ASIA 326 (921): Critical Approaches to Manga and Anime

2025 Summer Term 1 (May - June 2025)

Course Description

In this course we will analyze manga (Japanese comics) and anime (Japanese animation) and their related consumer goods and cultures in and beyond Japan. The course incorporates a range of genres of manga and anime that target a variety of audiences, and for each text we will consider the question of who consumes it and why.

We will learn about the distinctive media characteristics of manga and anime, and their intermedial connections and contexts. We will practice analyzing manga and anime texts not simply as narratives but as narratives mediated through specific technologies.

The course introduces a number of analytical perspectives from disciplines such as literary studies, visual culture studies, anthropology, and history, and those from the interdisciplinary fields of gender and sexuality studies, and cultural studies. We will practice analyzing manga and anime with a focus on their respective media forms as well as the symbolic, cultural meaning invested in them.

All course materials (primary and secondary sources) are in English (or with English subtitles); no prior knowledge of the Japanese language is required.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course students will be able to:

LO1. Gain a working knowledge of important events, issues, and themes in the cultural history of modern Japan;

LO2. Think critically about how Japanese popular culture forms such as manga and anime interpret and influence those events and issues;

LO3. Use critical and analytical tools for the study of literature, film, and visual culture;

LO4. Construct an argument using both primary and secondary sources.

Evaluation Breakdown

This  course  follows  the  standard  UBC  grading  rubric  for  undergraduate  courses,  which  maps percentage ranges to  letter  grades.  For  more  information,  see  “grading  practices”  in  the  UBC Academic Calendar:http://www.calendar.ubc.ca/vancouver/index.cfm?tree=3,42,96,0

Attendance and Participation              15%

Content Quizzes                                15% (5% x 3)

Manga/ Anime Analysis Quizzes           20% (10% x 2)

Anime Response Paper                       10%

Group Project                                    15%

Final Paper                                        25% (due during exam period)

Note: Late submissions will be penalized according to the guidelines specified for each assignment below. Missing assignments will receive a grade of 0.

Description of Assignments

Pre-recorded Lecture

Because this course is delivered both synchronously and asynchronously, students are required to watch the pre-recorded lectures for each class. Zoom meetings will primarily focus on discussions based on these pre-recorded lectures and the assigned readings/viewings. It is essential that students watch the lectures carefully in order to succeed in the course. All pre-recorded lectures will be uploaded to Canvas.

Assigned Readings

Required Readings: Students are expected to come to each class having already read all the required readings/viewings and prepared to discuss them. The purpose of the reading assignments is to supplement and/or reinforce ideas and information covered in the lectures, and to prepare students to participate in discussion. Required readings include both primary materials (manga) and secondary materials (critical/ analytical articles about manga, anime, or other relevant topics).

Recommended Readings: Recommended readings are listed in case you wish to read more about a particular topic. They often make good sources for further research for papers. You can also refer to these in discussion and discussion posts.

Attendance and Participation (15%)

Regular attendance at Zoom meetings is expected and essential for successful performance on written assignments and group projects. Attendance and Participation points are earned through the activities outlined in the “Attendance and Participation Additional Information” (available on Canvas). Students are required to submit a report of their completed activities on Canvas. Submissions are due by 11:59 p.m. the day after each Zoom meeting. These points account for 14% of the final grade. An additional 1% will be awarded for completing the course evaluation at the end of the term.

Note: Late submissions will earn only 50% of the points awarded for the work.

Quizzes are intended to measure students’ mastery of class content. Quizzes will be administered via Canvas at an assigned time in class. You must ensure that you will be able to access the quiz online via a laptop or other device. Quizzes will consist of simple questions based on the content of the lectures (both in pre-recorded lectures and Zoom meetings) and required readings/viewing and may be pulled from any of the materials covered thus far (not just for that particular week).

Note: No make-up quizzes will be given; however, you may earn some extra credit points by giving a 5-minute oral presentation on the week’s readings/primary texts, addressing the issues raised by the assigned text and proposing an agenda  for class discussion  (*in  advance  consultation with the instructor and only when time permits).

Manga/Anime Analysis Quizzes (10% x 2 times = 20%)

There will be 2 analysis quizzes during the term (see assigned time in the Weekly Schedule below). Students will be asked to do an in-class analysis of an excerpts from a manga previously covered in class, and an in-class analysis of a clip from a previously viewed anime film/TV show, using the media analysis methods previously practiced.

We’ll discuss these more in class, but if you’d like to learn about them in advance—including how they   will   be   evaluated—please   read   “Manga   and   Anime   Analysis   Quizzes   Additional Information,” available on Canvas.

Note: No make-up in-class analysis will be offered (documented emergency and formal academic concession excluded).

Anime Response Paper (10%)

Anime Response Paper is designed for students to develop their own discussion of an anime of their choice. Students will choose from the anime fully viewed in this course: Ghost in the Shell, Your Name, Spirited Away, In This Corner of the World.

Students are required to download Anime Response Paper Form from Canvas and submit it via Canvas (the due date is listed in the Weekly Schedule below). It is also important to follow the directions written in Anime Response Paper Additional Information (available on Canvas).

Note: Late submissions (without documentation from Arts Advising) will be penalized 5% per day, starting immediately after the deadline (even work that is only minutes late). Assignments more than 3 days late will NOT be accepted.

Group Project (15%)

At the beginning of the term, the class will be divided into small groups (4-5 students/group, assigned randomly in class) to work on a semester-long project that re-create a manga/anime work (i.e., adaptation, re-presentation, dubbing, editing etc.,) based on a text of your choice.

Students are expected to confer within their groups and submit 4 progress reports during the semester: these reports are worth 2% of the total grade. At the end of the term, each group will submit both an artwork and a 8-minute video presentation. Together, these final submissions are worth 8% of the final grade. The remaining 5% will be determined by peer evaluations of each member’s individual contribution, as assessed by group mates. All due dates appear in the Weekly Schedule below. For further details, please refer to Group Project Additional Information (available on Canvas).

The point of the group project is to: 1. Enhance your understanding of manga/anime as a medium (how it functions to create meaning in specific texts); 2. Learn from each other through collaboration and co-production with your peers; 3. Practice the techniques and analytical tools learned throughout the semester. ***We are not evaluating your artistic skills (i.e., how beautiful/professional the drawing is or how smoothly the animation runs), but how well you understand the techniques and the analytical tools involved in the production.

Final Research Paper (25%)

At the end of the term, before the due date (please see the Weekly Schedule below), you must submit a research paper based on a manga/anime introduced in this course; Ghost in the Shell, Your Name, Spirited Away, In This Corner of the World. Please consult with the instructor if you want to work on a text anime outside of the proposed four options at least two weeks before the due date. For further details, please refer to Final Paper Additional Information (available on Canvas).

Note: Late submissions (without documentation from Arts Advising) will be penalized 5% per day, starting immediately after the deadline (even work that is only minutes late). Assignments more than 3 days late will NOT be accepted.