Friday, March 10, 2017

Week 10 - Brett Monji

Japan has remade itself over the past half century.  Less than a hundred years ago it was an imperialist terror, set on dominating Asia.  Now it is a haven for fans of cute hand drawn characters.  The shift from military power to Anime birthplace was not a mistake.  Japan was forced to remove its military following World War II.  Then after World War II, animators visited the US to bring ideas back to Japan, starting the industry of anime.  Japan’s postwar culture of pacifism helped develop anime as people wished for a new type of entertainment.  Anime helped provide a sense of wonder which the industry then exploited as it became a worldwide phenomenon.


My own Nation Branding framework would involve smaller individual cultural movements.  A country’s countercultures and smaller fringe movements help expose the country’s internal issues.  They also show the unique character of the country, as they usually are something that has never appeared before.  By analyzing these, we can gain a deeper understanding of the undercurrents that shape the daily life of the country.  Also, new cultural movements and trends usually form into mainstream culture after a while.  This creates a nation’s branding.  One question I have about Vietnam is how long will it take for it to become a world power?

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