Contrary to the statement above; anime is and can be considered a serious art form. Art is revolution; a form that diversifies itself from the existing, lending itself to imitation. Anime influences can be found anywhere in our day, from television, Internet, and merchandising, even in fine art galleries. It has reached the world with its multitudes of structure and genre. The Japanese art variety created a new way to view traditional art. Anime is most definitely a serious art form by the transformation and reformation it has created in our world.
The KRAZY!: The Delirious World of Anime + Manga + Video Games exhibition held at the Japan society celebrates the variety and growing significance of visual pop culture drawing¬ attention to three forms of contemporary visual art that are a huge influence on an entire generation of American youth and society as a whole. The exhibit illustrates the uniqueness of these forms while considering the ways they interconnect with each other and the world beyond them from production to finishing stages. There are a variety of interactions between the anime genre and the unraveling of new ideas and concepts that influence a wide array of areas.
Like other traditional forms of art, historical and cultural cues ignite the audiences’ curiosity. From the mixture of works shown in the exhibition, artist Moyoco Anno’s piece of Sakuran; a set of illustrated prints portrays young females in traditional Japanese attire, hairstyle and facial expression. Relating to American works created in the early 1800’s, which portrayed the fury of war, we the viewers are able to perceive ideas and have a feel for the time. Sakuran gives us a sense of the existence and livelihood in traditional Japan. Anno provides us with work that is new and unusual and very much thought provoking, as it is visually aesthetic which transforms the way we observe art.
Moving onto the more contemporary of the art form, Anime and American art share many things in common. Each genre has traditional and contemporary forms; genres within genres from somber to humor; similar canvases from pencil, inks, charcoals, on a wide array of papers as well as computerized design. Japanese popular culture share plenty similarities with American popular culture as well, a movement that began with Andy Warhol. This poses the question of: if silk-screen replications were considered a serious movement and art form, why not the Japanese form which has spread across the globe? Anime portrays itself as the Japanese version of the American pop culture movement with its variety of artistic expressions.
The influences of anime have changed our society. Artists like Simone Legno, who is the Italian creator of Tokidoki that has spread across the globe. His anime inspired design swept the nation with Tokidoki and LeSportSac collaboration. Females young and old scurry to collect the newest design paying a hefty price for a nylon printed bag. His accomplishments are comparable to that of Nintendo’s well-known Mario character. The plumber character has become a so recognizable that once the figure is merchandised, familiarity strikes people of varied backgrounds across Asia, Europe and America. We can say this relationship exists with Legno’s own Tokidoki, a series of illustrated female forms, animals, among other characters. Anime has landed itself to widespread familiarity. Another artist who has created worldwide is Takashi Murakami. A Japanese illustrator who has landed collaborative deals with luxury company Louis Vuitton. Murakami is one of the most prominent artists to have emerged from Asia in the late twentieth-century, creating a wide-ranging body of work that intentionally connects fine art, design, animation, fashion, and popular culture. Legno and Murakami are two of many artists that exemplify the great influence Japanese pop culture has amounted to in our society.
Leaping into the world comics, animated cartoons, anime, Manga, graphic novels, computer/video games and visual art we are overwhelmed with innovated forms and concepts. Anime can be considered more than art form; it can be considered an artistic and cultural movement. Japanese and diversity cultures collide as the spread of Anime manifests itself in various forms of art and entertainment. Meaningful, revolutionizing and entertaining, Anime has expanded its market to the world. The influence the form has obtained throughout the years has proved that Anime is a serious art form, and can be malleable to suit the needs of unrestrained fields while dominating other art forms of the century.