Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Japanese Horror'

This thesis examines the understanding of the contemporary Japanese horror film genre in the UK, taking into account the effects that the specificities of the UK cross-cultural context have upon audiences’ meaning-making. Analysis mainly revolves around six films selected based upon frequency of mention by participants: Ring (Nakata, 1998), Audition (Miike, 1999), Ju-on: The Grudge (Shimizu, 2004), Dark Water¬ (Nakata, 2002), Battle Royale (Fukusaku, 2000) and Ichi the Killer (Miike, 2001). Four focus groups and twenty individual interviews were conducted with individuals aged between eighteen and thirty years of age, all of whom self-identified as British. Responses were analysed in order to provide insight into three key areas: how UK audiences define the genre of contemporary Japanese horror film, the frameworks and processes they use in their definitions, and the meanings that they find in culturally-specific elements within these films. Both the Japanese and UK reception landscapes of contemporary Japanese horror film are outlined in order to provide necessary context. Ultimately, the research unearths a variety of interpretations of the contemporary Japanese horror film genre, which are reflective of a range of audience readings due in part to different levels of inter-cultural competence and personal preference. The study finds new channels of reception to be central in influencing transnational audience reception. Home viewing cultures and shifts from the original viewing context are further linked to the way in which audiences create experiences around the films, the influence of which lasts well beyond the point of reception. Alongside this, genre definition and film placements within those genres are shown to be an important factor in film reception, particularly in terms of influencing audience value judgments. Acknowledging the fragmented nature of the audience, hypotheses as to the development of an audience-led approach to transnational genre are outlined.

Gender representation in the horror genre has many interesting discussions surrounding it through multiple perspectives such as psychoanalysis and culture. This article intends to expand the investigation of how female characters are portrayed in horror games. The research on female representation will investigate the potential connections between horror cinema and horror games in the survival horror game Fatal Frame (2001, Koei Tecmo), the first title of a series that is iconic f0r drawing inspiration from Japanese mythology and horror tropes while simultaneously using a large cast of female characters. To gather information about the audience to support the game analysis, an online survey will be released targeting players of the games. Thereafter, recorded, non-commentary footage of the first game, Fatal Frame (2001), will be observed and textually analysed through a framework with data points, based on the background of psychoanalysis, horror cinema, culture, and game theory.

Although widely viewed in the West, Japanese films are often misunderstood, as they are built on cultural, theatrical, and aesthetic traditions entirely foreign to Western audiences. Particularly in regards to Japan's "fantastic" cinema - including giant monster pictures, ghost stories, and "J-Horror" films - what is often perceived as "cheap" or "cheesy" is merely an expression of these unique cultural roots. By observing and exploring such cultural artifacts as kabuki, noh, and bunraku - the traditional theatrical forms of Japan - long-standing literary traditions, deeply embedded philosophical beliefs, and even more recent developments such as the controversial dance form butoh, these films, including Gojira (1954), Daimajin (1966), Kwaidan (1964), Onibaba (1964), Testuo the Iron Man (1989), and Ju-On (2002), can be placed in their proper perspective, leading to a reevaluation of their worth not merely as commercial products, but as uniquely Japanese expressions of that society's unique place in world culture.

Japanese horror film has since the late 1990: ies been extremely successful. The success could probably, at least partly, be due to the Japanese narrative style (which in my own opinion is quite suitable and effective in horror films). In what way does the Japanese narrative tradition work in matter of expression? My results point towards a narrative discrepancy between J-horror and American horror film, possibly due to the Japanese narrative tradition – a narrative tradition under the influence of various forms of ancient Japanese theatre and general Japanese culture.

