Het beeld van de otaku in de Japanse popcultuur heeft lange tijd negatieve connotaties gehad, vaak gekenmerkt door sociale teruggetrokkenheid, obsessieve interesse in subculturen zoals anime en...Show moreHet beeld van de otaku in de Japanse popcultuur heeft lange tijd negatieve connotaties gehad, vaak gekenmerkt door sociale teruggetrokkenheid, obsessieve interesse in subculturen zoals anime en manga, en een gebrek aan zelfzorg. Initieel had het label zelfs criminele connotaties door het verband met de Miyazaki-moordzaken. Verder werden otaku vooral afgebeeld als mannen, sociaal incapabel, obsessief, met een gebrek aan realiteitszin en fysiek zwaarlijvig, wat hun excessen en falen verder benadrukte. Hoewel dit imago in de afgelopen jaren verbeterd is door een toegenomen erkenning van het economische belang van otaku-gerelateerde consumptie en positieve representaties in populaire media, houden sommige stereotypen nog steeds stand. Waar echter nog relatief weinig aandacht voor is geweest, is de representatie van vrouwelijke otaku, zowel in media als in academisch onderzoek. Het verkennen van deze representatie en de impact ervan kan waardevolle inzichten bieden in de ontwikkeling van de otaku cultuur. Vrouwelijke otaku worden vaak minder negatief afgebeeld dan hun mannelijke tegenhangers en soms spelen verschillende maatschappelijke verwachtingen over hen een rol, zoals het potentieel bijdragen aan het opbouwen van families en daarmee het tegengaan van de vergrijzing in Japan. Desondanks is er nog steeds een gebrek aan diepgaand onderzoek naar hun representaties en ervaringen, en blijven veel van de bestaande representaties sterk beïnvloedt door een mannelijk perspectief. Dit onderzoek richt zich specifiek op de representatie van vrouwelijke otaku in twee anime-series: ‘Romantic Killer’ en ‘Kiss Him, Not Me!’. Door middel van een vergelijkende analyse onderzoeken we de vraag in hoeverre de traditionele negatieve beelden van otaku standhouden in deze series, en in hoeverre de representatie van vrouwelijke otaku verschilt van die van mannelijke otaku. Daarnaast wordt in deze scriptie geanalyseerd hoe deze representaties veranderingen in de otaku cultuur weerspiegelen en mogelijk bijdragen aan het debat over de rol van otaku in de hedendaagse samenleving. Door deze analyse zou een dieper inzicht verworven kunnen worden in de dynamiek van gender en subcultuur in Japan, en de wijze waarop mediarepresentaties mogelijk kunnen bijdragen aan het vormen van sociale percepties.Show less
In recent years, the Japanese anime industry has undergone a remarkable transformation in the academic world. In the past two decades, Japanese anime has evolved into a commercial success genre, as...Show moreIn recent years, the Japanese anime industry has undergone a remarkable transformation in the academic world. In the past two decades, Japanese anime has evolved into a commercial success genre, as it has allowed for films like Japanese director Makoto Shinkai's Kimi no Na Wa (2016) and Tenki no Ko (2019) to gain global recognition and breathe new life into the Japanese animated film industry. Thus, anime has become a cultural export of reflecting the unique perspectives and values of its creators and audiences worldwide. This research aims to explore how anime, specifically the two films mentioned above, portrays natural disasters and phenomena under the greater context of the Anthropocene. By examining the portrayal of the human-nature relationship, this investigation provides novel insights into the field of anime studies, specifically that of Shinkai. In particular, the thesis focuses on the themes of body and technology, offering an analysis that delves into the mesmerizing world interwoven with profound ideals depicted in Shinkai's works.Show less
In dit scriptie is er op basis van voorbeelden uit series een vergelijking gemaakt in de uitingen van homoseksualiteit in Chinese donghua en Japanse anime. Ook is er kort ingegaan op de...Show moreIn dit scriptie is er op basis van voorbeelden uit series een vergelijking gemaakt in de uitingen van homoseksualiteit in Chinese donghua en Japanse anime. Ook is er kort ingegaan op de geschiedenis van animatie en het ontstaan van homoseksualiteit in geanimeerde series en films.Show less
