Introduction
Anime as a form of art presented a new storytelling method tailored for kids and adults. The link between cinema and anime is evident in the technology and storylines used (Grant & Henderson, 2019). Anime has greatly impacted the entertainment industry, making it one of the most recognized works of art. The influence manifests in Hollywood films incorporating the technique within their production style. The films apply art in their introduction, utilizing storytelling to offer a background story. The transition from anime to real characters plays a huge role in the psychological development of the film to its audience.
Background
The work of Hayao Miyazaki had positive reviews, indicating that Western culture was influenced by anime. Spirited Away provided its audience with a heartwarming and beautiful story. The detailed art form uses real-world concepts in its creations, ensuring the audience has a relatable side of the story. The film was released in 2001, becoming one of the best-performing anime ever produced (Cohen, 2020). Japan received the work as the highest-grossing anime in its history. Moreover, some awards accompanied the recognition of appreciating the effort and creativity of teams involved in their production. Spirited Away became the first-ever film to have achieved an academy award. The award was for the best-animated feature film showing how competitive the art form would be compared to prior mainstream content.
Evidence of Influence
Anime made its mark in the entertainment industry after being received in Western pop culture and incorporated into their work. Western cartoons are an indication of how the influence occurred. The proof can be seen in the facial expression of their characters, having borrowed features such as big round eyes. Teen Titans and Last Airbender are the most popular Western cartoons showing evidence (Vasquez, 2020). Anime has become part of the Western pop and cinema culture, and its productions are recognized as much as other films. The storytelling design influenced how the audience perceives and absorbs information from movies. Anime provides the entertainment industry with a source of inspiration in introducing new methods of storytelling. Some directors are inspired by anime to create other forms of movies, such as The Black Swan (Cohen, 2020). The film had a similar storyline to an anime called Perfect Blue, showing how different elements could blend between the two forms of media.
Exposure to Foreign Cultures
Sometimes, anime is doubted to fit young audiences due to the issues it covers and how they are expressed. Realistic concepts are covered in the stories that would only be understood through experience factoring in age restrictions. The influence on other films may not have a similar requirement, but its use raises questions about the appropriate audience. The Matrix, one of the most successful movies in Western culture, was influenced by anime (Grant & Henderson, 2019). The context of the film deals with real issues affecting people offering a solution to how one could identify them. The problems include being mentally trapped in the mainstream culture where one would be expected to perform their duty routinely monitored by artificial intelligence. The incorporation shows anime’s impact on Western pop culture and its effects. Anime offered a way of experiencing other cultures, the main being Japanese. The background used is mostly Asian, where there is a demonstration of Japanese foods and other life elements supporting their way of life.
References
Cohen, L. (2020). Circles, movement, and temporality: (Re) Animating the past in Hitchcock’s Vertigo and Miyazaki’s Spirited Away.
Grant, B. K., & Henderson, S. (2019). Comics and pop culture: Adaptation from panel to frame. University of Texas Press.
Vasquez, W. (2020). Anime as Avatar: Electracy and identity in Japanese media. California State University, Long Beach.