Japanese Anime Fandoms in the UAE: An Exploratory Study on Media Accessibility, Habits and Cultural Perceptions

Urwa Tariq; Sarah Laura Nesti Willard

doi:10.21900/j.jams.v2.774

Authors

Urwa Tariq UAE University
Sarah Laura Nesti Willard

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21900/j.jams.v2.774

Keywords:

Anime, Cosplay, Digital Media, Emirati Culture, Japan, Animation, Otaku, cartoon, Illustrators, UAE, United Arab Emirates

Abstract

The satellite TV revolution in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the early 1990s precipitated the proliferation of foreign media broadcasts. Japanese anime dubbed into Arabic became the most-watched content in Emirati households, a trend that continues to date because the Japanese entertainment and digital media industry offers youngsters easy access to and diverse options for anime. This paper provides an overview and analysis of the growing popularity of anime fandoms in the UAE to ascertain the level of commitment, involvement and the moral perceptions of Emirati fans vis-à-vis Japanese pop culture. A focus group discussion was conducted in a leading UAE university among the otaku or aficionados of Japanese anime (males and females). The participant responses offered comprehensive insights into the fandom trends of the region and articulated interesting opinions on Japanese pop culture and digital media accessibility. Notably, the findings of this study suggested that the enthusiasm of this fan following is often obstructed rather than celebrated and thus cannot achieve its potential. Therefore, the study finally contemplates how Emirati otaku and their practices may be better supported in UAE.

References

Acocella, Ivana. “The Focus Groups in Social Research: Advantages and Disadvantages,” Quality and Quantity, vol. 46, no. 4 (2012). pp. 1125–1136. DOI: 10.1007/s11135-011-9600-4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-011-9600-4

Ahmed, Azza. “Marathon TV Watching among Emiratis in the Interactive Media Environment,” Arab Media & Society, no. 27 (2019). https://www.arabmediasociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/1-10793713.pdf.

Al-Bustani, Hareth. “Anime Draws a Crowd in UAE.” The National, 28 November 2016, https://www.thenational.ae/uae/anime-draws-a-crowd-in-uae-1.222889?videoId=5602699077001.

Ali, Nusrat. “Manga: Japan’s Comic Connection with the UAE.” Gulf Business, 29 March 2014, https://gulfbusiness.com/manga-japans-comic-connection-uae/.

Alrimawi, Tariq. “Issues of Representation in Arab Animation Cinema: Practice, History and Theory.” PhD diss., Loughborough University, 2014. https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/thesis/Issues_of_representation_in_Arab_animation_cinema_practice_history_and_theory/9333083/1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08234-9_62-1

Al Jenaibi, Badreya. “War of the Worlds: The Promise of Social Media in Arab Spring Nations.” European Journal of Social Sciences, vol. 23 (2012). p. 63-86.

Ansari, Saffiya. “Ka-Boom! Middle East Film and Comic Con Takes Dubai by Storm.” Arab News, 7 April 2017, http://www.arabnews.com/node/1080561/art-culturerelationships-between-uae-japan/.

Chandler-Olcott, Kelly. “Anime and Manga Fandom: Young People’s Multiliteracies Made Visible.” Handbook of Research on Teaching Literacy Through the Communicative and Visual Arts, edited by James Flood, Shirley Brice Heath, and Diane Lapp. (Abingdon: Routledge, 2015). pp. 247–57.

Cohen, Jonathan. “Defining Identification: A Theoretical Look at the Identification of Audiences with Media Characters.” Mass Communication and Society, vol. 4, no. 3 (2001). pp. 245–264. DOI: 10.1207/S15327825MCS0403_01. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327825MCS0403_01

Choo, Kukhee. “Cool Governance: Japan’s Ubiquitous Society, Surveillance and Creative Industries.” Culture, Theory and Critique, vol. 59, no. 2 (2018). pp. 94–118. DOI: 10.1080/14735784.2018.1424005. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14735784.2018.1424005

Dalil, Zakaria. “Manga and Anime: A Gateway to the Japanese Culture: Moroccan Fan Community as a Case Study.” Master’s diss., Moulay Ismail University, 2015. https://www.academia.edu/29793501/Manga_and_Anime_a_gateway_to_the_Japanese_culture.

