Weeks 5 and 6
Princess Mononoke
1) What is the ‘shojo’ and how does it often function in anime?
2) According to Lent
(2000) what place does animation occupy in Asian societies? How different is
this across Asia (i.e. comparing Japan and China)?
3)Is anime a high or low cultural genre/media, according to Napier (2005)? What are some of its subgenres?
4)Does Anime confront social issues? Gender roles in
Princess Mononoke.
Does Anime confront social issues? Gender roles in Princess Mononoke.
ReplyDeleteAnime, a lot like comics, can be considered a story telling medium for children. Like Tintin there is a considerable amount of depth to the story that can be easily ignored due to the imagery and illustrations.
Princess Mononoke confronts numerous social issues throughout the movie. One that stood out to me ties in well with the gender role question. The women were considered important, more so than the males. Although the story doesn't go as far as to claim women are superior it was highly empowering. Princess Mononoke confronts the issue that women are weak and that they are not as important as the men. These women had previously been sex workers and yet they are still respected and valued, which is amazing considering the stigma that surrounds that work. Napier (2005) states that Princess Mononoke was almost prophetic, “Female-centred vision of Japanese identity for the future.”
The aspect of deforestation to benefit the budding world of iron was another social issue that really pushed the story forward. Nature versus humanity was the main point of conflict in the movie. The humans were letting consumerism drive them into destroying the forest and its inhabitants. Princess Mononoke showed the perspective of everyone involved and how this industry would damage the environment. Napier (2005) said that Princess Mononoke is a version of Japan from the past before patriarchy took hold. Napier also stated that this time was, “A Japan in which nature, rather than humans, ruled.”
Due to the numerous social issues confronted in Princess Mononoke I would consider anime, at least in this case, to have a significant impact on viewers. This would make anime a high cultural genre/media.
Napier, S. (2005). Anime: from Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan
Quite a good answer, but you might have mentioned San and Lady Eboshi as opposite but strong female figures. Your answer is a bit too general. Is the deforestation issue related to the gender issue at all?
DeleteI agree with your claim that it doesn't quite put females above males ! that would be quite a stretch but it does indeed give them strong dominant roles and the dialogue and personalities of both are very strong and independent. Good Post, nice observation regarding the impact in viewers I would have to agree again.
DeleteWhat is the shoujo and how does it function in anime?
ReplyDeleteDoes Anime confront social issues? Gender roles in Princess Mononoke?
The term shoujo is defined as “Little Female” or “Young Women.” Shoujo are manga that are designed to target a particular female age group such as teenage girls, especially alluding to the transitional stage between infancy and maturity. The creation of shoujo manga began during the late nineteenth century, when manga was first published in magazines specifically a magazine known as “Girls World.” At that time, there was no separation between manga for boys and those for girls. Shoujo manga can cover a broad range of genres and is not limited to those that may be considered more feminine, such as fantasy or romance. There are many popular stories that contain just as much adventure or action as other genres. Shoujo typically has a strong sense of bishounen (feminine boys) and a big number of unrealistic, muscular good-looking men. The ideals being to attract and appeal to females and get them to “fall in love” with the character(s). Often with a strong emphasis of kabedon. Kabedon, although unrealistic still engages females and allows their imagination to take over. Shoujo stories can be dreamy and innocent surrounded in an atmosphere of magic and fantasy or have awareness, promote power and masculinity. Although shoujo may be trying to target young females, adult Japanese males actually constitute a significant proportion of the shoujo audience. Miyazakis young female characters in princess monanoke are no doubt shoujo, based on their age and appearance its clear that he is trying to steer clear portraying females as passive and reliant on men as his female characters are independent, brave and clever. By doing this he has highlighted the gender issues in princess mononoke.
The female lead, Lady Eboshi promotes female power confronting, in a sense, feminism and the gender issues that exist within the shows are the same stereotypes and issues seen in real life. In more modern anime such as sword art online there's a lot more female leads which promotes a strong femininity and also shows how we have progressed as a society, accepting that women have power. In princess mononoke many of the important characters are female because it is so often the female subject who most clearly serves as a symbol of the present changes occurring in modern society. Anime sets obnoxiously high standards that no one can meet such as muscles on men, being big and strong so they take up a lot of space and by taking up that space they gain a sense of dominance as apose to little females with again with really large breasts. Obviously people associate breasts with woman but anime takes it to the next level and up sizes them it's basically impossible to have boobs that big unless you get plastic surgery. You could almost claim that they're over emphasizing what it means to be male and what it means to be female. Animae is now capturing the increasing fluidity of gender identity in contemporary popular culture and the tensions between the sexes that characterise a world in which women’s roles are drastically transforming.
