Kennesaw State’s Division of Global Affairs held a virtual panel on Oct. 21 discussing the Japanese Anime Industry with guest speaker Consul General of Japan in Atlanta, Kazuyuki Takeuchi sharing his insight on the topic.
The virtual panel began with the introduction of Takeuchi, proceeded by a presentation regarding his perspectives and knowledge about the Japanese anime industry.
The presentation provided an overview of the Japanese anime industry with Takeuchi speaking of the grandmaster of Japanese comics and anime, Osama Tezuka. He spoke of how Tezuka laid the groundwork for comics and animation to be two distinct areas of media production, paving the way for animation and comics for the future.
Takeuchi highlighted Tezuka’s method of providing readers with just enough materials to allow their imagination to work. In other words, Tezuka left out as much information as possible to allow the reader’s imagination to expand on the possibilities. This method was used in comics and ultimately applied to anime works.
Takeuchi concluded his presentation with an important message to encourage attending students.
“Taking more time in enjoying anime greatly helps you understand Japan and sense of Japanese people,” Takeuchi said. “Then in turn, [it] helps anime creators in Japan pursue their ways.”
Concluding the presentation, KSU faculty member Dr. Amber Hutchins and Takeuchi answered questions from students interested in the Japanese Anime industry. The panel started the discussion by answering a question on how to get started in pursing a career in the anime industry.
“A love for anime is necessary,” Hutchins said. “We have a very large anime community in the US and a lot of these conventions have panels for people that want to get into the anime industry.”
The panel continued the discussion giving insight on how to get started in the anime industry and pursue a career, whether that be in writing or creating art. They emphasized that companies need a lot of different roles that will allow inquiring students to engage their love for anime and allow room for their unique expertise.
The panel shared their experiences in the anime industry, which allowed for attending students to envision what path they should take in pursing their career. It was a great opportunity for students to share their questions and interests to the panel, and it resulted in a relatable discussion of their passion for anime.
The panel discussion was followed by an opportunity for students to personally meet and converse with Takeuchi to gain more insight about the anime industry.
To learn more about the Takeuchi and his initiatives visit the Consulate-General of Japan in Atlanta website.
Additionally, information about future Consular Connections can be found on the Division of Global Affairs website.
