This week I finished off my first assignment for this module, since I am now done with my work for that, I can get back into my reading and research.
READING
First of all, I went ahead and downloaded the PDF of The New History of Animation by M. Furniss (I couldn’t find the PDF of Animation: The Global History anywhere online, despite a multitude of searching). I jumped straight ahead to read The Culture of Japanese Animation, since this has been a particular area of interest of mine for quite some time. I really enjoyed this, learning about Hayao Miyazaki’s life and work as well as some analysis of the particular techniques of iconic movies and some of the history that lead up to the visual communication and style. I found this to be super interesting, I myself have done a bit of independent research into Japan’s history as well as passively gaining knowledge from certain Lifestyle Japan Vloggers like Abroad in Japan (https://www.youtube.com/@AbroadinJapan) as well as others.
I then went and ordered the book I was supposed to read from Amazon, so that I could start to chip away at it too.
Then I went ahead and read some of the blogs from my favourite website around different cultures of animation, since this will be our main theme for our second Assignment.
This was a very interesting read, I have never particularly thought about animation from the country that I live in or down south and its impact on the world. I thought this was a passionate and intriguing article with nice information on animation made in Ireland.
I haven’t really delved into Chinese animation, but I do love Chinese art. I really enjoyed seeing the connections made to Tao and older ink paintings and how and why this worked well for their animation style in contrast to more Western approaches. The stlye reminded me of The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013 ).
The Aesthetic Features and Philosophy of Early Chinese Ink Painting Animation
Obviously, I adored this article. Since reading The New History of Animation, I have learnt about Miyazaki and his nature, but this let me learn about his partner Isao Takahata. I love that this writer was able to add a personal touch by talking about his experience with lectures from and how he displayed his research on Takahata’s personal nature and his work, showing that you don’t necessarily need to had a talent in artistry, but instead creativity and being able to communicate these can go a long way instead.
Isao Takahata (1935-2018): A Towering Presence in Japan’s Postwar Animation
WATCHING
This week I went ahead and watched Spirited Away, Grave of the Fireflies and Perfect Blue
Spirited Away will always be one of my favourite Japanese animated films, I was shown it in Secondary school after already adoring anime and all things Japan growing up, and I was shown the behind the scenes clips of when Haku is chased by the paper cranes. I think it is just an amazing piece of animation that has wonder for kids and adults alike, while also housing a deeper meaning when u look into it.
Perfect Blue was frightening for me. The way it plays with the psychology of Mima’s perception as well as ours results in this amazing twist towards the end. The way it plays with mature themes and contrasts them with this regret of delving into acting careers is amazing and relatable, its about overcoming risks and having this dread in the back of your mind. The way the plot plays with the acting that Mima takes up also creates this warped perception of the audience and plays with the disorientation. I just adored every moment of Satoshi Kon’s work, and I look forward to learning more about him and his work.
Grave of The Fireflies I was not prepared for. A lot of the Ghibli films that I had been watching up to this point were largely focussed on create whimsy and magic, but Grave of The Fireflies was so different. With the focus on two orphans in and after World War 1 in Japan, it is a tragic tale and I haven’t felt a loss that strong in a while. The way that we were shown what happened at the start and then taken through leading up to our main characters fate leading up to the loss of his sister was beautiful and hard-hitting, I really enjoyed this film despite how much I cried
And the book came!
Overall, since last weeks high stress of the assignment it was nice to have a more laid back and casual one for some independent reading that coincided with my current interests.