Animae & Manga. (2014). Retrieved August 29, from https://www.jappleng.com/culture/articles/anime-manga/117/what-is-shoujo-shojo-genre-anime
Napier, S. (2005). Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle
Cavallaro, D. (2006). Introduction. In The Anime Art of Hayao Miyazaki
Good answser.I thought the term shouja meant 'little female' so the question refers to the representation of women in anime, rather than the whole genre or form, but you still make some good points
Delete1. What is shojo and how does it function in anime?
ReplyDelete2. Does Anime confront social issues? Gender roles in Princess Mononoke.
Shojo stands for ‘girl’ or ‘young woman’ in Japanese. The first shojo magazine was published in 1903 and was and has since been aimed at a teenage female demographic. However, while its history and definition indicate that is it aimed towards such a target audience this definition is somewhat outdated. A more modern definition of the ‘shojo’ genre is a manga or anime that focuses more on storyline and character development as opposed to action or fighting scenes. The need for a shojo genre to emerge is probably simply because it places woman or young girls in the spotlight as main characters, when previously their struggles or interests had been omitted from manga. Many believe that the most important characteristic of the shojo genre is that it contains non-offensive and romantic content. Not only girls can enjoy shojo manga or anime ofcourse and there have been attempts to dissociate shojo from its original meaning. It can cover many subjects that are not primarily romantic though it has large connotations to romance. In an answer to this Princess Mononoke provides a wonderful alternative to anime’s previous gender norms and has female characters act as both leaders and warriors, embodying largely masculine traits.
This spin on gender roles is refreshing to see in a medium that often involves comedic sexual harassment, damsels in distress and ample short skirts! Of all the female characters in the studio Ghibli film it is Lady Eboshi (ruler of Irontown) who clashes most with the feminine stereotype. She is in no way a damsel in distress but is instead a dominant, innovative character who plays a large economic and military role in her town. Men under her command obey her without question – it is simply accepted that she is a capable, intelligent ruler who has proven to be prosperous for Irontown. San’s role as warrior and wolf maiden contrasts with anime’s usual portrayal of doe-eyed female youths – perhaps her unconventional upbringing by wolves means she was never exposed to the cultural views of masculinity or femininity and thus is unburdened by pesky gender roles. The most refreshing aspect of this movie is that no one seems to think the strength or aggressiveness of these two characters is unfeminine or unusual and as such gender roles are never remarked upon.
References:
1. What is shojo anime? Retrieved 11/09/16 from myanimelist.net/featured/1567/Top_15_Best_Shoujo_Anime_of_All_Time
2. Olowu, K. Deconstructed Gender Norms in Princess Mononoke, Illinoi Mathematics and Science Academy, 2013
3. Riggleman, T. Feminism in Princess Mononoke, 2008, Retrieved 11/09/2016 from: http://webpages.shepherd.edu/triggl02/portfolio/feminism.pdf
excellent answer. San and Lady Eboshi are the result of a long development of active female characters in his films. Eg, Howl's Moving Castle.
DeleteI agree with your points regarding the spin on gender roles its really cool to watch and quite engaging from my point of view. It is really nice to see Sans and Lady Eboshis roles portray such power and dominance and they do it so confidently without a care about he thoughts of others or males. I really enjoyed reading your points and your perspectives
Delete1) What is the ‘shojo’ and how does it often function in anime?
ReplyDeleteShojo may be defined as a form of manga or anime that is targeted towards the younger female audience (since Shojo literally means '"young woman") in that, the content and themes within the story are what would appeal to young girls.
Adding to Cavallaro's definition of the term, it specifically alludes to girls aged 12 and 13 and the shoujo dimension often highlights the transitional period that the character is going through as well as the growing pains that comes with maturing from a girl to a woman. (2006, p.11)
The young females in Miyazaki's stories can be easily identified as 'shojo' through how they look and their age. Original shojo characters would be seen as being compliant and dependable on others whereas Miyazaki portrays his heroines as strong, fearless and self- reliant. (Cavallaro, 2006) This is done so that the audience can absorb the young female's heroic traits as opposed to her outer beauty, and to also place more focus on the story's metaphorical meaning of morality and loyalty as opposed to the aesthetics of each character.
Seeing as the targeted demographic are for young females(despite adult Japanese males being significant consumers); Miyazaki could be using 'shojo' in his anime to break the stereotype that young women are weak and unsure of themselves. He steers clear of traditional ideologies of outer beauty in it's entirety through his portrayal of Chihiro in Spirited Away(her willingness to undergo multiple humiliations to save her parents), Sophie in Howl's Moving Castle(being transformed into an old woman throughout the majority of the film) and San in Princess Mononoke (her savage-like characteristics and strong loyalty to her pack). All three characters share a common thread, in that they transition from being young girls to becoming independent young women and evidently embody the modern 'shojo.'
