Anime and manga

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Anime and manga are forms of mass media produced by the content industry of Japan. [1] [2] [3] The anime and manga industry forms an integral part of Japan's soft power as one of its most prominent cultural exports. [3] Anime are Japanese animated shows with a distinctive artstyle. Anime storylines can include fantasy or real life. They are famous for elements like vivid graphics and character expressions. In contrast, manga is strictly paper drawings, with comic book style drawings. Usually, animes are adaptations of manga but some of the animes with original stories adapted into manga form. [4]

Contents

Subculture

In Japanese, the word " subculture " (サブカルチャー, sabukaruchā) does not have the same connotation of oppositional culture as it does in English, so it is frequently used in situations where "fandom" might be preferred by Westerners instead. [5]

In Japan, most works start out as manga, with the most successful titles receiving an anime adaptation (アニメ化, anime-ka). However, for overseas fans their first encounter with the subculture is typically through broadcast anime. It is common for a work to be distributed overseas via fansubs and scanlations, or unauthorized fanmade translations of anime and manga, respectively, before official translations become available. Typically, overseas fans will first translate the work into English, French, and Chinese, and then into other languages using those as an intermediary. [6] The legality of ethics of these fanmade translations has been hotly debated. Many of those involved refuse to profit from their translations out of principle, and destroy the copies once officially licensed versions become available. Some industry participants in both Japan and the United States have expressed tacit acceptance of fanmade translations, seeing them as a trial run for the American market. [7]

Other types of media such as light novels [5] and video games [3] are frequently associated with and considered part of the anime and manga subculture.

History

The explosive growth in Japan's soft power began in the 1970s, when it changed from a net importer to a net exporter of information. [6] Prior to the late 1990s, the primary export of Japan's content industry was video games. However, beginning in 2000, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology recognized anime and manga as part of "traditional" Japanese culture, and the government began to promote them as part of its Cool Japan strategy, passing the Content Industry Promotion Law  [ jp ] in June 2004. [3] The value of the anime and manga industry is estimated at US$5 billion as of 2008. [8]

Anime and manga were not widely marketed in the United States before the mid-1990s, with only a few titles available on network television. The rapid growth of the genre in the United States has led some commentators to deem it an American import rather than a Japanese export. Due to anime and manga's increased popularity overseas, various companies have begun catering to foreign audiences such as Kadokawa Corporation which has adopted the "Overseas first" policy. [9]

In April 2023, the Japan Business Federation laid out a proposal aiming to spur the economic growth of Japan by further promoting the contents industry abroad, primarily anime, manga and video games, for measures to invite industry experts from abroad to come to Japan to work, and to link with the tourism sector to help foreign fans of manga and anime visit sites across the country associated with particular manga stories. The federation seeks on quadrupling the sales of Japanese content in overseas markets within the upcoming 10 years. [10] [11]

Industry growth

In 2021, the Association of Japanese Animations valued the country's anime market at $19.2 billion. [12] Precedence Research, a research company for market insights, projects that the anime market will increase from $24.5 billion to $47.14 billion by 2028. [13]

In other languages

In China, dongman (traditional Chinese :動漫; simplified Chinese :动漫; pinyin :dòngmàn) is a portmanteau of donghua and manhua, used as an umbrella term for animation and comics. [14] The term "dongman" is often mistakenly used to exclusively refer to the animation, while in fact it should include both the donghua and the manhua. When video games are included, the term used is ACG (traditional Chinese :動漫遊戲; simplified Chinese :动漫游戏; pinyin :dòngmànyóuxì), short for "animation, comics, and games". A further extension which includes light novels is ACGN, or "animation, comics, games, and novels". Another term for the genre as a whole is erciyuan (Chinese :二次元; pinyin :èrcìyuán), meaning "two-dimensional space". One of the most popular websites for ACGN content is bilibili.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anime</span> Japanese animation

Anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, anime refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, anime describes all animated works, regardless of style or origin. Many works of animation with a similar style to Japanese animation are also produced outside Japan. Video games sometimes also feature themes and artstyles that can be considered as "anime".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manga</span> Comics or graphic novels created in Japan

Manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term manga is used in Japan to refer to both comics and cartooning. Outside of Japan, the word is typically used to refer to comics originally published in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otaku</span> Someone highly interested in anime and manga

Otaku is a Japanese word that describes people with consuming interests, particularly in anime, manga, video games, or computers. Its contemporary use originated with a 1983 essay by Akio Nakamori in Manga Burikko.

