"Experimental" Characteristics Of Japanese Commercial Animation

In recent years,Anime is expanding its influence worldwide as a powerful cultural export resources of Japan.In the United States Disney has long established its absolute "hegemony" in the field of animation,Japanese anime but in the beginning of the decades,become another and its rival animation business empire,such growth is impressive.Moreover,from the development and performance in recent decades,Japanese anime is no longer generally regarded as "just something to provide us with entertainment".The status of animation is a cultural phenomenon,which not only sweeps the world,but also becomes one of the national soft power exported by Japan.The growth history of Japanese commercial animation is a history of constantly rebelling against the "mainstream" and expanding its own boundaries and possibilities in the confrontation and dialogue with the "mainstream",which this paper summarizes it as an "experimental".Disney animation was the absolute "standard" of mainstream animation,but Japanese anime has "rebelled" against it after learning and imitating it.The reason is that American animation can not solve all the problems of Japanese anime.Politically,the "Internalization" of the United States in Japan after World War II,as an unavoidable fact,not only brings strong cultural influence,but also a potential trauma,making it impossible for Japanese animation to be presented in the form of "American Dream".Culturally,wabi-sabi,mono-no-aware and animism in traditional Japanese culture are different from western culture and can not draw nutrition from the United States.Therefore,only through "experiment" can they find an expression that fits the national culture.After the 1980 s,some types of Japanese anime have established their own "mainstream" form,but their internal "anti mainstream" consciousness is still constantly shown in their works.After the development of young and adult audiences,Japanese anime is "pervasive" for almost every type of theme,and the large volume of homogeneous works begin to flood.New directors must use their unique "experimental" to open up new expression methods and ways of survival.Some anime fans have gradually developed into more crazy “Otaku”.Otaku anime with postmodern cultural characteristics began to appear.Its expression and appeal are completely different from classical narration,and there has never been a similar expression in the history of world animation and Japanese anime.In this case,they must use extraordinary "experiment" and anti-traditional expression to surpass this "the end of animation history".Until the new century,many Japanese directors have made new attempts in the aspects of animation narration,form and role shaping,including the reflection on the noumenon of animation."Experimental" not only stimulates the creativity of Japanese animation with a contradictory representation within its commercial system,but also opens up another survival mode outside the cultural hegemony of American animation.This paper attempts to study this "experimental".Combined with the theoretical research methods of film,art and cultural research,this paper combs the "experiment" of Japanese anime from the three directions of animation narration,form and characterization.At the same time,the historical context and text close reading are combined to explain why Japanese anime is "experimental".The first chapter regards animation as a kind of " simulated image",and focuses on the narrative experimentation of Japanese anime when the animation medium becomes "transparent" and tends to the end of "story film".To summarize,the narrative techniques of Japanese anime include "duration" narrative,"game-like" narrative,and "interrupted" narrative,which were rarely used in mainstream animation.In addition,"death","anti-war","revolutionary failure" and other thematic intentions,which were rarely found in mainstream animation at that time,also contain a kind of experimentation in the narrative of Japanese commercial animation.The second chapter examines the experimental nature of the "signifier" end of animation,which is biased towards its symbol and painting attributes,and mainly analyzes the experimental nature of Japanese anime in form.Specifically,it includes the presentation form of "limited animation" in Japanese anime,"anti Celluloid style" lines and color surfaces,"shadowless" painting technique experiment,etc.The third chapter takes the "character" which combines the two attributes of "signifying" and "narrative" in animation as the keyword and coordinate system,and combs what experimental changes have taken place in the characterization with the development of Japanese anime history.Through the research and analysis of this paper,the "experimental" characteristics of Japanese commercial animation can be summarized into two points,that is,a kind of "alienation" and a kind of "anti-business" spirit.The reasons for this "experimental" in Japanese anime are not only the "rebellion" against Disney in the early stage,but also the transcendence of its own "mainstream" form in the later stage.This includes the spirit of good thinking and innovation of Japanese anime creators,but also the way to survive in the dilemma.Japanese anime has opened up a development model different from Disney in the United States in the "experiment",and is also constantly looking for ways of expression that fit the national culture.Up to now,it is still expanding its boundaries and possibilities,which have made "anime" and its special aesthetic style.