Princess Mononoke- The Shojo and its function

What is the Shojo and how does it often function in Anime?

A Shojo in itself referres to a sub-genre in Anime which is specifically aimed at female archetypes.

Let us first look at the "WHAT":
Definition of Shojo? According to Miyazaki (Director, pg 11) it means: "Little female" (literally...). They are aged under the age of 18 and usually between 12-13.
How are they depicted? According to Napier (2001, pg 11) they are "Kawai" or cute characters. (Think bug-eyed, long legged, stereotypically dream-like and wishy-washy.)
How are the used? Tamea Prindle (Prindle, 1998) thinks they are used to portray the "shallow lacuna between adulthood and childhood, power and powerlessness, awareness and innocence as well as masculinity and femininity". If we couple this with Napier's (2001, pg119) definition that they "embody the potential for unfetted change and excitement that is far less available to the Japanese males" we can succinctly summarise that they are the metaphorical showcassing between the bridge-way of childhood and maturity and that the Japanese market (surprisingly a lot of males) find this an appealing escape from their rigid "demanding workforce of responsibilities" (Napier, 2001)
Setting? Shojo's are (generally speaking) usually found in a dream-like setting surrounded by wonder and magic and timeless dreamland-ness.

So, basically a Japanese version of wand-waving Barbie... right? Well, apparently not. Obviously, this is just a generalisation and there will, of course, be exceptions to the rule such as Miyazaki and his heroines. With their sassy ways and strong personalities, they challenge this archetype (and kick ass doing so!).

So, let's explore the "HOW":
Yes, Miyazaki's shojo look the part; they are attractive and petite and young and innocent e.g. Kiki from Kiki's Delivery Service. Yes, they often times are depicted in a dream-like world or quite literally in the clouds e.g. Chihiro Ogino in Spirited Away. But what set's Miyazaki's Shojo apart from the norm is their courage, curiosity, vivaciousness and strength as can be seen in Howls Moving Castle where Sophie's attractiveness as a character comes from her charisma. In Princess Mononoke Miyazaki goes one step further and his very attractive, very petite, not-quite-yet-woman but more-than-just-a-child heroine, Mononoke herself, is feral... I mean she is quite literally raised by wolves...  Miyazaki certainly hit the nail on the head when he said he wanted to "turn things on its head"!

Miyazaki himself has been quoted saying that he doesn't want his female leads to be mere "playthings for Lolita complex guys" or "pets" which I think is very apparent in Princess Mononoke. I don't think anyone would look at San and dare call her a "pet" (you'd more than likely get stabbed!). Their function is clearly to inspire and give a sense of leadership to young women. This is quite different to the Western way of thinking where the man is the leader and women are subservient but as Napier (2005) states “Perhaps many of Anime’s most important characters are female because it is so often the female subject who most clearly emblematizes the dizzying changes occurring in modern society.”

Thus!  "youths wearing Shoujo masks" (Panoramic Miyazaki, 1997) is the perfect-est way to sum up Miyazaki's female characters; meaning they look the part but they certainly don't act like it! Mononoke certainly did not act the part of the usual flower-in-the-hair, dream-the-day-away archetype when she sucked blood out of Moro's shoulder repeatedly and spat it on the ground, yet she looked beautiful and had a certain girl-ish softness about her when she turned around to face the audience and was covered in blood (in a weird only-in-Anime kind of way...).

References

Napier, S. (2005). Anime from Akira to Howl's moving castle (pp. 11,12). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

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

Cavallaro, D. (2006). The animé art of Hayao Miyazaki (p. 11). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co.

Film: Princess Mononoke

Jae-Hwan Jung, [Anime/Mononoke]

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

Nowadays, most of people know the word call animation. Animation means that the process of creating illusion of motion and shape change by means of the rapid display of a sequence of statics images that minimally differ from each other. Animation is developed by Japanese in many areas. People call Japanese animation as ‘Anime’ and it is enjoyed internationally. Then, is Anime a high or low cultural genre? What are some of its subgenres?

