FINAL MAJOR PROJECT
PRACTICAL SKILLS & PRODUCTION
Contextual Research
Belle Brainstorming
Calling attention to my planning process, it was time to begin production on my first review that would be addressing Mamoru Hosoda's most recent work - Belle. Following my noted attention to factors such as linking my writing to the title presented as well as deciding on a specific target audience, I feel confident in my abilities to showcase the ideology behind the themes of grief, abuse and self-acceptance that Hosoda presents through this film. I am required to generate an array of ideas for my review and then move on to structuring these said ideas into something comprehensive for the reader. The flow of writing is comprehensively important, especially when it comes to describing movies and the events that occur through the duration of the run-time - along with the concepts they attempt to present to the viewer. It's my obligation to analyse and pick apart these ideals in a way that addresses my readership.
I am aiming to direct my writing towards a well-informed and intellectual demographic; particularly those who have prior experience when it comes to this category of animation. I believe that this isn't far-fetched as this genre is typically aimed towards a more mature audience in contrast to other animated works. This hence ties into the sophistication of the subject matters put forward.
When it comes to Belle, I have a multitude of thoughts and ideas about the movie that I wish to express through my writing - assisted with the use of imagery from the film itself. As well as the topics at hand that Belle introduces, I additionally would like to cover the story, characters and their arcs, along with the basis and technical information about the movie. This matters a substantial deal to me as the animation itself is what initially stuck out to me. The transition between 3D and 2D animation felt incredibly immersive. Other factors also stood out - such as the music exhibited in the movie also subsequently being dubbed into English. This was extremely impressive to me as this is a difficult concept to execute, taking note of the drastic different between Japanese and English; in spite of this, however, the English music sounded just as exceptional as the Japanese. This is in fact not a common practice for dubbed films. The protagonist's voice actor harboured a magnificent singing voice no matter the language.
Belle is first introduced with a flurry of flowers and prosperous music - a huge presence about her identity from the get-go. Flowers, in most cases, represent love and beauty. The viewer is promptly intrigued as to who she is and how she gained this massive following; the story behind her character.
A prominent motif I noticed for the duration of Belle was its commentary of escapism and how as a notion it isn't inherently bad. Escapism can be used to escape the day-to-day responsibilities and struggles we are often presented with; this is a motivation for a majority of characters in the movie and also consequently links to the audience, as we too can use animation as a means to tread into the territory of another world and to run away from our own. If Suzu, the main character, had opted to endorse in this conception and neglected her true self for the sake of Belle, her alternate self, then the film would have taken a completely different turn. We can even chiefly see this at the beginning of the movie. However, rather than becoming another person and intending to start over in the world of U entirely, Suzu takes this opportunity to embrace herself as an individual and use Belle to overcome her inner struggles - soaring in confidence and strength. The character of the Dragon plays an important role in this process. I believe that, if the Dragon had not interrupted her concert, Suzu would have lacked the motivation to better herself as it would not be relying on the sake of somebody else. Suzu needed that push in order to manifest the courage to grow.
To address some of the flaws I noticed, I would say that Belle attempts to tell a multitude of stories at the same time - causing it to often feel confusing for the viewer. I feel as though there was too much going on in both the world of U and reality, when the film should have chosen to focus near-exclusively on Belle and the Dragon. The other side stories did not hold as much relevance or importance to the story as the key plotline. Hence, this then led to inconsistent pacing and a somewhat rushed ending. A majority of the stories that were brought to the table ultimately had a lacking ending that did not feel satisfying to the audience; those who I went to see the movie with on the opening day swiftly agreed with these foregoing points.
Title Selection
Deciding upon a title, for the most part, was a simple generation of ideas and then switching a few words around; from my pitch, I had already gathered something of substance for the title of my review and I only wanted to expand upon this. I wanted to take into account the relevance of the use of the internet within Belle and how that is taken advantage of in particular to drive the story and inspire Suzu to develop as a character and an individual. Regardless, I attempted to list some other titles to be taken into consideration. I figured that it would be beneficial to rule out other choices before conclusively picking just one.
First, I settled on How the Internet Can Be Used for Self-Discovery, primarily due to this being along the lines of what I had thought of originally - however, upon further reconsideration, I changed this to Prompt, as the word seemed to fit better to me personally. Therefore, my final title was How the Internet Can Prompt Self-Discovery.
Structure and Composition
Providing structure to my writing would be essential - as a reviewer, I must ensure that my viewers can read clearly and concisely and follow along as such. To gain somewhat of an idea of as to how I wanted to present my material, I found a template that will break down each of my paragraphs; I will likely be using this with my future reviews in order to maintain consistency.
Sourced from: https://cdn-educators.brainpop.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/paragraph_graphic_organizer.png
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Research References
During my writing, I used two articles that I provided in my proposal for the use of sourcing and referencing. In particular, I was certain that I wanted to look into the review written by Victoria Davis as her way of working is exceptionally similar to my own - we both have the same thought process behind our writing and aim to cover the same ideologies. Therefore, her review on Belle and becoming your truest self served as a stable starting point and allowed me to build upon my own knowledge with outside input. I appreciate the way that she addresses relevant and sensitive issues with maturity and as to how these same issues are portrayed in animation; her review based on Belle, to provide an example, inspired me to produce my own primarily based on the same morals.
Source: https://www.awn.com/animationworld/mamoru-hosodas-belle-learning-become-your-truest-self
As well as this, I also ventured into other articles that delved in-depth into the other various topics that are shown throughout Belle; with input from the director, Mamoru Hosoda, to help further expand my outlook on the movie supported through his personal interpretation.
A review addressing the positive standpoint of living live within a virtual world mentioned and on top of this progressed my plan to mention one of Hosoda's other works, Summer Wars. This was written by Carlos Aguilar.
