AMES3458: Japanese Animation

This course takes as its object of analysis the technologies, genres, and themes of Japanese animation, as well as the transnational processes that link them. Needless to say, the course cannot make any claims to being comprehensive or up-to-date with the latest anime, given the sheer volume of available titles throughout the past decades. Nonetheless, while it is selective in its coverage, through the examination of select works of important directors (Miyazaki, Oshii, Kon, etc.) alongside media theories and other scholarly analyses, the course will cover not only the major genres and recurrent themes of anime, but also the important cultural and critical contexts for apprehending Japanese animation. Initially, we will focus our attention on the technology of animation and its impact on the development of the aesthetics of anime. With this as our starting point, we will then proceed to examine the ways in which animetic aesthetics have shaped different facets of the practices of spectatorship vis-?-vis Japanese animation in a global context. Our discussions will cover such issues as anime fan culture, anime?s engagements with issues of war and history, the representation of women and sexuality in anime, and the development of anime into a transnational and transmedia cultural commodity. At the heart of the course will be the question of not only what Japanese animation is, but more importantly, the question of how to critically approach Japanese animation as a cultural object.

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