<i>Doujin</i> Japanese term for a group of friends

In Japan, doujin is a group of people who share an interest, activity, or hobby. The word is sometimes translated into English as "clique", "fandom", "coterie", "society", or "circle". Self-published creative works produced by these groups are also called doujin, including manga, magazines, novels, music, anime, and video games. Print doujin works are collectively called doujinshi.

<i>Manhwa</i> Comics created in Korea

Manhwa is the general Korean term for comics and print-cartoons. Outside Korea, the term usually refers to South Korean comics. Manhwa is directly influenced by Japanese Manga comics. Modern Manhwa has extended its reach to many other countries. These comics have branched outside of Korea by access of Webtoons and have created an impact that has resulted in some movie and television show adaptations.

Manhua are Chinese-language comics produced in Greater China. Chinese comics and narrated illustrations have existed in China throughout its history.

Digital comics are comics released digitally, as opposed to in print. Digital comics commonly take the form of mobile comics. Webcomics may also fall under the "digital comics" umbrella.

Chinese animation refers to animation made in China. In Chinese, donghua describes all animated works, regardless of style or origin. However, outside of China and in English, donghua is colloquial for Chinese animation and refers specifically to animation produced in China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Webtoon</span> South Korean digital comics

Webtoons (Korean: 웹툰) are a type of digital comic that originated in South Korea usually meant to be read on smartphones.

Hong Kong comics are comics originally produced in Hong Kong.

There is significant awareness of Japanese popular culture in the United States. The flow of Japanese animation, fashion, films, manga comics, martial arts, television shows and video games to the United States has increased American awareness of Japanese pop culture, which has had a significant influence on American pop culture, including sequential media and entertainment into the 21st century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cool Japan</span> Japanese brand strategy

Cool Japan refers to the aspects of Japanese culture that non-Japanese people perceive as "cool". The Cool Japan strategy is part of Japan's overall brand strategy, aiming to disseminate Japan's attractiveness and allure to the world. The target of Cool Japan "encompasses everything from games, manga, anime, and other forms of content, fashion, commercial products, Japanese cuisine, and traditional culture to robots, eco-friendly technologies, and other high-tech industrial products".

Manga (漫画) are comics created in Japan, or by Japanese creators in the Japanese language, conforming to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century. The term is also now used for a variety of other works in the style of or influenced by the Japanese comics. The production of manga in many forms remains extremely prolific, so a single list covering all the notable works would not be a useful document. Accordingly, coverage is divided into the many related lists below.

Little Cherry is a Chinese media franchise created by Yang Shangjun. Owned by the Zhengzhou-based Zhengzhou Little Cherry Cartoon Art Co., it is primarily comedy manhua featuring a girl whose name is Little Cherry. It is titled Xoyto in English.

ACG is a term used in some subcultures of Greater China and East Asia. Because there is a strong economic and cultural interlinkage that exists between anime, manga, and games in Japanese and East Asian culture at large, the term ACG is used to describe this phenomenon in relative fields. The term refers in particular to Japanese anime, manga, and video games. The term is not normally translated into Chinese; if the meaning needs to be translated, it is usually "動漫遊戲", "two-dimensional space", or "動漫遊".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alpha Group Co.</span> Chinese animation and toy company

Alpha Group Co., Ltd. is a Chinese multinational conglomerate with animation, toy, mass media asset and entertainment company headquartered created by Cai Dongqing in 1993. In 2016, it changed name from Alpha Animation. The company has a Chinese webcomics site, U17, and also an American film company, Alpha Pictures, and has announced the creation of an animation division also based in the United States.

<i>Ultramarine Magmell</i> Chinese manhua series written and illustrated by Dainenbyo

Ultramarine Magmell is a Chinese manhua series written and illustrated by Dainenbyo. A Japanese anime television series adaptation by Studio Signpost aired from April 7 to June 30, 2019.