Additional Sources:
https://www.thewrap.com/belle-film-review-mamoru-hosoda-anime/
https://www.theweek.co.uk/arts-life/culture/film/955727/film-review-belle
The Audience and Escapism
Within my review, I will be seeking to introduce the essential idea of escapism and as to how it correlates with the audience, as well as Japanese society; the virtual world as well as fiction are two aspects that heavily tie into this factor. Belle, as a concept, is a movie that is about wanting to run away from who you truly are and instead adapt into an alter ago - an online persona. Subsequent to the end of World War II in the late 1950s, birth rates in Japan have been dropping drastically - with the country being known for having some of the lowest in the world. In a little more than one decade, the birth rate went down by more than one-half, from a total fertility rate (TFR) of 4.5 children per woman in 1947 to 2.0 in 1957. In the mid-1970s, childbearing in Japan started dropping further. Since 2000, Japan’s TFR has fluctuated between 1.3 and 1.4 children per woman. In Japan's capital, Tokyo, the birth rate is at 1.13 – the lowest in the country. Throughout the pandemic, this number has only continued to drop. More than 20% of the country's population is older than 65. The country's total population stood at 124 million in 2018 - but by 2065 it is expected to have dropped to about 88 million.
• Last year, the Japanese government announced that the number of births fell to 840,832 in 2020, a dip of 2.8% from the year before and the lowest since records began in 1899.
• Birthrates in Japan are falling faster than excepted.
• The pandemic and economic uncertainty have caused a decline in birthrates globally.
https://www.wionews.com/world/now-japans-birth-rate-hits-new-low-amid-pandemic-389472
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/06/05/asia/japan-birth-rate-2020-intl-hnk/index.html
This growing issue is due to a multitude of reasons. Initially, I wondered if anime and otaku culture being an especially major part of Japanese society served as a part of the problem - in reality, I discovered that the blame could be laid with the lack of job opportunities. In 1960, 97 percent of men age 25-29 were employed, but by 2010 this number had dropped to 86 percent. Over the same period, young women's employment rates increased dramatically - from 50 percent in 1960 to 72 percent in 2010. Furthermore, following COVID-19, there has been an increase in economic uncertainty; in a culture that places a great amount of pressure upon success and fortune, this has serious implications for marriage as well as childbearing. A large portion of men who are employed are only employed on a temporary basis. Consequently, this leads to men being perceived as a failure and therefore undesirable to the public eye - considering that Japanese couples, in most cases, only have children after marriage, this contributes to the evolving problem. Even if those in a poor financial situation still wanted to have children of their own, this may still be looked down upon by parents as well as outsiders; leading to the option feeling as though its unviable. If this continues, its fair to assume that the rates will persist to drop for quite some time to come.
Additionally, women who are also searching for a regular basis of work also tend to experience difficulty in this sector - having unpredictable hours and pay wages, this severely affects the consideration of raising a family. Moreover, Japan continues to persist with traditional ideologies of gender division that place heavy obligations on women for household maintenance and childcare; roughly 70 percent of women quit working shortly after having their first child, and tend to rely on their husband as a source of income. In 2009, Japanese wives at reproductive ages spent an average of 27 hours per week on household tasks, minus childcare, while husbands spent an average of 3 hours per week. Even women who were employed fulltime spent more than 20 hours per week on housework. Aside from this, parenting in Japan also proves to be demanding - above all, it is the mother's responsibility to cater to their needs and to also ensure that they persevere when placed into a highly competitive education system. Due to this, women typically have no other choice but to find a prosperous man to form a relationship with; with expectations remaining high and women slowly starting to grow tired of the lack of available men, this is no easy feat.
Japan remains to have a long history of overwork; with there even being a Japanese word for death by being overworked - karoshi. Since the Great Recession, companies have recognised that good and well-paid jobs are difficult to come by in Japan; leading to harsher working conditions as well as a lack of overtime pay. Companies have a tendency to primarily hire those between their 20s and 30s; acknowledging that those who fall into this age gap are typically the most desperate to find a regular job to cater for. It's common for these companies to then force their employees to work for long, draining hours - assuming that they will not be able to adapt to the grating environment. These corporations have the opportunity to exploit their workers as much as they see fit.
Sources: https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/07/japan-mystery-low-birth-rate/534291/
https://www.eastwestcenter.org/publications/low-fertility-in-japan%E2%80%94no-end-in-sight
With this in mind, we are led to the following question - how does anime and otaku culture influence this altercation? Overall, it could be said that it's more so a symptom of the problem, as opposed to the cause. The rising consumption of anime and other related material is how those choose to spend their time and money rather than on the opposite sex; rather, anime as well as its culture didn't appear to be bustling throughout the 70s and 80s in contrast to our present day. If birth rates were already below the replacement ratio by the 80’s, then anime cannot be the sole cause.
Sources: https://www.quora.com/Do-you-think-anime-and-manga-is-a-cause-of-Japan-s-declining-birth-rate
https://honeysanime.com/how-japans-birth-rate-affects-anime/
Regardless, this concept ties into the idea of escapism; and as to how animation can be used to attempt to escape our day-to-day responsibilities. In addition to this, the grinding conditions of Japanese society could also contribute to this. Belle goes on to cover these themes in comprehension.
Throughout our time on the course, we have looked into psychographic and psychometric profiles. This provides a psychometric method of categorisation; mainly specific to advertising and marketing towards a specific demographic. An audience is the people giving attention to something and a target audience is the intended audience of a media product.
When considering an audience group, you must consider the following:
Age
Gender
Occupation
Education
These categories are not fixed and can be quite stereotypical.
Occupation groups:
• A - lawyers, doctors, scientists and well-paid professionals
• B - teachers, middle-management, fairly well paid professionals
• C1 - junior management, bank clerks, nurses, 'white collar professional'
• C2 - electrician, plumbers, carpenters, 'blue-collar professions'
• D - manual workers e.g. drivers and postal workers
• E - students, unemployed, pensioners
Source: https://jacobgreen8125.blogspot.com/2019/09/audience-in-media-audience-we-look-at.html
This method of profiling was developed by Young and Rubicam - an American marketing and communications company. Fundamentally, psychometric categorisation falls into seven main types of individuals. These are The Aspirer, The Explorer, The Mainstreamer, The Reformer, The Resigned, The Succeeder, and finally, which we will be discussing, The Struggler. To gain more insight into the concept itself as well as the other types listed, I ask you to please refer to my other portfolio.