Tomando como referencia la teoría de los polisistemas y con la idea de reescritura como concepto central, esta tesis estudia la recepción de la cinematografía japonesa contemporánea en España. Originado en una cultura que es vista como una alteridad, el cine japonés queda relegado a una posición periférica en el discurso crítico hegemónico. Sobre esta cinematografía se maneja un limitado catálogo, en el que son recurrentes algunos aspectos como el concepto de autor; las películas de ambientación histórica; las de terror; y las de animación. También nos hemos ocupado de otros dos aspectos generalmente excluidos de la consideración crítica, como son las cuestiones de género y la comedia. En base a esos seis temas, proponemos una reflexión crítica sobre el conjunto de discursos con los que la institución crítica española conforma su reescritura del cine japonés contemporáneo.
Using the Polysystem Theory as a framework and with the notion of Rewriting as a central concept, this thesis studies the reception of contemporary Japanese cinema in Spain. Originated in a culture that is seen as an otherness, Japanese cinema is relegated to a peripheral position in the hegemonic critical discourse. Within the limited catalog extracted from that national cinema, there are some recurring aspects such as the concept of auteur; period films; horror films; and animation. Two more aspects, generally excluded or underrepresented in film criticism such as gender and the comedy genre, have also been taken under scrutiny. Around these six issues, we propose a critical reflection on the discourses with which the institution of film criticism in Spain rewrites Japanese cinema.

Considered under the theme 'The Floating World', the aim of this research project was to create a written exegesis and a series of artworks, primarily in the form of digital animation and illustration, which investigate decorative and illustrative art practices and their historical lineages. Particular emphasis was given to investigating the links between contemporary decorative/illustrative art practice and the aesthetics and psychology of the Edo period in Japan (C17th - C19th), in which the term 'The Floating World' was used to describe the city of Edo (old Tokyo). The writing concerned with The Floating World is comprised of the following chapters: history; concepts; aesthetics; contemporary adaptations of Ukiyo-e; and gothic romance and associated genres. The outcomes of my Masters program represent a sustained exploration of decorative and illustrative art practice and theory, and incorporate experimentation with associated genres such as magic realism, gothic romance, the uncanny, iconography, surrealism and other metaphorical and abstract representational practices. More broadly, my Masters project is an investigation, both theoretical and practical, into the way drawing and illustration have been a process through which to (literally) give shape to hopes and fears, and to describe understandings of self and the world. I am particularly interested in exploring how, through the act of abstraction and the use of metaphor and decoration, a capacity to 'speak the unspeakable' and 'know the unknowable' are somehow enabled. For example, when contemporary Japanese artist Takashi Murakami decorates Edo-inspired screens with a colourful arrangement of morphing cartoon mushrooms, he conjures up a startling and complex poetic space that juxtaposes traditional Japanese aesthetics and philosophy with the hyper-consumerist characters and ethos of Disneyland, as well as disquieting references to the mushroom bombs that dropped down on Hiroshima and Nagasaki from US planes. A similarly complex space is enacted by contemporary US artist Inka Essenhigh: her oversized canvases seem like sublime Japanese-inspired screens but a closer inspection reveals that the decorative motifs are actually dismembered body parts morphed together to create a savage and compelling metaphor for contemporary America that is all the more disarming for being perf ormed in a seemingly innocuous illustrative style. My research will draw on these examples but will endeavour to create a series of artworks that are particular to an Australian context. This interests me particularly in a time when, as a nation, we appear to be confounded about what it means to be Australian: as a contemporary artist I am interested in how we represent ourselves as a nation, and in exploring the motifs and attributes that we consider to be ours.

