Intellect, the publisher of journals such as Asian Cinema, Journal of Fandom Studies, Studies in Comics, and the new East Asian Journal of Popular Culture and books, including several Japan volumes (in the Directory of World Cinema series) that have consistently welcomed academic writing on anime and manga has announced a call for papers for an upcoming 30 Years of Studio Ghibli journal special issue. Proposals (300 words maximum) are due September 30.
Call for Papers: 30 Years of Studio Ghibli
In 2015, Studio Ghibli turned 30 and ceased feature film production. With the retirements of Studio Ghibli’s most famous director, Hayao Miyazaki, and it main producer, Toshio Suzuki, the future of Studio Ghibli is in turmoil, provoking rallying cries from fans and critics alike and offering an opportunity to reflect on the Studio’s output. Miyazaki’s films have defined popular Japanese cinema for nearly two decades, both at home and abroad. Miyazaki has captured a local and global pop culture imagination, and in doing so his Studio has been transformed from a comparatively small company into one of the biggest global animation brands.
Despite Miyazaki’s professed departure, however, in other ways Studio Ghibli is at the height of its popularity and power. Ghibli’s other directors like Miyazaki’s founding partner, Isao Takahata, his son Gorō Miyazaki, and others like Hiromasa Yonebayashi have produced recent “anime” hits of varying degrees that suggest an expanding identity for Studio Ghibli. Moreover, the Studio has become increasingly embedded in other aspects of local and international popular culture, for example, in the exhibition spaces of their “Art Museum” theme park near Tokyo, or in their work in advertising and for charities. This anniversary year is therefore a pertinent time to celebrate and critically reflect on Studio Ghibli, not only exploring Miyazaki’s famous films, but also considering other facets of the Ghibli universe.
Therefore, we are seeking up to eight articles for publication in a special issue of a journal. We are particularly interested in scholarly articles that take new approaches to Studio Ghibli, or which apply unusual or new methods of analysis. We are also especially interested in articles based on the international connections between Studio Ghibli and the wider world, most specifically Asia. Possible topics include:
- Studio Ghibli’s presence in Asian and global film markets
- Studio Ghibli’s famous films and directors
- Studio Ghibli’s Art Museum
- Studio Ghibli’s charity work
- Studio Ghibli’s translation and adaptation for overseas markets
- Studio Ghibli’s brand identity.
- The marketing of Studio Ghibli films in and outside of Japan
- Studio Ghibli’s music
- Studio Ghibli fandom
Please send your proposals, or finished articles, to both r.denison@uea.ac.uk and rendellj1@cardiff.ac.uk. Proposals should be no more than 300 words, and finished articles should be no more than 6,000 words.
Deadline for proposals, September 30th 2015.
[Ed. Rayna Denison is a senior lecturer in the School of Art, Media and American Studies, University of East Anglia. She has written extensively on the works of Hayao Miyazaki, with a focus on how his films have been changed in their presentation for Western audiences – such as in Disembodied stars and the cultural meanings of Princess Mononoke’s soundscape [archived version], Scope: An Online Journal of Film & TV Studies, 3, Star-spangled Ghibli: Star voices in the American versions of Hayao Miyazaki’s films, Animation: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 3(2), 129-146, and Anime tourism: Discursive construction and reception of the Studio Ghibli Art Museum, Japan Forum, 22(3-4), 545-563. She is also the author of the ‘Hayao Miyazaki’ entry in the Fifty Contemporary Film Directors reference handbook (Routledge, 2011).
James Rendell is a PhD student in the Cariff School of Journalism, Media & Cultural Studies, Cardiff University]