Dawson, Rachel. “Writers and Illustrators Are Defining Manga in a Local Way.” Khaleej Times, 17 December 2017. https://www.khaleejtimes.com/Writers-and-illustrators-are-defining-manga-in-a-local-way.

Dedoussis, Evangelos. “A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Organizational Culture: Evidence from Universities in the Arab World and Japan.” Cross Cultural Management, vol. 11, no. 1 (2004). pp. 15–34. DOI: 10.1108/13527600410797729. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/13527600410797729

Dela Peña, Joseph. “Otaku: Images and Identity in Flux.” Bachelor’s diss., University of Pennsylvania, 2006. https://repository.upenn.edu/curej/9.

Dennis, Everette, Robb Wood, and Justin D. Martin. Entertainment Media Use in the Middle East: A Six-Nation Survey. Doha Film Institute. 2014. https://www.academia.edu/32359647/Entertainment_Media_Use_in_the_Middle_East_A_Six_Nation_Survey.

Dubai, S. M. E. A Small and Medium Enterprises Development Perspective of the Media Industry in Dubai. 2013. http://www.dubaided.ae/StudiesandResearchDocumentsinArabic/DUBAI_SME_Media_Industry_Report.pdf.

El-Sakran, Omnia. “ELT Teachers’ Perspectives on the Discussion of Cultural Sensitive Topics in the Arab United Emirates.” Master’s diss., American University of Sharjah, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/11073/8862.

Fakih, Marwa. Podcast Production in the Gulf Arab States: Expanding Beyond the Region. The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. 18 March 2019. https://agsiw.org/podcast-production-in-the-gulf-arab-states-expanding-beyond-the-region/.

Galal, Ehab. “Reimagining Religious Identities in Children’s Programs on Arabic Satellite-TV: Intentions and Values.” New Media in the Middle East, edited by Jakob Feldt and Peter Seeberg. (Odense: Syddansk Universitetsforlag, 2006). pp. 104-118.

Gonçalves, Joao, Catarina Navio, and Pedro Moura. “‘The Occidental Otaku: Portuguese Audience Motivations for Viewing Anime.” Convergences: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, vol. 27, no. 1 (2020). pp. 247–265. DOI: 10.1177/1354856520923966. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1354856520923966

Good, Oliver. “Mad About Manga.” The National, 22 September 2009. https://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/mad-about-manga-1.505796?videoId=5766484581001.

Grant, Frances M. “Digitized Translations: Anime and Online American Illustrators.” Master’s diss., Maryland Institute College of Art, 2011. https://search.proquest.com/openview/2e4e74f7e5403c8c46abc06d14ee2e0a/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y.

Gueydan-Turek, Alexandra. “The Rise of Dz-Manga in Algeria: Glocalization and the Emergence of a New Transnational Voice.” Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics, vol. 4, no. 1 (2013). pp. 161–178. DOI: 10.1080/21504857.2013.784203. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/21504857.2013.784203

Gushiken, Yuji, and Tatiane Hirata. “Processes of Cultural and Media Consumption: The Image of ‘Otaku’, from Japan to the World.” Intercom: Revista Brasileira de Ciências da Comunicação, vol. 37 (2014). pp. n.d. DOI: 10.1590/1809-584420146. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/1809-584420146

Hobbs, William, and Margareth Roberts. “How Sudden Censorship Can Increase Access to Information.” American Political Science Review, vol. 112, no. 3 (2018). pp. 621–636. DOI: 10.1017/S0003055418000084. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055418000084

Hassan, Nor Azlili, Iza Sharina Sallehuddin, and Nik Norazira Abd Aziz. “Acceptance on Anime among University Students.” Jurnal Alauddin Sulaiman Shah, vol. 5, no. 1 (2018). pp. 195–205. http://journal.kuis.edu.my/jsass/images/files8/jsass_vol5bil1_016_norazlili.pdf.

