Post Modernism in Anime
Anime (the video screen format not manga the comic book format) is an interesting medium that is so much different than western animation because it is so much more post modern.
Post modernism is: an ambiguous overarching term for skeptical interpretations of culture, literature, art, philosophy, economics, architecture, fiction, and literary criticism.
Compared to western animation, anime usually have inconsistent art style for added drama, comedy, surreality, etc
For example FLCL which is one of the landmark titles in anime that started the changing art style.
Some artists however as an extension of post modernism, have started embracing deconstructionism which means to take an artistic work or genre and disassemble all its components and rearrange them in an unexpected or skeptical manner to play with the audience's expectations.
One of these notable artists is Akiyuki Shinbo:
His art style is one of the most stand out notable ones in the industry. His art style integrates typography and image for create complimentary text and message. He also utilizes stark contrast and surreal imagery to test he viewers understanding (lots of gestalts in his art style)
Here is the opening clip from Maria Holic which he worked on:
Shinbo's most popular work is a teen horror rom-com called Bakemonogatari (2009) which is an adaptation of the first set of visual novel teen horror stories from Nisio Osin's horror stories
The stories are about a cynical high school loner struggling with vampirism by being a half vampire. The story arcs are about how the protagonist helps girls struggling with supernatural afflictions. the main girl for example had her weight stolen by a crab spirit making her weigh 0.50 kg therefore she weighs herself down with school tools to not attract attention to herself (pictured below).
Here is a clip from the first episode:
Other notable artists are Hirohiko Araki for Jojo's Bizzare Adventure (manga: 1980's, anime: 2012):
Jojo is all about handsome, fabulous, muscular and macho-feminine men. the art sole purpose is to be fabulous resulting in art style filled with melodrama, crazy close ups and zooms and crazy colors and patterns.
Mahiro Maeda for Gankustsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo (2006) which is an adaption of Alexandre Dumas' eponymous work
The art style simply put, looks like a beautiful surreal painting. Gankutsuou is still regarded as one of the greatest visual achievements in anime. Very few art styles have come close to this anime's beauty.
Finally, Hideaki Anno's Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV series: 1995, Movie: 1997, Reboot Tetralogy: 2007, ongiong)
I can't talk about post modernism and deconstructionism without talking about Evangelion. EVA is the most controversial anime in history (Anno got multiple death threats after the movie was released). It is also the BIGGEST deconstruction in anime and very high up in general. It broke all the rules, subverted all expectations and raped viewers' minds everywhere. It is one of the defining names in anime. It starts off simple enough but then... well, the simplest way to explain it would be like going down a rabbit hole... except the rabbit hole is humanity's psyche. There have been very few shows as cynical, degrading, nihilistic and spiteful of humanity. Seriously, watch the series then the mind fuck that is the movie and tell me you still care about life and other people! anyway the art style frequently dips into surrealist psychological imagery and religious symbolism.
Here is the clip of the last 2 minutes of the movie. Yeah big spoiler but I believe it is a blessing. I spared you and others a lot of unnecessary madness.
To conclude anime is just as important as western animation like disney. It is NOT for children but mostly for mature audiences. All the animes shown here were aired late night SPECIFICALLY for a mature audience. If you care about visual communication then try anime. You will be surprised at what you will find.
No comments:
Post a Comment