The Struggler, in essence, seeks to escape; they tend to not think about the future, and see themselves as slaves to society - victims with only their physical skills to contribute. This correlates with the hefty nature of Japanese society, especially; but can also be linked to Western audiences. Simply put, fans of animation and are also part of the community resort to using animation and the constructed characters to distract themselves from reality - becoming immersed in another world and a fantastical story can be somewhat of a coping mechanism, helping us bear with the weight of our burdens. The protagonist, Suzu, who struggles with the trauma that comes with losing her mother at a young age, transforms into her other self as Belle, who is outspoken and able to express herself through a virtual platform. This is parallel and serves as a metaphor to the majority of the audience watching the film - especially taking into account that this is a film written and produced in Japan. I will be sure to cover this within my review.
Source: https://schaerbsmmedia.weebly.com/theory/psychometrics
Sourcing Imagery
The use of imagery within my review is essentially crucial when it comes to the structure of my writing - by using imagery, I will be able to provide reference for my readers based on the particular scene that I am currently discussing. Considering that Belle is rather popular, having been shown in cinemas earlier this year, I was fortunately able to gather a wide array of images to take advantage of for my review. Regarding this, I will of course ensure to provide copyright to Studio Chizu for the art and only use official works; as I need to be careful as to when it comes to plagiarism.
Furthermore, I attempted to only look into images that have been used in other public content in order to avoid any potential legal trouble.
Source: https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bhfGMw5w1bzuc_IF6y78ThV0960=/0x0:2048x858/1200x675/filters:focal(861x266:1187x592)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70390632/BELLE_Image01.0.jpg
Source: https://www.animationmagazine.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/8ec72c6a_1000x600.jpg
Source: https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b637c76e17ba3724ec64dcb/4187c138-7438-4f5b-a569-419398da6b68/Geeky-Waffles-Belle-Spoiler-Free-Review-Suzu-Naito.png
Source: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEFsUIzWUAAZbX4.jpg:large
Source: https://gkids.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/BELLE_Still03_2021-10-06_01_38_51_22-1024x429.png
Now, I was able to start work on my review; beforehand, I confirmed with my tutor that I would be able to write and then submit my review to him for proofreading and editing. Thus, I would be able to expand upon my review until it reached its best standard of quality. Following my research as well as the brief idea of my structure that I had developed, I felt prepared to begin writing.
Additionally, after a brief discussion, we concluded that I would also be able to publish my work onto the Miskin Views website. This will provide me with more material as a writer, journalist and reviewer, taking into account that it would be available on a public domain. However, this meant that I would have to locate other sources of imagery - as we are unsure as to whether or not we can use official photos from the movie itself without any possible complications.
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Implementing Edits
Ensuing the edits supplied to me from my tutor, I was told that afterwards, my review would then be ready to publish onto my portfolio. Although, I still had to lay out my writing with imagery as I had initially planned.
In order to do this, I settled upon using the Blog feature on Wix - by tweaking this, it would allow me to construct a format that appeared visually similar to other sites that I am using for inspiration, e.g., Crunchyroll, Animation World Network and Tokyo Otaku Mode, to name only a few. Furthermore, it would consume less time but still distribute the same satisfactory result that I am seeking. Originally, I believed that it would be for the best if I simply conformed my Final Production page to look much like an excerpt from one of these websites; if I were to hypothetically have one to my name. To be specific, this would mean designing my portfolio in a manner akin to a homepage featuring the reviews that I have written.
After talking through this process with my tutor, however, I was provided with two options - that being, I could move forward with my aforementioned plans to play with the arrangement of my portfolio to issue a snippet of what the anime review-based platform would look like if I were to create one, or I could make a separate website to present this information. At this stage, I had already designed my portfolio throughout the spring break, as according to my schedule; meaning, if I were to select the second option, I would have to assemble yet another site to display my concurrent material. In spite of this, though, I would undoubtedly have a substantial amount of creative freedom with the appearance of the website itself and would remain faithful to the other platforms that have influenced my choices up until this point. Therefore, regardless of it most likely not posing a problem, after giving it some thought I have opted to fabricate a second website. I am fully aware that this is the more difficult option for me - with this not factoring into my earlier schedule - but in view of my contemporary workload and my steady pace, I do not think I will fall behind as long as I ensure to do this in my spare time at home. I will still be taking full advantage of my days within college to write my reviews despite this. I would rather challenge myself for the sake of achieving a distinction grade as opposed to not.
As of writing, I have written two reviews; with the thorough plan and production of the second review based on the two movies Sing a Bit of Harmony and Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop following shortly. I believe that it would prove to be beneficial if I countered this issue sooner rather than later - hence why I will cover this stage of the project beforehand. I will have to modify the layout and re-upload both of the pieces of writing in any case.
Referring to Belle - I have implemented the edits made, and the full review can be read below. I will assemble my second website and then I will be moving on to the layout and publishing section of the process established. I may make small changes as I see fit.
Drafting the Animalysis Website
When producing my website, I ensured to take my target audience into account - I wanted my site to have a somewhat formal yet bold approach, with the use of dark as well as light colours for complimentary details. I am seeking to establish my own identity as a writer, after all; therefore, I thought it would prove to be beneficial if I went with a colour palette that did not stray entirely away from my previous theme. I grasped an idea for my desired colour scheme by searching for light colours that are most commonly used in branding. I initially planned to use brighter colours, with orange being the dominant shade - but then I recalled that a popular platform that I endorse in myself named Crunchyroll already makes use of this. Therefore, to prevent my own title from clashing with theirs, I decided to go with lighter colours. When it comes to branding, this is a key fundamental; individuals often link certain colours, for example, with certain companies. From my brief time in Graphic Design, this is what I have learnt and I am additionally striving to apply the knowledge I have developed throughout my time on that course to my work with journalism. My tutor, upon going into this project, explained to me that visuals and presentation will play an essential part in this project and my goal to gain a distinction grade - therefore, I will be using my prior experience to my own advantage. Eventually, I came across a palette that comprised of a selection of pastel colours that I believed fit well together and would contrast with the darker hues I would be using.
