Illustration
In 1853, when commodore Matthew C. Perry convinced the
Japanese to open trade with the West their country had already
been isolated for two centuries. All things Japanese is called Japonisme,
this was a late-nineteenth century Western mania. When the Japanese
had open ports to trade with the West, Japanese artifacts began stream
into Europe, and several books about Japanese art and ornament were being
published throughout the 1800s. With all the beautiful artifacts of Japanese
tradition, artists from the West were presented with a new way of visual
literacy. They were enriched with a new way to their use of colour
and a new way of design.
Anime is the Japanese word used for animation. It is basically
an abbreviation for animation and how they animate their cartoons and mangas. Within
anime there is a wide range of anime for different age groups. There are
different names associated with the different types of animation for boys or
girls. Shounen is the name used
to refer to anime which is marketed at boys which of course include action,
harem anime and mechas, such as Dragonball Z.
One of the original and most popular animes of all time! Many other fighting have stolen the Goku main character archetype. Main character is stupid, eats a lot but is a fighting genius.
Manga is a Japanese word which in English means
“comics/cartoons”, which are sometimes called komikku. In the West manga
is referred to as comics which are created in Japan or by Japanese artists, but
these comics have a pre-history in earlier Japanese artwork. In Japan, people
of all different age groups read manga. The medium includes works in
a wide range of genres which include: action-adventure, romance, games,
historical drama, comedy, science fiction and fantasy, mystery, horror and
business.
This is the most popular manga in Japan at the moment and manga's are also becoming more popular in the Western world.
The way in which everyone can be able to read manga shows
the versatility and variety of manga, there are age restrictions just like
American comics. The fact that older people also read this type of manga
helps them to reflect upon happenings in the world and learn new
things and become known to more creative ways of relaxation in whichever
way people want to unwind. Manga is read by everyone regardless of age and gender
and convenient because they use public transport often.
Otaku refers to people with obsessive interests. From the
research which I have read about otaku, it refers to a person who has an
obsession or a expensive hobby. These people, otaku, spend many hours
and a lot of effort on everything which their hobby or obsession entails. The
time, money and effort which are spend on these obsessions give these
people a sense of belonging and they would be more able to talk about
their hobby due to the fact that they are so well informed about everything
that the hobby includes.
Otaku's are the epitome of what collectors are! They love anything related to the animes and mangas they watch and read
Through being this inform about a hobby helps you to
connect with other people who have the same obsession which occupies most of
their time effort and space. The
way in which these people occupy themselves with is watching DVDs about anime,
manga and they become so entwined with this hat they become to feel complete
with their obsession and end up isolating themselves from any existence or form
of life. After all communication with others is just as important as
intercommunication.
Kawaii is also a Japanese term which means “pretty,
charming, darling, lovely, cute, dear, pet”. This is commonly used by manga or
anime fans. Another Japanese word that should not be confused with is “Kowai”
which is entirely the total opposite of cute, pretty and all things nice. It
means scary. So be careful not to confuse the one for the other. This
type is usually targeted at the pre-teen audiences.
Mostly for the female populace and impossibly cute!
