Manga, anime and video game are not only cultural, artistic or technological products, but are also powerful channels to deliver information and promote ideas. Their roles become increasingly prominent in East Asia (and elsewhere), as more and more business sectors, media companies, governments and artists use these media to express ideas and to attract, persuade, or manipulate their target audience. In 2008, the Japanese government produced an animation on the abduction of Japanese nationals by North Korea, which was shown in cinemas and through the internet. While in 2009, the Apple Daily, a tabloid newspaper based in Taiwan and Hong Kong, launched their “3D Animation News” online, bringing about huge controversies over its sensational crime story coverage with detailed violent images. In Korea, comic books have triggered a revival of learning Chinese characters.
Given the increasingly pervasive presence of digital media and the ways in which it is being utilized by various groups, ‘digication’ explores the educational, political, social, and historical significance of media as a channel of communication and expression/persuasion in East Asia in order to highlight how manga, anime and video games are used and the intentions behind their use.
Links:
Animation film MEGUMI: http://www.rachi.go.jp/jp/megumi/index.html
3D Animation News: http://www.youtube.com/NMAworldedition
Asiascape Vistas is a forum for discussion about the many and various dimensions of cyberculture found in or originating from East Asia. Its focus is on the interplay between these media and questions of politics & philosophy. Contributions are from the academic collective responsible for the core project, but other contributions will also be considered by that collective.
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