Pastel Colours in Design: https://medium.com/sketch-app-sources/how-to-use-pastel-colors-in-your-designs-15-wonderful-pastel-color-schemes-e9a8108dbff9
As for the text, as my platform is based on rather formal writing, I opted to use a professional yet simple font. Through this, I was able to strike the balance between casual and orderly. I also wanted my recent reviews to be available on the front page for easier accessibility.
Fonts:
Museo
Museo Slab
Namely, I based the design on Animation World Network due to my liking of their simplistic layout and as to how their theming suited my own - with the use of colours to highlight specific details. However, in contrast to this, I preferred how Tokyo Otaku Mode presented its information, consisting of a wide array of imagery and categories. Considering that I will not be able to produce an entire website given my current timeframe, the categories that I aim to implement into my own will unfortunately not be functional; however, I desire to add features such as these to give the impression of what I would potentially be able to create if I were to hypothetically have my own platform. Generally, this will be modelled after my impression of what I envision it to look like as a means for me to present my writing. Moreover, I took notice of the fact that these platforms typically have these particular categories displayed in different sections on the homepage - for me, this is not exactly achievable as I will only be producing a total of four reviews - along with this, I cannot emulate this result as this feature requires having written content sorted into different genres. To compensate for this, I will ensure to add all of the content that I have assembled and attempt to display them in a manner that will materialise in a way that is akin to the websites I am currently using for reference.
Animation World Network: https://www.awn.com/
Tokyo Otaku Mode: https://otakumode.com/news
Crunchyroll: https://www.crunchyroll.com/en-gb/news
Following my schedule, I have allocated myself an approximate two weeks after finishing all four of my reviews to affirm that my work and research throughout production is as efficient as it can possibly be - with consistent effort, I still do believe that this is more than enough time for me to also continue to build upon my website. Taking into account that, as of writing, I am in the ongoing process of writing my last review, I must be prepared to continue writing and to finish that beforehand instead of focusing the entirety of my time on the presentation of my site. I cannot allow myself to fall behind due to attributes of my platform that I can continue to design and construct afterwards. Considering this, I have managed to put together my website to a satisfactory standard for the time being; more so that I now have a stable webpage to upload the material that I have already completed up until this point onto. If I were to delay this process any longer, I will not be allowing myself enough time to thoroughly record the stages of production I am traversing. I will highlight any further development regarding my website in this section of my portfolio ensuing the procedure of publishing my reviews.
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Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop and Sing a Bit of Harmony - Connecting Ideas
For this review, the link that I had recognised between these two movies was the use of music within storytelling and how it can be used to form connections between the characters as well as the audience - this was what I wanted the focal point of this review to be. Instead of producing two separate pieces of writing on these two works, I believed that it would be better to form them into one and to highlight the correlations between the both of them. Whilst it remains true that music indeed does carry the two of these narratives, the way in which they achieve this is vastly different between the two; therefore, I am also seeking to highlight the contrast between both of the works and as to how they present their individual morals and ideologies.
As for Sing a Bit of Harmony, the film showcases the concept of happiness in a complex manner that prompts the viewer to question what exactly the meaning behind happiness is - and how its primarily up to your own personal interpretation. Furthermore, Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop is a tale about insecurity and overcoming your own vulnerabilities in order to build connections with other people. In this movie, music in itself supports the concurrent story by being a prime factor that motivates the two main characters to grow closer to one another; banding together on a quest to retrieve the record created by an elder man's late wife, they seek to find the song that brought the two together. Through the duration of the movie, we learn that the song, "YAMAZAKURA", that was sung by the late wife, is a parallel between the relationship she had formed with her husband and the relationship that begins to blossom between the protagonists introduced to us at the start of the film. Sing a Bit of Harmony, however, is modelled somewhat like a musical - using music in a literal way to compel people to become closer with those surrounding them. One of the main characters, Shion, is an AI that expresses her feelings through song. Therefore, this essentially captures the difference in itself; between expressing your feelings through music, and expressing your feelings because of music. That is what I mainly aim to call attention to within my review.
Much like my previous piece of work on Belle, I decided that it would be for the best if I managed to note down my ideas before beginning to draft my review. I have circled certain points that I have made that can be said for both movies - to make a focal point of the similarities shared and what stands out as different between the two.
Title Selection
Alongside the other sheet above, I also decided to think of various other titles to use for my review; as I had hastily thrown together a rough draft when it came to presenting my pitch, I wanted to expand upon my initial idea further to create a title that I myself felt content with and what I believed correlated the most with what I planned to write.
After some thought, I opted with Using Music to Form Connections - as this is the topic at hand that I will be exploring in comprehension. Furthermore, I felt as though it fit into place much better than what I had previously thought of; as my writing will now mainly be revolving around the idea of as to how music can be used to build relationships with those around us and how it carries the narrative differently between these two movies.
Notes and Outside Input
To further expand upon my own insight and to aid with my structure, I decided to gain some secondary input from some other platforms - taking into account that I had used written reviews prior, I now wanted to take a look at some reviews on YouTube to explore as to how a different format can be used to construct a compelling piece of work that will entice the viewer. Considering that I often watch these in my personal time, I believe that this will assist me in my own piece of work at hand and will also allow me to see some things from a different angle - and hence implement this into my own review.
Additionally, I can also take inspiration from the way in which these videos format their composition of the review itself and use this to mould my own structure.
Through this, I opened Notepad and was able to quickly type down what I deemed to be noteworthy and relevant to the themes I was covering alongside the video playing in the background. Due to this nature, they are extremely rushed and are only for the sole purpose for me to refer back to; I have attached the file below in spite of this, as it is an important part of my research. All in all, this proved to be a far faster process compared to before and I also retrieved a vast amount of information. I aim to continue this process going forward with this project. Taking after other creators within the community will help me to develop my own individual skillset.
Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWnxujp4YgM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vg53hQ9N_BE
Japan and Idol Culture
One of the main protagonists in Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop, Smile, is renowned within the movie's universe for being an online sensation; a specific type of internet celebrity within Japan is typically known as a net idol. This is a subcategory part of the growing idol industry in the country. In Japanese pop culture, idols have become somewhat of an idealistic dream that multiple young women strive to reach for. Most commonly, they are marketed based on their image, their beauty as well as their personality - a large part of this career is maintaining a parasocial relationship with your loyal fanbase. Today, over 10,000 teenage girls in Japan are idols, with over 3,000 groups active. Japan's idol industry has been used as a model for other pop idol industries, such as K-pop.
• Net idols first emerged in the 1990s through personal websites and blogs when Internet became more accessible, with some selling personal merchandise such as photo books through their websites.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_idol
Taking this into account, I wanted to discuss Smile's persona that she showcases to her fans online and as to how it affects her identity as an individual - and furthermore, how the unhealthy obsession that was formulated around this culture is the prime reason behind her issues with her own appearance. I have hence decided to look into the details behind idols in Japan and instances of fans building their own perception of the individual they idolise. Being part of the community, I have read through multiple stories and situations of idols being harassed or threatened by their fans as they have passed by; which is what led me to want to delve into this subject matter. Through this, I will be able to grasp a further understanding of Smile as a character and hence implement this knowledge into my review.
Whilst on the outside, being an idol adored by many may seem to be an exciting and intriguing experience, there is in actuality a dark side to harbouring this position that a majority of people are not aware of or simply do not want to acknowledge.
Idols in Japan are not only there to entertain, but are to also fill the role of someone for young people to look up to. Due to this, the way that the public perceives them must remain positive despite all circumstances; idols are required to consistently maintain the character that they put on display and to have a flawless image. Additionally, they most commonly have to put in hours of vigorous work and training in order to conserve their position as an influencer. One misstep could lead to them losing their career, fans, family, friends or connections they have made along the way. In a country where social status and pressure still remains prominent, the work that brings reward can potentially be cruel and unforgiving.
Along with this, idols are intended to be pure and flawless - sweet and angelic. Factors such as these are deemed as attractive and compelling in Japan. Idols are always expected to give off the impression that they are romantically unattached and sexually inexperienced. Notably, idols are for the most part ineligible to have any sort of relationship alongside their career; if this secret were to be uncovered by the media, their career is more than likely to be over and will undoubtedly spark outrage amongst their dedicated fans. To put this into perspective, with idols mainly coinciding of young women between their teenage and early adult years, they must essentially make the sacrifice of never having a romantic life of any means. Otherwise, this would inevitably taint the innocent façade they are forced to preserve.
To expand upon this, though this does not correlate with Smile as a character but still remains worth mentioning, there are also many reports of idols experiencing sexual harassment throughout their career. Japan, as a country, still has an extremely blatant issue with harassment against women - even with minors. This is also projected through works of fiction. Despite as to how there have been numerous allegations of abuse and harassment, next to no action is ever taken. Forbye, idols are typically exploited for their image and are displayed and objectified to the point of barely qualifying as a human being; more so a concept.
In situations where idols are able to meet with their fans face-to-face, there have been a multitude of accounts as to where male fans especially have acted unsettling - going as far as to threaten or intimidate those who are available at these events.
Sources: https://jpninfo.com/12837
All in all, this popular type of culture within Japan is what drives Smile to feel so insecure about herself as an individual. With the widespread belief of idols appearing to be perfect, Smile's buck teeth - which are interpreted as flaws, to her - go against the standards cemented into place for her career. This is only enhanced by the unrealistic beauty standards for women that have and still are placed upon them.
Ironically, this contrasts with the trend of this being recognised as a sign of youthfulness and natural beauty in Japan - predominantly in young women. This term is called yaeba. There are some who take a liking to this appearance due to the childlike, cute impression it instates. In 2013, it had even become a brief trend, to the extent where teenage girls would undergo dental procedures to cap their upper canines. This is deemed as a factor that is unique to Japan as a country.
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaeba
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Structure and Composition
Using the other media that I had consumed as reference, this time I decided to form my structure based around the notes I had taken; before, this process took a chunk out of my time that, whilst on occasion would not be too bad, but whilst on a schedule it will set me back if I have to note down every paragraph that I am writing. Therefore, after having a brief discussion with my tutor, I was told that it would prove to work better if I simply noted down what I believed to be the important paragraphs that stood out within my review and important points that I wish to highlight.
With this being said, I will not be planning and dissecting each individual paragraph that I write from this point onwards - as long as I am able to establish a basic foundation for my writing, I think this will be alright and will save me some more time for my research and drafting. I will, however, still be using the same template from before as it assisted me in putting my thoughts down into paper and implementing them into a coherent formation for my readers.
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Sourcing Imagery
Again, I have opted to include the images that I made use of throughout my review; due to these movies having a more niche nature, it was difficult to find photos from the each of them. Due to this, for one of the images, I had to screenshot from one of the videos that I linked to above. This image will subsequently not be included here. As for the rest, I have noted the links for reference down below.
Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop Sources:
https://wallpapercave.com/wp/wp9592953.jpg
https://mvcdn.fancaps.net/6240983.jpg
https://menafn.com/updates/pr/2021-07/23/N_a4b3df10-e_Image_In_Body.jpeg
Sing a Bit of Harmony Sources:
https://images.fanart.tv/fanart/sing-a-bit-of-harmony-6152a7e87bc04.jpg
https://wehco.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2022/01/20/platform_0121.jpg
https://lrmonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/SABOH_04_Still-Gallery-1024x576.jpg
Writing and Drafting
Following my planned structure, as well as the imagery I had sourced and gathered, I began to draft my review accordingly - afterwards, I submitted the copy of the document to my tutor for proofreading and editing as per my schedule. In the meantime, I continued to work on my research alongside designing my website to suit my identity as a writer.
