Anime Aesthetics Japanese Animation and the 'Post-Cinematic' Imagination

Japanese animation has been more broadly recognised and given fulsome academic commentary over the last decade. However, there is arguably a need for a more philosophically consistent and theoretically integrated engagement as emphasized by scholars such as Mitsuhiro Yoshimoto. While there are notable exceptions within the current literature, and these works highlight significant issues when considered as presenting an aesthetic theory of animation, Anime Aesthetics covers the key thinkers of contemporary aesthetic theory commonly adopted in relation to media (Deleuze, Ranciere, Zizek) and aims to reground reflection on anime within a more specifically aesthetic philosophical tradition, particularly drawing on recent scholarship on the art theory of R.G. Collingwood.

Alistair Swale is Senior Lecturer in the School of Arts at the University of Waikato, New Zealand. Following on from his earlier research in Japanese intellectual history, which culminated in the book The Meiji Restoration: Monarchism, Mass Communication and Conservative Revolution (2009), he has been exploring the role of contemporary popular culture texts in negotiating historical memory and nostalgia. In addition to the current work, he has more recently been working on aspects of interactive media and digital culture.

1. Introduction
2. R.G. Collingwood And A 'Philosophical Methodology' Of Aesthetics
3. Anime As Craft
4. Anime As Representation
5. Anime As Amusement
6. Anime As Magic
7. Anime As Art - Digital Cinema And The Anime Aesthetic
Conclusion