The Japanification of Children's Popular Culture From Godzilla to Miyazaki [Paperback]

This collection of nineteen essays provides a helpful overview of several media....As a whole, the book effectively illustrates often mutually beneficial networks connecting Japanese and American products from 1950s to the early 2000s. It provides helpful introductions to manga, film and television anime, and video games; discusses how they are related; analyzes a variety of the more popular series; and may be of special interest to educators.A variety of contributors discuss the impact of such Japanese cultural exports as anime, manga, and electronic/video games and explain why these forms of culture are so popular with many American children.Godzilla stomped his way into American movie theaters in 1956, and ever since then Japanese trends and cultural products have had a major impact on children's popular culture in America. This can be seen in the Hello Kitty paraphernalia phenomenon, the popularity of anime television programs like Pokemon and Dragon Ball Z, computer games, and Hayao Miyazaki's award-winning films, such as Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke. The Japanification of Children's Popular Culture brings together contributors from different backgrounds, each exploring a particular aspect of this phenomenon from different angles, from scholarly examinations to recounting personal experiences. The book explains the interconnections among the various aspects of Japanese influence and discusses American responses to anime and other forms of Japanese popular culture.Mark I. West is professor of English at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.