El 1998, una petita pel.lícula japonesa va revolucionar el cinema de terror, que en aquell moment es trobaba dominat per la indústria nord-americana. Es tractava de Ringu, un film en el qual el director Hideo Nakata mostrava l’essència de les histories de fantasmes tradicionals del seu país en un entorn urbà contemporani. L’èxit d’aquest títol va obrir les portes a una sèrie de produccions japoneses de terror que es caracterizava per uns trets comuns que les feien reconeixibles. L’absència de violència explícita, la por a les noves tecnologies, presentades com quelcom negatiu, la presència d’un tipus de fantasma conegut com a yurei (esperits aturmentats, normalment femenins, que acostumaven a vestir roba blanca i caminar lentament amb part del seu rostre cobert per una llarga melena fosca) i, sobretot, un ritme més pausat que el que presentava el cinema de Hollywood, gràcies a un muntatge diferent, van ser les característiques més identificables d’aquestes pel.lícules que van originar el fenomen conegut com J-Horror. Dark Water, Ju-On. La maldición, Llamada perdida i Kairo van formar part d’aquest fenomen, sorgit a finals dels anys noranta i que amb prou feines va durar una década. Veient la possibilitat d’aprofitar aquest èxit, la indústria nord-americana va fer remakes de diversos d’aquests films. Ara bé, com van traduir en aquestes produccions una cosa tan important com és el muntatge? Aquesta pregunta és la base d’aquest treball d’investigació. Després de fer una introducció al cinema de terror japonès i a les principals teories i conceptes del muntatge, s’han estudiat tant els films de terror japonesos contemporanis com els seus respectius remakes nord-americans centrant tota l’atenció en el seu muntatge visual. Per això, hem escollit una seqüència de cada original i la mateixa seqüència del remake per a descomposar-les en escenes i analitzar el muntatge fet servir en totes dues. La realització d’aquests decoupages permet observar aspectes com els tipus de plans, la seva durada, els movimients de càmara i el tipus de transició utilitzada per unir les escenes. El resultat d’aquest estudi mostra que, mentre les pel.lícules originals fan servir plans de major durada, acostumen a presentar els espais a través d’un pla general i, en la majoria de casos, els seus moviments de càmara es fan girant sobre el seu eix, els remakes recorren a nombrosos moviments de travelling, en els quals es desplaça la càmara, es fan servir més plans mitjans que plans generals i les seves escenes són d’una durada molt més breu que les que podem observar als films originals. Això, unit als canvis de durada que es produeixen en les escenes dels remakes però no en les del J-Horror estudiades, fa que el ritme narratiu sigui la principal diferència entre els seus muntatges. El ritme lent i pausat japonès es contraposa al ritme clarament més ràpid dels seus remakes nord-americans, que mostren una major fragmentació tant de l’acció com de l’espai i no han sabut traduir la tranquil.la mirada amb la que s’ha distingit el cinema de terror japonès contemporani, sent aquesta la conclusió de l’estudi realitzat.
En 1998, una pequeña película japonesa revolucionó el cine de terror, que en ese momento se encontraba dominado por la industria norteamericana. Se trataba de Ringu, un film en el que el director Hideo Nakata mostraba la esencia de las historias de fantasmas tradicionales de su país en un entorno urbano contemporáneo. El éxito de este título abrió las puertas a una serie de producciones japonesas de terror que se caracterizaba por unos rasgos comunes que las hacían reconocibles. La ausencia de violencia explícita, el temor a las nuevas tecnologías, presentadas como algo negativo, la presencia de un tipo de fantasma conocido como yurei (espíritus atormentados, normalmente femeninos, que solía vestir ropas blancas y caminar lentamente con parte de su rostro cubierto por una larga melena oscura) y, sobre todo, un ritmo más pausado que el que presentaba el cine de Hollywood, gracias a un montaje diferente, fueron las características más identificables de estas películas que dieron origen al fenómeno conocido como J-Horror. Dark Water, Ju-On. La maldición, Llamada perdida y Kairo formaron parte de este fenómeno, surgido a finales de los años noventa y que apenas duró una década. Viendo la posibilidad de aprovechar este éxito, la industria norteamericana hizo remakes de varios de estos films. Ahora bien, ¿cómo tradujeron en estas producciones