Just to kick it off, here is a haiku:
Senior year is here.
Life is getting easier.
Is it really?
So much action packed into one week. A new building. Another delightful year of school. An even larger number of little ones running around in the hallways. A brand new year to do research. YAY!!
In the realms of A.P. Research, over the week I have progressed pretty far from where I was on Monday. I am currently divided between two completely different topics: Japanese anime in America and glaucoma. Both these topics have a large influence in our society. Japanese Anime has become a pop cultural phenomenon in America. From Pokémon to Dragon Ball Z, anime has taken a deep-rooted cultural seat in America. On the other hand, glaucoma affects millions of people around the world, and is the leading cause of blindness in seniors in America. Both these topics have lots of questions to be answered and studies to still be done. Currently, I am leaning more towards anime, as I have had more success with finding topics to research in anime, than glaucoma.
I have found a few research papers that focus on the prevalence of Japanese anime in America. However one pointed out the importance of fan-made English subtitles in the proliferation of anime in America. This piqued my interest, and I decided to delve a little deeper into the translation of anime to English. It turns out, that there is a huge controversy surrounding this: dub or sub?
English subtitles (sub), that are inserted into anime, stick very closely to the original Japanese version of the anime. Nothing about the anime, story line or characters is changed from the original Japanese version. On the other hand, there is dub localization or dub. Large distribution companies buy the rights to an anime in America and have voice-over actors replace the original Japanese dialogue with English dialogue. But these dubbing companies are notorious for “Americanizing” the anime. They edit the Japanese anime to make it more suitable for American audiences and more similar to American culture.
What I can do with this topic is look at the differences in the original Japanese anime and its English dubbed version. Through this, I can look for the changes that occurred and look for a cultural trend. This, I could then relate to a unique interpretation of how American society digests or interprets foreign cultures.
On the other hand, I can look at glaucoma. There are several different forms of glaucoma, but the core problem that causes glaucoma is the same. Glaucoma is caused by an abnormal Intraocular Pressure in the eye, which can damage optic nerve endings—leading to loss of vision in most patients. What I am currently looking into is the actual process of diagnosing and treating glaucoma. I read an article in the Indian Journal of Ophthalmology, where the authors argued that glaucoma has two major problems: under-diagnosis and over-treatment. This sparked my interest and really narrowed my focus.
However, what scares me in terms of taking this topic forward is how I will be able to conduct research in this field or contribute something new to the academic conversation of glaucoma. I have found various credible studies that have already looked at the areas that I am interested in. So I will have to look for something more nuanced as my topic, and something more accessible, if I am to pursue my research in glaucoma.
In the end, I am definitely looking more into anime, than glaucoma. In the coming week, I will explore more sources regarding both anime and glaucoma. But I will definitely focus more on anime, and unless I hit a definite dead end in anime, I am hoping that, by Friday, I will have a definitive topic in anime.
 |
| Even Jon Snow knows. Winter is coming. |
Gurasajan, I really enjoyed reading your blog. I think you show real reflection in focusing in on a research topic, and I agree with a lot of your assessments of either direction. I think that anime has really rich opportunities for research, and I especially liked when you discussed researching to understand how America digests and interprets foreign cultures.
ReplyDeleteI also think your concern about being able to contribute the glaucoma research is valid; although, if you're truly passionate about it, I'm confident that we can find an avenue through which you can research it and contribute something to the academic conversation.
Either way, I'm excited, as it seems like you have the thoughtfulness and excitement that lends itself to a successful research project.
What’s up GG! I am going to be honest and tell you that I see a clear winner in your blog post: anime. You seem to enjoy it more and it also seems to me that you will have more freedom in designing your research.
ReplyDeleteI can definitely see the significance of the cultural discoveries you could make. Will you look at several episodes of one show or several shows? Another thing to possibly consider is that you could also look at American shows in Japan and see if there is a difference in the “cultural digestion” as you put it.
This morning you said that you would that you would be doing anime, so I’ll stick to that.
ReplyDeleteThe concern is the amount of anime you would have to research to get significant results.
Aside from that, you could perhaps look at how this sort of stigma developed. If you want opinions on anime, look nowhere else than to our school.
Additionally, I have seen some truly terrible translations, mistranslated subtitles, and misdubbed dubs, so you might want some mainstream anime that’s really hot on Reddit or some other social media, where fans can rant about errata.
Also, as an anime glutton myself, I never really took to dubs because people would hate on me when I watched dubs. Lots and lots of people like anime (myself included). Additionally, you might want to run your selection of anime through Mrs. Haag because some anime may not be the best… Anyways, anime is fun and cool, and you should totally do it. Also, are you ready for the next season of Attack on Titan? Or if you’re feeling particularly weeaboo, Shingeki no kyojin.
This morning you said that you would that you would be doing anime, so I’ll stick to that.
ReplyDeleteThe concern is the amount of anime you would have to research to get significant results.
Aside from that, you could perhaps look at how this sort of stigma developed. If you want opinions on anime, look nowhere else than to our school.
Additionally, I have seen some truly terrible translations, mistranslated subtitles, and misdubbed dubs, so you might want some mainstream anime that’s really hot on Reddit or some other social media, where fans can rant about errata.
Also, as an anime glutton myself, I never really took to dubs because people would hate on me when I watched dubs. Lots and lots of people like anime (myself included). Additionally, you might want to run your selection of anime through Mrs. Haag because some anime may not be the best… Anyways, anime is fun and cool, and you should totally do it. Also, are you ready for the next season of Attack on Titan? Or if you’re feeling particularly weeaboo, Shingeki no kyojin.