Presentation Transcript

1. Anime: Orochimaru the Essentializing of Culture By: Tommy Gaston

2. What is essentialization • Boiling a culture down to its bare essence. • Oversimplification and it’s wrong to do. • Thesis: Through a textual analysis of the Orochimaru toy from the anime television show Naruto, this presentation will argue that once the toy is removed form the context of Japan, it represents an objectifying or essentializing Japanese culture into and American fantasy of an exotic “Japanese - ness”

3. Fantasy of time • Super past and super future • Blending of the two • Orochimaru has elements of feudal era

4. Deconstruction of American Masculinity: making an object of Japanese masculinity

5. Packaging and display: must appeal to young American boys • Isle display: If it’s in the boy isle it’s ok for me to want it. • Surrounding toys conform to American Archetypes. • Packaging color schemes: warm colors intense shades

6. Essentializing: constructions give false sense of understanding America: objectified Japan: exotic Japanese - ness

7. Essentialization: Conclusion • Quick and dirty way to gain understanding. • Get up and do research to gain understanding.