algo tan importante como el montaje? Esta pregunta es la base de este trabajo de investigación. Tras hacer una introducción al cine de terror japonés y a las principales teorías y conceptos del montaje, se han estudiado tanto los films de terror japoneses contemporáneos como sus respectivos remakes norteamericanos centrando toda la atención en su montaje visual. Para ello, hemos elegido una secuencia de cada original y la misma secuencia de su remake para descomponerlas en escenas y analizar el montaje utilizado en ambas. La realización de estos decoupages permite observar aspectos como los tipos de plano, su duración, los movimientos de cámara y el tipo de transición utilizada para unir las escenas. El resultado de este estudio muestra que, mientras las películas originales japonesas utilizan planos de mayor duración, suelen presentar los espacios donde se desarrolla la acción a través de un plano general y en la mayoría de casos sus movimientos de cámara se realizan girando sobre el propio eje, los remakes recurren a numerosos movimientos de travelling, en los que se desplaza la cámara, se utilizan más planos medios que planos generales y sus escenas son de una duración mucho más breve que las que podemos observar en los films originales. Esto, unido a los cambios de duración que se producen en las escenas de los remakes pero no en las películas del J-Horror estudiadas, hace que el ritmo narrativo sea la principal diferencia entre sus montajes. El ritmo lento y pausado japonés se contrapone al ritmo claramente más rápido de sus remakes norteamericanos, que muestran una mayor fragmentación tanto de la acción como del espacio y no han sabido traducir la tranquila mirada con la que se ha distinguido el cine de terror japonés contemporáneo, siendo esta la conclusión del estudio realizado.
In 1998, a japanese movie revolutionized horror cinema, which in that moment was dominated by American industry. It was Ringu, a film in which the filmmaker Hideo Nakata showed the essence of traditional ghosts stories from his country in an urban environ. The success of this title open the way to a series of Japanese horror productions that was characterized by some features in common that made it recognizebles. The absence of explicit violence, fear of new technologies, showed as something negative, the presence of a kind of ghost known as yurei (tormented spirits, usually women, that wear white clothes and walks slowly with part of its face hidden by black hair) and, above all, a slower rythm than Hollywood cinema, thanks to a different kind of edition, were the characteristics more identificables from the movies which caused the phenomenon kwown as J-Horror. Dark Water, Ju-On, One Missed Call and Kairo were part of this phenomenon, born at last of the 90 and that barely last for a decade. Understanding the chance to take advantage of this success, American industry did remakes from some of these films. How did these productions translate something so important as the edition? This question was the basis for this research. After an introduction to japanese horror cinema and the main edition theories and concepts, we have studied contemporary Japanese horror movies and their American remakes with the focus of the attention on the visual edition. Because of thar, we have choosen one sequence from each original and the same sequence from their remake to separate it into scenes and analysing the edition from both. These decoupages allow to observate aspects like the angle of plans, its lenght, the camera movements and transitions used to join scenes together. The results of this research shows that, while original movies uses more lenght plans, it used to show the space through a general plan and, the most of times, its camera movements are doing turning above its own axle, remakes uses more travelling movements, in which camera is displaced, more general plans are done and the length of its scenes is very shorter thsn the length of the scenes from original films. These points, and the changes in the lenght of remakes scenes but not in the J-Horror scenes movies, do the narrative rythm be the main difference between its editions. The slow japanese rythm is opposed to faster rythm of american remakes, which shows a biggest fragmentation of the narrative action and the space. American remakes don’t know translate the peaceful look that distinguished japanese contemporary horror cinema, being that the conclusion of this issue.

