Journal of Literary Criticism

Journal of Literary Criticism

Transmedia Storytelling and Convergence of the Japanese Visual Aesthetics with the Contemporary Cinema

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Department of Art studies, Faculty of Research Excellence in Art and Entrepreneurship, Art University of Isfahan
2 Ph.D. Student, Department of Art Studies, Faculty of Research Excellence in Art and Entrepreneurship, Art University of Isfahan
10.22034/jlc.2024.458702.1641
Abstract
Copyright: © 2025 by the authors. Submitted for possible open access publication under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY -NC) license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).





 



After reviewing the history of manga and anime in Japan, this article examines the anime movies that made this medium popular in the world and caused its impact on contemporary live-action cinema. This research is a historical case study that was achieved with a qualitative method with documentary data, and its main purpose is to review the impact of the Japanese aesthetic language on contemporary cinema. Anime is a medium whose foundations are long before the beginning of cinema and which coincides with the development of the Japanese aesthetic view of the world. Convergence is a cultural phenomenon that connects old and new mediums. This transferring content across multiple platforms shapes transmedia storytelling. The best example of this convergence is the Matrix series, which reveals the transition of the Japanese visual language from manga to anime and then to live-action movies, digital gaming, and other media products. But sometimes the reconstructed Movies are not successful in this way, because they only repeat the original story of the manga in new forms. This influence of the anime industry on contemporary cinema is important because it established a new visual language that moves against the previous ideals of Hollywood; That is, instead of aiming to create realistic animation to the point of extreme reality, it follows the key elements of anime.
 
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Volume 9, Issue 18
November 2025
Pages 209-175

  • Receive Date 21 May 2024
  • Revise Date 30 August 2024
  • Accept Date 14 September 2024