This presentation was given as the semester-end presentation on the 'Exploring the Cross-Cultural Reach of Japanese Anime' for the paper 'Cultural Studies 205A' in the M.A. English Semester 3

1. Exploring the Cross-
Cultural Reach of
Japanese Anime

2. Presented By: Ghanshyam Katariya
Semester: 3 Roll NO. : 07
Paper 205A: Cultural Studies
Topic: Exploring the Cross-Cultural Reach of Japanese Anime
Submitted To: Smt. S. B. Gardi, Department of English
Email ID: gkatariya67@gmail.com
Date 23/10/2023
Introduction

3. Table of Content
● What is Anime?
● It’s Popularity
● Fan Communities
● Fan Fiction and Cosplay
● Anime Fandom In India
● Piracy of Anime Content

4. What is Anime?
an·i·me /ˈanəˌmā/
noun
● a style of Japanese film and television animation,
typically aimed at adults as well as children.
(“anime noun”)
● Anime was started in Japan during the 1960s in
the form of animēshon and over the years, was
perfected by Japanese artists seeking to
entertain and tell compelling stories through
their work. The love and craftsmanship for the
art itself were easily apparent and quickly
garnered a following for individuals seeking a
more dramatic style, typically coupled with
serious storylines/themes contrasted against
their western counterpart which created
humorous and light-hearted works. (Pinter)

5. Manga
● Manga is an umbrella term for a wide variety of comic
books and graphic novels originally produced and
published in Japan. Unlike American comic books, which
are usually printed in full color, Japanese manga are
almost always published in black and white. Full-color
prints are often only used for special releases. (Pagan)
● In Japan, manga are typically released on a monthly or a
weekly chapter-by-chapter basis through manga
magazines such as Weekly Shōnen Jump, (which has
been in circulation since 1968). If a series is popular
enough, its chapters are then collected and published
into volumes called tankōbon volumes, which usually
feature a few chapters of the overall story.
● If a manga series is popular enough, it might then
become an anime, as was the case with both Dragon Ball
and Sailor Moon. In some cases, the opposite is true; a
popular original anime will be given a manga adaptation.
(Pagan)

6. It’s Popularity
● To outline how popular anime has become in Western culture,
“Demon Slayer,” which is playing in 1,915 North American venues,
has earned an impressive $34.1 million in the U.S. and Canada to
date.
● The film, from Funimation and Aniplex, has surpassed “Dragon
Ball: Super Broly” ($30 million) to become the third-highest
grossing anime title in North America. (Pinter)
● With the ability to connect and discuss anime art, shows, video
games, and more on sites like Reddit and Twitch, Western
consumers are playing catch-up to what Japan was already
enjoying for decades, which has given a major rise to an anime-
love-affair in the United States and beyond. (Pinter)

7. Fan Communities
Otaku
● otaku also otakus
a person having an intense or obsessive interest especially in the fields of anime and manga.
(“Otaku Definition & Meaning”)
● In Japanese, the word otaku roughly translates to a person who is a “pop-culture enthusiast.”
● In the Western world, however, the word has gained a more specific meaning related to anime—
an “otaku” is a person who loves anime.
● As an otaku, you’ll typically be well-versed in anime history and storylines.
● You’ll also have a strong appreciation for the anime art style. Otakus often have tons of favorite
series, and they may even have a crush on an anime character or two. (Emmanuel)
● The title “weeb” is applied to people who are not of Japanese descent. Essentially, weebs are
considered outsiders who have a strong appreciation for many facets of Japanese culture—both
modern and traditional. (Emmanuel)

8. Weeaboo
Weeaboo is a mostly derogatory slang term for a Western person who is
obsessed with Japanese culture, especially anime, often regarding it as
superior to all other cultures. (“weeaboo Meaning & Origin”)
The word weeaboo came about as an alternative for the term Wapanese, a
blend of white or wannabe with Japanese.
Wapanese was used extensively on the website 4chan in the early 2000s to
insult white people who were deemed overly fond of and biased towards
Japanese culture, particularly popular exports like anime, manga, and hentai.
The abusive term was added to the online Racial Slur Database in 2004.
(“weeaboo Meaning & Origin”)

