Essays on Anime

Introduction

Grave of Fireflies, or ‘Hotaru no haka’ in Japanese, is a powerful and compelling animated film which was released in 1988 (Ebert). This 88 minutes long film was directed by Isao Takahata with the animation being done by Studio Ghibli, which has created a name for itself for producing quality and acclaimed animations. The movie’s story line is modeled on a novel bearing the same title, written in 1967 by Akiyuki Nosaka. Apparently, the author had undergone an experience comparable to that of Seita, the protagonist in both the film and the autobiography.
Grave of Fireflies has a Continue reading...

Problem

What is the problem the study was conducted to research?
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a global health issue. There is an increase in type 2 diabetes in African-Americans. Lack of knowledge in lifestyle and treatment interventions has led to the increase of T2DM in African-Americans. Type 2 Diabetes is a leading cause of blindness, renal diseases and lower limb amputations. African-Americans having T2DM also suffer from high blood pressure and low glycemic levels in blood.

Why is the problem an important one for nursing to research?

Diabetes has become a serious health issue among the public. Registered nurses should have latest knowledge about different interventions for diabetes. The Continue reading...

SECTION 1:

1.2) Genre analysis: Consider the role of genre in understanding comics and manga. Compare comics from two different genres and discuss your results. You might find the reading by Coogan (posted on the course readings page on Desire2learn) useful in your answer. The genre analysis handout, which you might find helpful, is posted to the Desire2Learn exam materials page. 
Comics are considered as a genre of reading materials accompanied by distinct imagery that is presented in a form of conversation between the characters through the use of conversation balloons. Emotions and presentation of distinct human element in each comic Continue reading...

1. I read Akira Vol. 1 by writer and illustrated Katsuhiro Otomo. I borrowed a copy of the version published by Dark Horse Comics in 2000. The series was first published, however, during the 1980s in Japan.
2. I selected this specific issue because it introduces the readers to the interesting world created by Otomo. When I started reading Akira, the story immediately grabbed my attention because of intriguing story and the interesting characters. Moreover, the idea of a post-apocalyptic Japan was both stimulating and daunting.
3. Otomo worked on Akira. What I like best about the illustrations is Continue reading...

The Cold War was a global confrontation between the two military and political blocs led by the Soviet Union and the United States, which did not come down to an open military conflict. The concept of the "cold war" appeared in journalism in 1945-1947 and gradually stuck in the political dictionary.
After the Second World War, the world was actually divided into the spheres of influence of two blocks with different social systems. The Soviet Union and the United States have sought to expand their spheres of influence. But the rough equality of forces between the blocks, and then Continue reading...

Did Beatle­-Mania’s influence on Soviet teenagers contribute to the fall of the Iron Curtain? An argument can be made that Gorbachev’s opening up to the West through glasnost and perestroika was the final nail in the coffin of the Soviet Union. However, due to the overwhelming evidence of an underground musical movement amongst the Soviet youth, the demands of a disillusioned youth were the catalysts for these reforms. With this taken into consideration, a major change in the political landscape of Russia’s domestic and foreign policy may be observed through three stages, initial distribution, Soviet Continue reading...

Introduction

Cyberpunk is a form of science fiction that emerged in the latter half of the 20th Century. This genre of science fiction involves the envisioning of a near future that is characterized by scientific advancement in the form of cybernetics an information technology. This advancement is however coupled with societal order breakdown where chaos and anarchy reigns. Many of the cyberpunk narratives revolve around conflicts between technological experts like hackers or even conflicts between technological mega-corporations. A lot of cyberpunk plots are set in dystopian societies marked by massive cultural rot as well as the use of advanced technology Continue reading...

History of Developing Manga

Isao Shimizu, author of ‘the history of Manga’ / ‘Manga no Rekishi’, cites drawings from the 12th and 13th century as the first manga texts. Today manga is part of the pop culture in Japan and the world over. It comprises of story-driven narratives (usually a complete novel-like work of an author), composed with stylized illustrations, flexible use of linguistic text (onomatopoeic and spoken) and discursive frames. It uses visual designs manipulated to function as iconographic. Manga has identifiable vocabularies and registers temporal spatial relationships into the characters in the narration to give them multiple voices, personalities and mental Continue reading...

<Student’s name>
<Professor’s name>

First cosmonaut of the planet was born March 9, 1934 in Gzhatsk (now Gagarin), Smolensk region in farmer's family. "The family in which I was born - he wrote later Yuri - very ordinary; it is no different from millions of working families of our country. "
The first years of his life spent in the countryside Yuri Klushino, where his parents lived father - Alexei Ivanovich, and mother Anna Timofeevna.
In May 1949 he graduated from the sixth grade Gzhatsk junior high school, and on 30 September of the same year Continue reading...

Introduction: General History of the Second World War

The Second World War has instigated several nations to enter into conflict against one another as they associate themselves into two major factions – the Axis powers led by Germany, Japan and Italy, and the Allied forces led by France, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK). Notably, the Second World War has extended its destructive reach beyond the Western world consisting of Europe and North America towards the Asia-Pacific region, having coincided with the plan of Japan to invade mainland China dating to 1937, then known officially as the Republic of China. Continue reading...

Abstract

Yuri Kochiyama is a civil right activist who was born in 1921 in San Pedro, in California. He lived and stayed in San Pedro where she was involved with several activities such as sport and article writing. Her father was arrested and put in prison as a war prisoner. The father died a day after leaving prison due to sickness. She was married by Bill Kochiyama who was a Nisei Soldier, and they had six children. Yuri was engaged in many civil right movements some fighting for the rights of Japanese as well as the rights for the black Continue reading...

Walter Benjamin’s two pieces of analysis, The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction and Little History of Photography, appear to be arguing for the utility of new forms of technology as well as stimulating new investigations into the intersection of technology and art. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction dives even handedly into an investigation of how photography and film are slowly usurping the roles of painting and still life. In terms of devaluation, photography and especially film is taking the foundations of culture and turning them into caricatures; turning them Continue reading...

Abstract

Eveslogite, ((Ca,K,Na,Sr,Ba)48[(Ti,Nb,Fe,Mn)12(OH)12Si48O144](F,OH,Cl)14), is a mineral found on Mt. Eveslogchorr in khibiny Massif, Kola peninsula, Russia. It derives its name from this locality, in particular from Mt. Evesglochorr. This mineral occurs as an anchimonomineral veinlet that cross-cuts poikilitic nephiline synite (Hawthorne 2012). This mineral appears to resemble Yuksporite since it forms similar placated fine-fibrous of approximately 0.05 to 0.005mm that aggregates outwardly. The color of Eveslogite is yellow or rather light brown. In addition it is a semitransparent mineral that has a white streak Continue reading...

Most Asian American came to the America after the emancipation and release of the black slaves. This means that cheap and free labor was no longer available for the white population at that time. As a result, white Americans wanted to close this vacuum of cheap labor through shipping another type of race, Asians, into the United States (Kochiyama, 2004, p.26). The Asians who were shipped in America were treated with hostility and faced a lot of racism from the white people. This is because the white population was dominant in the US and thereby, became a minority. As Continue reading...

Abstract

The aim of this report is to explain what the meaning Japanese popular culture. In this context it shall be also outlined what it means to be cool in Japan and what the potential implications for spreading of Japanese popular culture into other cultures and distinct societies are. The examples of popular music bands and manga will be analysed.
Key words: Japanese popular culture, manga, anime, history, brand, fashion.
In the contemporary world with its fast and predictable tempo of development and spreading of globalisation, it becomes quite difficult to distinguish one culture from another or the line between Continue reading...

<Name>
<Professor>
<Subject>

Introduction
Japan has the strong reputation of being among the most developed nations in the world, and it stands out as the most technologically advanced one in Asia. Its prominence in foreign affairs greatly supplements its economic power, and such has enabled it to push its popular culture across different nations. Among notable aspects of Japanese culture include anime and manga (animation and graphic novels), J-Pop (Japanese pop music), food and fashion styles. Yet, while Japan is a nation that has sealed its importance in the international community, what remains phenomenal is that Continue reading...

Psychology

- Introduction
- Bilingualism has been defined variously as the ability to converse or speak and understand more than one language. In a stricter sense, bilingualism implies the ability to speak two languages though multilingual speakers, i.e. those who speak and understand more than two languages are often referred to as bilinguals. In recent years especially due to the world reaching the pinnacle of globalization where there is virtual interconnectedness of one end to the other, bilingualism has become more of a norm rather than an exception. The knowledge and expertise in more than one language has been viewed Continue reading...

