Seminar 7: Censorship

Ohhh, where do I even start with this one...? We don't necessarily need a seminar to even figure out that there are all sorts of censorship when it comes to animation. And that's just it, there are so many areas to cover for it that, it's really hard simply picking a few.

Censorship is the act of removing content deemed immoral, offensive or morally objectionable by certain individuals and an act of suppression of speech or other public communication as determined by a government, media outlet or other controlling body.

Sailor Moon (Violence, Nudity and Homosexual Couples)

Most of the Western audience probably grew up with the dubbed version, and so they probably didn't realise until much later just how much was changed from the original. Sure there were the typical visual censorships, which made sense since the show had a fair amount of 'nudity' in it (Even the sparkles and rainbow coloured body outlines weren't enough to cover them up apparently).

Eh.

And then there was their very weak attempt to completely rewrite some of its characters as heterosexuals, and failing pretty drastically.

The series' famous androgynous lesbian, Haruka Tenoh,
later renamed Amara.

In an effort to avoid the controversy that a lesbian character in a cartoon aimed towards a younger audience would cause, given the contemporary social mores in the United States, the dub also states that Amara (Haruka) and Michelle (Michiru Kaioh) are cousins (HAHA!) - even going so far as to occasionally state this through characters who should now know such information.

However, whether in an attempt to be more faithful to the original Japanese or through sheer failure to edit consistently, several episodes of the English dub retain a noticeable amount of their casual flirting. Due to the censorship and problematic dubbing, some viewers of the English dubs inferred not only a homosexual relationship between the two girls, but also an incestuous one, due to the unusual amount of flirting between these so-called 'cousins' (Still laughing here).

However, it should be noted that in Japan, there were also some controversies around the character. Many other international dubs also either toned down or censored the character to reflect similar social mores in other countries. For example, the French dub showed Frederique (Haruka) was deliberately disguising herself as a man to hide her identity as Sailor Uranus, going so far as to cast a male actor to play her, while a female one placed her later on once she was revealed to be female. While Mylene (Michiru) was rewritten as merely pretending to be "his" girlfriend to maintain the charade (This actually sounds a lot more creative if you ask me... I kinda like it?).

Zoisite and Kunzite (Later renamed Zoycite and Malachite in the Dub)

Before Haruka and Michiru came along in the later seasons however, there were these two. Seeing how obvious it was that these two were a couple, the more effeminate looking one (Being Zoisite), was rewritten as a female character... though this censorship probably did a lot better than what they tried with Haruka and Michiru.

Several death scenes were also censored or removed completely. In the second last episode of the first season, none of the Sailor Scouts' death scenes were shown. Instead, they were all said to have been "captured" by the series' antagonist. This censorship pretty much ruined one of the most emotional moments in the series... But I suppose it had to be done so that the young ones wouldn't be traumatised by this episode.

While Sailor Moon was never intended to be a children's show despite the fact that it focuses on pretty magical girls, it was turned into just that when it was brought over to the Western side. And while it is pretty hilarious to see how hard they tried to make it into a kid friendly series that had a lesson forced in at the end of each episode, I suppose it was necessary considering who they were aiming this show at... though they honestly could have done a better job with it (Because this is some inconsistent censoring you did, DIC).

Bleach (Even more Violence and Nudity)

With more 'recent' anime shows, in "Bleach's" case, Tite Kubo had a tendency to illustrate really over-the-top violence, which had to be toned down when it was adapted into an anime series. It probably doesn't look as bad when seen on a still black and white image, but considering the fact that shonen anime shows like these are meant to be rated at least PG-13, they definitely had to remove these gruesome scenes that you would only see in animes like "Ghost in the Shell" and "Afro Samurai".

Much like "Sailor Moon",  female characters had their outfits altered to cover up more skin, and once again in this case, it's understandable. Female characters were definitely drawn in far more skimpy outfits in this series as compared to "Sailor Moon", and truth be told, these censorships look more believable, especially when you see these well endowed characters fighting (Wear a bra, please). We wouldn't want the young ones to be... too interested in these attractive characters either, now do we?

You can read an interesting write up here about the changes made between mangas and its anime adaptations.

TMNT (The N Word)

In the original 80s series, the UK were absolutely crazy over ninjas. The idea that everyone was about to put on black pajamas and overthrow the monarchy however terrified the authorities, and this poor series ended up paying the price. Since ninjas were not actually allowed to appear in cartoons and the British still wanted to let their children watch this classic-to-be, they reached a compromise by removing the word "ninja" from the theme song... and the show was retitled "Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles".

Because of this, Michelangelo's screen time was cut down immensely, while many scenes involving weapons were toned down or cut entirely - Mikey and his nunchakus were for some reason given the most attention. The reason for this is unknown... especially if they thought that nunchakus are much dangerous weapons as compared to swords. Anyway, Mikey's signature weapon was hence replaced with a grappling hook called the 'turtle line'...

