Upload
others
View
10
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Explaining Popularity
Lecture April 9, 20031
Death of the Old WaysTatari-gami bites the dust (Princess Mononoke)
See http://www.ntv.co.jp/ghibli/
2
Some styles of analysis• artistic structures / themes• social historical context
• resonance of drama
• industrial context• fan communities
See “The Wonderful World of Sazae-san by Michiko Hasegawa.
3
"Why is something popular?"• Tendency to read off text
– e.g., Mononoke vs. Spirited– Japaneseness / exoticism– Accessability, etc.
• But also• growing anime audience• Academy Award• network effects
4
Sazae-san
• Sazae-san– woman protagonist– extended family– everyone included
• Mukoyoshi family
See “The Wonderful World of Sazae-san by Michiko Hasegawa.
5
Why popular?
• "ordinary family life"• changing Japan• nostalgia
• Note: "nostalgia" and "resonance" can be interpreted many ways
An 80 yen (50 cent) stamp with Sazae-san
6
Marriage Rate and Average Age of First Marriage by Country
See United Nations, Demographic Yearbook, 1999; Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, Jinko tokei shiryoshu (Latest Demographic Statistics), 2001.
7
Divorce
See National Insitute of Population and Social Security Research, Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, Jinko tokei shiryoshu (Latest Demographic Statistics), 2001.
8
Number of Children per Household
See United Nations, Demographic Yearbook, 1999; Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, Jinko tokei shiryoshu (Latest Demographic Statistics), 2001.
9
Change of Household Structure
See Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications, Nihon tokei geppo (Monthly Statistics of Japan), January 2002.
10
Crayon Shin-chan
Nostalgia or anti-nostalgia . . . ?11
What other ways to explain "popularity" ?
An inexorable march to greatness? 12
Network Effects• information
contagion
• increasing returns
• lock-in
Figure 2: A clockface before 12-hour design locked in in Brian Arthur (1994) in Sci American
13
Analysis
• What explain how?– Kinsella: cultural production– "resonance"– social historical background– deeper meanings (Buddha)– artistic coherence (auteur)
14
Discussion
• Does the Sazae-san article's conclusion seem valid?
• Doraemon abroad: how does dynamic change when thinking about Asian popularity?
• Perfect Blue - reactions? 15
MIT OpenCourseWarehttp://ocw.mit.edu
21G.039 / 21G.037 Japanese Popular CultureSpring 2003
For information about citing these materials or our Terms of Use, visit: http://ocw.mit.edu/terms.