CMNS 221: Japanese Anime Culture and Its Popularity

Running head: JAPANESE ANIME CULTURE AND ITS INTERNATIONAL POPULARITY 1
Japanese Anime Culture and its International Popularity
Nelson Hang
Student Number: REDACTED
Course ID: CMNS 221
D102 (6:30PM – 7:20PM)
Teaching Assistant: REDACTED
Simon Fraser University
Author Note
Certain information has been REDACTED from the original document to ensure privacy
and confidentiality

JAPANESE ANIME CULTURE AND ITS INTERNATIONAL POPULARITY 2
Japanese Anime Culture and its International Popularity
Japanese anime culture by the 21st century has become a worldwide cultural
phenomenon. Fan bases are varied by different ages ranging from different occupations all over
the world. I will be talking about the aspects of how the industry became what it is today along
with the formation of communities within the culture itself. This also include how the
characteristics of anime itself allow other regions like North America to easily adapt itself into
other cultures during translation.
Cultural Odor of Japanese Animation
Japanese animation has a very distinctive feature that American cartoons does not have.
This would be the cultural odor that anime has. This refers to how “contemporary features of a
country of origin and images or ideas of its national, in most cases stereotyped, way of life are
associated positively with a particular product in the consumption process.” (Fennell et al., 2013,
p.441) For Japan in this case the term mukokuseki is used which means that a cultural product
lacks “clearly identifiable Japanese national, racial, or ethnic markers.” (Fennell et al., 2013,
p.441) This means that Japanese animation can easily be adapted into other countries culture
when translated. A good example of this in the early years of anime would be the “1979
animation of Star Blazers where it talked about Earth being devastated by attacks from an alien
force called the Gamilions.” (Levi, 2013, p.6) A theme like an alien invasion is a story of
struggle which any country can understand the storyline because this theme has been used in
Hollywood films like Transformers.
Even though Star Blazers does not contain any of the cultural references related to
Japanese culture. Series like Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion which all came out in 1979
like Star Blazers still does contain Japanese names in its original form. So, the “dubbed forms of

these popular Japanese animation had the character names changed to disguise or at least reduce
the Japanese odor.” (Levi, 2013, p.6) The lack of odor in Japanese anime also allow for some
drastic changes to certain plots in a show. In 1995, Sailor Moon was released in both the U.S.
and Canada which featured the “usual changes in names: the heroine Tsukino Usagi became
Serena, her boyfriend, Chiba Mamoru, became Darien, and so forth.” (Levi, 2013, p.7) The
drastic change however was not just the names of the protagonists but also the gender relations
of certain characters in the show.
For the first season of Sailor Moon, the show featured two antagonists who were
homosexuals. These two couples were named “Zoicite and Malachite who were the main villains
of the show whose love for each other was perhaps their only redeeming trait. Zoicite is the
smaller and more feminine of the two so, Zoicite was provided a female voice in the English
translation and became a woman.” (Levi, 2013, p.7) For some viewers however, this change was
seen as unusual because Zoicite’s physical form “remained flat chested, an unusual look for
romantic female roles in anime and manga.” (Levi, 2013, p.7) This change was seen as an easy
change because in Japan, gender-bending is common in Japanese society and in homosexual
communities in North America. Under the classification of “bishounen, meaning beautiful boys
whose look is androgynous, if not actually feminine. (Levi, 2013, p.7) Themes like this which
was present in Sailor Moon was represented in a “whole genre called BL (or boys’ love) devoted
to male, same sex romances and/or erotica written by and for women.” (Levi, 2013, p.8)
Internationalization of Anime
The internationalization of anime, has many factors that allows it to easily be
internationalized. The main factor would be de-politicized internationalization which is when
countries like Japan “deprive itself of Oriental signifiers from their animation which allowed

