Captain’s Log. Week 2.
Days Adrift: 14
Ship: Holding well against the storm.
Crew: Cook fell ill. First Mate now temporary cook.
Davy Jones: Hasn’t taken anyone yet.
Rescues: Found a drifter. Called himself Dobie Gray. Said he got lost in rock-n-roll.
Research: Sea below.
After scouring the articles in the depths of the JStor, I finally came to a decision: I would pursue my research in anime, not glaucoma. I found that it would be very difficult for me to find a feasible topic on glaucoma that introduces something new to the academic conversation—especially since so much research is being devoted to glaucoma. On the other hand, I found that there was a significant academic conversation surrounding anime, but at the same time, there was also a unique niche that I could pursue for my research.
Currently I have refined my search to the following topic: the localization of Japanese anime in America. In the class discussion on Thursday, I found that it would be too difficult for me to look at anime as a whole, instead I should focus on specifically one genre of anime. I decided to then focus specifically on the action genre of anime, since this genre is the most popular in America. However, on Friday, when presenting in front of the class, I realized that focusing on the action-genre was still too much.
I decided to follow in the footsteps of the research papers I had read. Many of the research papers on anime did case studies on a specific anime series or movie. To narrow my broad topic, I decided that I should focus on one or two specific anime series—conducting a case study of each and extrapolating those findings to a broader spectrum. However, I still have lots of work to do in terms of narrowing down my focus. I still need to do considerable research to find the most suitable anime(s) to focus on.
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| Still hunting. |
Moving forward, this week, I am planning to read more sources from JStor to get a better look at the academic conversation. From what I have read in the past week, much of the academic conversation regarding anime surrounds the anime fan. Many of the research papers focus on profiling the anime fan and looking for reasons as to why anime has become so popular in America. I found only one article that addressed localization of anime in America—however it only focused on the success of a specific localized anime in America. My goal is to dig deeper to find more specific sources so that I can start molding a research question. This coming week will be directed towards finding more relevant sources that I can use to compile my literature review and build my research question. But, in the end, I am really happy that I chose to look into anime, and I know that I will be able to take this topic to great places by the end of the year.
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Gursajan, I appreciate you writing this as a Captain's log. I found it funny and entertaining.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I already see such significant development in your research topic. You've picked something that you're passionate about and you seem to have found something pretty specific and significant, so kudos to you!
I like how you have a plan moving forward -- to isolate your study to one particular anime series -- but I wouldn't get too caught up in that at this stage of the game. As you read other research, you may find a series that is of particular interest, or you may find that one series has already been researched to death. Have it in the back of your head as a goal, but don't try to make that decision just yet.
Finally, I want you to think a bit more about strategies that you can employ to start the seemingly-daunting task of collecting, organizing, and analyzing sources.
Hey Gursajan! I want to start by saying that I love your topic and am so excited to see where it takes you! In terms of the topic itself, I feel that you are really solid (like Ms. Haag mentioned, you will find the specific anime series to study later down the line). Now you just have to focus on the lit review. Have you given any thought to the specific type of sources that you will need to arrive at your research question? I know that you said that you were having trouble finding sources that analyze what you are looking into, so maybe you should start by finding ones that analyze the basic types of changes (e.g. cutting out scenes, changing drawings, etc.) to anime that are made by American companies. You may also be able to find other sources that comment on how America perceives Japanese culture or differences between the two to help pose potential reasons for these changes.
ReplyDeleteYou have built a fantastic foundation for your project, and I know that you will bring together some awesome research. Just don't stress and keep on reading. Everything will all fall into place as it should. :)
Mad props Gursajan for choosing the more unique and personal topic from your list. I really think that you will be able to maintain your interest throughout the year.
ReplyDeleteNonetheless, keep in mind that you don't have to just look at papers that specifically deal with anime. Feel free to broaden your horizons and do research on the American digestion of culture, Japanese culture, or even the process of subtitling in general.
Also, what do you mean by localization? As you continue with your project I would get in the habit of defining key terms in order to avoid any possible confusion with your audience.
Sergio, what great recommendations. Sergio, killing it in AP Research!
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