Japanese Anime

Anime is the slang for Japanese Animation. It is defined as art of Japanese cartoons. It is

distinguishable via certain characteristics in art, such as enhancement of physical features.

For example, large eyes, big mouths, and funkily drawn hair. As mentioned, anime refers

to Japanese cartoons, although the term was originally borrowed from the French word

animation. Japanese animations are often based on

Japanese comics known as Manga. The term “Manga” was created by Japanese artist

Holuai in 1915 which means “irresponsible pictures.”

Most comic books in other cultures are geared towards children, and those that are suited

for mature audiences tend to be considered “off the beaten path.” In Japan, comic books

are intended for all audiences much the same as a novel. The very first anime started with

“Astroboy” way back in the 1960’s.

Anime can be best distinguished through the artwork. Though many traditional animation

fans see Disney as the pinnacle of animation achievement, anime tends to concentrate on

a higher level of detail in the artwork rather than fluidity of motion.

The term Anime refers to a distinctive tradition of Japanese animation that is almost

immediately recognizable by its superior artistic quality as well as by the somewhat

mannered artistic conventions anime artists employ, such as the preference for child-like,

large eyes. But it is not just the art that grabs one’s attention.

Anime also provides a window into another culture. In ways that many anime fans scarcely

guess, anime draws strongly from Japanese and wider Asian mythology and symbolism

generally, and specifically, from the rich Japanese traditions of Shinto, the martial arts, and

Zen.

Japanese Manga books are more integrated with Japanese culture than Western

Comic books are. Manga books tell stories for all ages about anything under the sun.

One will find various topics ranging from futuristic robots, medieval knights, contemporary

love stories, etc.

On the other hand, Comic books usually are geared towards teenagers with stories with

the basic superheroes vs. supervillains storyline. As of this writing, it can be observed that

certain Comics are beginning to be influenced by Manga-style writing/drawing (particularly

Marvel’s Gen 13).

JAPANESE ANIMATION

The Japanese anime and manga industry involved significantly during the World War II

period. Before this period, animators faced several problems. First, they had difficulties

competing with foreign producers like Disney, which had influence over both, audience

and producers. Since foreign films had already generated sizable profits at home, they

could be sold at lower prices abroad. As a consequence, Japanese animators who typically

worked in small companies had to keep their prices low in order to stay competitive.

However, the lower prices generated lower revenue, which reduced salaries and made it

difficult to compete in terms of quality with foreign production. Larger enterprises could

offer superior features such as color and sound. Until the mid-1930s Japanese animation

used cut-ou animation instead of cel animation that was flat and without detail because

forward and backward motion was difficult to reach (Sharp, 2009)

Japanese animation improved considerably after the introduction of multi-plane camera,

which creates a three-dimensional effect, and along with the introduction of sound and cel

animation techniques. However, such innovations were hard to support commercially and

prewar animation depended considerably on sponsorship. For this reason animators often

concentrated on making public relation films for companies, educational films for the

government, and works of propaganda for the military (Katsunori, 1997).

Since censorship and school regulations discouraged film-viewing by children during this

period, the Ministry of Education supported and encouraged anime that offerd educational

value. Such support was important for producers who had experienced difficulties releasing

their work in regular theaters, and it allowed producers to make great improvements in

animation techniques. Animation found a place in scholastic, political and industrial use.

(Katsunori, 1997).

World War II had the most significant impact on the development of Japanese animation.

In the 1930s the Japanese animation. In the 1930s the Japanese government began

enforcing cultural nationalism. This also led to a strict censorship and control of published

media. Many animators were obliged to produce animations which enforced the Japanese

spirit and National affiliation. Some movies were shown in newsreel theaters especially

after the Film Law of 1939 which increased government authority and involvement over

the cinema through the promotion of documentary and other educational films. Such

support helped boost the industry as bigger companies formed through mergers and

created major live-action studios. More and more animated films were commissioned by

the military, showing Japanese people winning against enemy forces. The major animated

film of this period were created with the help of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Anime films

of this genre include Momotaro’s Sea Eagles in 1943, and Momotaro’s Divine Sea Warriors

in 1945.

Due to the World War II and the weak economy, the unemployment rate in Japan was

very high . This had a detrimental effect on the cinema industry. The extremely militaristic

Japanese government saw cinema as the perfect propaganda tool to show people the glory

and invincibility of the empire of Japan. Many films from this period represented deeply

patriotic and militaristic themes. In 1942 Kajiro Yamamoto’s film Hawi Mare oki kaisn or

“The War at Sea from Hawii to Mlaya” portrayed the attack of Pearl Harbor.

