The japanese cinema industry is based on a crossmedia (or mediamix) model. Turning a manga into an anime, or a film, or a product… For example, you’ve read Gantz, you’ve seen the TV series, and soon you’ll watch the action-live version. Even though, basically, in each case, it’s the same story. Kind-of frustrating.
Let’s make a short comparison between Gantz, the manga & the anime series, to reveal some narrative differences. Of course here, in both cases, the idea is the same: how the *new* group is divided (just before going on mission against the giant Buddhas).
This manga panel is slowly becoming more and more divided. In the end, there’s only narrow strips, showing how characters are being isolated from each others. And the glasses guy keeps the central position, while Kato, is being pushed away (losing his leading position – just look at his face!).
The anime series creates a counter point of view to establish the power struggle/the division. Kato and his friends are almost crushed on the wall. Are they afraid of the glasses guy? It seems so. You can see on the following POV shot that he’s like the leader of the other guys (they’re praying in the background). Few interesting things here; there’s no reserveshot – we don’t actually see Kato talking. Why? Because *we* are with Kato? Because he’s lost his influence on the other guys?
What about the live-action version?
There’s no way to know, this dialogue doesn’t exist in this (simplified) version.
These adaptations don’t fully use narrative characteristics of each media; the language of manga ≠ anime series ≠ live-action film. So, if storytelling is different, as well as the experience itself, why the story is always the same?
That’s why the transmedia treatment looks more interesting. It’s about using the specificity of a medium to develop a unique story/mythology/theme. Instead of repeating the same old story on several media (quite a way to respect the audience too). In fact, it’s forgetting the idea that a story “has a beginning middle and end“. A limited time of life/experience.
Japanese producers haven’t always worked in this closed-circuit (where they just have to copy/paste successful manga). During the ’60s/’70s, some guy named Leiji Matsumoto “was encouraged to supervise” adaptations of his Galaxy Express 999. Using the transmedia approach!
To go further: on another level, and narratively speaking, video games/mangas/animated films/live-action films have influenced each others. In 1998, Hideo Kojima defined this as a “digital fusing“. And one of the best example is Matrix: Reloaded where basically, each frame is the direct result of this “digital fusing“. Because you can’t determine anymore the source of most shots in this film. In other words, different narratives have merged together.
(it has now become more complicated, thanks to the performance capture. How many people have realized that Neytiri from Avatar was actually played by an actress, and was not an animated character at all? You’d better get ready for Tintin!)
Sources: Digital-Media, Ryuganji, Compagnon Geek (fre), TiGs
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
This issue is not exclusive to Japan. A lot of the stuff coming out of the US is based on a comic book, is a remake, or a sequel. Nostalgia and brand recognition sells, and the mainstream media in any country is quick to take advantage of that.
In the US. Hollywood is actually creating transmedia storytelling, the best recent example is Cameron’s Avatar (which is also a ‘transmedia narrative’ – read this, it’s way worth your time). And Japan could be following the same path, but it seems not.
I’m so glad to see this post, I was beginning to feel like a right old crank in my views of the manga/anime/live action phenomenon.
In my experience, “knowledge communities” are nothing new – it’s just that talking to other film lovers never needed a moniker. Really, what ‘transmedia planning’ is referring to are old fashioned target markets.
“A story used to be something that was ongoing and sprawling and messy and contingent on the response of your audience as you sat around that fire and related the narrative. Now this has come full circle.”
Setting up internet forums and selling merchandise does not make one a latter day Hans Christian Andersen. I would recommend that Gomez gather round his executives and read aloud The Emperor’s New Clothes.
As I see it, my generation and those after it are fancying a bit of a second childhood and, like children, we want to continue with the make believe. I don’t think anyone who buys moe dolls is under any delusion that transwotsit thingy is anything more than supply and demand. And I hope most of us are still waiting in queues to pay for original film scripts without the branding excess.
Here here! Again, I’m glad to have found your website; you clearly appreciate the finer intricacies of things. Being familiar with the benefits and limitations of your format is crucial to mastering any art. And if you aren’t aiming for mastery, why bother?
Milking brands to death and mass-producing trite media stems from a deeper problem; half the human population is too numb to break the association between the actual product and what it’s labeled as. Processed foods, media licenses and fast food chains retain their popularity not because they taste the best, but because they’re consistent. There are places that standardization apply and places it doesn’t; understanding where requires a touch of Zen.