Japan and Cult

[drainer at mpinet.net]

I suppose if you define it like that then any major picture would not be 
considered cult, or it would at least be somewhat immune to the framework.

But again, that becomes tricky because there is always a group somewhere 
that may be particularly interested in x y and z product.
That's made clear by the fan-sub phenomenon, which takes big budget and 
small budget productions into consideration (as you described earlier, a 
product of home viewing). I would consider that part of cult, generally 
because those involved in it belong to a distinct subculture (which most 
people in Japan may not even recognize).

But what happens when you have successful commercial products like Bayside 
Shakedown (just a random example)? Does it have an obsessive fan-sub 
following as anime? Is it limited to Hong Kong made DVDs with English 
subtitles? And are Hong Kong DVDs "cult" or just capitalism? (Or exportation 
of culture!)

I agree with you when you say that anime and live-action work differently, 
and I think that could be a basis for formulating a working definition of 
what consists of "cult."

-d







----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Nathen Clerici" <nclerici at interchange.ubc.ca>
To: <KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu>
Sent: Monday, February 15, 2010 6:15 PM
Subject: Re: Japan and Cult


Hello Jim,

I agree, deciding 'cultness' is a tricky business.  You wrote that :

> A lot of Japanese films certainly qualify as 'cult' items, but by no means 
> all.


I'm curious what other Japanese films you would say are NOT cult outside 
Japan.  I think your example of Shall We Dance? is a good example, and in a 
separate reply, I mentioned Miyazaki's films, but what else would you add to 
this list?  I talked to one person who thought that films by Kurosawa 
(Akira),  Ozu, Oshima and the like are "art," and should not be seen as cult 
film.  Again, this probably just comes down to how one defines cult, but for 
scholars of Japanese film, I would think that topic would come up from time 
to time.

Nathen



On 2010-02-15, at 2:13 PM, Jim Harper wrote:

> I think the question of what is 'cult' is generally informed by genre and 
> audience factors within its country of origin. Sion Sono's Exte is 
> essentially a cult film for both non-Japanese and domestic audiences, but 
> I think there are few non-Japanese film fans who would consider Shall We 
> Dance? a cult film. It might only reach a small non-Japanese audience, but 
> it certainly has the potential to find mainstream success (as it did). A 
> lot of Japanese films certainly qualify as 'cult' items, but by no means 
> all.
>
> Jim.
>
> --- On Mon, 15/2/10, Nathen Clerici <nclerici at interchange.ubc.ca> wrote:
> Hello all,
>
> My name is Nathen Clerici, and this is my first post.  I am really 
> enjoying all the threads on this list.
>
> I am starting a research project that will examine how Japanese film 
> travels and the channels by which it comes to be seen outside Japan.  I 
> want to frame the problem by looking at how different forms of 
> distribution and exhibition (e.g. art house cinema, university courses, 
> Internet fan sites, etc.) affect how a particular movie is received. 
> Within this framework, I am interested in the idea of cult.  It seems that 
> Japanese cinema is often classified as cult cinema, but I am not sure that 
> it could be received any other way.  Even if we consider a particular 
> Japanese film to be highbrow art, it is most likely still confined to a 
> small-but-adoring audience of cinephiles-- or Japanophiles.  Perhaps 
> J-Horror is an exception?
>
> I am curious, KineJapaners, do you think Japanese films seen outside Japan 
> are cult cinema?
>
> I realize the cultural context changes, but I also think that the modes of 
> viewing (e.g. web-based, fan subs, art house) exert a strong influence. 
> In addition, this is most likely not a question just for Japanese film, 
> but for all film that crosses national/linguistic borders.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Nathen Clerici
> University of British Columbia
> PhD Program
> Asian Studies
>