Due to the World War II, Japan became exposed to American animation which had been

banned under the war-time government. Japanese anime became more Disney-like in their

features with musical numbers and animal sidekicks. The success of the Walt Disney

Company’s 1937 feature film Snow White and Seven Dwarfs influenced Japanese

animators greatly. The manga animator and artist Osamu Tezuka, considered the “legend”

and the “God of Manga”, adapted and simplified many Disney animation techniques to

reduce costs and to limit the number of costs and to limit the number of frames in

productions. He started a production company called Mushi Productions, and his work

inspired characteristics and genres that remain fundamental elements of anime till date.

Another critical personality for the development of Japanese anime was Yasuo Otsuka,

animator of the Toei’s production. Mushi Productions and Toei’s Production were the

most important production companies in Japan. Toei lent its talent to International

Companies like Sunbow Productions, Marvel Productions, DiC Entertainment, Murakami-

Wolf-Swenson, Ruby Spears and Hanna Barbera. They collaboratively produced animated

cartoons for America during the 80s. Other studios like TMS Entertainment, were also

being used more often to animate foreign productions. However, the Japanese companies

involved, still produced anime for their domestic market.

During the 1970s, the Japanese film market shrunk due to competition from television.

This increased competition, reduced Toei’s animation staff and many animators went to

other studios. Mushi Production went bankrupt and its former employees founded studos

such as Madhouse Production and Sunrise. As a result, many young animators were thrust

into the position of directors instead of being promoted and this injection of young talent

allowed for a wide variety of experimentation. One example of such experimentation is a

television series Heidi, Girl of the Alps, which represented a shift from the fantastic theme

to the realistic drama aimed toward the children. Heidi became an international success as

iy was exported to many European countries and it became very popular there (Kehr,

2002).

Anime became a major cultural export between the 1980s and 1990s. According to Japan’s

External trade Organization, the anime market for the United States is worth around $4.35

billion. Anime has also had commercial success in Asia. Anime in Europe and Latin

American, has become more tradirional than in the United States. For example, many

anime based video games were released in Europe due to it’s popularity; even years after

the show went off-air. Anime distribution companies handled the licensing and distribution

of anime outside Japan. Licensed anime is modified by distributors through dubbing or

subtitling. The internet has played a significant role in the exposure of anime beyond Japan.

Before the 1990s, anime had limited exposure beyond Japan’s border. As the popularity

of the internet grew, so did interest in anime (Basker, 2008)

The combination of internet communities and increasing amounts of anime material. From

video to images, helped the process of internationalization. Another factor that

contributed to the expansion of anime in Western world was the phenomenon of

“fansubs”, who are a group of fans who create subtitles for anime on their own and

distribute the episodes by uploading in the websites and advertise them, to earn money.

This violates copyright laws in many countries. Even though ethical implications of

distributing or watching fansubs is a topic of controversy, fansubs played an important role

in helping anime become popular, especially in the English speaking world.

During the 1990s, international TV Networks started to broadcast anime regularly. In the

United States, cable TV channels such as Cartoon Network, Disney, Syfy, and others

dedicated some air-time to anime, whereas others such as the Anime Network and

FUNimation Channel, specifically aired anime. Sony-based Animax and Disney’s Jetix

channel broadcasted anime in many countries. AnimeCentral solely broadcasted anime in

the UK (Leonard, 2003)

Since anime became commercially profitable in western countries, it made a significant

impact on the Western culture. Since the 19th century, many Westerners have expressed an

increasing interest towards Japan, Anime drastically exposed more Westerners to the

culture of Japan. Aside from anime, other aspects of the Japanese culture increased in terms

of popularity. For example, the number of people studying Japanese increased worldwide.

In 1984, the Japanese Language Proficiency Test was devised to meet the increasing

demand. Anime-influenced animation refers to non-Japanese production of animation,

which adopts the visual style of anime. Most of these productions are created by studios

in the United States, Europe, and Asia excluding Japan (Convention Schedule, 2007).

