A RICH task about learnign cultural values from film- in this case, Japanese Anime. The end result was that students create their own slideshow showing their understanding of how films show the values of a culture.

2. Anime The Values of Japan Teacher: K. Robertson

3. What are we Doing? You are studying a director and learning about the values of his films through research. You are creating a powerpoint showing what you have learned about Japanese Values and Culture from your research. You are sharing your research with the other students

4. Defining Anime Anime is Japanese Animation. In Japan, anime is not made just for children. This means that all genres and types of film can be made as Anime. Anime films have stylised drawings like Manga (Japanese comics) Anime is popular all over the world, with many universities and schools having Anime Fan Clubs.

6. Why We are Studying Studio Ghibli Studio Ghibli is the Japanese equivalent of Disney Studios. Many parents from Western countries prefer Anime as they think they have better values than Disney. Hayao Miyazuki is the most popular director in Japan, works for Studio Ghibli and only works in Anime form. Miyazuki loves British Children’s Literature so it is easier to relate to and see the cultural differences.

7. Good Links What is anime? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgY6xV4gaso Miyazuki Interview http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds3adcHVxnQ The Miyazuki Temple http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoXRf0h-3Lo&feature=related

9. Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986)

10. My Neighbour Totoro (1986)

11. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)- A Famous Anti-war movie

12. Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)

13. Only Yesterday (1991)

14. Porco Rosso (1992)

15. Pom Poko (1994) Racoons try to save their forest (ecological film)

16. Nausicca (1994)

17. Whisper of the Heart (1995)

18. Princess Mononoke (1997)

19. My Neighbours the Yamadas (1999)

20. Spirited Away (2001) Arguably the best film yet!

21. The Cat Returns (2002)

22. Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

23. Tales from Earthsea (2006)

24. Ponyo (2008)

28. The Little Mermaid Retold These are the covers of two retellings of ‘The Little Mermaid’. What values do you thing children are getting from each film?

29. Ponyo We are close reading Ponyo as it shows most of the values associated with Studio Ghibli and tells a really good story! It is easy to understand what is happening Ponyo is an award winning film because of it’s exceptional story and animation.

30. Close Reading Ponyo When Viewing the film, add notes next to the values written on your sheet. Later you will work with a partner to create part of our slideshow based around some of these values. You will take an image from the film to represent this value and find one from real life.

31. Values Respect for our elders/the elderly Respect for the natural world Pointlessness of war Duty to heal/ rehabilitate/educate Buddhist idea of people who do evil being less enlightened, and therefore in need of education/healing Importance of group/team as being part of the group is more important than your individual efforts Making ritual and beauty in everyday life. Kawaii- cute and fun. Fashion does not need to be sexy but should be cute!

32. The purpose of values Japan, like every other culture, has a conflict between their values as an ideal, and their presence in every day life. For example, we teach values in school today, and every student knows bullying is wrong. However there are still students who bully in schools. In most religions and societies, stealing and murder are wrong, but people still steal and murder. We teach children values so that they learn what is acceptable to society, and can contribute productively when they are older.

33. Respect for the Elderly The Shinto and Buddist religions teaches respect for the ancestors and also the importance of family. Japan is a hierarchal society and respects age. Being old does not mean retirement in Japan, instead often people reduce their workload gradually because they have strong work ethics and have financial motivations. Many elderly maintain active lives, and are treated with respect. Often the grandparents help raise the children now mothers work. Not all Japanese treat the elderly well, but it is shameful to be discovered treating elderly relatives badly.

34. The Natural World According to Japanese Shinto tradition, spiritual power infuses everything humans and trees to rivers and rocks. