If a virtual culture or community comprises a network of people who use the internet for increased connectivity (Hartley, 2002, 231) then the online interaction between fans of the artform Anime is a prime example. In fact it is a culture within an culture, as Anime is an artform whose roots lie in Japanese tradition and which is based on distinctly Japanese themes and assumptions often not understood or shared by other cultures. However, in spite of this Anime has captured American and European fanbases with it's unique charm an emotional depth. Unlike American cartoons Anime presents storylines which are unpredictable and amoral adding to the reality and suspense which forms part of it's appeal.
It is the rise of virtual communities which has made this cross-cultural sharing of tradition possible on a large scale. Hartly (2002, 231) explains that "...virtual communities restate the large body of communitarian predecessors by viewing technology as promise - a means to achieve the ideal of community rather than a contributor to its demise." The embracing of Japanes tradition and cultural differences by Westerners demonstrates this eloquently.
While I can't profess to be an expert or even a devotee to this artform, nor to fully understand it's traditional symbolism, I am a newly recruted fan. As an artist who has experimented with various form of animation I must say Anime has a distinctive charm. Earlier this year I went to a film night held in the new Queensland Gallery of Modern Art theatres where they played 3 hours of Anime chronologically the very first Anime films. Of course these were all hand drawn and mostly black and white - it's incredible to see the development from 1917 to now! It appears that computer generated (or at least assisted techniques) dominate today and it not only appears in television series and films but also on videos, video games and internet-based applications representing a wider range of fictional genres.
I have been told that Anime features prominently in the shopping malls of Major Japanese cities and that the Japanes hold some type of (annual?) major convention totally dedicated to Anime. I have heard the die-hard fans get together they watch hours (or even days) of Anime, buy and sell Anime merchandise, meet authors and voice actors, dress up as Anime characters and hold costume competitions and it is one big long party. This is a serious "culture"! I have also noted the numerous websites, blogs and books which teach Anime drawing and promote the increasingly popular artform.
While there are particular nuances and certain symbolism belonging to Japanese culture, which need to be understood in order to full appreciate Anime, the internet has facilitated the exchange of these messages and in this example of virtual cultures, strips away geographical and ethnic booundaries to enable the appreciation of one culture by another. Unity is perhaps the most positive of outcomes resulting from the emergence and explosion of virtual cultures.
Check out some of the Anime (fan) Blogs and Website links I've collected (on the right) if you're interested... or better still, leave me a comment, especially if you are from one of these online Anime communities!
Reference:
Hartly, J. 2002. Communication, Cultuaral and Media Studies: The Key Concepts. 3rd Ed. Routledge. Abington, Oxon.
