This paper examines the localization practices in Japanese video games and anime in the last thirty years and the effects thereof, taking the Pokémon franchise as case study. Findings seem to...Show moreThis paper examines the localization practices in Japanese video games and anime in the last thirty years and the effects thereof, taking the Pokémon franchise as case study. Findings seem to suggest an increase in the importance of localization, as it developed from the translation of text to the restructuring of narrative and alteration of visual content. Multiple video games and anime have seen significant revisions in their adjustment to the Western market, but none of them have received as much modifications as Pokémon. The methods used in localizing Pokémon have transformed over the years, and its ever-expanding global significance shaped the content of future releases in both Japan and the West.Show less
In the recent decades Japan has experienced several social problems as the society is ajusting itself to the changing global climate. One of the main problems currently still persisting is the so...Show moreIn the recent decades Japan has experienced several social problems as the society is ajusting itself to the changing global climate. One of the main problems currently still persisting is the so-called hikikomori-state, in which young men and women seclude themselves in their homes and rooms, and refuse to interact with society. This thesis looks at this problem, which has been analysed on many fields through a new lens; how are these individuals and the problem as a whole portrayed through one of the most popular cultural export products of Japan; anime. This thesis will provide a comparison of scholarly research and an interpretation of two anime in particular: "No Game No Life" and "Welcome to the N.H.K.!"Show less
I will show that contemporary studies have been focusing mainly on the creation of a single, more or less standardized Japanese cuisine, rather than on variations in local cuisine. I will further...Show moreI will show that contemporary studies have been focusing mainly on the creation of a single, more or less standardized Japanese cuisine, rather than on variations in local cuisine. I will further discuss the current situation of the Japanese food culture and rise in the popularity of 'affordable versus expensive food' and how this popularity is used in the domestic tourism sector of Japan. This will be done by two case studies: the first is tourism promotion through television and the second is through travel guide books.Show less
Consuming certain kind of products can shape someone’s identity and status in society. Within this framework, this paper looks at two representations of a specific place and period in time, the...Show moreConsuming certain kind of products can shape someone’s identity and status in society. Within this framework, this paper looks at two representations of a specific place and period in time, the Japan of the 1950s. Japan was recovering from the Second World War, its economy started to slowly grow again and consumption became an important matter in creating a homogenous middle‐class in society. Important in this process was the idea of “electrifying” households. This thesis looks at representations of consuming through the lens of cinema and analyzes how patterns of consuming electronic products such as the “three sacred treasures” (sanshu no shinki), the black and white television, the refrigerator and the washing machine, are displayed and what kind of effect acquiring these products may have on individuals and the people surrounding them. It leads to the following research question: In representing the elements of everyday life in 1950s Japan and displaying the effect of the consumption phenomenon and the electrification of society, what differences in the function of consuming electronics such as the “three treasures” are present in the films "Ohayō" and "Always: Sanchōme no Yūhi?"Show less
Een studie naar de wijze waarop de Japanse animator Miyazaki Hayao in zijn tekenfilms werelden weet te realiseren die zowel fanatasievol als realistisch zijn te noemen.