Michelangelo remained one of the most useless characters until the series' cancellation. Thankfully later versions of the series weren't given such treatment later on, even reverting back to the original name and weapons.

There were some other ridiculous censoring of 80s and 90s cartoons, such as the 90s "Spider-Man" cartoon, where no punching was allowed to be shown at all throughout the show's run... go figure.

Mortal Kombat and Australia (Too Violent For Me)

The Australian government has always been known for their ridiculous video game censorships, apparently having a mindset that video games are only meant to be for kids, denying the existence of older gamers. That was until a new game rating system was introduced about a few years back.

Trust me, there are better ones.

When "Mortal Kombat 9" was unsurprisingly banned in Australia for its "explicit depictions of dismemberment, decapitation, disembowelment and other brutal forms of slaughter", with Warner Bros. Interactive's appeal being repealed. But following the introduction of the adults-only rating, the ban was then overturned in Australia and the game re-rated R18+ uncensored.

The company has always been aware of the negative reaction it tends to get from parents, and that was probably one of the best things about Ed Boon and his crew, their sense of humour. 

The introduction of the Friendship finishing move in "Mortal Kombat 2" was intended to mock the parental outcry in 1992 over the first game's violent content. However, they were sadly dropped from later games as controversy diminished and was redirected to newer games. It did however allow the series to return to its darker roots from "Mortal Kombat 4" onwards. While Babalities (The finishing move that turns the loser into a baby) were included in the most recent game, Friendship was sadly not included despite what Ed Boon said on Twitter.

Oh and let's not forget this (Way before Australia unbanned the game):

While censorship is necessary (Especially when it comes to television, that parent lock is not going to work forever), it gets pretty ridiculous, or worse, even worse content goes over the heads of the people in charge of censoring the show. 

I must confess that Asia's HBO and Fox channels have done a horrible job when it comes to properly censoring their shows, as mentioned before, numerous jokes (Even visual ones) apparently go over the heads of these editors (Such as that gay orgy in "Family Guy"), and some movies or shows are censored so heavily that there was no point even watching it after (Like "Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny").

Again, it is understandable that censorship is required for the sake of the young ones (And the painfully sensitive), considering how easy it is to influence them when it comes to the content they see on TV. But when editors blow, they really blow...

Seminar 6: Globalisation

Anime

In August 1996, Disney and Tokum Shoten Publishing agreed that Disney would international distribute Tokuma's Studio Ghibli animated films. Aside from the fact that english dubbing (With some of America's biggest and most well known celebrities) was done for these Western releases, the dubbing actually stayed really faithful to the original Ghibli films (From what I can see at least). In fact, this is a positive example on what international redistribution can do, seeing that the west wouldn't have known or come to appreciate Ghibli's works of art had it not been for Disney.

On a similar topic, a worse off example would have to be "Sailor Moon" and some of the weakest attempts at americanisation one would have the misfortune of laying their eyes upon. Sure, most of us have probably heard of the more childish (I am not going to say awful because it remains to this day a huge part of most people's childhoods) North American localising done by DiC and Cloverway, where a huge amount of the original content was heavily censored or changed completely (Such as changing a certain lesbian couple in cousins instead).

But... did you know that...

They were originally going to go from this.

To this?

This American remake was going to be a half live-action and half Western style animation (You can see here that it looks like any 80s cartoon at the time). Toon Makers produced a 17 minute proof of concept presentation as well as a two minute music video (Which I had wanted to post here had there been a decent quality of it without someone laughing in the background...) that they presented to Toei, whom turned it down as their concept would have cost significantly more than simply exporting and dubbing the anime adaptation.

TV Shows

I feel that the American adaptation of the original BBC series is another considerably positive example. While it initially appeared to be a mere copy of the English version for the first season or two, this version clearly began to grow into its own show as it progressed. As expected, the first season was met with mixed responses from critics, as it was seen as a pale imitation of the original. 

Later seasons however were soon better received by critics and viewers alike as the script began deviating from Gervais and Merchant's own, and when characters began to develop their own personalities that became far more fleshed out than their British counterparts (Though then again the original version only lasted for 12 episodes).

"After a rocky start, The Office improved immeasurably, instantly becoming one of TV's funniest, sharpest shows. The casting of Steve Carell in the Gervais role proved to be a masterstroke. The American Office is that rarest of anomalies: a remake of a classic show that both does right by its source and carves out its own strong identity."
~ .A.V. Club, Nathan Rabin

... I don't know.

Perhaps maybe the same could have happened for the American version of the "IT Crowd", but well, they were never given the chance to get past the pilot, so we will never know... (Frankly though, a shot by shot copy of the original is just never the wisest way to give your pitch for something... it probably wouldn't work as well as "The Office" did in my opinion, seeing how distinctly British the "IT Crowd" was in terms of humour)

Cultural Identity

And so, is there a threat to the loss of cultural identities when it comes to other animations throughout the world? Or do most people simply see America and Japan as the main distributors of animation? And that other countries are too afraid to step up to the plate? 

