Fukunaga 2006 FL literacy development using Anime ... - Oncourse

“Those anime students”: Foreign language literacy development through Japanese popular culture
Ta b l e 2
Differences between anime and U.S. animation
Anime (Japanese animation) American animation
• Variety of issues, no censoring • Limited variety, strict censoring
• Distinctive art style • Controlled contents
• Quirky sense of humor • Sitcom style
• Detailed and continuous story line • Childish stories
• Deep, involved relationships
• Stronger character development
• High-quality voices
• Creativity
• Popular music
The participants in this study agreed that
the story lines in anime are detailed, complicated,
and continuous. Emily commented, “If the
character dies, he doesn’t come back on the next
show!” A participant in my previous study
(Fukunaga, 2000) also mentioned the narrative
style of anime as an attraction because of the
range of issues in the stories. The most frequently
emphasized point across the three students
in the current study was that anime covers so
many different themes, such as fantasy, everyday
Japanese life, cooking, action, adventure, martial
art, sports, romantic drama, comedy, and samesex
relationships. Because U.S. television networks
are subject to regulation and censorship,
the content of anime sometimes is changed. This
causes some problems for U.S. anime fans and
frustration with the “American” version of anime.
For example, in the first season of Sailor
Moon, there were two male characters who had a
relationship. According to Sean, one of them was
very feminine looking, so “they turned him into
her. They gave him a woman voice actor and it
looked like a woman, and you couldn’t tell a difference
unless” you watched the original anime.
Sean said, “I remember my shock when I found
out about that. I was like, no way!” The deceptive
treatment of particular parts of anime in the
American versions made Sean begin comparing
original anime with the dubbed versions.
Advantages for JFL literacy
development
Repetitive watching of anime provides multiple advantages
for learning Japanese. My data suggest
three linguistic aspects to the advantages: word
recognition, listening and pronunciation, and
awareness of various Japanese linguistic features. In
the interviews, students used some Japanese words
that describe anime-related concepts such as otaku
(anime geeks), hentai (pervert), shōnen (boys), and
shōjo (girls). Hentai refers to a genre of anime that
includes pornography. Proper nouns such as characters’
names (Michiru) and names of places
(Harajuku), and ways to address people such as
sensei (teacher), okāsan (mom), and onēchan (my
big sister), are also common words learned through
anime (Fukunaga, 2000). Ted shared his experience
of playing video games from Japan and noticing
the Japanese names of the characters: “Even though
it is all in English it has all Japanese people’s names,
so you can have a child who recognizes that these
aren’t American names.”
Emily, Ted, and Sean hear Japanese conversation
at a natural speed in anime. In one of
Emily and Ted’s favorites, Kareshi kanojo no jijō
(His and Her Circumstances), the introduction of
each 30-minute show and the opening and ending
theme songs stay the same. As students watch
JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENT & ADULT LITERACY 50:3 NOVEMBER 2006 213