Group items matching

in title, tags, annotations or url

chibi by some anime fans, though chibi is a different concept that refers more to a person's stature rather than the art style. It is part of the Japanese culture, and is seen everywhere in Japan, from subway signs and advertising to anime and manga.

Japanese pop culture, such as fashion, manga and anime, has been considered "cool" overseas for a while, but the government and domestic business community are not making the most of such popularity.

It has been 10 years since Japan cool became popular, but Japanese industry is not doing a good job of making the most of it, as it is often mocked: The biggest gainer from Japanese anime is Hollywood.

The Economy, Trade and Industry Minister' Industrial Structure Council recently released a report that devoted a great deal of space to the Japan cool issue. Following is an extract from the report.

the distinctive characteristics…reflect the Japanese subconscience and can be identified only by stripping away the influences of the modern history of manga as an imported style…Yet highlighting only those characteristics would slant the debate toward a closed argument…an echo of Orientalism.

Toys, animation, gaming, and western comics all show the influence of manga and anime, but evidence of this aesthetic can also be found in fashion, graphic design, industrial design, and fine art. Though initially this was considered a trend that would peak and be replaced, this movement, has steadily expanded since it emerged in the late 1980’s (in the US), and has established itself as a substantial and sustaining aesthetic, one that has transformed western design and consumer culture.

the continuing steady growth of manga and anime around the world in markets like France and Italy, which embraced manga years before the U.S. did, would appear to indicate that interest in anime and manga is not a flash-in-the-pan fad, but a trend that will continue on the upswing for some time to come. (www.icv2.com/articles/news/2953.html)