Lit Review

Griffith 1
Ashton Griffith
Professor Sam
ENC 1102
31 March 2024
Literature Review
It’s the beginning of the year 2024 in the U.S. and it’s hard to imagine meeting anyone
who has not experienced the world of anime or at least become familiar with the term. It seems
no matter what an individual's interest is, they have been exposed to anime whether they
consider themselves die-hard fans or just acquaintances of the most popular series. That is
because anime has become so engrossed in our Pop Culture it’s hard to ignore it any longer.
Anime has become more mainstream in the U.S. than at any other time due to celebrity
influence, collaborations with designer brands, and collaborations with sports organizations that
expand from economic to cultural to societal shifts.
The true audience of anime no longer fits into the stereotype of the young, but all ages
and genders. It's no longer considered simply animation or cartoons. This is a huge change from
when the first Manga Anime, Astro Boy, was introduced to the U.S. back in the 60s. Astro Boy is
one of the most successful manga and anime franchises in the world; it was one of the first
milestones for anime to reach where it is now in popularity. As Daniel Baird points out in his
work “Introduction of Anime in US Pop Culture” majority of the earlier anime’s popularity was
impacted by censorship due to the recategorization of anime to be simply cartoons for children.
This greatly diminished as the world entered the early 2000s. It’s important to note that also
occurring in the turn of the century is the wave of streaming platforms such as Crunchyroll,
Funimation, Amazon Prime, and Netflix giving more access to anime and to a wider audience.
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People have always connected with one another over television shows, so since anime is a story,
with each episode building off the previous, people became more connected to the themes.
Themes and concepts such as ethnicity, gender roles, animation style, and narratives draw
in viewers which develops into a larger conversation of what everything means. Dana Fennell, a
Professor of Sociology at the University of Southern Mississippi, describes how race and gender
role concepts in anime entertain consumers with their diverse characters. The variety of
characters from vast amounts of anime is immense. Characters of races and gender are present,
and each role they have can be unique. Not only do the characters excite viewers, but the
animation itself ropes in new watchers. Research gathered by Nor Afian Yusof and others
compiled data to show a sample of people who watch anime and who do not. A finding of theirs
is that many people simply began to watch anime due to the art and animation style of the anime.
There are many anime out there ranging from vibrant and detailed art styles to more plain and
mellow styles.
My last three scholarly sources all pertain to how anime has made itself an economic
influencer in the market of the world. Anime has made itself much more than just something to
watch or binge. Anime has a role in the economy because of its cross cultural acceptance around
the world. “The Implementation of Japanese Animation (Anime) In Advertising” by Aziz
Munafsin and Susy Ong, researchers at Universitas Indonesia explore how anime has grown
internationally, and how anime based commercials can increase viewer engagement and create a
sentimental connection between brands. Various advertisements, products, and collaborations of
anime are constantly in motion. Products are imported and exported through countries everyday
pertaining to anime. It is hard to deny or to overlook the impact anime has had on the economy.
Consumers are buying things from clothes, to figurines, to collectibles, and even water bottles
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that are associated with anime. Anne Cooper-Chen, a Professor of Journalism at Ohio University,
discusses in her article, "Cartoon planet: the cross-cultural acceptance of Japanese animation.",
why anime has become so dominant in the US and in the global market. Movies and new
episodes of anime are in demand and are heavily consumed. People are subscribing to networks
to watch the latest episodes of their favorite anime or buying tickets to the movies to see their
anime’s new movie. Anything and everything pertaining to anime will continue to prosper due to
the freedom that anime provides. Creators of anime are allowed to freely express their creativity
and talents inevitably getting official support. Through their animators' efforts, they generate
gradual influence with their customs and culture. Naruetape Patipimpakom, author of
“Anime–Not Just for Entertainment", dives deeper into how and why anime is still expanding
and still continues to grow through economic troubles such as COVID-19.
The plethora of reasons why anime is becoming more and more consumed and desired is
becoming known. Its relevance is exponentially increasing from the worldwide attention it is
getting and will continue to grow. My scholarly sources help give me great insight for my
research of how anime has become more mainstream and it being a part of pop culture. They will
help me explain how anime has come to be and the continuing effect it will have.
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Works Cited
Aziz, Munafsin, and Susy Ong. “The Implementation of Japanese Animation (Anime) In
Advertising.” View of the Implementation of Japanese Animation (Anime) in
Advertising, Journal of Indonesian Social Science, 5 May 2023,
jiss.publikasiindonesia.id/index.php/jiss/article/view/810/1524.
Baird, Daniel. “Introduction to Anime in US Pop Culture.” Literary Studies SLCC, Salt
Lake Community College, 21 Aug. 2023,
https://slcc.pressbooks.pub/literarystudiesatslcc/chapter/introduction-to-anime/
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Cooper-Chen, Anne. "Cartoon planet: the cross-cultural acceptance of Japanese
animation." Asian Journal of Communication 22.1 (2012): 44-57, Full article:
Cartoon planet: the cross-cultural acceptance of Japanese animation
(tandfonline.com)
Fennell, Dana, et al. “Consuming Anime.” Sage Journals, 2 Mar. 2012,
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1527476412436986
Patipimpakom, Naruetape. "Anime–Not Just for Entertainment." The 15th NPRU National
Academic Conference Nakhon Pathom Rajabhat University, 2023,
https://publication.npru.ac.th/bitstream/123456789/2066/1/192.pdf
Yusof, Nor Afian, et al. “The Influence of Anime as Japanese Popular Culture among Art
and Design Students.” Nurture, 27 July 2023,
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/372845388_The_influence_of_anime_a
s_Japanese_popular_culture_among_art_and_design_students

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Griffith 1

expand from economic to cultural to societal shifts.

the world. “The Implementation of Japanese Animation (Anime) In Advertising” by Aziz

sentimental connection between brands. Various advertisements, products, and collaborations of

and still continues to grow through economic troubles such as COVID-19.

Advertising.” View of the Implementation of Japanese Animation (Anime) in

Advertising, Journal of Indonesian Social Science, 5 May 2023,

Lake Community College, 21 Aug. 2023,

Cooper-Chen, Anne. "Cartoon planet: the cross-cultural acceptance of Japanese

animation." Asian Journal of Communication 22.1 (2012): 44-57, Full article:

Cartoon planet: the cross-cultural acceptance of Japanese animation

Fennell, Dana, et al. “Consuming Anime.” Sage Journals, 2 Mar. 2012,

Academic Conference Nakhon Pathom Rajabhat University, 2023,

and Design Students.” Nurture, 27 July 2023,

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