Another important phenomenon is the diffusion of animation of anime conventions, event

with the primary focus on anime, manga and Japanese culture. They began to appear in

the early 1990s, during the Anime boom, starting with Anime Expo, Animethon, Otakon,

and JACON. Currently anime conventions are held annually in many cities across the

Americas, Asia and Europe. Many attendants participate in “cosplay”, short for “costume

paly”. It is a type of performance art in which participants wear costumes and accessories

to represent a specific character from a popular fiction in Japan, In addition anime

conventions and anime clubs have become popular in colleges, high schools and

community centers a s a way to publicly exhibit anime as well as widening Japanese culture

understanding. For instance the Japanese term otaku is used as a term for anime fans who

hail from other parts of the world, who are obsessed with anime. The term otaku has a

negative connotion in Japan but contrastingly in the international context it is considered

a matter of pride for the fans.

The Domestic Market

The Media Development Research Institute Institute reported on August 9, 2009 in its

Animation Market Analysis Project that the Japanese domestic and foreign animation

market grew by 1.6%between 2008 and 2009 to about US$2.52 billion, but has nbot

reclaimed its 2006 peak of US$2.026 billion. The bar graph in Figure 12 displays the

declining trend of Japanese animation consumption in the recent years. Foreign titles have

captured less than 15% of the Japanese animation market.

Exports

Anime has established a large market size at home; however its sales abroad are only a

fraction of its domestic sales.

Anime sales abroad are generally highest in the regions of North America, Europe, and

Asia. In 2005, Japanese anime-related sales reached $500 million, mainly derived from

character merchandise geared toward children. Sales of DVDs catered to the teenage

market segment peaked in 2003 at approximately $550 million, but have experienced a

decline since then as seen in the figure. Manga sales peaked in 2007 at $219million and

declined to $140 million in 2009. European countries; however, have imposed entry

barriers including the screen quota system, which has forced Japanese anime to compete

against American movies. Furthermore, children’s title do not gain popularity unless they

are aired on TV, which hinders the development of markets for character goods, character-

based games, cards games, toys and manga. Similarly, China requires a government permit

to air the anime on its TV Channels. Moreover many anime titles are illegally sold in the

form of pirated DVDs there.

Japanese Anime Cluster Advantage:

Government Support

The Japanese government’s support is a major contributor to the success of the

Anime Cluster. Government and Anime industry players started promoting and

exporting anime aggressively as the “Japanese Culture”. In 2004, the Japanese

government passed a law regarding the content of mass media industry promotion,

to sustain Japanese anime industry’s top position in the world. Previously

Animation was not associated with the “Japanese culture”. In 2004, the Japanese

government passed a law regarding the content of mass media industry promotion,

to sustain Japanese anime industry’s top position in the world. Now the Jpanese

government promotes “Cool Japan” culture by leveraging the popularity created

by Manga, Anime and Video Games. The government globally markets anime as

the modern extension of traditional Japanese arts (Younghan, 2009)

The First Mover Advantage

Japan has the first mover advantage as the pioneer of Anime. Furthermore Japan

utilizes the low cost labor of its neighbors. The Japanese have developed powerful

high quality animation production platforms to produce good quality anime, which

has attracted competition from North American television and film producers who

also outsource their production in Japan and the rest of Asia (Woods, 2011).

Popularity

Japan anime has reached 87.2 percent of the world’s population. Due to this

popularity, people worldwide associate animation with Japan. Therefore, anime

exports generate over ¥18 to ¥20 billion in revenue. It is evident that promoting

and exporting animation has expanded the Japan’s anime cluster sphere of influence

(Nagata, 2010)

Close Ties with licensed operators

These operators have further extended the value chain of anime industry. They sell

shirts, caps, video games, costumes etc. worldwide. This factors adds to the revenue

of this cluster (Japan External Trade Organization).

After the foundation of Disney Land in Tokyo in 1983. There was a trend to build theme

parks in Japan. However in the late 1990s when the Japanese economy went down

sponsors became hesitant to invest in theme parks since there were not enough tourists.

The existing theme parks are not able to compete with Disney Land because they are too

small. Theme parks are not able to compete the industrial chain. The animation companies

in Japan are not the owners of the cartoon character they made. Instead, the authors are

the owners of these characters , so unlike Disney, if the sponsors want to build a theme

park in Japan, they will have to negotiate with each author about the details of co-

operation which need a lot of time and effort. The suggestion is for the Japanese authors

to give part of the authority to the animation companies then the companies can represent

these authors to negotiate with the theme park builders. In addition companies can keep

on building theme parks for a certain cartoon character, for example Crayon Shin-chan

and Doraemon to target niche market.