Japan to carve a unique path to international markets.” (Lu, 2008, p.173) An example of this
would be how in Pokémon an animation that talked about forming friendship with fantasy
monsters that live among humans. In this show, “some dragon-like pokémons might remind the
audiences of certain Western folklore creatures, they are portrayed as creatures that do not belong
to any specific culture.” (Lu, 2008, p.173) This is related to how de-politicized
internationalization “removes cultural barriers for reception, making anime characters more
approachable.” (Lu, 2008, p.174) Since, these creations are animation which allows the creators
to stress to the viewer that “it is separate from reality, and maybe an alternative reality; anime is
in part a fantasy scape.” (Fennell et al., 2013, p.441) This would mean that animation should be
watched like any other television show shown in America where the viewer just simply escapes
from reality and into a universe created by the creator of the series.
All animation is deemed fictional therefore, anime characters “do not belong to a
particular race/ethnicity, suggests anime deals in problems of modern life affecting people of
different nations.” (Fennell et al., 2013, p.443) This means that Japanese animation attracts fans
overseas due to “‘internationalized’ characters and plots of anime are the universal topics of love,
friendship, death, and personal growth that have been sanctioned by most cultures.” (Lu, 2008,
p.175) A fine example of this would be in the Japanese animation Death Note, where an “ace
student with great prospects finds a notebook dropped by a grim reaper that has the ability to
have any human whose name is written in the notebook dies. As criminals begin dropping dead,
the authorities sends in a legendary detective to tract down the killer.” (Viz Media, 2014) This
anime uses the theme of dilemma, morals and death to appeal to those around the globe. Due to
the familiarity of these themes, it can easily be internationalized. Let’s say that if a localized
English version of the show were to be created in North America and when individuals view it

then they would understand the themes of what the animation has to offer. Even if there were
some Japanese cultural references left in the localization, the viewer would view it as purely
fantasy.
Studio Ghibli and its Fandom
Out of all the Japanese animation studios in Japan, one studio called Studio Ghibli won
the hearts of many around the world without the intention of having their creations to be spread
worldwide. Studio Ghibli is a “Japanese animation film studio formed by Hayao Miyazaki and
Isao Takahata who are the directors of the studio’s works.” (Ghibli, 2015) Miyazaki’s creations
deals with “the complex characterizations of the protagonists (who are frequently female), and
the willingness to deal with powerful themes, from environmental and social collapse to heartfelt
coming-of-age tales.” (Napier, 2006, p.49) These themes in Miyazaki’s work were used to talk
about “wonderful stories of hope and courage with his audiences. He earnestly cares for the
environment and helps young and old people share the enthusiasm for the real imaginary parts of
nature as large as a forest full of Cat-buses and as small a tree under which one Totoro stands in
the rain.” (Napier, 2006, p.48) A good example of one of Miyazaki’s work would be the film My
Neighbor Totoro.
From a synopsis of the 1988 animated film is a “coming of age film that uses the theme
of mystical and imaginative. The film contains a sense of freedom, sincerity and variety of
emotional expression, with lots of magical adventures to be found in the film. For example flying
with umbrellas to catching a giant living cat-bus that leaps from tree top to tree top to get around.
It is a very gentle, colorful and expressionate youthful and free spirited characters. This film will
make you feel like a kid again.” (Online Ghibli, 2015) This synopsis itself is more than enough
to explain Miyazaki’s work. It uses powerful themes to attract its audience due to the alternate

reality that is generated when watching the films along with “articulate and intelligent dialogue
such as “To see with eyes unclouded” from Miyazaki’s 2001 film Princess Mononoke.” (Napier,
2006, p.49) This quote means to see the world with your eyes open wide and these kinds of
sophistication placed in these works allow just almost anyone to enjoy the works Miyazaki had
produced, which is why the fan base is very vast and spread worldwide.
The demographic of Miyazaki’s fans is very widespread and diverse. According to the
data gathered from the “Miyazaki Mailing List survey, 26 percent of the fans were forty and
forty-nine years old, 23 percent were between thirty and thirty-nine, and 14 percent were
between fifty and sixty. The second largest group was between twenty and twenty-nine, however,
comprising 25 percent of the respondents; the remaining 10 percent were between sixteen and
eighteen.” (Napier, 2006, p.55) This is very surprising because, animation is usually intended to
target youths and surprisingly according to the survey, the demographic included those who were
between the ages of forty and forty-nine. Another interesting fact came up in the survey the data
included the occupations of those who were surveyed. Occupations included “a video producer,
two stay-at-home mothers, a number of artists (or students majoring in art), an attorney, a janitor/
translator, a retired helicopter pilot and a worker for the IRS.” (Napier, 2006, p.56) This data
shows how “anime fandom in general is very diverse” (Napier, 2006, p.56) and that anyone can
love anime young and old.
Japanese Anime Cosplay
On October 31st
, people would dress up in a costume to go out at night with fellow
friends and family and knock on residents doors and yell ‘trick or treat’ to get candy. Anime
cosplayers does this as well because it involves the wearing of costumes but it is not the main
reason why anime fans cosplay. In areas where Japanese anime is popular there would always be