The opening for "The Triplets of Belleville" presented humorous caricatures of well known figures such as Josephine Baker, Django Reinhardt and Fred Astaire, and was parodying the Rubber hose animation style that became standardised in the American animation industry (Especially in really early Disney shorts back in the 20s). I wouldn't say that the opening is the best example into what a French animation would look like, as it was clearly parodying American animations and subjects at the time.

I believe that it is in the main story where we are truly able to get the distinct French feel of the film. Aside from the unique abstractness and grittiness seen throughout most of it, there is also a distinctly warm yellowish colour palette used throughout (Which seems to be present in a lot of other French animations). "Triplets of Belleville" can be considered a downright scary and weird film, but still retains an amazing amount of hilarity and beauty as well. "The Illusionist" also has a distinctly French feel despite its incredibly different tone and mood, and I think people should just watch these two and compare them after.

Frankly though, I call BS on this matter, because, most people just aren't looking that hard enough. For instance there have been an amazing amount of French animated films that have been nominated as Disney, Pixar and Ghibli films. French, Korean, Chinese, German, Russian animations all have their own unique identities and style (Even "The Simpsons" seems to notice that, seeing that they parody them now and then).

I suppose most people in my class might question then, what is considered to be a distinctly British animation? To me, that is a little hard to figure out (Even though Singapore had provided us with a wide selection of British animations on the local kids channel), as it seems to vary. Though I suppose most people will identify British animations through stop motion, such as the works of Aardman.

Seminar 5: Persuasion and Propaganda

Propaganda in animation became a means of documenting, seeing that it could be better distributed to the masses. While there are various types of propaganda animation, in the end they all have the same goal where they are designed to persuade you and manipulate your level of political consciousness.

"Persuasion - 'a deliberate and successful attempt by one person to get another person by appeals to reason to freely accept beliefs, attitudes, values, intentions or actions". 
~Tom L. Beauchamp, Manipulative Advertising, 1984

"At that time (WWII), I fervently believed just about everything I was exposed to in school and in the media. For examples, I knew that all Germans were evil and that all Japanese were sneaky and treacherous, while all white Americans were clean-cut, honest, fair-minded, and trusting."
~ Elliot Aronson in Pratkanis and Aronson, 1992, Age of Propaganda, p. xii

Matches an Appeal by Arthur Melbourne Cooper (1899)

Melbourne-Cooper made for Bryant and May what some animation historians consider the earliest surviving stop-motion advertising film, "Matches Appeal". The film contains an appeal to send money to Bryant and May who would then send matches to the British troops, in support of an unspecified war.  

Daddy, what did you do in the great war?

Britain's army at the beginning of the first World War was relatively small and professional. There was no conscription of population before 1916, and so recruitment of volunteers in large numbers became a huge challenge.

The poster was designed to induce a sense of patriotic guilt, trying to capture the British men that were unwilling to volunteer for the war. The picture depicts a situation in the future, after the war, where the daughter asks her dad expectantly how he contributed to the war. Posters like this used that powerful sense of duty to family, but instead that suggested that, in the future, children would hold their fathers to account on the service that they performed for their country rather than the social protection that they ensured for their immediate family. 

The Sinking of Lusitania (1918) by Winsor McCay

The sinking of the Cunard ocean liner RMS Lusitania occurred on 7 May 1915 during the First World War, as Germany waged submarine warfare against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The ship was torpedoed by the German U-boat U-20 and sank in 18 minutes. The vessel went down 11 miles (18km) off the Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland, killing 1198 and leaving 761 survivors. The sinking turned public opinion in many countries against Germany, contributed to the American entry into World War I and became an iconic symbol in military recruiting campaigns of why the war was being fought.

Winsor McCay spent nearly two years working on this animation, and at twelve minutes, it was the longest animated film on record at the time and was the first animated documentary. It was in the interests of the British to keep US citizens aware of German actions and attitudes. It was particularly notable, that in this film, the names of several prominent Americans were listed and focused upon. There was possibly also a reason as to why this film seem to drag on, perhaps to evoke stronger emotions out of its audience.

Evil Mickey attacks Japan (1936)

A pretty obvious but still strange piece of Japanese propaganda animation to all that get the chance to watch it to this day, it would seem that by that time, Disney's Mickey Mouse was known to the Japanese to be one of the Americans' biggest and most beloved icons, seeing as a pantless caricature of him was created as the villain of this film... Their own beloved icons, Momotaro, the "Peach boy", Kintaro and Urashima Taro, whom are heroic and pure and representing all that is good about their country, go up against that evil naked mouse and his army of inbred bats.