- What is the soul?
The soul is a concept of human life that has been interpreted differently by different people, with ancient philosophers arguing that the soul only exists in humans and not in other animals and plants (Baker & Goetz, 2011). Whether or not, this is factual, has been a theme of deliberation in the fields of religion and philosophy. Even more complicated is the relationship between the body and soul. It may be difficult to understand how the material body is linked to the soul which is presumably intangible and invisible. Plato explains the soul as having Continue reading...

The film Lord of War, directed by Andrew Niccol follows the life story of Yuri Orlov, a notorious arms dealer with ties to many sovereign governments the world over. The movie begins with the constructions of a rifle round and follows its transport until it makes the way into a machine gun and is fired into the head of small African child. This scene sets the tone for the entire film in that it creates an adept foreshadow of the life of Orlov as a gun runner being one where the pursuit of industry in arms manufacture ultimately leads Continue reading...

History and culture have always been going hand in hand creating rich material for the unique art. А three thousand year old Japanese history of development gave its birth to various types of arts, starting from ancient pottery, sculpture, painting and carving and ending with contemporary Japanese cartoons, anime and manga, which gained millions of admirers. But let’s start if not from the very beginning, but at least from the first distinctly outlined period in the history of Japanese art – the Muromachi period (1392-1573).
The beginning of the art era is marked by the Ashikaga family having occupied the Continue reading...

Cyberpunk combines futuristic ideas about human nature and technology to provide a new perspective on complex subjects ("Cyberpunk Review"). Film is a great avenue for this cyberpunk perspective! With the use of special effects, CGI, animation, and talented actors/directors a futuristic world can come alive to the viewer through cinema. By taking a look at films that fall within the cyberpunk genre, not only are we usually entertained but also intrigued with psychological dilemma. The films “Ghost in the Shell”, “Blade Runner”, and “Metropolis” are all great examples of how issues such as humanity, identity, and technological progression can Continue reading...

The rise of the internet and the globalized city has made it seem as if there are really only two cultural values in the world - the traditional values of the rural lifestyle and the urban values of commerce that dominate the modern cities. Generally speaking, people tend to consider these as a one-way trend as older, more traditional people stay in the rural areas and die off and younger, more modern people move to the cities and push progress and change. By comparing two short stories such as "Souvenirs" by Leila Aboulela and "An Internet Baby" by Xiaolu Continue reading...

Boris Pasternak’s classic novel accords with the tradition of great Russian literature in its reflection and interpretation of the period in which it was written, despite the fact that Dr. Zhivago was not published until 1956. Pasternak’s tale unfolds amid massive social and political upheaval, in which alliances and loyalties shifted along with the tides of revolutionary change. Yuri Zhivago, the story’s protagonist, is a sensitive, starry-eyed idealist caught up in the violence and treachery of the times. His powerlessness leaves him profoundly vulnerable to the whims of fortune and challenged to maintain his individuality. Ultimately, Continue reading...

Analysis of Asian Horror Movies

The first movie I would like to analyze is a South Korean horror-thriller movie “Old Boy”, directed by Park Chan-Wook, that was first released in 2003. The storyline is based on a poorly-known Japanese manga of the same name, written by Nobuaki Minegishi and Garon Tsuchiya. This movie is a part of a trilogy called “Vengeance Trilogy” together with “Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance” and “Sympathy for Lady Vengeance”. “Old Boy” won the so called “Grand Prix”(the second award in order of importance) during the Cannes Film Festival, receiving also a special mention by Quentin Tarantino (president of the Continue reading...

Ukiyo-e is an artform which dates back to the seventeenth century. It was a major part of Japanese life for many years and, even today, is still an important element of the country’s culture.
The Japanese art of ukiyo-e, which translates as "pictures of the floating world", was born in the metropolitan culture of Tokyo (Johansson, 2007).
The dazzling and warmly attractive art of the Ukiyo-e woodblock print is certainly the most commonly known of all Japanese arts. This specific style of art thrived in Japan from the mid-seventeenth to the mid-nineteenth century (Ukiyo-e).
The word Ukiyo-e was Continue reading...

Mikhail Gorbachez is a well known former and last President of former USSR. He was the Secretary of the Communist Party of Soviet Union (1985-1991) and the last President of USSR since 1988 to his resignation and the dissolution of USSR in 1991. He is a holder of a Nobel Peace Prize (1990) for his work in the peace process. Together with Bill Clinton, he received a Grammy Award for the Best Spoken Word Album for Children in the recording of Sergei Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf. In 1995, he released his autobiography in Germany and in the United Continue reading...