“cosplay fans who gather at conventions and parties to share their appreciation of and affection
for anime and manga.” (Winge, 2006, p.65) The term cosplay “combines costume and play (or
role-play); it also refers to the activities, such as masquerades, karaoke, and posing for pictures
with others that are associated with dressing and acting like anime, manga and video game
characters.” (Winge, 2006, p.65) These fans are defined as otaku which is, a Japanese term for
people obsessive interests, most commonly in the anime and manga fan base. (Otaku, 2015) In
relation to this term for cosplayers would be that, most are so obsessed with detail that they
would study their favorite character and act like them during skits and social interactions.
Cosplayers may be any age, gender, body size and ethnicity. “Each have varied
educational backgrounds, occupations, disposable incomes and resources. Meaning that
cosplayers can be found in almost any part of the world. This meant that almost anyone who
expresses his or her fandom and passion for a character by dressing and acting similarly to that
character.” (Winge, 2006, p.68) With this given description of who exactly cosplayers are, makes
it difficult to get the “exact cosplay demographics because it is currently unknown.” (Winge,
2006, p.68)
Most cosplayers are obsessed with detail, they would do anything by “re-creating that
character they like with meticulous attention to detail and performing as that character as often as
time and money allow.” (Winge, 2006, p.68) This is because through personal experience, fellow
cosplayers in the community would actually discuss with others in the community. There are
those who are good at making replica costumes with precise detail. “For some cosplayers the
costume must be an exact replica of that worn by an anime character, which is no easy feat,
given the unrealistic aspects of animated costumes. Physical features is also a must for some
cosplayers who take extreme care to get every physical detail correct, such as adding padding for

muscles, dyeing hair to bright, unnatural colors and wearing platform shoes.” (Winge, 2006,
p.72) As stated before any kind of attention to detail would require the cosplayer to spend
significant amounts of money and time to create the perfect replica of their respective character’s
dress.
Like all social activities, there would always be gatherings such as at conventions “where
cosplayers gather to share their passion for anime and manga characters.” (Winge, 2006, p.68)
This would allow fellow cosplayers to meet others who has similar interests and form friendships
and forming niche communities. This would allow cosplayers to network with each other by
attending events such as “masquerades which are character based costumes or performance
competitions).” (Winge, 2006, p.68) A good example of this would be in “Vancouver B.C.’s
“King of Bishounen” walk-off where cosplayers would perform in front of an audience and
judge specifically for comedic effects. The one who has the most vote would win the
competition.” (Walkoff, 2012) Other events include “photograph sessions, themed parties,
karaoke, club meetings and lastly conventions often being the primary space where larger
numbers of cosplayers gather, socialize, and perform.” (Winge, 2006, p.68)
Even though cosplayers can wear their costumes for almost any setting, there are certain
areas where cosplayers are not welcome. Conventions are safe haven for cosplayers because the
designated area is under rules and regulations for safety concerns. An example of this would be
how for Vancouver’s Anime Revolution convention held at the Vancouver Convention Centre,
has certain rules that participants must follow for a safe convention. Rules include “a weapons
policy where costumes must not be of harm to the public,” (Anime Revolution, 2014) certain
cosplays involve the uses of props that look like weapons. This makes it understandable because
certain costumes might look threatening to individuals outside the convention. So, for most

