Anno as Auteur: Researching Anime Research

A number of notable features of 彼氏彼女の事情 (Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou) — known as the abbreviated Kare Kano, or more commonly His and Her Circumstances, in the United States — stand out to the 1998-series’ viewers, but most notably perhaps is the show’s dark overtones that seem to mask the animated rendition of the manga. This is, perhaps, due to the workings of Kare Kano’s director, Hideaki Anno, who as you all should know also directed the infamous Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995-6).

The “dark background” of Anno’s life has frequently been referred to by fans to explain the themes of Evangelion, which is probably why it comes as “no surprise” that the animated Kare Kano is directed with similar atmosphere. In a way, this psychological tenor to Anno’s two works operates as a sort of auteurism for the director (that is, the work can be readily associated with the director because it resembles his “style”). Auteurism is primarily a film term, but applies to Japanese animation in particular, because a director must work in a setting that comprises multiple, artful minds at work, all creating a “unified” piece, and for the auteur-director, as Wikipedia so succinctly puts it, the author’s creative voice is distinctive enough to shine through all kinds of studio interference.

Whether or not that is true, it’s interesting to find real evidence of how Anno approached the production of the series. As a member of the English-language Evangelion mailing list, I recently happened upon a website that hosts a translation of “庵野監督きいてよ!” (Mr. Anno, Listen to Me!), a compilation of interviews that Anno recorded at various high schools around Tokyo. These interviews formed the majority of his ethnological research that informed Kare Kano. The website description reads:

Anno Hideaki is working on the preparations for his new anime series, “Kareshi Kanojo no Jijoo”. As this will be a high-school love comedy, Anno is personally doing research into what high-school kids are like these days. There is a column in the young people’s newspaper, Mainichi Chugakusei Shimbun (Mainichi Middle-Schooler’s News), called “Anno-Kantoku Kiite Yo! (Hear What Anno Hideaki Has to Say)”, which details this ongoing project. With the gracious permission of the paper’s editorial section, we are privileged to bring you installments from the feature.
Now you can enjoy conversations between present-day Japanese high-schoolers, and Anno Hideaki, who was a high-schooler twenty years ago.

The interviews derived from the six high schools are extremely interesting to read, especially in the way that Anno waxes philosophically with these young students. So, I highly recommend reading through the website, which is available here: http://web.archive.org/web/20041208024056/www.gainax.co.jp/special/kiiteyo/toyoko01-e.html

We’re Back…

But then off again to Anime Expo!

Sorry for the aberrant hiatus, everyone. Been really busy in the past few weeks with:

- Open Video Conference, where I spoke about the anime fandom’s balancing act of video culture and copyright law
- Web Ecology Project: We released a white paper full of quantitative analysis about how ideas move in the discourse regarding the Iranian Election on Twitter
- Hanging out in NYC with the crew from my Kyoto study abroad group (KCJS)

I really want/need to write articles this week, so I’ll try to get a lot of content up soon. But I have a lot on my plate right now, specifically fandom research in California and drawing up grant proposals for fandom research in Boston and Tokyo.

Good news is that come Thursday I’ll be in Los Angeles, speaking at Anime Expo. I have four panels lined up, which are:

Anime and Manga in Academia
Saturday, July 04, 2009 6:00pm to 6:50pm – LP 2
Whether you have just begun studying anime and manga seriously or are already well into your studies, this panel will guide you on the path from fan to established Japanese popular culture scholar.

Introduction to Anime/Manga Studies
Friday, July 03, 2009 10:30am to 11:20am – LP 3
Ever wanted to write a school paper on religion in Naruto? Read a book on Neon Genesis Evangelion? Or even get a college degree in otaku studies? Come meet the members of the Anime/Manga Research Circle!

The Problem with Otaku
Sunday, July 05, 2009 12:00pm to 12:50pm LP 2
From 1980s science fiction geeks, the concept of otaku has wholly transformed in Japan and America. We’ll examine the history and controversies of the most crucial part of the anime fandom: the fans.

Without Watching the Anime: Opening & Ending Themes
Friday, July 03, 2009 6:00pm to 6:50pm LP 3
When we watch anime, we tend to ignore what begins and ends series. But these small clips matter too! We’ll discuss history and music, and show some of the most influential OPs & EDs out there.

The rest of my potential schedule looks like this:

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