The Soul of Anime: Collaborative Creativity and Japan's Media Success Story

Ian Condry

Published by Duke University Press 2013

The Soul of Anime

Collaborative Creativity and Japan's Media Success Story

Ian Condry

In the series Experimental futures : technological lives, scientific arts, anthropological voices

https://doi.org/10.1515/9780822397557

Overview
Contents

About this book

Drawing on ethnographic research including interviews with artists at some of Tokyo's leading animation studios, Ian Condry focuses attention on the collective social energy that has made anime a global cultural phenomenon.

Author / Editor information

Ian Condry is Associate Professor of Comparative Media Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the author of Hip-Hop Japan: Rap and the Paths of Cultural Globalization, also published by Duke University Press.

Reviews

“Get this if you’re interested in the depth of anime, the pioneers and renowned figures within the anime movement (yes, of course including Miyazaki), and significant anime milestones. . . . For the serious anime lover who wants to move from fan to expert . . . this is a must.”

-- Gini Koch It's Comic Book Day blog

“It’s a pleasure to have Condry guide us through the complex and ultimately rewarding world of anime.”

-- Animation

“An anthropologist by training, Condry bases his arguments in part on fieldwork consisting of interviews with studio personnel and direct observation of working practices. One may question (as the author himself does) how representative these anecdotes are, but they stimulate numerous intriguing interpretations. . . . Condry writes thoughtfully and occasionally displays wry wit. His book contains much of value to scholars of Japanese popular culture.”

-- Alexander Jacoby TLS

(Starred Review) “This book is highly recommended for all lovers of Japanese history, Japanese culture, anime, manga, and animation.”

-- Sally Bryant Library Journal

“Condry is no armchair theorist – there can be few Westerners who’ve explored the industry as energetically as he has. . . . For readers who do like amassing anecdotes, The Soul of Anime offers oodles of them, often gained first-hand by the intrepid author, ploughing through the anime multiverse.”

-- Andrew Osmond Manga UK

"For students and teachers who wish to gain a full understanding of the inner workings of the world of anime and to do serious research of their own in this area, a careful reading of ... Condry's ... book is definitely a must."

-- Michael McCaskey Journal of Japanese Studies

“Superb critical, historical, and ethnographic study of the anime phenomenon; a model of cross-media analysis.”

-- Science Fiction Studies

“Part of the appeal of the book is the many popular assumptions about anime it disavows and the new information it provides. … In addition, his work underscores the fact that the production process has really only begun with an animation’s release: fans’ ‘consumption’ of animation is inherently productive as they draw existing characters into storylines of their own invention, compete to produce the best subtitles of their favorite shows, and do innumerable other creative things with animated worlds and characters that ultimately determine not only their success but also their global reach.”

-- Elise Edwards American Ethnologist

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Note on Translations and Names Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
Introduction. Who Makes Anime? Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
One. Collaborative Networks, Personal Futures Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	35
Two. Characters and Worlds as Creative Platforms Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	54
Three. Early Directions in Postwar Anime Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	85
Four. When Anime Robots Became Real Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	112
Five. Making a Cutting-Edge Anime Studio: The Value of the Gutter Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	135
Six. Dark Energy: What Overseas Fans Reveal about the Copyright Wars Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	161
Seven. Love Revolution: Otaku Fans in Japan Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	185
Conclusion. Future Anime: Collaborative Creativity and Cultural Action Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	204
Acknowledgments Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	218
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	221
References Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	227
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	237

Language: English
Publisher: Duke University Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 256
Illustrations
- Other: 32 illustrations

eBook

Published: February 11, 2013
ISBN: 9780822397557