conventions they would request that “cosplayers not wear their dress outside the convention.”
(Winge, 2006, p.73)
Legal Distribution and Fansubbing of Japanese Animation
Ever since Japanese animation became popular in North America, “in 1995 VCRs and
video cassettes had become a regular part of North American entertainment options, along with
that technology came the fansubs.” (Levi, 2013, p.8) Fansubbing is the act of taking the original
media in this case anime “are subtitled and distributed by fans without any copyright
permission.” (Levi, 2013, p.8) During 1995, the internet had not evolved that it can be used as a
distribution medium. Unlike in the 21st
century where peer-to-peer sharing sites such as
katproxy.me and file sharing sites like mega.co.nz existed. In the 1990s, most fansubbers had to
obtain the original copy of a Japanese animated work by either going to Japan or having it
imported into the country. Once obtained, the fan would create a transcript and embed it onto the
original and distribute the work via “face to face transactions, often at science fiction or comic
book conventions.” (Levi, 2013, p.8) In the 21st
century, online distribution has become the new
method of distributing however, this was done “without asking permission from the relevant
copyright holder.” (Lee, 2011, p.1132)
Online distribution of Japanese animation in the 21st
century is done both by fans and
through official channels such as the respective copyright owner’s online store. The problem
with official distributors is that they would focus “only on popular series that are chosen for
distribution overseas.” (Lee, 2011, p.1135) This meant that the niche demands are likely to be
ignored meaning that not so popular animation will not be distributed overseas. Another problem
with official translation channels “would be the time gap from broadcasting the original in Japan
can range from a few months to several years.” (Lee, 2011, p.1135) This would result in a

disconnection between Japanese and American fans when it came to the story because
Americans would be behind by a few years. A fine example of this would be the popular,
ongoing series “Naruto Shippuden – which are already licensed – insist that fans should have
access to the latest episodes as soon as they are aired in Japan.” (Lee, 2011, p.1140) Even though
fansubs are faster and remain up to date with the Japanese viewership, “keen fans will always see
the official version to be far superior in terms of visual quality. Thus, there would be no
competition between fansubbed and official versions allowing official distributors to make
profit.” (Lee, 2011, p.1138)
Fansubbing itself has led to a formation of a community within the culture. This is due to
the nature of fansubbing being something like YouTube, where it is entirely user-generated
relying on existing, copyright-protected cultural products.” (Lee, 2011, p.1132) This is because,
fansubbers utilizes their “own resources and skills, via copying, translating, editing, encoding,
distributing and managing, is spread between voluntary participants who are closely connected
via online communications.” (Lee, 2011, p.1137) This type of dedication is related to the love
the fans have for the culture and were motivated by strong affection for anime and devotion to
sharing it with other fans. In return for their investment of emotion, time and effort, they obtain a
sense of pleasure, fun and reward.” (Lee, 2011, p.1137) Most fansubbers have an unspoken
code, which is that they “should not make money out of violating the copyrights of artists they
admired.” (Levi, 2013, p.8) Since, for most fansubbers, “it was the labor of love, and since they
made no profit, they did not feel they were doing anything morally wrong in violating copyright
law." (Levi, 2013, p.8)
The size of the community of anime fansubbing is vast and forever growing. There are
“numerous fansubbing groups across the globe that it is difficult to actually know how many

