This book project, Anime Atlas – Japanese Postwar Animation from National Cool to Global Aesthetics, theorizes and reconstructs a critical framework of Japanese anime from the 1950s to nowadays. It provides an enriched understanding of how anime evolved from TV-based entertainment program in Japan to a globally recognized genre, which embodies a distinct set of aesthetics, ideologies and business strategies. This project also brings attention to prominent TV anime series, anime movies for cinema and streaming services, independent shorts for festival and art galleries to discuss their unstable relationship with film theory and moving image culture. Each chapter takes on an interdisciplinary approach to address key topics in animation from the narrative setting, character design to movement construction and delves deep into the questions of how the Japanese anime evolved in its materiality and aesthetic to finally arrive at the global media market.
Cover image: Character turnaround of Luffy from the TV anime series One Piece. An iconic character of Japanese popular culture that has gained worldwide popularity. Courtesy of Toei Animation.