Hootsuite. Hootsuite Global Report 2019. 2019. https://www.slideshare.net/DataReportal/digital-2019-united-arab-emirates-january-2019-v02.

Iwabuchi, Koichi. Recentering Globalization: Popular Culture and Japanese Transnationalism. (Durham: Duke University, 2002). DOI: 10.1215/9780822384083. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9780822384083

Ikeguchi, Cecilia B. “The Otaku Culture and Its Cultural Ramifications.” Journalism and Mass Communication, vol. 8, no. 5 (2018). pp. 246–259. DOI: 10.17265/2160-6579/2018.05.003. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17265/2160-6579/2018.05.003

IvyPanda. Japanese and Emirati Cultural Differences. 13 August 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/japanese-and-emirati-cultural-differences/.

Jenson, Joli. “Fandom and Pathology: the Consequences of Characterization.” The Adoring Audience: Fan Culture and Popular Media, edited by Lisa A. Lewis. (London and New York: Routledge, 1992). pp. 9–27.

Jozuka, Emiko. “Japanese Anime: From ‘Disney of the East’ to a Global Industry Worth Billion.” CNN, 29 July 2019, https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/japan-anime-global-identity-hnk-intl/index.html.

King, Neil. “How Pop Culture Is Reaching Its Potential in the GCC.” Gulf Business, 13 April 2019, https://gulfbusiness.com/pop-culture-reaching-potential-gcc/.

Kumar, Anjana. “Meet UAE’s Extreme Hobbyists, Xpress.” Gulf News, 19 July 2017, https://gulfnews.com/xpress/news/meet-uae-s-extreme-hobbyists-1.2061348.

Lamerichs, Nicolle. “The Cultural Dynamic of Doujinshi and Cosplay: Local Anime Fandom in Japan, USA and Europe.” Participations vol. 10, no. 1 (2013): pp. 154-176.

Lindell, Johan. “Japanization? Japanese Popular Culture among Swedish Youth.” Bachelor’s diss., Karlstad University, 2008. http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:186/FULLTEXT01.pdf.

Liu, Kuei-Chuan. “Globalization in Different Directions: Glocalization and Cultural Distances between Otaku Cultures in Different Regions.” Master’s diss., University of Tilburg, n.d. http://arno.uvt.nl/show.cgi?fid=142176.

Lu, Amy Shirong. “The Many Faces of Internationalization in Japanese Anime.” Animation, vol. 3, no. 2 (2008). pp. 169–87. DOI: 10.1177/1746847708091893. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1746847708091893

Mazour, Abbigail. “The Reality of Escape in Fantasy.” Bachelor’s Thesis, The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2018. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/honorstheses/54/

Mattsson, Anniina. “The Importance of Being Seen: Postmodern Visual Culture of the United Arab Emirates and Content Analysis of Female Emirati Self-Portraits in Flickr.” Master’s diss., University of Tampere, 2010. http://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:uta-1-21010.

Medialab. UAE Digital Media Statistics (Infographics). 2019. https://www.themedialab.me/uae-digital-media-statistics-2019/.

MEFCC. Middle East’s First Comic-Con Infographics Report. 2019. https://www.mefcc.com/en/why-exhibit/INFOGRAPHIC.html.

Miles, Matthew B., Huberman, Michael A., Saldaña, Johnny. “Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods Sourcebook”. (Arizona State University, USA: Sage Publications, Inc., 2014).

Morgandi, Federica. “Everything You Need to Know About Otaku.” Diggit Magazine, 14 March 2019, https://www.diggitmagazine.com/articles/everything-you-need-know-about-otaku.

