Super Deep Transcultural Thoughts

[Mach5Motorsport]

Hey.  I was asked by a few people  that didn't get a copy of the 2004 Prgram Guide to post my "deep thought" article.  So this is it:

Super Deep Transcultural Thoughts

I was going to devote this entire article to the geo-political structure of the Tenchi/Women, Akane/Ranma and Lum/Ataru interpersonal relationships and how they all relate to reality-based television such as The Bachelor, The Bachlorett, and High School Reunion.  However, I decided that might dissuade people from actually reading the Fanime program any further.  Not a good thing.  Thanks Jason for being so open-minded and patient as the Fanime Program Guide Coordinator/Editor/Guru.  What is your title really?  I should say at this point Jason is the coolest dude for participating in the Yaoi Con 2003 Bishie.  Hey, I did it in 2002 and that is a story for another time.  

Speaking of anime, Danny Shrum (Production OVID) is a skilled video camera operator and anime fan.  Last year Danny asked me to take part in a project that is now in the editing stages.  The Anime Travel Guide recently finished principle filming of the pilot episode at RECCA Con in March.  We don’t know if the Anime Travel Guide will get any industry support, but Danny is a great person and I’m extremely flattered to host the program and contribute any support I can to this project.  Look for more news in the coming months.

Being involved over the years with cons in general sure is different than racing mountain bikes.  For one, the road trips are never as good as those involving anime.  The BAAS (Bay Area Animation Society) trips to places near and far are always the memories I think of most.  The annual BAAS Summer and Christmas BBQs.  The trips down to Lancaster (Ani-Magic) and then there’s the epic road trip to Dallas, TX for A-kon.  I now know how long 1,600 miles actually is and what lies between Sacramento and Dallas.  I loved every mile of the drive.  Even that one un-scheduled stop in New Mexico!  Rob, Tracy, Stephanie, Dwight, Mike, Mrs. Brown, Scott, Joe, Alex, Eugene, and all the other people I’ve spent countless hours in a car, hotel room and places in between make my anime memories special.  Anime clubs and cons are all about the people.

Taking a look at my closet recently I calculated that I have a greater average, per capita of anime theme shirts than Imelda Marcos has shoes. This fact is a scary indicator of how many days I can go without washing clothes and still be fan-boy fresh.  Speaking of t-shirts and anime stuff, last year at AX I purchased a one-year subscription and free t-shirt to PLAY Magazine.  After three issues I started to get bills from the PLAY office telling me to renew.  My numerous emails to the Editor Dave Halverson about this mistake went unanswered and my one-year subscription apparently turned into a very expensive three-issue subscription. Even including my receipt number didn’t help to get a response. Needless to say I’m not happy with the customer service and I now only read this fine magazine on the shelf and spend my money elsewhere.

And now, the rest of the story….

Movies are a cultural artifact.  They are products of the film studios and production companies of a given country.  Anime and manga are also cultural artifacts.  Generally speaking, people in the United States are greatly insulated from the “cultural competition” of other nations.  This insulation prevented many people in the United States from obtaining and appreciating the diverse films of Japan and Hong Kong, not to mention all the other pop culture materials.  Indeed, most Americans have little knowledge about East Asian film and popular entertainment except for the occasional “samurai” or “martial arts” film at the local video store.  They might walk into Target or Wal-Mart and purchase a Gundam or Power Ranger figure for their children, but they probably don’t know their significance in the last ten years of American mass retail.  Do you know the significance?

Currently, there are few books and articles that address the contemporary East Asian entertainment industries.  Students and instructors looking for timely research on this subject must still deal with long held assumptions that are behind the times.  That is Asian entertainment, as a whole is not given the same representation and weight as those here in the United States and Europe.  Many authors who write about film and culture fail to acknowledge cultural differences in how entertainment industries develop and adapt to changing market conditions.  It is then presumable to say that resistance to these changes comes from a context of Western ethnocentrism and cultural hegemony.   This is not some conspiracy.  We all have our comfort zones.  