What age group was this animation aimed at anyway? Despite its seemingly cartoony and childish style, why was there a need to include machine guns into the mix?

Der Fuehrer's Face (1943)

Originally titled "Donald Duck in Nutzi Land", the cartoon features Donald Duck in a nightmare setting working at a factory in Nazi Germany. The film is well known for Oliver Wallace's original song "Der Fuehrer's Face", which was actually released earlier by Spike Jones. It was made in an effort to sell war bonds and is an example of American propaganda during World War II. Due to the propagandistic nature of the short, and the depiction of Donald Duck as a Nazi (Albeit a reluctant one), Disney kept the film out of general circulation after its original release. Its first home video release came in 2004 after the release of the third wave of Walt Disney Treasures DVD sets.

Victory through Air Power (1943)

This Disney feature film was based on the 1942 book of the same name by Alexander P. de Seversky (With him even appearing in the film), that had been extremely popular, influential and controversial upon its release than six months after the attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941. Walt Disney felt that the book's message was so important that he personally financed the animated production. The film was primarily created to catch the attention of government officials and to build public morale among the US and Allied Powers.

The film played a significant role for the Disney Corporation because it was the true beginning of education films, that are to this day, still produced and used for the military, schools, and factory instruction. The company learned how to effectively communicate their ideas and efficiently produce films while introducing their characters to millions of people worldwide. Throughout the rest of the war, Disney characters effectively acted as ambassadors to the world.

When the Wind Blows (1986)

A British animated drama film directed by Jimmy Murakami based on Raymond Briggs' graphic novel of the same name, the story shows a nuclear attack on Britain by the Soviet Union from the viewpoint of a retired couple,Jim and Hilga Bloggs. The film seems to be taking swipes at Britain's post WWII patriotism and the perils of blind faith in government during the Tatcher era.

The Tin-Pot Foreign General and the Old Iron Woman (1984)

A picture book also by Raymond Briggs that was apparently for young children (Yeah, sure it is, Raymond...), it satirises the Falklands War. The book presents the story of the war in the format of a picture book for young children. It is written in a simple style with large, brightly coloured illustrations. 

Neither the Falkland Islands, the belligerent countries, nor their leaders are named in the text. Instead, the British prime minister Margaret Tatcher and the Argentine dictator General Leopoldo Galtieri are presented as a pair of metal monsters who send men to fight over a "sad little island" populated by a few shepherds who eat nothing but mutton.

The book mentions several ways in which the soldiers (Who were all made of flesh and blood unlike the leaders they served) were killed or maimed; the pictures accompanying these parts of the text are monochrome pencil sketches, as opposed to the full-colour (Also frankly quite terrifying) caricatures in the rest of the book.

The refusal of either side to admit responsibility for civilian casualties is satirised with the statement that three of the islanders were killed, but that "nobody was to blame".

Seminar 4: Cities and Film

I will admit that I had drawn a blank when it came to applying this topic to animation, but thanks to James, it finally hit me (And a few others) that cities, buildings, and any sort of architectural designs are obviously environments and settings, that if designed and presented in a certain way, can create the perfect mood and establish a large part of a film, or animation. Sometimes the application of things to a certain area can be so darn obvious, that it is frustrating that we pointlessly ended up thinking too hard on it.

The Fountainhead (1949)

Howard Roark continues to struggle through life as he refuses to adhere to the conventionalism of others, despite giving the opportunity to make it big, he chooses to struggle in obscurity rather than compromise his artistic and personal vision. Despite an establishment centred on tradition-worship, Howard continues fighting against it, sticking to his practice as what the public sees as modern architecture.

The film, and pretty much the book it was based on focuses on themes of individualism, not in terms of politics, but the individuals themselves, namely Howard, despite being written in the 30s during World War II when it wouldn't be surprising for books to be written on world affairs and such. The theme of architecture was chosen for the analogy of the ideas offered to the author herself, especially in the context of the ascent of modern architecture. Roark searches for truth and honesty and expresses them in his work, remaining uncompromised when changes are suggested, mirroring modern architecture's trajectory from dissatisfaction with earlier design trends to emphasise individual creativity.

"Through almost seven hundred pages of elaborate plot, stilted speeches, and overwrought emotions, (Ayn) Rand's ideological cartoon of a book (she also wrote the screenplay) pits the individual, whose undaunted ego is the fountainhead of all praise-worthy human activity, against the common man, Rand's rabble, who fearing the individual, attempts to destroy or reduce him to its own base level. To translate her philosophy into fiction, the author cast her hero as an architect" ~ Albrechy, D. (1986), Designing Dreams: Modern Architecture in the Movies, London, Thames and Hudson, Page 168

Psycho (1960)

The Bates household had been presented as the all-american dream (Oneiric in a sense) home of sorts at the very beginning (As well as in some of the trailers shown at the time), in most Alfred Hitchcock films, characteristically they start off in an idyllic and relaxed atmosphere. Scenes and buildings reflect a somewhat naïve and amusing balance of bourgeois (Conventional, middle class) life. 