9. Fan Fiction and Cosplay
Doujinshi
● The term ‘doujinshi’ is derived from ‘doujin’ (literally ‘same person’ which
refers to one or several persons that have a common interest or goal) and shi
(generally refers to ‘magazine’ or ‘periodical’). (Lamerichs)
● I roughly define doujinshi as fan-created manga that circulate within the fan
communities of Japanese popular culture.
● Doujinshi are often described as ‘amateur manga’ (Kinsella, 1998), amateur
being a term that stems from the Latin ‘amare’ or ‘to love’.
● Nowadays amateur implies the engagement in non-professional activities which
partly resonates with doujinshi. (Lamerichs)
● Fan texts in Japan have an authentic status and high visibility compared to the
West. Doujinshi come in limited copies and primarily circulate at widely
attended doujinshi conventions that are often organized by fans themselves.
● They are not dismissed as amateur productions or copies, but rather viewed as
unique creations in their own right and function as collector’s items for fans.
(Lamerichs)

10. Cosplay
● The term ‘cosplaying’ was coined in the eighties by the game designer
Takahashi Nobuyuki when he encountered the costuming practices of American
fans on a visit to the United States (Bruno, 2002; Winge, 2006, pp. 66–67).
● In Japan, cosplay has become very prominent since then. In Western settings,
there seems to be much overlap between cosplay and other forms of dressing
up such as (live-action) role-playing, but also digital dress up such as
customizing one’s avatar (Lamerichs)
● In Japan, cosplay is not only performed by wearing the outfits but through the
production of merchandise.
● Some cosplayers sell photographs at Comiket that may be more mainstream or
erotic. The cosplayers sell photos cards or booklets, but also DVDs, that may
include movies or slide shows that tell an entire story through photos.
(Lamerichs)

11. ● When Animax launched in 2004 in India, it was the only television channel
that aired Japanese anime either English-dubbed or subbed.
● Animax also provided a platform on its website Animax India for Indian fans
to interact with each other; this is how its official community forum Animax
India Community came into existence.
● Animax that targeted the age-group 15-25 years faced a significant issue
with channel-group listings and mainly was clubbed with channels like
Cartoon Network, Pogo, Nick etc (Sharan, 2007). Animax ceased
broadcasting on regular television in 2017. (Chandi)
Anime Fandom In India

12. ● The arrival of OTTs played a significant role in re-introducing anime to
Indian viewers. Netflix has over 5 million subscribers in India, and its
major audience belongs to the age group 15-24, which is 44 per cent of
the total viewers (MICA, 2020). (Chandi)
● This data implies that this age group may have the most anime exposure.
It also signifies the presence of anime viewers, mostly teens or adults
rather than kids, as assumed in past studies (Jaggi, 2011; Jaggi, 2014).
● The success of anime on Netflix has prompted other OTT platforms like
Disney + Hotstar, and Amazon Prime Video to include anime in their
libraries.
● Besides these OTTs, Crunchyroll, a dedicated anime streaming site
recently launched in India after recognizing the growing anime fanbase in
India (The Economic Times, 2023a), IAFOR Journal of Cultural Studies
Volume 8– Issue 1 – 2023 8 and Animax also semi-returned in 2023;
however, only via a specific television streaming appJioTV (The
Economic Times, 2023b). (Chandi)

13. ● According to Chaturvedi, Singh & Singh (2020),
○ four key fandoms exist in India, categorized as Political Fandom, Sports Fandom,
Spiritual Fandom and Cinematic Fandom.
○ Where political fans exhibit a “strong obsession with the rockstar politician” , spiritual
fans are “ignorant” .
○ Where sports fans reflect “distorted sentimentalism”, cinematic fandom has a
‘solipsistic and narcissist quality’ .
● Since the domain of Indian fandom is densely populated by these fandoms perceived to have
pathological qualities, fans of transnational and transcultural popular media forms like anime
are mostly overlooked. (Chandi)
● According to a recent report, over 80 per cent of young people live with their parents in India
(R, 2018). Although recent studies implied that, due to Western influence through movies and
pop culture, Indian parents were becoming less controlling and encourage more autonomy in
their children, fan responses on Quora suggest otherwise, that is, parents of these fans
continue to show a controlling and less accepting nature towards their childrens’ hobbies
and activities.
● The textual analysis reveals that young adult anime fans share an infantilizing relationship
with their parents, mainly because of their choice of watching animated content over other
activities. (Chandi)

