Anime has a visual language that shorthands character emotions and states of mind. The visual language comes from manga and its efforts to clarify the inner world of characters without resorting to words. Visual language can be thought of as a vocabulary of adverbs and adjectives. They add more detail to a character’s behavior. To…
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Japan and the Language of Flowers
“If I were asked to explain the Japanese spirit, I would say it is wild cherry blossoms glowing in the morning sun!” — Motoori Norinaga (1730-1801) Japan’s flower language isn’t as well develop as in the West. Japan’s stories and theater focused on humanizing plants as opposed to using them to convey emotions and messages….
Otaku Language Dictionary
Every group has its own language, words that show who’s a part of the group and who’s not. American football fans speak with words like lineback, down, and line of scrimmage. Anime fans–who refer to themselves by the word otaku–have their own language too. Otaku language mixes slang, transliterated Japanese, and acronyms. Fans lift Japanese…
Manga Faces: Understanding and Reading Manga Visual Language
Anime and manga uses its own visual language to show a character’s inner thoughts and feelings. The visual language isn’t always easy to understand for those new to the medium. Some expressions, such as happiness, are easy enough, but how do you show a character has an upset stomach from anxiety? What about dismay? Anime…
Anime’s Visual Language
Anime and manga have a unique visual language that conveys character emotions and thoughts. Many of us “regular” anime watchers are so familiar with these symbols that we don’t give them a second thought. These symbols (like the vein popping out, as shown to the left) can make anime confusing for people new to anime….
How Do You Know How to Know?
All knowledge is a matter of faith. You trust that I offer something worth your time and thought. I trust that you understand the words and my logic. We trust what we’ve been taught by our parents and teachers, and we trust our own judgment when we distrust information. Likewise, we have faith that we…