MyAnimeList, often abbreviated as MAL, is an anime and manga social networking and social cataloging application website run by volunteers. The site provides its users with a list-like system to organize and score anime and manga. It facilitates finding users who share similar tastes and provides a large database on anime and manga. As of January 2023, the site reported having approximately 23,000 anime and 62,000 manga entries. In 2015, the site received 120 million visitors a month.

<i>The Kings Avatar</i> (2017 web series) Chinese donghua web series

The King's Avatar is a Chinese donghua web series aired in 2017, based on the web novel of the same name written by Hu Die lan. The series depicted the fictional esports scene in China where the story revolves around a multiplayer online video game called Glory. The series was produced by Chinese internet company Tencent. A 3-episode sequel premiered in 2018, and a long delayed second season aired in 2020. A prequel film, titled The King's Avatar: For the Glory, had a 2019 release.

<i>Biao Ren</i> Chinese manhua and donghua series

Biao Ren or Hyoujin: Blades of the Guardians (镖人) also known as Blades of the Guardians, is a Chinese manhua that was written and illustrated by Xianzhe Xu. It was first serialized in the new comics app in July 2015. The manhua quickly attracted a large number of readers and was well received. Since its first publication, Biao Ren has been serialized on online platforms including Tencent Comics. As of March 2022, Beijing United Publishing Company has released eleven tankōbon volumes.

References

  1. ↑ Manion, Annie (2005). "Discovering Japan: Anime and Learning Japanese Culture" (PDF). East Asian Studies Center, USC. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 15, 2017. Retrieved April 27, 2009.
  2. ↑ Hernández, Álvaro David Hernández (2018). "The Anime Industry, Networks of Participation, and Environments for the Management of Content in Japan". Arts. 7 (3): 42. doi: 10.3390/arts7030042 . S2CID   54694319.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Choo, Kukhee (2012). "Nationalizing 'cool': Japan's global promotion of the content industry". In Otmazgin, Nissim; Ben-Ari, Eyal (eds.). Popular Culture and the State in East and Southeast Asia. London: Routledge. pp. 85–105. ISBN   9780203801536.
  4. ↑ "Anime vs. Manga – What's the Difference?". May 20, 2017.
  5. 1 2 Ōtsuka, Eiji; Steinberg, Marc (2010). "World and Variation: The Reproduction and Consumption of Narrative". Mechademia. 5: 99–116. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  6. 1 2 Cooper-Chen, Anne (2011). "Japan's illustrated storytelling: A thematic analysis of globalized Anime and Manga" (PDF). Keio Communication Review. 33: 85–98. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  7. ↑ Levi, Antonia (2006). "The Americanization of Anime and Manga: Negotiating Popular Culture". In Brown, Steven T. (ed.). Cinema Anime: Critical Engagements with Japanese Animation. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 43–63. ISBN   9780230606210.
  8. ↑ Wahab, Juliana Abdul; Anuar & Farhani, Mustafa K. (2012). "Global Media Product and Construction of "Japanese Identity": a Case Study of Anime on Malaysian Television". Jurnal Komunikasi: Malaysian Journal of Communication. 28 (2). S2CID   58935141.
  9. ↑ Morrissy, Kim (November 2, 2021). "Kadokawa Anime Producers Want Isekai To Take Over the World". Anime News Network . Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  10. ↑ Nguyen, Joana (April 10, 2023). "Japan's leading business lobby group says anime, manga key to economic growth". South China Morning Post .
  11. ↑ "Japan: Manga to spearhead nation's economic growth". DW . April 23, 2023.
  12. ↑ Kuroda, Kenro (June 17, 2023). "Group founded to improve work conditions in anime industry". The Asahi Shimbun .
  13. ↑ "Anime Market Size Expected to Reach US$ 48.3 Billion by 2030".
  14. ↑ "三部门印发关于动漫企业认定管理办法(试行)通知_A notice regarding recognition for Dongman enterprises". The State Council of China (in Chinese). Retrieved December 21, 2018.
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