This thesis examines the embodiment of the sexed body and the struggle of fitting into the narrow frames of what a woman is supposed to behave and look like in Japanese cinema. Using the medium of film, I, therefore, seek to produce knowledge regarding the internalized gaze of the oppressor, and self-objectification, caused by the capitalist heteropatriarchy. Thus, I am drawing from cyborg feminism, and the second wave of sexual difference theory’s concept of becoming, expanded upon by the Italian-Australian philosopher Rosi Braidotti. I further use the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu’s notion of masculine domination and the American philosopher Gayle Rubin’s charmed circle, in creating a theoretical framework, and using the methods of cultural and feminist film analysis to contextualize the films and locate the subjectification of the women. The movies that I will be analyzing are the Japanese director and poet Sion Sono’s Antiporno (アンチポルノ, 2016) and the Japanese director and photographer Mika Ninagawa’s Helter Skelter (ヘルタースケルター, 2012), which both center around two women and their struggle in becoming-cyborg, in relation to power, trauma, sexuality, technology, and beauty ideals in ‘modernized’ Japan. In that sense, I will study the phenomenon of operating outside the lines of social norms of femininity and desire.

In 2007, popular mystery author Kyōgoku Natsuhiko attempted to adapt a collection of random stories known as the Mimi bukuro or Tales Heard into kaidan, tales of the strange and mysterious for today’s readership. The writing experiment ended with Kyōgoku questioning his own writing abilities and publishing his small collection of adapted stories into a book that was not considered very frightening. Although the experiment failed, Kyōgoku’s efforts raise the question, “if not kaidan, what is frightening in the twentieth century?” The reason why kaidan are no longer frightening is because their central characters, yōkai, have been displaced from the horror genre. Today the yōkai that were once popular in the Edo period have been “cutesified” for businesses, films, and children’s shows. What is frightening today is no longer the Edo period monster, but rather aliens, ghosts, scientific monsters, and serial killers that represent a fear of the unknown. While the unknown has been a fear of man since the beginning, how it is symbolized and interpreted changes over time based on society and individual experiences. Chapter one traces the development of yōkai’s transformation from traditional horror story icons to children’s characters and role models. Chapter two analyzes and compares four of the original stories from the Mimi bukuro to Kyōgoku’s adaptation to understand what was scary during the Edo period, and what Kyōgoku deemed frightening in modern times. Chapter three analyzes three different monsters and explains why they were frightening and what problems or unknown situations each monster represented for modern audiences.

碩士
臺中技術學院
商業設計系碩士班
98
In recent years, the cultural industries in Asian countries are very active, the influences from Japanese animation, comic industry and horror movie are especially significant; They are commercial systems that complement with each other, and the national cultural thought is passed through the biggest export country. The most popular horror cartoonist, Junji Ito, has published many short comics, and a lot of his works have been adapted into movies as well; his fans are many. Junji Ito’s first long comic and adapted movie, “Uzumaki”, has duo economic value that is the motive of this study. This study mainly uses document analysis and text analysis to unify and arrange Junji Ito’s published works in Taiwan. And then, the story framework of the content of his masterpiece, “Uzumaki”, is used to explain the expression that is implied in traditional culture of Japan. Finally, cross comparison is carried out for the adapted movie and comic. The study shows that “Uzumaki” implies the story framework of ancient fairy tales in Japan and keeps the form of modern monster culture; therefore, the Japanese culture could be understood and absorbed through reading the of the comic. On the other hand, the adapted movie presents the original version truly, the viewers could connect to the plot of comic while seeing the movie so that their impression towards horror text could be deepened; thus, Junji Ito is successfully created his commercial value.

碩士
淡江大學
大眾傳播學系
93
Horror genre explains the struggle between established order and insubordinate power, it displays deep fears of people within a particular period. While Hollywood horror films emphasize the horror of gore, Japanese horror films show the specific quiet and mystery in Japanese culture. The eminence of The Ring, not only because of it''s successful global market stratagem, but because of it''s unique style, influences other movies in many countries, including Hollywood. Different from the male monsters in western horror film, female ghosts in many Japanese horror films, as some feminists argue, female ghosts in Japanese horror films defy the traditional patriarchy deeply rooted in Japanese culture. The aggressive images of the ‘creepy’un-dead and the theme of female ghosts vs. female characters reveal the analysis of The Ring, together with the horror films before and following it, in the context of a changing society shows the meaning of power structure in gender and the cultural fear in patriarchal mechanism. The thesis concluded the female/ghost images are portray as tender mother and wife as well as loyal wife, who sacrifice themselves in order to compliant with male dominance. As for the horror films after The Ring, the seemingly powerful female ghosts are all the more demonized and marginalized, unable to transgress and resist the male dominance. The society regards the female ghost as the Other just because of the double identity of female ghost as both female and ghost in contemporary horror films. Oppression of female ghosts and female characters undoubtedly consistently decreases the possibility of female resistance.