Authors and critics are comfortable in describing and relating theories and symbols that are familiar, not foreign.  East Asian cinemas to most film critics are unusual.  The characters and themes do not match their expectations and thus, they give few films from Asia any comprehensive attention in the West.  To illustrate this point, only after considerable effort by their U.S. studios did Shall We Dance?, Crouching Tiger-Hidden Dragon, Princess Mononoke, and Spirited Away garner serious media coverage and recognition.  Stephen Chow’s entertaining Shaolin Soccer was to have been released in 2003, but major issues over editing still plague this film from receiving a theatrical release in the United States.

Domestic efforts here in the U.S. hope proven to be of a mixed blessing.  For all of the successful Jackie Chan and Jet Li American produced movies, fans sometimes lament over what could have been.  Even Quentin Tarantino, a notable fan of Hong Kong and Japanese action cinema can only revert to basic images of the martial arts genre in Kill Bill and Kill Bill vol2.  The recent Tom Cruise release The Samurai is a visually impressive movie, but owes much to the classic Japanese Samurai epics of the 50’s and 60’s. Sophia Coppola’s “postcard of Japan” known as Lost In Translation received lots of American media attention and critical acclaim, but there were times is seemed to get its humor from basic stereotypes of physical differences and language.  Do Hollywood studios feel the only way to showcase “Asian culture” for American audiences is through their efforts?  Mainstream America has changed.  Look around.

And yet, the wave of transcultural entertainment is growing in America.  Nationally known film critic Roger Ebert is an enthusiastic supporter of anime and has consistently viewed them on their own attributes.  A new generation of Authors is beginning to develop writings and publications giving voice to the rise of Asian entertainment.   In the last few years alone, I can walk into a bookstore a see a new title about anime or on some aspect of Asian cinema just about every three months.  This is a tremendous accomplishment.  Berkeley-based Stone Bridge Press is a pioneer in featuring books on Asian cinema and culture.  Local authors Frederik L. Schodt, Gilles Poitras and Ryan Omega have been part of Fanime for years.  The growth of manga has also truly made the American comic book market take notice as well.  Young readers speaking with their pockets will now choose to buy Love Hina, Ranma, Wish, and Ragnarock in mall stores.  The ever-growing mainstream appeal of anime as a programming staple on Cartoon Network, Fox Kids, Kids WB and the Sci-Fi Channel show that American business is putting their financial backing into purchasing titles from Japan every year. Tai Seng, the main U.S. supplier of Hong Kong movies is located in South San Francisco.  Audience members young and old in the United States (that’s you guys) are able to watch these programs and make out the cultural distinctions that separate them from their Western counterparts and demand more.

   So I ask to you all this Memorial Weekend to actively attend and watch all the video screenings and panels you possibly can at Fanime.  Experience the breadth of popular entertainment that fans from all over enjoy.  Remember, it was a few years ago that a relatively obscure New Zealand director best known to some for Meet The Feebles wanted to direct a live action trilogy based on Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.  The studios were not certain how successful this project would be and you all know the rest of this story.  

See you later anime cowboy….

Brian “Dieter” Doan

[MeliCat]

O.O Deep discussion for sure...

.+:*MeliCat*:+.

[KinFreon]

Pass the bong...

[Saffy]

whoah

and the scary thing is that it's all so true...

[yOna]

I also encourage people to watch the screenings, especially Asian Films. I'm so amazed how Asian cinema has spread, and I hope it continues to do so.

However, I'm kind of bummed that they remake Asian Films...I prefer the originals.

[shyguy_2357]

in short, I totally agree.

to make it a bit longer...

its all about having an open mind and exposing yourself to different cultures and even different sub-genres withing an video/ media entertainment field...

I mean, i watch anime, but the mentality of a manga reader is much different than an anime watcher... I'm im always open for a good discussion about plot twists, character development, and the occiasional debate over the whole "lost in translation" thing-ma-jig

some ppl ( still have the mentality ) think anime is a "cartoon" and although I totally wince at that thought... I'm still opening minded enough to deal with the general public and stick to my own beliefs without throw a hissy fit over trying to pronounce words like "Ma-n-ga" and "Raw-men"

and etc. etc....

so back to the short version... before i rant out a book here...

To each is own...

there >_< i had to use a cliche

go me...  :roll: