Credit: Anonymous | @TAVmedia

About the Video

Description: Since the introduction of anime to Western audiences in the 1990s, Japanese motifs and animation techniques have continuously influenced global pop culture. Anime has become a respected form of entertainment and elevated the animated storytelling genre to an art. Now, Japanese pop culture and characters are as recognizable worldwide as their counterparts from Disney and Warner Brothers.

Join JASDFW (Japan-America Society of DFW) for a program addressing the introduction of anime into the Western market, the importance of anime for Japanese cultural diplomacy and soft power,  the integration of Japanese history and folklore into contemporary pop culture, ​the use of Japanese style and sensibilities in pop culture outside of Japan, and the state of the industry given recent disruptions caused by COVID-19.

Why Watch?

I’m really interested in how culture evolves over time. Memes, for example, can give a sense to the development of internet culture which found its beginnings in funny sayings over pictures of a frog head or black boxes with an image and comment to what we see today–full videos of people dancing in a particular way or making statements like “Not a vibe!” (And even these examples may be outdated by the time this goes up.)

Interestingly, anime and manga have become mainstream in Western culture. No longer is it a small part of the internet filled with fan subs and questionably mixed forums. It’s a booming entertainment industry with new fans popping up daily and new shows every season gaining official subs and dubs at record speeds.

This video that I found from 2020 talks about the entrance of anime/manga, and Japanese pop-culture as a whole, into mainstream Western culture. I found it to be a fascinating watch and thought I would recommend it. Let me know what you think. 😁