The initial version of this review can be downloaded below.
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Diegetic and Non-Diegetic Sound
Ensuing a conversation with my tutor, I as informed that it would be favourable towards my work and research if I were to look into the use of diegetic and non-diegetic sound. Considering that music will be the focal point of this review, I agreed and opted to look into as to how this concept is applied to other works in order to develop a further understanding of how to implement it into my own. Diegetic music is music that exists and can be heard within the film's universe - this can hence be said for not only music, but all sounds that are heard by the characters inside of the world. The source of diegetic sound doesn't necessarily need to be seen on screen, as long as the audience understands that it is coming from something within the film. This can consist of dialogue exchanged between characters, music emanating from the film, or any sound effects that effuse from objects. Non-diegetic, in contrast, is music that does not exist within the film's universe; traditional film scores typically fit into this category - some other examples can include narration or sound effects added in post-production. The characters are unable to hear this sound. Additionally, trans-diegetic music is when the source of the music transitions from diegetic to non-diegetic - or non-diegetic to diegetic. This logic can be related to transitions between scenes. Two instances can be provided for this - one being character humming a tune (diegetic sound) and that humming sound turning into an orchestral version of the same tune (non-diegetic sound), which carries over into the next scene - another being music that plays over the opening sequence of a film then transforming into a song that can be heard from the character's radio. This eases the audience into the move-going experience.
Sources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJpqTOTIwhA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zhTSOXX_70
Predominantly, I decided to look into the popular movie Baby Driver as a sole example. I found a rather intriguing video that explains the use of sound within this film in-depth that developed upon my own knowledge. Notably, Baby Driver takes advantage of music in order to convey its narrative to the audience; the sounds that can be heard throughout the film, such as the revving of an engine or the blaring of an alarm, are integrated into the rhythm of the music. Films are able to take advantage of this notion to explicitly tell their own story in their own unique manner. The protagonist of Baby Driver most commonly wears his earphones, meaning that both the viewer and the main character are sharing the same sound accordingly - and through this logic are experiencing the concurring events as one in the same. This allows us to be placed into the character's position and to grasp somewhat of a feel of the situation they are placed into.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6O6oOMZOxp4
In Sing a Bit of Harmony, a scene that immediately comes to mind for me is the Lead Your Partner sequence of the movie - which I will be briefly analysing now.
In the beginning of this scene, we see one of the characters play the music on their phone - meaning, that this sound is diegetic and can be heard by the characters as well as the audience. However, what I also took notice of was that approximately midway through, this cuts to two of the other characters at a different location having a discussion amongst themselves; with the music still faintly playing in the background. It then returns to its full volume as we refer back to the previous setting. Therefore, through this we can conclude that the film also takes advantage of trans-diegetic sound in this scenario in order to cut between the two state of affairs that are taking place.
Aside from this, the film primarily consists of diegetic sound - with it being laid out in a manner that is similar to a musical. The protagonist, Shion, expresses her feelings through song to those around her. Therefore, the musical numbers are mainly present and cohesive to the other characters throughout the movie.
In contrast to this, Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop to a great degree makes use to non-diegetic sound. The music is used to accentuate the ongoing narrative and to compliment the 80s aesthetic the movie is striving to achieve. To key case in which the music is diegetic serves to be an important plot point and as to what the audience has been anticipating - where both the viewer and the characters are finally able to hear the record they had been searching for throughout the duration of the film. Therefore, taking this into account, this only amplifies the impact that the song has upon those who watch the movie as well as the cast of characters who had eagerly been seeking to listen to the record.
Implementing Edits
After retrieving the above edits from my tutor, I was then ready to publish my second review addressing Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop and Sing a Bit of Harmony; additionally, I decided that I wanted the cover image of my review to reflect the two movies I would be discussing. Therefore, I took two of the sourced images and patched them together. Through this, the reader will immediately be able to tell the difference between this review and the others - the fact that it would be calling attention to two films as opposed to one. I constructed this by opening the software that I typically use to draw or edit and by pasting one on top of the other; separated by a line. This can be easily seen below.
Moreover, the finished document with the aforementioned edits is available for access.
Promare - Passion and Oppression
Moving onwards, I had initially planned to next write a review about the movie Josee, the Tiger and the Fish - however, I instead opted to leave that for last as I believe the themes that the film introduces to the audience would feel well-suited for the final review that I would be publishing. Therefore, I simply switched to writing about Promare; considering that I know this movie like the back of my own hand, it was also much easier to write about this in comprehension due to my already developed knowledge and insight on Promare's characters and narrative.
Overall, I wanted to call attention to the underlying message beneath the story of Promare and as to how these issues are typically neglected in a vast amount of media - especially within Japan due to its oppressive nature. Minorities, specifically, are still targeted and looked down upon on a large scale throughout the world; I would be aspiring to highlight the problems faced notably in Japan and the influence that the culture has over the general public. Being part of the LGBT Community, as one example, is still not something that is embraced and accepted in most Asian countries. In many cases, this leads to people often portraying these struggles through various forms of media - this imagery and symbolism can be observed through the duration of Promare. On the surface, the film appears to be your stereotypical action movie packed to the brim with compelling battle scenes as well as extravagant animation; on top of this, however, Promare does indeed have darker undertones that relate to the current circumstances of our reality that are undoubtedly begging to be explored. For that reason, I have decided to delve into this aspect of the film. Moreover, I have been seeking to cover this movie in depth for quite some time now. This has provided me with quite the suitable opportunity.
Thoughts and Title Selection
As indicated above, I have highlighted specific sections in my mind-map according to four different factors; these being key details about the film - an example being the studio - the characters, the themes, and the animation. Through this, I was able to define the features that I aimed to discuss within my review.