In this thesis an attempt is made to examine the use of gendered sentence final expressions in the Japanese animated film Kimi no Na wa. The two research questions stated in this thesis aim to...Show moreIn this thesis an attempt is made to examine the use of gendered sentence final expressions in the Japanese animated film Kimi no Na wa. The two research questions stated in this thesis aim to uncover whether there is a trend observable where young Japanese male and female speakers tend to use less stereotypically gendered sentence final expressions (SFE) and more neutral ones. Therefore, the two research questions are: do the two main characters of the film Kimino Na wa mainly use neutrally gendered sentence-final expressions? And does the young female protagonist Mitsuha use more masculine sentence-final expressions than feminine ones? Using data collected in prior studies that demonstrate the traditional gender association of many Japanese SFE, the SFE used by the two main characters were collected and compared to answer these questions. The conclusion shows that there is indeed a trend visible where young female and male speakers tend to use more gender neutral SFE than stereotypical feminine and/or masculine ones. This study would benefit from future research that also takes in mind other gender specific language aspects in the Japanese language, such as pitch, use of honorifics, and use of first- and second-person pronouns.Show less
This thesis provides an analysis on the J-horror film Kairo (Kurosawa Kiyoshi, 2001) and Studio Ghibli's Pom Poko (Takahata Isao, 1994) and their connection to the concept of furusato. Furusato, a...Show moreThis thesis provides an analysis on the J-horror film Kairo (Kurosawa Kiyoshi, 2001) and Studio Ghibli's Pom Poko (Takahata Isao, 1994) and their connection to the concept of furusato. Furusato, a nostalgic longing for the countryside as metaphorical "old home", is expressed very differently in these films: while Pom Poko heavily emphasises this nostalgia, furusato is implicitly present in Kairo through its absence.Show less
This thesis further explores the concept of prosodic minimums, as laid out by Itou et al., by accounting for anime title abbreviations within the established theory. Research performed led to the...Show moreThis thesis further explores the concept of prosodic minimums, as laid out by Itou et al., by accounting for anime title abbreviations within the established theory. Research performed led to the preliminary conclusion that the majority of anime title abbreviations adhered to the established prosodic minimums, although in a small set of instances they did not. To account for this, an interdisciplinary approach was taken by involving theories surrounding brand linguistics and sound-associative vocabulary (such as onomatopoeia), which led to speculative findings aptly suited for future research.Show less
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
Since the anime boom of the 1990s and 2000s, the popularity of anime (Japanese animation) in the Western world has increased tremendously. Even though Western localization companies used to view...Show moreSince the anime boom of the 1990s and 2000s, the popularity of anime (Japanese animation) in the Western world has increased tremendously. Even though Western localization companies used to view anime as ‘just another form of Saturday morning children’s cartoons’ at first, as popularity increased, they came to the realization that it is a wholly different genre and business entirely. And as fans started demanding localizations that stayed as true as possible to the original versions, localization companies started paying closer attention to the way they translated these shows. But just how much does the audience influence the localization of anime? This research attempts to shed some light on that matter by comparing three anime series aimed at different audiences and looking at the different approaches localization companies have when tackling these shows.Show less
In dit onderzoek wordt er gekeken naar de verschillen in genderrollen tussen animeseries uit de jaren ’80 en recente series rond 2010 op basis van vier case studies. De verwachting was dat huidige...Show moreIn dit onderzoek wordt er gekeken naar de verschillen in genderrollen tussen animeseries uit de jaren ’80 en recente series rond 2010 op basis van vier case studies. De verwachting was dat huidige animeseries sterk geseksualiseerd zijn ten opzichte van series uit de jaren ‘80. De uiteindelijke conclusie is dat genderrollen iets zijn veranderd, en dat recente animeseries inderdaad sterk geseksualiseerd zijn, maar ook dat de mannelijke identiteit problematisch is geworden.Show less
This thesis argues that the anime Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood and the manga Fullmetal Alchemist -- boths mediums usually not associated with the Fantasy genre-- share many of its tropes with...Show moreThis thesis argues that the anime Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood and the manga Fullmetal Alchemist -- boths mediums usually not associated with the Fantasy genre-- share many of its tropes with the Western genre of Fantasy, and that this helps to explain this anime and manga's tremendous popularity among Western audiences not necessarily drawn to the two Japanese mediums as such. The argumentation is built around an inventory of such tropes; with an in-depth look at eleven of these.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.
