Development of a Series of Clips About Japanese Animation

The main purpose of this visual research is to study features of graphic elements in Japanese animation. This theme was chosen because anime – an international term for “japanese animation” - became an essential part of modern pop culture and is being recognized in different parts of the world. The study cites as an example well-known works that reflect stylistic trends which are compared between each other to identify similar common characteristics. The main task of this study is to identify the characteristics of common graphic elements in Japanese animation, which represent the identity of "anime" through the observation of stylistic tendencies to throughout the development of the industry. The topic was narrowed down to the analysis of static images. The path that artists have done to form their identity in animation is being researched. Elements such as movement of line, details, tone layering, shape and proportions of characters' body, face elements and other graphic elements that perform functions of additional special effects and backgrounds are being considered. Another research task is to demonstrate ways of communication through graphic elements. The study revealed that trends were formed based on the achievements of bright shows, which are adapted further in stylization of other shows, however maintaining the basic concepts. For expressiveness of scene, not only brightness of color and expression of emotions are used, but also background as well as additional elements. Hypertrophy and caricature of graphic elements and symbols depends on the degree of gloominess of the picture, the darker the plot, the more realistic stylistics are. Since styles, techniques and plot formulas were borrowed and perfected throughout time, tropes were formed that were linked by single language, culture and social norms. Multiple repetitions of graphic and plot techniques form the exact understanding of what the image of Japanese animation is.