre (Napier, 2005). On the other hand, in Japanese culture, anime has become a significant and highly praised medium. According to Napier (2005) the Japanese are traditionally more “pictocentric than the cultures of the West” (p.7), and due to the usage of such symbols and images in their society, anime easily slides right into this visual culture. Traditional Japanese art forms such as woodblock print as well as global artistic traditions taken from cinema and photography are incorporated in anime (Napier, 2005). Some subgenres include cyberpunk and mecha which often deal with dystopian futures where technology is heavily integrated. The reason for anime becoming so globally popular is because of their engrossing stories that are psychologically complex and out of the norm, and do not follow the predictabilities of the typical Disney narrative or other Western animations. An excellent example of this is Miyazaki’s (2006) Princess Mononoke which dealt with issues such as the destruction of nature by humans, and eventually became the highest-grossing Japanese film of all time. In conclusion, Napier (2005) desires to transcend the idea that anime has to fit into a high or low cultural genre because its global influence surpasses both culture and generation.

4) What is the ‘shojo’ and how does it often function in anime?

The term ‘shojo’ in its direct translation means “young girl” (Napier, 2005, p.11). It is not exactly a type of anime genre, but relates more to the target audience which are young females ranging from pre-adolescents to young adults. Since ‘shojo’ primarily cater towards younger females, the genres stereotypically beloved by this age range include romance, romantic-comedies, drama, or variations of all three. Therefore, ‘shojo’ is an array of anime or manga that particularly focuses on romantic relationships and human emotions. However, although ‘shojo’ are created with a certain audience in mind, that does not necessarily mean other genders cannot enjoy this category.

References

Miyazaki, H. (Director). (2006). Princess Mononoke. Tokyo: Studio Ghibli Productions

Napier, S. (2005). Why anime? In Anime: from Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle (pp.3-14). Hampshire: Palgrave/Macmillan