As the story begins, however, a sense of foreboding begins to convey a negative content to the buildings. The very same architecture turns gradually into a generator and container of fear, and in the end, terror seems to have poisoned space itself (Pallasamaa, J. (2001), The Architecture of Image: Existential Space in Cinema, page 25). In the original black and white version, the stark contrasting shadows are able to enhance the sinister feel that this house gives off as the story progresses, even during the day, a sense of foreboding is felt with each new character that dares enter it.

It is interesting to note how certain rooms are associated with certain characters we already know that the seemingly forbidden areas of the household are associated with Norma Bates, such as her bedroom and her basement, which are barely seen until near the end of the film. 

Norman's parlour was his sanctuary, where he probably had felt the safest as he gets to momentarily have some time alone to himself, and away from the verbal abuse of his 'mother', surrounded by the things he loves such as his bird taxidermy collection (Perhaps getting some sense of comfort as these lifeless creatures watches him from above, almost as if guarding him, keeping him company, possibly agreeing and supporting him). 

The Shining (1980)

The Stanley Hotel in a way also ties in with the bourgeois existence, in the beginning before it was closed for the winter, where there were still guests and staff around, it appears to be a seemingly peaceful and lovely place to stay. Despite that however, despite the beauty and magnificence of the landscape, it becomes apparent that not all is at it seems, especially once Jack and his family is isolated from the rest of the world.

The opening is a pretty obvious give away to the overall mood of the film (Unlike Alfred Hitchcock's films, which are considered a rarity these days in terms of pacing and atmosphere), with the soft but ominous music that plays in the background, as well as the tracking shot of the car as it drives its way down a long winding path up the mountains, that establishes just how far out and secluded their destination happens to be. The sense that there is nowhere to escape or no one to call for help if something should go wrong...

The interior of the hotel, despite how vibrantly coloured it is and grandiosely classic the architectural elements are (Such as materials, wallpapers, windows and doors, furniture, etc.), as the story progresses, the overall feel of the setting begins to become more suffocating and claustrophobic in nature. Jack however, out of the three occupants in this huge, quiet, empty hotel, becomes the most overwhelmed (With his alcoholism obviously contributing to that), but also seemingly becomes a part of the hotel itself (Particularly that ending that still draws many questions to this day), as it would seem his supposed moments of 'sanity', or when he is feeling the most calm, is when he is speaking to people that are meant to be there, such as the bartender.

Most successful horror works are able to make full use of the psychological aspect of space when it comes to the settings and of course, how things are shot through the camera... sort of celebrates it, while also ironically, the beauty of the city and the dark side of it

Grand Theft Auto V

Onto something a little different... The critically acclaimed "Grand Theft Auto V" has been known for it's satirising of the glamorous city life, particularly in the fictional city of Los Santos (Based on Los Angeles), where one of the main characters, Michael Townley/De Santa had chosen to leave his old criminal life behind in hopes of starting anew with his family there. 

While it has been made clear that the playable main characters are in no way the good guys, the people that they have to deal with are no better, these 'plastic', rotten, arrogant people that think they are living the life and are above all else, characteristics that begin to manifest in Michael's family as they themselves become taken a hold of by the luxurious lifestyle that he himself had provided to them in the first place.

Out of the three main characters, Michael is probably the most connected to the city of Los Santos (While not being a city native like Franklin), developing a rather bittersweet relationship to the city. As he realises towards the end of the game that while he still hates himself, he is also able to accept himself in a way, and is quite contented with his new life in the city (A little humorous note is how frequently he purchases unhealthy highly caffeinated drinks from the Bean Machine, a spoof of Star Bucks and Coffee Bean, which of course pokes fun at consumer behaviour behind such chains).

While a huge and sprawling metropolis of contemporary culture, being the game that it is, the city obviously has its dark side to it. While it is already mentioned that the wealthier or simply well off people are made to be these plastic or just plain rotten wad, a variety of gangs inhabit every crook and cranny of the city (This probably feels more apparent in the online mode where the population of online characters created by us, the players, cause way more chaos than any of the computer controlled gang bangers ever could). It is not often that the player will chance upon any decent or normal folks, and if there were, they are probably killed off before we even notice they are there.

Los Santos' beautiful design is just a cover up for all the messed up, crazy, awful people that inhabit it in all honesty, and that just makes it easier for us to kill them...

Seminar 3.2: Psychoanalysis

There are several misconceptions about Psychoanalysis, one being that it is a mixture of psychology (Behaviour) and psychiatry (Mental illness), and although it is linked to the two, psychoanalysis is also 'a way of thinking' that can be applied to all aspects of society, including art and design. And well, another misconception is that it focuses on nothing but sex, whilst it does position of the role of sexuality, it is also about how we treat and examine other objects.