Regarding the title; I recognised the fact that the previous title I had thought of focused solely on the oppression, when in reality, I also wanted to address the attention drawn to minorities within the film and as to how certain themes and imagery included can be reclaimed by the dedicated communities. Therefore, I arrived at the decision to also include something along the lines of the representation as well as the oppression - two conflicting factors that I feel as though would compel the viewer to click and read through my writing. Promare, as a film, can also in this essence be somewhat problematic depending on what angle to view it from; there are people who do not like the issues presented within the movie to be discussed or showcased in fixed sets of media, or feel as though it is not depicted in a way that is suitable for the medium. As well as this, it is also possible that some may think that through the film, they are being misrepresented or their culture is being incorrectly depicted. Discussing these issues would take far too much time, and could even potentially serve to be their own investigative essay in contrast to what I am aiming to cover - additionally, I do not feel as though I am the right person to speak on behalf of these matters. Whilst I am a minority in one way, identifying as a lesbian and that not being a societal norm, I believe that means I can suitably provide my input when it comes to discussing any topics to do with that distinct subject.
Rather, the point that I am trying to make is that this title serves to highlight as to how these characters are still nevertheless minorities that are portrayed as well as oppressed, much like reality, in the film itself; in relation to how some may feel about that fact or the way in which it was contextualised, there are posts that can be find online undertaking that question on my behalf. It is, however, its own spectacle and has sparked numerous debates amongst the community, to which anyone has yet to reach a solid consensus.
Notes and Influence
Similarly to my previous review, I decided that the best course of action would be to once again search through YouTube to further develop upon my knowledge about the film. This way, I will be able to generate a consistent flow of ideas to introduce into my writing; as I had initially written in my pitch, it's important to take influence from other creators in order to provide more substance to your own thoughts and ideas.
Much like before, I have the attached Notepad file to present the data I had gathered - writing alongside watching these videos in the background. Additionally, I have also opted with written material that I have mentioned prior. I believe that continuing to explore a variety of formats will allow me to think more creatively about my own works. I will be including the sources below.
Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_SAGvK3uXs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzEhbj4Mqk8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcnQMhldG7g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bd9-_dUEQo0
https://www.cbr.com/promare-the-lighthouse-queer-cinema/
https://gaymingmag.com/2021/05/anime-impact-promare-queerbait/
https://thegeekiary.com/promare-colorful-queer-dystopian-action-drama/71384
https://medium.com/anigay/the-shape-of-queer-liberation-on-the-geometry-of-promare-cf8b1b47ced4
The Pink Triangle and Queer Representation
The pink triangle, which can be seen often throughout Promare's runtime, is a symbol that was once initially intended as a badge of shame during Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 1940s; it began as one of the Nazi concentration camp badges, distinguishing those imprisoned because they had been identified by authorities as gay men. A downward-pointing pink triangle was sown onto the shirts of gay men within concentration camps - with the intent to differentiate them from the other prisoners and to additionally dehumanise them. Since the 1970s, this symbol has now been reclaimed by the LGBT Community - to which it is now an icon that represents pride as well as the LGBTQ movement. Homosexuality was essentially made illegal in Germany in 1871, but this law was only enforced further when the Nazi Party took power in 1933. Thousands of LGBT individuals were arrested in the name of their mission to racially and culturally purify the country. This primarily consisted of gay men; whom were viewed as degenerates and as a threat to Hitler's campaign to purify Germany, especially as their partnerships could not bear children who would go on to grow the Aryan race he wanted to cultivate. During this time period, gay-friendly bars and clubs were shut down, authorities burned the books at a major research institution that were dedicated to the study of sexuality, and gay fraternal organizations were shuttered as well as this.
• The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum estimates 100,000 gay men were arrested and between 5,000 and 15,000 were placed in concentration camps.
• Just as Jews were forced to identify themselves with yellow stars, gay men in concentration camps had to wear a large pink triangle. (Brown triangles were used for Romani people, red for political prisoners, green for criminals, blue for immigrants, purple for Jehovah's Witnesses and black for "asocial" people, including prostitutes and lesbians.)
With this being mentioned, this heavily correlates with the overall themes the film introduces to the audience - an oppressed race struggling against those who have higher power. Furthermore, it is to be noted that this symbol most typically follows The Burnish and is incorporated into the geometric style of the animation; it can most prominently be seen through the flames and ashes that The Burnish emit. Parallel to reality, this is a symbol that is ultimately adopted and used in the faith to represent and stand up for a repressed demographic of individuals. From the few survivors and prison guards who have come out to share their stories, we have learnt that those who were sent to concentration camps for reasons related to homosexuality were ultimately segregated - due to the fear that their sexual preference was contagious to others. Moreover, many were castrated. Some were used as guinea pigs in various medical experiments to find a cure for typhus fever and a cure for homosexuality, the latter of which led the SS to inject them with testosterone to see if it would make them straight. Promare, as a film, also addresses the issue of human experimentation through its narrative - yet another link to the oppression of minorities and as to how they are typically the victims within these scenarios. To this extent, it could be said that the symbol goes on to be an analogy for this and as to what minimal races of people still face even in our present times.
• An estimated 65 percent of gay men in concentration camps died between 1933 and 1945. This, however, is a percentage that we cannot know for certain - between the scant documentation that survived and the sense of shame that kept many survivors silent for years after their ordeal.
• Even after World War II, both East and West Germany upheld the country’s anti-gay law, and many gays remained incarcerated until the early 1970s. (The law was not officially repealed until 1994.)
In 1972, the first autobiography of a gay concentration camp survivor, named The Men with the Pink Triangle, was published. This was called to attention during the era in which the gay rights movement started to emerge within Germany. The next year, post-war Germany’s first gay rights organization, Homosexuelle Aktion Westberlin (HAW), reclaimed the pink triangle as a symbol of liberation. This kickstarted the usage of the pink triangle transforming into a positive icon as opposed to one of humiliation. Following this, the triangle started to emerge throughout other LGBT circles widespread through the world. To this day, the triangle persists as a solid image for multiple LGBT spaces and events.
• Since the 1990s, signs bearing a pink triangle enclosed in a green circle have been used as a symbol identifying “safe spaces” for queer people.
• In 2018, for Pride Month, Nike released a collection of shoes featuring pink triangles.