Nagata, Kazuaki. “Anime Makes Japan a Cultural Superpower.” Japan Times, 7 September 2010, https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2010/09/07/reference/anime-makes-japan-superpower/#.Xnt8kUB2tPY.

Napier, Susan. “The World of Anime Fandom in America.” Mechademia, vol. 1, no. 1 (2006). pp. 47–63. DOI: 10.1353/mec.0.0072. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/mec.0.0072

Newitz, Annalee. “Anime Otaku: Japanese Animation Fans Outside Japan.” Bad Subjects, vol. 13 (1994). pp. 1–12.

Ray, Adam, Courtney N. Plante, Stephen Reysen, Sharon E. Roberts, and Kathleen C. Gerbasi. “Psychological Needs Predict Fanship and Fandom in Anime Fans.” The Phoenix Papers, vol. 3, no. 1 (2017). pp. 56–68.

“Region’s Biggest Anime Expo, Japanese Culture Festival Coming to UAE.” Khaleej Times, 22 August 2016, https://www.khaleejtimes.com/anime-yourself.

Saito, Tamaki, 2007. “Otaku Sexuality.” Robot Ghosts, Wired Dreams: Japanese Science Fiction from Origins to Anime, edited by Christopher Bolton, Istvan Csicsery-Ronay Jr., and Takayuki Tatsumi, (Minnesota: MN: University of Minnesota Press, 2007). pp.222-250.

Sayfo, Omar. “The Emergence of Arab Children’s Televisions and Animation Industry in the Gulf States.” State-Society Relations in the Arab Gulf States, edited by Mazhar Al-Zo’oby and Birol Baskan. (London: Gerlach Press, 2012). pp. 77–101. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1df4hq3.7

Sayfo, Omar. “Local Minds, Foreign Hands: Animation in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf.” Animation in the Middle East: Practice and Aesthetics from Baghdad to Casablanca, edited by Stefanie van de Peer. (London: IB Tauris, 2017). pp. 69–83. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5040/9781350985322.ch-003

Shuhail, Maitha, and Swapna Koshy. “The UAE’s Tryst with Anime: An Evaluation.” International Conference on Education, Humanities and Management (ICEHM-17), (2017). pp. 109–112.

Steinberg, Mark. “Otaku Consumption, Superflat Art and the Return to Edo.” Japan Forum, vol. 16, no. 3 (2004). pp. 449–471. DOI: 10.1080/0955580042000257927. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0955580042000257927

Tang, Hanyu. “Escaping into a Fantasy World: Escapism, Exoticism, and How Japanese Shojo Manga Links to Pyongyang Girls?” Bacherlor’s diss., London College of Fashion, 2020. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342313258_Escaping_into_a_Fantasy_World_Escapism_Exoticism_and_How_Japanese_Shojo_Manga_Links_to_Pyongyang_Girls.

Tsutsui, William M. “Nerd Nation: Otaku and Youth Subcultures in Contemporary Japan.” Education about Asia, vol. 13, no. 3 (2008). pp. 12–18.

Worchel, Stephen, Susan Arnold, and Michael Baker. “The Effects of Censorship on Attitude Change: the Influence of Censor and Communication Characteristics.” Journal of Applied Social Psychology, vol. 5, no. 3 (1975). pp. 227–239. DOI: 10.1111/j.1559-1816.1975.tb00678.x. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.1975.tb00678.x

Yamamura, Eiji. “‘The Effect of Young Children on Their Parents’ Anime-Viewing Habits: Evidence from Japanese Microdata.” Journal of Cultural Economics, vol. 38, no. 4 (2014). pp. 331–349. DOI: 10.1007/s10824-013-9213-y. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10824-013-9213-y

Zaatari, Sami. “Anime Culture Takes Wings in Abu Dhabi.” Gulf News, 26 August 2007, https://gulfnews.com/going-out/society/anime-culture-takes-wings-in-abu-dhabi-1.196872.