Sigmund Freud's definitions of Psychoanalysis are:

1. A discipline founded on a procedure for the investigation of mental processes that are otherwise inaccessible because they are unconscious
2. A therapeutic method for the treatment of neurotic disorders
3. A body of psychological data evolving into a new scientific discipline (This one comprises Freud's work on culture, which is largely based on the view that culture is a product or the diversion of sublimation (The conversion f sexual drives and energies into creative and intellectual activity) of sexual energy)

Consciousness has became identical with the meaning 'our awareness of "self"', it is how we perceive the world and how it can be visualised and defined in many different ways. It is Psychoanalysis that seeks to analyse and structure out 'consciousness' through careful dissection of the 'unconscious' mind. The 'unconscious' is what lies beneath the conscious mind, although we often done have access to it. This can perhaps be better understood by the iceberg metaphor:

Our consciousness is normally above ground while our subconscious
is below (And noticeably much bigger).

And now let's use something more specific as an example to better
understand its structure.

Freud's structural breakdown of the mind is ID (Governed by the pleasure principle), Ego (By the reality principle) and Superego (The conscious and ego-ideal).

The consciousness if entirely made up of the ego, namely that small side that we show to the world. Our superego is what lies below that surface, that being our 'conscience', while the ID is our desires and drives (Which are also hidden below the surface and makes up the most of that iceberg). Even by briefly glancing the diagram above, you could say that humans hence find themselves repressing a lot of things…

"Society develops by repressing its desires (Manifested as the ego)" ~ "Civilisation and its discontents', Sigmund Freud, 1930

So anyway… why are we looking into Psychoanalysis? As mentioned earlier, it can be applied to all aspects of society, and in this case, it can be applied here. Psychoanalysis is interested in art, design and the media precisely because it expresses ideas about 'drives' and 'repressors', it interprets the motivations and drives together with the unconscious acts of making and meaning, and it attempts to look at how desires and their repressions are interpreted.

The Surrealists (Eg, Breton, Dali, etc.) emerged themselves in psychoanalysis as a way of uncovering their unconscious and repressed desires. Dali's really specifically titled "Dream Caused by the flight of a bee around a Pomegranate a second before Awakening" (1944) was intended (As quote by Dali in 1962) "to express for the first time in images, Freud's discovery of the typical dream with a lengthy narrative, the consequence of the instantaneousness of a chance event which causes the sleeper to wake up. Thus, as a bar might fall on the neck of a sleeping person, causing them to wake up and for a long dream to end with the guillotine blade falling on them, the noise of the bee here provokes the sensation of the sting which will awake Gala."

Dali and Bunuel, Un Chien Andalou, 1929

We try to believe that there is a meaning to everything in life, no matter how confusing or just plain pointless something might seem. While it has been stated by many that the purpose of this short film in the end was to simply provoke thought from other meaningless and random scenes (Much like David Lynch's "Eraserhead"), each individual couldn't possibly help but initially see possible meanings and symbolism in this film, that will most definitely differ from one person to another. One could conclude that it was all a dream, or a metaphor for sexual depravity, or even death (Though the rather humorous nature of the film might hint at something else altogether…). 

Object-relations is the psychoanalytic concern with how we view and use objects. It also argues that 'transitional objects' are precursors to our adult appreciation of art. Because we can 'invest' emotional energy into an inanimate object, we can also appreciate art and literature, this 'investment' is related to the fetish. For example, Peanut's Linus uses his blanket as a 'transitional object', the object representing his transition from his mother to the outside world. It is argued by Winnicott (1951) that by being able to invest such feelings as maternity and safety in a blanket, we can also invest feelings in other objects, which I believe many of us have actually done (We could act as parental figures to our own electronic gadgets, though I haven't been very responsible when taking care of Trevor… as compared to EDI, god I'm so sorry, Trevor...).

Art and design distracts as well as reassures us from real loss, such as the loss of our mother to our father (Oedipus complex), we invest emotion and sexual energy into them because they are 'safe' objects - unlikely to hurt or leave us.

The abject is the part of our body that repulses us, it is the object that transgresses taste, while it is natural, it still repulses us, something society itself cannot accept. Such example are bodily fluids like urine, faeces, blood, pus, semen, mucus and vomit, all that we regard as dirty and are taught to feel distaste for (Well… they do have germs that will make us ill after all… it's not just that).

In conclusion, Freud's model of the mind is the process of repression forms individual subjects and society. It highlights the importance of the external world, childhood influences and the limits of acceptability in society. The fetish and object relations invests in emotional and psychical energy into inanimate objects, often 'reassuring' us - related to fears regarding castration and estrangement (Okay…). Psychoanalysis is the reading of one's self through analysis of one's actions, it is an attempt to understand how we create the world around us through our neuroses and our drives.

Seminar 3.1: Subculture

So… how exactly can this topic be applied to animation?