Napier (2005) mentions that Anime is a popular or mass culture in Japan, and in America it exist as a sub culture. However, the situation may well changes. “Anime is a popular cultural form that clearly builds on previous high cultural traditions. Not only does the medium show influence from such Japanese traditional arts as Kabuki and the woodblock prints (originally popular culture phenomena themselves), but it also makes use of worldwide artistic traditions of twentieth century cinema and photography.” (Napier, 2005). Napier (2005) says anime is fascinating variety of genres, its mixture of traditional and modern elements, and its disparate assemblage of subjectivities.

Napier (2005) use three major expressive modes to examine Anime as cultural genre. The first part is ‘Apocalyptic’. Napier (2005) says that “the apocalyptic is the most obvious mode since a vision of worldwide destruction seems to be a staple across all culture.” It can also range beyond material catastrophe to include more intimate forms of apocalypse. The second part is ‘Festival’. Napier (2005) comments that “For a brief moment norms are transgressed or actually inverted.” It is about transform shape, figure, and space. It also makes medium to feel extreme and sometimes grotesque. The last part is elegiac. Napier says that “The elegiac mode, with its implications of loss, grief, and absence, may at first seems a less obvious mode to Western viewers, who are used to emotions being painted with broad brush in animation.”  The elegiac is an important parts in both anime and cinema. Napier (2005) uses these three modes to define Anime go beyond any distinction between high and low culture"

In conclusion Anime is fascinating variety of genres, its mixture of traditional and modern elements, and its disparate assemblage of subjectivities. Anime is neither a low nor high cultural genre. Anime goes beyond any distinction between high and low cultural genre.

Reference

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

Anime - According to Lent (2000), what place does animation occupy in Asian societies? How different is this across Asia?

According to Lent (2000), what place does animation occupy in Asian societies? How different is this across Asia?

Animation has been fitted to Asian Countries and their mass media. Throughout Asia, animation has been able to:
- Carry political messages

-Stress morals (eg, whole hearted service to the people)

-Promote campaigns
- Expose enemies to the state

- Carry wartime themes

- Carry heavy propaganda

                                         (Lent, 2000).

In the early stages of animation in Asia, there was an obvious western influence (the main example being Disney). According to Lent (2000), many Asian animators took it as a compliment to be called ‘the Disney’ of their countries. Many of the popular artists such as James Wang,  Payut Ngaokrachang, Tezuka and Shin Dong Hun had a lot of exposure to exposure to foreign cartoons such as Bambi, Snow White and Felix the cat.

However, Lent (2000) goes on to say that “The Chinese, perhaps more than any other Asian animators save those of Japan, were insistent on adapting only those elements of foreign animation that fit their culture, never favouring full adoption.” So as time went on, Chinese animation started to develop and change. For example, China produced its first feature-length animation, Princess with the iron fan, and although there were still a lot of obvious Disney influences it wasn’t as sweet and pretty as those made by Disney. The Chinese then began to add more local stories into their animation, as well as styles and techniques such as “paper-cut, ink and wash (shuimo dong huapian), and folded paper were applied to what became classic works” (Lent, 2000). Chinese animation was now veering further and further away from the works of Disney, and gaining it’s own identity.

In Taiwan, the pioneer animators also had many connections to the United States. The director of Taiwan’s first animated film, Chao Tse-Hsui, studied in Japan and the US. He even learned some of his animation at the Disney studios, returning to Taiwan in 1964 with “four thousand pounds of animation equipment with which he established the Tse-Hsiu Institute of Art Production” (Lent, 2000).

In India, animators were, and are, inspired by outside factors and individuals. The first animated shorts in India were produced during World War 1, and since then have had steady growth whilst incorporating many aspects of the Western World. “As Bendazzi wrote, Indian animation always:

betrays the ethnic heritage of local animators and almost always borrows from Western productions. The few films referring to the extremely rich figurative, pictorial and colourist tradition of the country can be counted on the fingers of one hand” (Lent, 2000).