exist. As of October 2009, the Baka-updates website provided details for approximately 740
groups, mainly English fansubbers. However if you incorporate another popular website,
MyAnimeList, it showed a list of more than 2000 groups, including non-English speakers.” (Lee,
2011, p.1139) Therefore, “fansubbing is an international project involving fans in Europe, Asia,
South America and other continents.” (Lee, 2011, p.1139) This not only shows that anime is not
only popular in Japan and in North America but it is also popular in other nations as well. Thus,
Japanese animation has become a pop cultural phenomenon internationally.
Japanese anime had usually relied on sales of DVDs and merchandizing items like the
Americans do with their pop cultural goods. However, with the new platform like online
streaming, “Japanese studios began to experiment with internet streaming services, but this is
perceived as another way of advertising rather than revenue-generating business model.” (Lee,
2011, p.1142) This is similar to how sites like YouTube generate revenue, by having
advertisements played before your intended video is viewed. The sites that provide anime
content to the masses online through lawful means would be sites like Hulu which is “one of the
largest internet TV sites in the US, adds subtitled, uncut episodes of popular anime such as
Naruto Shippuden, one episode per week on a seven-day delay from their original Japanese
airdates.” (Lee, 2011, p.1142) Another well-known streaming site is “Crunchyroll, an internet
TV website dedicated to anime and Asian TV drama which offers simulcast of popular current
Japanese anime and drama programs.” (Lee, 2011, p.1142) This site like YouTube uses
advertisements as a way to generate revenue however alternatively, viewers can subscribe for
premium membership. This membership allow viewers to “watch the newest episodes as soon as
one hour after airing in Japan, stream content ad-free, 100% access to all anime and manga;
lastly store discounts for all anime goods in the Crunchyroll store.” (Crunchyroll, 2015) This

shows how Japanese animated content is adapting to new distribution mediums similar to how
most American content is being provided via Netflix as long as the subscription fee is paid.
Conclusion
Overall, Japanese animated pop culture has become a phenomenon where anyone can
participate young or old. Cosplay is an aspect where dedicated fans would dress up in their
favorite characters, participate in conventions; masquerades and gatherings to meet new people
and make new friends within a community. The formation of online communities of dedicated
individuals who wanted to share their love to others by fansubbing animated works without the
want of generating profit. With fans as dedicated as fansubbers, fellow fans will be able to view
anime content as fast as Japan is at producing content. It has certainly been a long journey from
the early days of VHS cassette tapes to the now modern peer-to-peer sharing and streaming sites.
Japanese anime lacks odor so, it allows for easy adaptation when it comes to localization in other
regions around the world. Animation studios like Studio Ghibli is a very clear example that
anime can be enjoyed by anyone of all ages, any occupation in any country. In the near future,
hopefully Japanese anime as a culture will continue to evolve; who knows what kinds of new
communities will form. Perhaps, maybe a community formed specifically for those who loves
giant mechanical robots like Transformers who knows. Pop culture evolves with the progression
of time so who knows what kind of community and fan bases will form. Only time will tell.

References
Fennell, D., Liberato, A. S., Hayden, B., & Fujino, Y. (2013). Consuming Anime. Television &
New Media, 14(5), 440-456.
Lee, H. (2011). Participatory media fandom: A case study of anime fansubbing. Media, Culture
& Society, 33(8), 1131-1147.
Levi, A. (2013). The sweet smell of Japan: Anime, manga, and Japan in North America. Journal
Of Asian Pacific Communication (John Benjamins Publishing Co.), 23(1), 3-18.
Lu S.A (2008). The Many Faces of Internationalization in Japanese Anime. Animation: An
Interdisciplinary Journal, 169-187.
Napier S. (2006). The World of Anime Fandom in America. Mechademia, Volume 1, 47-63.
Winge T. (2006) Costuming the Imagination: Origins of Anime and Manga Cosplay.
Mechademia, Volume 1, 65-76.
Anime Revolution 2015 - Rules and Regulations. (2014). Retrieved March 18, 2015, from
http://www.animerevolution.ca/about/rules-regulations/
Crunchyroll: Free Premium Membership. Cancel Anytime. (2015). Retrieved March 20, 2015,
from https://www.crunchyroll.com/freetrial/premium?from=topbar
Ghibli. (2015). Retrieved March 21, 2015, fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studio_Ghibli
Online Ghibli: My Neighbor Totoro - Review/Synopsis. (2015). Retrieved March 20, 2015, from
http://www.onlineghibli.com/totoro/review-synopsis.php
Otaku. (2015, January 1). Retrieved March 24, 2015, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otaku
Viz Media - Death Note. (2014). Retrieved March 22, 2015, from http://www.viz.com/death-note
Walkoff: King of Bishounen. (2012). Retrieved March 18, 2015, from
https://www.facebook.com/walkoff.KoB/info?tab=page_info

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