In the end (Even to this day), most people (Or at least those that are not really fans) probably see animation as a form of media that parodies a topic rather than presenting it in a more accurate manner. It is not the question of whether this topic can be applied to animation (Because honestly, animations can do anything live action can, especially these days when freedom of speech is definitely growing), but how it is presented and how the audience would respond to it.

Examples such as "South Park" and "The Simpsons" (Or any sitcom, young adult, adult animation series for that matter) do seem to poke fun at the best known subcultures whenever they can, and simply seem to show them as nothing more than a joke. One subculture that especially comes to mind are the Goths, in nearly every show I have seen (Even if they are not of the gothic genre), both animated and live (Eg, "Hercules: The Animated Series", "Danny Phantom", "Teen Titans", "Total Drama Island", "Adventure Time", etc.), there is at least going to be the cliched "goth chick" character present, regardless of how big a role she plays.

But we could consider that by presenting a subculture in a exaggeratedly stereotypical manner, it gains the attention of those that are unfamiliar to the subject, rather than attempting to push it right into their faces, if they are interested enough, like so many other topics, they can actually properly look into it after… instead of being so negatively influenced and so many might simply think (This might not be the best and most related example, but Don Bluth's "Anastasia" was still able to get most of the audience interested enough to actually look into the true history behind it all, and the same can be applied to this topic). 

There are however also times when these representations can also effectively evoke a deeper message than one might believe, "South Park" for example, despite it's shock humour most of the times, has actually been successful in addressing such topics in their own twisted and hilarious manner.

But as always, when it comes down to it, it really depends on the audience themselves and how they decide to view it, it definitely helps however when a subculture is not only portrayed in a negative light, but as a full fleshed out character (AKA, human beings), or simply how a considerably normal character learns from it all when he or she briefly decides to explore into the subculture itself (Eg, "The Simpsons", "Archie Comics", "Phineas and Ferb", "As Told by Ginger", etc.).

Seminar 2: The Gaze

Just placing these little extracts here so that I can allow the definition of the gaze to sink in better, you can skip on ahead to what we actually discussed about in the seminar today.

Intro

In the psychoanalytical theory of Jacques Lacan, the gaze is the anxious state that comes with the awareness that one can be viewed. The psychological effect is that the subject loses a degree of autonomy (Freedom, independence, etc) upon realising that he or she is a visible subject. This concept is bound with his theory of the mirror stage, in which a child encountering a mirror realises that he or she has an external appearance.

Lacan suggests that this gaze effect can similarly be produced by any conceivable object such as a chair or a television screen. This is not to say that the object behaves optically as a mirror; instead it means that the awareness of any object can induce an awareness of also being an object.

The "Male Gaze" in Feminist Theory

The concept of the "male gaze" was first introduced in Laura Mulvey's essay "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema" where it was stated by her that women were objectified in film because mainly heterosexual men were in control of the camera. Hollywood films played to the models of voyeurism and scopophilia (The sexual pleasure derived from looking at erotic objects such as erotic photographs and pornography).

This gaze occurs when the camera puts the audience in the perspective of a heterosexual man. It may linger over the curves of a woman's body. The  subject is normally displayed on two different levels, as an erotic object for both the other characters and viewers. The man emerges as the dominant power within the created film fantasy. The woman is passive to the active gaze of the man.

Mulvey's essay also states that the female gaze is the same as the male gaze (Not vice versa of the male gaze), meaning that women look at themselves through the eyes of men. From this perspective, a woman who welcomes an objectifying gaze may be simply conforming to norms established to benefit men, thereby reinforcing the power of the gaze to reduce a recipient to an object. Welcoming such objectification may be viewed as akin to exhibitionism.

Women and the Gaze

Robert Doisneau's "An Oblique Look"

It is argued by Griselda Pollock, in her article, that the female gaze can often be visually negated. The photo above supports this argument, a couple is looking around an art gallery, while the spectator's view is from inside the shop, the couple is looking in different places than the view of the spectator. The woman is commenting on an image to her husband, while her husband is distracted by a nude female painting off to the left, in view of the spectator. The woman is looking at another image, but it cannot be viewed by the spectator. The man's gaze has found something apparently more interesting and has chosen to ignore the woman's comment. The woman is also contrasting to the nude female in the painting, as she presents herself as "actively returning and confirming the gaze of the masculine spectator", instead of passively accepting the male gaze.

Video Games 

There have been numerous arguments over whether Bayonetta was created mainly for the male gaze (It feels like such an odd coincidence since the term male gaze is specifically being used during these discussions on "Bayonetta 2" as it nears its release date in Europe and America, instead of the usual "It's sexist!"), truth be told, the negative side of the argument has yet to win me over, as I have seen some actually backing down over their detest over her design (And pretty much the entire game) simply because they found out after that her initial designer happened to be a female.