Reference:

Lent, J. A. (2000). Animation in Asia: Appropriation, reinterpretation, and adoption or adaptation. Retrieved September 4, 2012, from http://www.latrobe.edu.au/screeningthepast/firstrelease/fr1100/jlfr11c.htm

Yegalulp, S. (n.d.). Japanese Animation Introduction (What Is It?). Retrieved from http://anime.about.com/od/animeprimer/a/What-Is-Anime.htm

Anime/Princess Mononoke

What is the 'Shojo' and how does it often function in Anime?

"Shojo" means to be a genre of Japanese comics and animated films aimed primarily at a young female audience, typically characterized by an intense focus on personal and romantic relationships" (Dictonary.com, 2015). "Shojo" literally means "young girl" (Napier, 2005)
, the function of this character in Anime is to attract young female audience to the story line of the "Shojo" and perhaps relate to the "Shojo" character. The anime are called Shojo Manga which indicates that the anime is for female readership. 
According to Wakeling (n.d) "the Japanese term “shōjo” is particularly useful to gender discussions of the Japanese girl. It is a way of referring to someone as feminine, but with a distinct suggestion of youth" (Wakeling, Vol 5).

The function of the "Shojo" character in anime has changed over time, although the "Shojo" character is supposedly characterized by the focus on personal and romantic relationships. Mizyaki films depicts the "Shojo" character differently. Miziyaki reverses the common depiction of the "Shojo" by illustrating his female characters to be strong willed, independent and powerful. This illustration of strong-willed and powerful "Shojo" is seen in the character of San in Princess Mononoke in which this character is a wild warrior that had been raised by wolves. San from princess Mononoke is  also courageous in trying to protect the forest by going to war with the humans that are trying to destroy the forest and kill all the magical creatures in the forest. 

The "Shojo" character of San from Princess Mononoke also makes her different from other characteristics of other female characters because San embraces the fact that she has been raised by an animal and is not afraid to adapt to an animal like attitude or the way she appears or speaks. Sans character steers away from the domesticated obedient stereotype of an Asian "shojo" girl.  Napier (2005) that these "Shojo" characters are associated with the masculine hero specifically with with the characteristics of being active, adventurous, courageous.  

 Callavaro, D (p.11) did however say that he believes that Mizyaki characters are still without a doubt "shojo" in relation to their age and general appearance. The film Princess Mononoke was also the highest grossing film in the history of Japanese anime films "Cost 19.6 Million to produce, a record for anime" (p. 120). 

Another interesting charatcer in the Mizyaki film is lady Eboshi in Mononoke, though she is not a young female character but she also squashed the stereotype of "Men being in power and also the stereotype of women being characterized as being helpless, innocent and powerless". In Mononoke she is evil, kills a GOD and is the protector of iron town. 


References

Callavaro, D. (2006). The anime art of Hayao Miyazaki. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland & Co

Napier, S. (2005). Anime from Akira to Howl's moving castle. (p. 11-12). New York: Palgrave

Shojo Manga. (2015). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh%C5%8Djo_manga

Wakeling, E. (n.d). Girls are dancing, Shojo Culture. Retrieved from http://pdf.jpf-sydney.org/newvoices/5/chapter6.pdf

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

Princess Mononoke - Anime

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

Shoujo （少女）or as it is commonly known due to romanization issues, “shojo” is a demographic indicator for both anime and manga. It contains the kanji for little and girl and literally means “little girl” or “young lady”. The main protagonist of shoujo anime or manga are usually pre-teen girls, who on a metaphorical level, refers to girls who are in transition between infancy and maturity (Cavallaro, 2006). Shoujo also contains its own subgenres.

Cavallaro (2006) describes one of these subgenres as being extremely dreamy and bathed in an atmosphere of magic and wonder. This type of shoujo is mainly referred to as 「魔法少女」or “magical girl”. Cavallaro cites Prindle (1998) on why the Japanese find this subgenre fascinating and entertaining because it is about the transition between “adulthood and childhood, power and powerlessness, awareness and innocence as well as masculinity and femininity” (p. 35).