14. ● Much like Japan, there are plenty of otakus in India too – young, confused people
obsessed with computers and pop culture. And much like their Japanese counterparts,
Indian otakus too have come to regard anime subculture as a strong part of their
identity. (Rattanpal)
● Anamika Rathore loves anime, manga and, in her own words, “everything Japanese”.
To her, cosplay is a respite from her daily, hectic life as a technology professional.
● The craze for Japanese anime isn’t restricted geographically. Anime Con, an annual
anime convention that was started in 2010 in New Delhi, has grown into one of the
biggest celebrations of pop culture, anime, manga and gaming in India.
● Anamika isn’t alone. There are many young men and women like her. (Rattanpal)
● ‘Japan in
Nagaland, a
documentary
by Hemant
Gaba explores
Nagaland’s
craze for
Japanese
anime in more
detail.’

15. Japan's Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA) released a study
last Friday citing losses of between 1.9 and 2.2 trillion yen (US$14.2 to 16.5
billion) in 2021 due to piracy of Japanese entertainment, including manga,
anime, music, and video games. (Morrissy)
The organization calculated that anime and other video content from Japan
lost 906.5 billion to 1.4 trillion yen (about US$6.8 to 10.5 billion) to piracy,
while manga and other published media lost 395.2 billion to 831.1 billion yen
(about US$3 to 6.2 billion). CODA attributed the rise of piracy to people
spending more time indoors due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the
proliferation of streaming services. (Morrissy)
Anime Piracy

16. References
“Anime noun.” Oxford Learner's Dictionaries, https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/anime . Accessed
23 October 2023
Chandi, Jasdeep Kaur, and Kulveen Trehan. ““Still Watching Cartoons?” Infantilization of Young Anime Fans in India: A Critical
Discourse Analysis - The International Academic Forum.” IAFOR, 5 July 2023, https://iafor.org/journal/iafor-journal-of-
cultural-studies/volume-8-issue-1/article-1/ . Accessed 23 October 2023.
Emmanuel, Ash. “Weeb vs. Otaku: What's the Difference?” CultureFly, 11 August 2021, https://culturefly.com/blogs/culture-
blog/weeb-vs-otaku-which-are-you . Accessed 23 October 2023.
Lamerichs, Nicolle. “The cultural dynamic of doujinshi and cosplay: Local anime fandom in Japan, USA and Europe.”
participations.org, Participations – Journal of Audience and Reception Studies, 2013,
https://www.participations.org/10-01-10-lamerichs.pdf . Accessed 23 October 2023.

17. Morrissy, Kim. “CODA: Anime, Manga Piracy Cost Industry Around 2 Trillion Yen in 2021.” Anime News Network, 26 April 2023,
https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2023-04-26/coda-anime-manga-piracy-cost-industry-around-2-trillion-yen-in-
2021/.197490 . Accessed 23 October 2023.
“Otaku Definition & Meaning.” Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/otaku . Accessed 23 October 2023.
Pagan, Amanda. “A Beginner's Guide to Manga.” The New York Public Library, 27 December 2018,
https://www.nypl.org/blog/2018/12/27/beginners-guide-manga . Accessed 23 October 2023.
Pinter, David. “Anime: A Western Pop Culture Phenomenon — D'ART Shtajio - American Owned Anime Studio.” D'ART Shtajio, 27 May
2021, https://dartshtajio.com/anime-a-western-pop-culture-phenomenon/ . Accessed 22 October 2023.
Rattanpal, Divyani. “When Japanese Anime Inspired a Subculture in India.” The Quint, 25 September 2015,
https://www.thequint.com/news/india/when-japanese-anime-inspired-a-subculture-in-india . Accessed 22 October 2023.
“Weeaboo Meaning & Origin.” Dictionary.com, 1 March 2018, https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/weeaboo/ . Accessed 22 October
2023.

18. Thank You !