The Soul Of Anime: Collaborative Creativity And Japan's Media Success Story (exp [Paperback]

InThe Soul of Anime, Ian Condry explores the emergence of anime, Japanese animated film and television, as a global cultural phenomenon. Drawing on ethnographic research, including interviews with artists at some of Tokyo's leading animation studios—such as Madhouse, Gonzo, Aniplex, and Studio Ghibli—Condry discusses how anime's fictional characters and worlds become platforms for collaborative creativity. He argues that the global success of Japanese animation has grown out of a collective social energy that operates across industries—including those that produce film, television, manga (comic books), and toys and other licensed merchandise—and connects fans to the creators of anime. For Condry, this collective social energy is the soul of anime.

Drawing on ethnographic research including interviews with artists at some of Tokyo's leading animation studios, Ian Condry focuses attention on the collective social energy that has made anime a global cultural phenomenon.

"Does anime have a soul? InThe Soul of Anime, Ian Condry explores the lives and work of the creators and consumers of one of Japan's great contributions to popular culture. Condry shows how the genre has moved from the margins to a place of respect and influence. This is a book that will appeal to all theotakuout there, as well as to those with a more moderate love of anime in all its forms."

"Through an exploration of multiple dimensions of the anime object, from studio production to fan production, piracy, remix, and virtual idols,The Soul of Animeissues a bold challenge to our understanding of the social side of media. Ian Condry's attention lƒ$