Honors Theses
Date of Award
2011
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Croft Institute for International Studies
First Advisor
Minjoo Oh
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
The sale of manga, Japanese comic books, and anime, its animated counterpart, in the United States has become a multi-million dollar enterprise and both mediums have gained an increasingly large fandom. Based on the framework of Said’s conception of orientalism and using information gathered from observing seven popular anime and manga internet forums and five semi-structured interviews this thesis seeks to understand how a segment of this fandom, namely those of its members who are active in online discussion, consume manga and anime and how this consumption affects their views of Japan. In conducting this research I found that the fandom tends to not focus on Japan but instead to be generally inward looking, focusing on the content of consumed works and the establishment of boundaries and expertise within their respective forum communities, and to be based to a significant degree on media “piracy.” While this does not preclude orientalist thoughts or discussion, it does draw some attention to how the fandom deals with what is within rather than what is without even though its members are consuming works foreign in origin.
Recommended Citation
Schwalm, Luke Daniel, "Bridge over the River Kawaii: Examining the Consumption of Anime and Manga in the United States" (2011). Honors Theses. 2418.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/2418
Accessibility Status
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