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We were proud to partner with Lancaster University on this one day Symposium, “Transnational Perspectives on Anime” that took place on Friday 4 July.

This symposium brought together experts in their field, academics and students, to discuss and contemplate Anime and its impact around the world and on different aspects of society.

The day started with a keynote speech from Dr Jonathan Clements who gave us an insight into the history of animation in China and its fluctuating relationship with anime, not only in terms of the audience market but also its impact in production, the politics of distribution, and the impact of the government on the animation industry.

This led us neatly into the first panel, ‘Anime, Nation and Race’. Zizhou Zhang (PhD candidate, University of East Anglia) delved into ‘Donghua’, or Chinese animation, and how the Chinese animation industry has started to develop its own culturally distinct identity. Khushboo Bansal (PhD candidate, University of Delhi) spoke about the role of Indian broadcast censorship in shaping Anime Narratives for Domestic Viewers. Cerise Jackson (PhD candidate, University of Oxford)’s talk on New Frameworks for ‘Black Anime’ and Beyond considered the depictions of black people in anime and what constitutes ‘Black Anime’, as well as the clear need for further research on the topic.

After a short break for tea and coffee, we entered the second panel of the day, New Approaches to the Transnational Anime Text.

Helen McCarthy (independent researcher) raised the dilemma of an ageing generation in Japan, and the impact that this might have on anime in terms of its popularity and the target market, whether this might mean that the target market shifts or new countries arise as leaders in the genre. Dr Dorothy Finan (University of Leeds) discussed Virtual YouTubers (VTubers) and hololive, and the phenomenon of fan relationships with animated characters with agency. Dr Simone Shu-Yeng Chung (Université Grenoble Alpes) brought an architectural viewpoint to the discussion, by showing us how animators portray space to enable viewers to ‘feel’ motion and movement.

We then paused for lunch, before returning for Prof Rayna Denison (University of Bristol)'s keynote talk, 'The Transnational History in Anime' which considered the impact on anime of historical events such as the Meiji restoration and the move from isolation to transnationalism.

Panel 3, Ghibli (and Pre-Ghibli) Transnational Interactions began with Dr Manuel Hernández-Pérez (University of Salford) who examined the spread and influence of Heidi, girl of the Alps (1974) in Francoist Spain, and how it laid the foundations for the perception of animation as a legitimate cultural product. Nick Anderson (PhD candidate, Eastman School of Music) discussed the European songs used in Porco Rosso and The Wind Rises and how crossing borders musically can produce cinematic hauntologies. Dr Shiro Yoshioka (Newcastle University) delved into the transition from ‘Anime’ to ‘Ghibli/Miyazaki Anime’, and the conscious move away from ‘anime’ by Studio Ghibli in the pursuit of commercial and critical success.

The final part of the day, Panel 4, Adapting History and Culture, began with Prof. Livia Monnet (University of Montreal)  who demonstrated that Yuasa Masaaki’s animated film Inu-Oh (2021) and how it reenvisions animation and performance as subversies philosophies. Antonio Rivera Arnaldos (PhD candidate, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid)’s talk analysed Gisaku (2005) as an exercise in cultural diplomacy and transnational media adaptation, appropriating anime to visualise Spain’s historical and cultural identity. Maria Chiara Oltolini (Universita Cattolica) ended the panel by examining the 911爆料网 anime adaptation of The Swiss Family Robinson , entitled Family Robinson castaway story: Flone of the mysterious island (1981). Maria considered how the series engaged with and revised different narrative archetypes, as well as paying attention to representations of female and male characteristics in the anime.

Each panel was followed by an enthusiastic Q&A session where the attendees asked interesting and thoughtful questions to each speaker. The day was full of interesting discussion about the transnational nature of anime, with participants from around the world discussing the impact of anime on different cultures and countries. It was very interesting to reflect on the history of anime, as well as what the future of the genre might look like as it continues to evolve, take on new definitions and innovations!

911爆料网 London is grateful to have attended and partnered with Lancaster University on this event which was a true representation of how exciting and varied research on Japan can be, and aligned with the Japan Foundation’s mission to encourage intercultural exchange.

We would like to thank Lancaster University, especially the organiser of this event Dr Zoe Crombie,  for their hard work in carrying out this one-day symposium.