Shugo Tokumaru - Paparazzi

Part of the final project for my Colonial Identities in Japanese Literature class.

I wanted to illustrate the complexities of the Japan-United States relationship and the evolving ways that violence has affected this dynamic. Through making a music video which incorporates a basic historical narrative, I tried to better understand and articulate contemporary Japanese national identity.

The project is meant to explore this identity through the lens of globalization, specifically in terms of Japan's relationship with the United States since WWII.


BIBLIOGRAPHY OF MEDIA USED IN VIDEO

[+approx 3 secs to everything 'cause I added a title clip]

SONG: Shugo Tokumaru - "Paparazzi"
http://www.shugotokumaru.com/

0:00 - "HD 3D Earth Spinning in After Effects CS3" by youtube user a05pshar. No other info given.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5agil09g8jc

0:01 - Opening clip from the animated film "Cardcaptor Sakura" by Kohmi Hirose
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBL0540PSwo

0:05 Used clips from this throughout the video- "History with Dade: Episode 2" by Dade W. Bell.
http://www.historywithdade.com/

0:10 - Clip from "A Countree" by Hwa Chong Institution of Singapore.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbUVsPVwthU

0:14 - Clips from "Sankichi the Monkey: Shock Troops" [お猿の三吉～突撃隊] Japanese silent animation from 1934, directed by Mitsuyo Seo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLjD31rUIGA

0:17 - I made this map animation, clearly it's not perfect, the coloring/timing of Hokkaido makes no sense, but I did my best!

0:23 - Clip from "WWII Cartoon USA Air Power" posted by youtube user Librarian74112. No other info given.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKQYM6XOU0E

0:35 - Clip from depiction of American firebombing of Kobe, Japan in "Grave of the Fireflies," animated film by Isao Takahata.

0:36 - Clips from depiction of American atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan in "Barefoot Gen" (はだしのゲン), animated film by Tengo Yamada.

0:39 - Clip (reversed in iMovie) depicting Japanese expansionism from American Anti-Japanese propaganda film "My Japan" (1945)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfD9eAFXSvA

0:40 - Clips of America and Japan from "Animaniacs - Nations Of The World"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDtdQ8bTvRc

0:41 - Clips from "Abandoned Cat Little Tora" (すて猫トラちゃん), Japanese classic cartoon from 1947 by Kenzo Masaoka.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_nN0_DZPHw

0:47 - Clips from "Paprika" (パプリカ) animated film by Satoshi Kon.

0:50 - Clip from "The Place Promised in Our Early Days" (雲のむこう、約束の場所) animated film about post-war Japan by Makoto Shinkai.

1:01 - Clip from "Piggybank Pinko," part of the Captain Capitalism series.
http://www.captaincapitalism.com/

1:04 - Clips from Hello Kitty video "Little Kitty" by Zarxrax.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk0C3EfiIMw

1:06 - Clip from "Pokemon - Pikachu's Imitation Skills" from Season 10 - All Dressed Up With Somewhere to Go.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqMAMza8Cyg

1:08 - Clip from "Japanese McDonald's Commercial" posted by youtube user celticaire1. No other info given.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHyuGJcm1AU

1:10 - Clip from "Tekkonkinkreet" (鉄コン筋クリート), animated film by Michael Arias.



PS. my limited/specific perspective = academic background of an american studies/media studies student living in the US.

PPS. i never asked anybody for permission to use anything. so uhhh sorry about the infringe binge.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• shugo tokumaru
• paparazzi
• japan
• united states
• cultural appropriation
• americanization
• japanization
• anime
• pokemon
• hello kitty
• paprika
• mcdonalds
• world war ii
• propaganda
• hiroshima
• atomic bomb
• violence
• national identity
• imperialism
• post-war
• post-war japan
• modernity
• postmodernity
• colonialism
• postcolonialism
• post-postcolonialism
• globalization
• wesleyan

[izuhiraku]

I love tokumaru too.

and the collected videos are interesting.

maybe SF, cyberpunk anime(incl. Shinkai's 'The Place Promised in Our Early Days') could be successfully analysed to be more or less representing the postwar J-US relship and to have some perspectives of, so to say, colonized nation.

but I'm not sure, if Kitty chan or esp. McDo's CM are good stuff for your project.

are they really meant to be something colonial??^^

[messwithtime]

i guess the clips towards the end are meant to reflect the cultural globalization that colonialism generates. mcdonalds = a basic symbol of this throughout the world. while transitioning into capitalism, japan was forcefed a whole lot of US culture. in the current/postmodern state, japan creates its own new media/products/etc (such as hello kitty, pokemon) that are imported back to the US for consumption. the ongoing cultural exchanges & fusions of our globalized world continue !

[bobuyuki]

applause for your total streotype well done. 

[messwithtime]

i would genuinely appreciate any constructive criticism, so please elaborate further if you can.

my goal was not to essentialize japan or the u.s., but to discuss the interconnected nature of their ongoing cultural developments. the production of "history" is far from an objective process, and there are certainly many limitations in conveying a 140+ year narrative in 1:20 through borrowed clips. it is my hope that the video utilizes products of globalization to invoke continued analysis of it.

[Superman54]

holy shit, this was so well done. honestly dude. your intentions reach the viewer very strongly. the song was perfect for the video and gave the jap-us relations a point of view that wasnt jap or american, but like you said from a globalist lense.

plus i love shugo tokumaru :)

[messwithtime]

wow thanks! that means a lot to me.

:)

[izuhiraku]

@messwithtime

thanx for the response.

maybe you already finished the project last year(master thesis or something like that?) and i know its just trivial thing, what i asked.

but however still like to ask^^

is possible to combine so many images in the 'binary' relationship of just two nations?

capitalism is more than americanism. any sovereign states cannot be the key explaining everything today. for me you treat vague things a bit too concretely and causal...^^

anyway i like your video!!

[schtickkicker]

wow, this song used to have me soo addicted to his myspace page. thanks for the upload.

[PanzyMistress]

oh my god. I love this video. Agree with Superman54 about the global view rather than a narrow perspective. the clips are genius :D

[verdesevemejor]

very very cool!