Design wise, Bayonetta comes off more elegant than sexual (Sure most of her back is exposed and she has a… boob window), with her beehive hairdo, flowing ribbons and sleeves, and rather classy english accent. The ability to use her hair in battle and as her clothing to be overly sexist as it puts her nude body on display when carrying out certain attacks or summons (Honestly it depends on how it's done, it is not always sexist putting your body on display). The only truly exaggerated part of her anatomy are her limbs, which is perhaps done merely to enhance her elegance and movement, and it is still in no way as exaggerated or obscenely done as other animated female characters. 

She is in no way a passive female character, in fact, she many one of the strongest female characters around, sure she maybe seen as fetish fuel by some (What with her glasses and very dominatrix-y looks and personality), but in the end she is clearly an incredibly empowering character that makes full use of her sexuality against her enemies, and in a more direct and forceful manner, as compared to more subtle tactics carried out by others.

You want sexist? Doe eyed females that are practically creepy sex robots? Go play Killer is Dead then.

Sorry, no triangle boobs here, but have some short shorts.

Lara Croft of Square Enix's "Tomb Raider" series is a beautiful, intelligent and athletic British archaeologist adventurer, and perhaps to this day, remains one of the most famous female game characters and sex symbol (Perhaps even one of the first in video games) in the gaming world. However… do people truly remember Lara Croft as an archaeologist when ogling her for her looks? Or simply as some pin up girl with guns? That basic fact, might not even be well known outside of the fandom, everything that makes her the strong character that she truly is, is in truth, overlooked for her short shorts.

Thankfully the reboot does portray Lara as a much more realistic and developed character (Far more than Angelina Jolie ever could), so at least Square Enix is doing something right since that merge many years back...

Animation

The Hat by Michèle Cournoyer's The Hat (1999)

Despite its attempts to be surreal, I still find the presentation of the subject matter to be pretty direct and obvious,  and in all honesty there is nothing truly outstanding or new about it. The hat could be decent metaphor for the gaze, but honestly, the only thing I felt that this animation managed to accomplish is it's disturbing presentation (No stop, I have seen enough crotches and phallic shapes to last me the rest of the week).

The music at times quite clearly hints that the woman is a stripper, the eyes and hands of her viewers attempting to devour her whole. While the creepier music that plays when she is a child hints at a dark history of sexual abuse under some unknown male figure (It is never really specified whether this man was her father, or her uncle, or just some complete stranger altogether). Her eyes are closed most of the time (In fact, her face is hidden quite a few times, with more focus being placed on the rest of her body), to seemingly avoid the gaze, as she allows herself to be viewed by everyone. It is mainly the music and sounds that portrays the inner turmoil she faces through it all.

Honestly, this animation lasted a little too long, the same effect could be given in just two to three minutes.

Ruth Lingford's Pleasures of War (1998)

For ages, men have always been seen as the more dominant and powerful gender, whereas women  are seen as weak and feeble creatures that they use for their own pleasure. This animation is the radical retelling of the Biblica story of Judith, a beautiful hebrew widow, and Holofernes, commander of an invading Assyrian army laying siege to her hometown. Judith gains entry to the enemy camp's fortress, ostensibly to offer a personal surrender, but instead plans to seduce Holofernes then kill him after in order to save her country.

The art style is considerably gritty and stylised, while genitals aren't necessarily seen, explicit sexual imagery is still displayed throughout, with integration of archival documentary footage from 20th century wars also seen in some part of the animation, the imagery is used to raise disturbing issues about the connections between sex, violence and war.

Ruth Lingford's What She Wants (1994)

Another rather creepy and provocative piece by Ruth Lingford, a woman taking a subway train back home is bedevilled with images of desire (Which is probably the nicest way of putting it...) where ever she looks, needless to say she has pretty wild imagination... I still find the ending a tad baffling, what is that creature suppose to symbolise as it leaves the woman's body? Flying about so freely and gayly after in celebration? The animation style done through the low-tech graphics of the Commodore Amiga computer to give the animation a more heightened lucidity.

Joanna Quinn's Girls Night Out (1987)

Finally taking a break from all of those intense examples… Girls Night Out is a rather humorous story about a sexually repressed woman finally getting the chance to go a little wild during a trip out with her friends to a stripper's club on her birthday.  Certain scenes accentuates how unattractive (When she takes a seat, it humorously shows how much weight she has gained over the years as she struggles briefly to remove her thumbs after accidentally sitting down upon them) and unwanted she actually feels and her desires to just feel wanted again, especially as she lives her life as dull housewife, her husband never sparing her a glance (Even on her birthday!) with each passing day.

Joanna Quinn's animation style has always been uniquely cute (While her characters can be very cartoony in nature, there are times when she is able to mix in a nice bit of realism to their features), and her choice of voice acting style has always been amusing to listen to it, though a tad hard to hear at times.

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