In regards to Princess Mononoke and other Miyazaki anime, the protagonists fall under the shoujo demographic because of their age and general appearance. However, where most shoujo protagonists are seen as passive and in a timeless dreamland, Miyazaki’s protagonists are strong, active, independent, tough and courageous. They are often described as “youths wearing shoujo masks” (Panoramic Miyazaki, 1997, p. 2), this means that they look the part but certainly do not act the part.

Miyazaki (1988a) wanted to portray his characters as being more than just attractive females who he describes as mere “play toys for Lolita complex guys” or “pets”. I think that he was successful as Princess Mononoke can be seen as anything but a typical shoujo character. She is independent, feral and wild, also her personality and actions could very well be mistaken for a boy, unlike the typical soft and passive shoujo characters.

Reference

Cavallaro, D. (2006). The Anime Art of Hayao Miyazaki. London: McFarland & Company.

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

Panoramic Miyazaki. (1997). Eureka (Special Issue), 29:11.

Prindle, T. K. (1998). A Cocooned Identity: Japanese Girl Films: Nobuhiko Oobayashi’s Chizuko’s Younger Sister and Jun Ichikawa’s Tsugumi. Post Script, 18(1), 24-37.

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

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

“Shojo stories are serenely dreamy and bathed in an atmosphere of magic and wonder.” (Cavallaro, D.)

The term ‘Shojo’ first appeared in 1903. What is Shojo? Firstly it is one of anime’s many subgenres, shojo is a demographic indicator for anime and manga (Japanese comic book) aimed at young girl’s readership. Shojo is associated with visuals and set in a storytelling style rather than with a demographic.

As Cavallaro said in his book the animé art of Hayao Miyazaki; according to Tamae Prindle “what fascinates the Japanese is that the Shoujo nestle in a shallow lucent between adulthood and childhood, power and powerlessness, awareness and innocence as well as masculinity and femininity.”  (p.11)

Miyazaki I feel uses the function of shojo in some films by presenting very strong heroine characters; giving young girls a sense of leadership or viewing of how strong females can really be.

In relation to my opinion on Miyazaki’s female characters Cavallaro believes Miyazaki’s characters are unquestionably shojo in terms of their age and general appearance. (p.11)

“Perhaps many of anime’s most important characters are female because it is so often the female subject who most clearly emblematizes the dizzying changes occurring in modern society.” (Napier, S. (2005).

As Freda Freiberg discusses in an article named Miyazaki’s Heroine’s, most of Miyazaki’s heroine characters show classical shojo aspects in their age, cuteness, love of animals and pets, and sexual innocence. However, as Susan Napier argues, they are also endowed with the characteristics of the conventional masculine hero: they are active, assertive, adventurous and courageous.

An example of a character that believed to be a strong hearted heroine was San in Miyazaki’s film Princess Mononoke but she didn’t show the traits like being cute – no definitely not.  She was portrayed to be wild and fearsome standing up for what he believes in and abruptly showing her love for animals and protection of the forest. If the character San appealed to me when I only found out this movie existed last week, I can’t help but imagine what the hype for this character would have had when the movie premiered in Japan in 1997 – The movie itself however as Susan Napier stated; broke box office records, and was said to be the highest grossing Japanese film ever.

References

Cavallaro, D. (2006). The animé art of Hayao Miyazaki (p. 11). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co.

Chan, K. (2015). Shōjo - Anime News Network. Animenewsnetwork.com. Retrieved 1 September 2015, from http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/lexicon.php?id=3

Freiberg, F. (2006). Miyazaki’s Heroines. Senses of Cinema. Retrieved 1 September 2015, from http://sensesofcinema.com/2006/feature-articles/miyazaki-heroines/  

Napier, S. (2005). Anime from Akira to Howl's moving castle (pp. 11,12). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.