Regardless of as to how the pink triangle has been recuperated, it still serves as a reminder to not forget the past - and to recognise the discrimination LGBT people faced and to some capacity still have to endure around the globe.
Sources: https://www.history.com/news/pink-triangle-nazi-concentration-camps
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_triangle
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Structure and Composition
As previously mentioned, I will only be listing out specific sections of my review that I deem to be the most important; this will allow me to save time and to highlight the key parts of my writing that I am targeting towards my readers.
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Writing and Drafting
Moving forward, I completed my initial draft of the review and submitted this to my tutor ready to be proofread and edited. I have also been ensuring to report back and provide proof on my portfolio about my production process. Overall, I am satisfied with as to how this review came out - with this being one of my favourite movies of the bunch, I do feel as though my enthusiasm manages to shine through my writing.
It's a film that I am extremely passionate about; that focuses on attributes that are often neglected within the medium of animation, especially Japanese animation due to the normalised nature of neglecting the demographic of minorities in the culture.
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Implementing Edits
Subsequent to the edits provided above, I was able to publish my review focusing on Promare and the themes of oppression it presents to the audience. In addition to this, I made use of the sourced imagery to support the points I make throughout this passage of writing. The review can be downloaded below - and can also be found on the Animalysis website located in the Final Production page. This also applies to the other reviews I have constructed throughout my time working on this project.
Reaching for Dreams - Josee, the Tiger and the Fish
Initially, my plans for Josee, the Tiger and the Fish were to predominantly focus on the disability aspect of the film and as to how its presented through one of its main protagonists - this being Josee. Furthermore, I also wanted to take the angle of how disability still remains a common issue especially in Japan. The society constructed is not befitting of those who have physical or mental disabilities. Rather, if you are not part of the majority, it is likely that you will be treated as a burden by the general public.
Upon looking further into this, however, I quickly realised that there is more to the movie than what is on the surface, and that in fact the narrative is about reaching towards your dreams and ambitions in spite of your own personal limitations. Therefore, I decided to fixate on this theme and the lessons that this film intends to teach to its audience. As this is my last review, I believed that this theme would be well-suited as such; and leave the project on a positive note for myself. Similarly to the majority of my previous works, I opted to use videos as well as other written reviews for my own reference; making notes and expanding upon my own viewpoint. Though, I wanted this decision to also reflect in my thought process - specifically when it came to changing the title.
Thoughts and Title Selection
Referring to above, my decision in linking my title primarily to dreams and as to how you can achieve them, as well as how this is the predominant theme in Josee, the Tiger and the Fish, can be seen. Initially, I wanted to link my writing to the aspect of how Josee's disability impacts her mental health and her ability to do a various amount of things on her regular day-to-day basis; throughout my research process, this changed. Instead, I decided that it'd be more befitting of the film and the key plot points presented to the audience if I decided to take this approach.
Furthermore, rather than stating disabilities, I thought that it would be suitable towards including the audience if I used inabilities as opposed to this; I am consistently working to engage my audience. By using inabilities, this is something the majority can relate to.
Structure and Composition
As previously mentioned, I will only be listing out specific sections of my review that I deem to be the most important; this will allow me to save time and to highlight the key parts of my writing that I am targeting towards my readers.
As my review for Josee, the Tiger and the Fish will be primarily focusing on those who have already seen the film, my writing will be focusing more on the key themes presented to the audience as opposed to the varying plot points. I want to capture the life lessons that this movie has to teach.
Sourcing Imagery
When searching for imagery, I decided to use photos that mainly depicted the two protagonists - Josee and Tsuneo. Through this, I wanted to highlight the importance of the two and as to how they are the stars in the film.
Sources:
https://www.anime-planet.com/images/anime/screenshots/josee-the-tiger-and-the-fish-14267-1.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/13/21/e0/1321e083c539131680b65eca763ee5ff.png
https://img.anime2you.de/2020/12/tiger-fish-h45.jpg
https://goggler.my/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/JoseeTheTigerAndTheFishJoseeAndTsuneoSea.jpg
Writing and Drafting
Now, I have finished the last draft that I will produce for this project. Subsequently, I have sent this to my tutor ready to be proofread and edited as per my schedule; whilst I am awaiting the file to be submitted back to me, I will be recording my production work on my portfolio and be uploading all of my current reviews to the Animalysis website.
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Implementing Edits
The edits that my tutor had to return me were incredibly insightful and assisted me in reviewing my own style of writing and the audience in mind. I will go on to consider the extent of my formality for future reference - however, as mentioned beforehand, my writing is aimed towards an audience that will be able to understand this level of comprehension. With this being stated, my fourth and final review is now complete and ready to be published.
Rebranding Animalysis
Throughout the final process of writing my last review, I noticed that I did not feel satisfied with the layout and design I had created for the Animalysis website. Taking into account that I still had some spare time to myself - which I had ensured to leave, regarding my schedule - I eventually decided to choose a different colour scheme. Rather, I also wanted the design of the Animalysis website to correlate with my portfolio in order to showcase the link between the two. Furthermore, I also grew inspired to design my own logo; an application that I use often, named Picrew, has a multitude of templates where you are able to design your own anime-inspired character.
With this in mind, I went onto the website and designed a character that closely resembled myself. Upon doing this, I then opened Canva and incorporated this into a logo that will be displayed at the top of my website. I tested quite a few Picrew designs before coming across one that I felt content with; with this came an equal amount of drafts for my logo. Initially, I was still unsure with what palette I wanted to go with for my character. Ultimately, I decided to create a girl that had the majority of my own personal features. Overall, I feel as though this adds a unique touch to my site that also corresponds with the theme of my project; this has also saved me time, as I will not have to sketch out my own character and digitalise the art. I will be providing credit to the Picrew as well as the artist behind it. To my knowledge, these are free to use for personal use. If I were to be creating my own website, I would of course go on to draw my own character for the sake of avoiding any legal issues. Considering that my site serves to be only a hypothetical exhibit of what it would be in those professional circumstances, however, I feel as though this is suitable in this scenario. Below, I have included the process I went through designing my character as well as my logo.