Reference:
Cavallaro, D. (2006). The animé art of Hayao Miyazaki (p. 11). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co.
Good answer. Great the way you can put San's character in the context of Miyazaki's other films. There is clearly a social/ historical context the stereotypical 'shojo' girl.
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ReplyDeletequestions 1
ReplyDeleteShoujo literally stands for "girl" or "young woman" in Japanese. shōjo manga/anime does not comprise a style or genre, but rather indicates a target demographic. Shojo is targeted at young girls aged 13 to 18 year olds.
Shojo is not the only type of anime and manga demographic, there is also josei, shounen and seinen.
The first shoujo magazine ever was published in 1903 and the majority of shoujo artists were male. Only after the 1960s did female artists started presenting their works, inspired by the post-war events, American TV shows and female empowerment. Shojo allowed young girls to finally be main characters and display their daily struggles and romantic interests, when previously these were either ignored or put in the background in boys-only-adventure stories.
Male:
Shounen - Targeted at young boys. Ages 13 to 17
Seinen - Targeted at young men. Ages 18 to 40
Female:
Shojuo - Targeted at young girls. Ages 13 to 17
Josei - Targeted at young women. Ages 18 to 40
Some really interesting facts regarding the magazines and gender of the artists. I wouldn't of guessed majority were males.
DeleteYes Tayla, the historical context is interesting in itself.
DeleteFatima, you would need to explain the terms: josei, shounen and seinen.
Anime and local global identity.
ReplyDeleteIn 1988 forty percent of Japanese studio releases were animated. By 1999 this number had increased to over half. (Napier, 2005.) Western animated films had been introduced to Japan as early as 1909 and by 1915 they had begun to create their own animations mainly as a commercial art form. The use of animation as a commercial art form really increased in the post-war period and the rise of animation in Japan can (to some extent) be attributed to the decline of the Japanese film industry in the wake of the great depression. (Napier, 2005.) In the year 1963 Japan’s first animated television series, Astro Boy or Tetsuwan Atomu, was released. By the late 70s anime had also become common in the cinema though films were usually tied in with television shows such as Space Battleship Yamato. For the release of that particular film there were lines of people waiting outside the doors of cinemas before the film had even opened. (Napier, 2005.) Japanese animators are just as aware of American animation today as they were in the 1900s but even from the beginning post-war animation had gone down a different route in terms of adult orientation, complex storylines and over all structure. When given time to develop and grow this style of animation led to the appearance of the intellectually sophisticated anime of the 1990’s. (Neon Genesis Evangelion, Ghost in the Shell, Princess Mononoke etc.) Anime had begun to be recognised as a cultural art form that was worthy of in depth intellectual study, not only in Japan but in the world. (Napier, 2005.) The sheer volume of anime being produced makes sense when you look at the monopoly Hollywood has on the film industry. Anime can be produced with far less money but still appeals to a vast audience while not needing to compete with what Napier refers to as the “Hollywood behemoth.” (2005.)
Despite its Japanese origins, anime seems to increasingly exist as a central point in global culture. This position allows it to “inhabit an amorphous new media territory that crosses and even intermingles with national boundaries.” (Lent, 2000.) More often than not it highlights characters and settings that are neither western nor Japanese and in doing so offers a space for identity exploration, and places the audience in a realm of Otherness which is unmatched by any other contemporary medium. (Napier, 2005.) However, many themes that are central to the Japanese psyche leak into each work whether conscientiously or otherwise. As the only country to have been attacked by an atomic bomb and also the only country to still be dealing with the after-math of such a horrific attack they can be excused for the development of recurring apocalyptic themes in their films and anime. “The many apocalyptic anime seem to be expressions of a pervasive social pessimism.” (Napier, 2005.) Japanese animation is far more than a reflection of Japanese social currents or even their social anxieties though they do come through from time to time, and it is far more than simply an ‘escape valve’ for the masses. There is no single style of anime and the differences that exist inside the genre of anime is what helps to sustain the balance between Japan and not-Japan. “Anime both celebrates difference and transcends it.” – Napier. (2005.) In doing so it creates a new kind of artistic space that is informed and enriched by both the culturally traditional and the universal properties of the human imagination. (Napier, 2005.)
Lent, J. A. (2000) Animation in Asia, retrieved 27/10/2016 from animeresearch.com
Napier, S. (2005) Anime: From Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle. Hampshire. Palgrave/Macmillan.