First Project Update

For my project I am looking into the meaning and purpose behind the characters of Yasujirō Ozu’s films. In particular I am interested in the primiary characters of Tokyo Story, Early Spring, Late Summer and two other films (to be determined based on what I have access to). Ozu directed both silent and auditory films, and I am interested in doing a comparsion between the traits, conduct, and visual presentation of these characters as shown in two rather differing environments. I also want to see the character development through the ages, as his films span from the 1920’s to the 1960’s. Ozu is one of Japan’s most profound and beloved directors/screen writters and I hope to see his perspective of Japan through his most profound works.

Assignment #8 - Kawaii

As I read through the readings and attempted to reflect on any elements of Japanese Cuteness that I had encountered during my childhood, I kept coming back to images of plush, adorable cats and kittens. So I decided to just run with it... Above I've included an image of typical anime-style cats, overtly round in appearance, and all drawn with overly expressive features. Cats are a very common feature in anime and manga works, and as I explored what the internet had to offer on the topic of kawaii I noticed a lot of cat-related trends including fashionable items such as dresses, shirts, hats, shoes, and even bags with cats on them. While I cannot quote any direct connection between kawaii cats and the readings, the themes remain uniform - cuteness and vulnerability is the desired goal.


I also included an image of an anime-style girl wearing a cat-themed onesies, this image was quickly located after a few minutes of google-ing kawaii fashion, and while it is not as lavish, modest, or sweet as some of the other images depicted kawaii style I included it to backup my point about cats and their contribution to the cuteness movement.


If I may add, while reading the articles I was really interested in the comments made concerning Disney's influence on cuteness culture, especially the statement, “Whereas Disney cute was based more on a sentimental journey back into an idealized rural society populated with happy little animals and rural characters taken from folk stories, Japanese cute fashion became more concerned with a sentimental journey back into an idealized childhood.” On some level I believe we can all understand why this movement gained such popularity - everyone wishes they could still be a child, or at least experience life through a child's perspective once more. When we were children everything just seemed so magical and for the most part all of our memories are of positive experiences, in contrast to adulthood wherein all we do is work nine-to-five jobs, pay taxes, and avoid Sallie Mae.

I also included an adorable cat picture I found! (I swear I am not a crazy-cat-lady in the making.)

Assignment #1

Soo... I apologize, I realize over the break that I never added assignment one to my blog (as I added this course two weeks into the semester).

This ad shows the metal structure of a SmartCar balancing the rather heavy, full-bodied weight of a SUV. The text below the SmartCar reads, "not a dramatization", which suggests that this ad was attempting to diminish the common misconception that driving/owning a SmartCar is a dangerous decision should you find yourself in a car accident as such a little car will surely be crushed. I picked this ad as I felt it was very powerful, it conveyed a positive message regarding safety, and it showed that even with minimal effect you can send a strong message. The signifiers within this ad are 1) the miniature frame of the SmartCar, 2) the much larger body of the SUV, and 3) the sense that size does not matter.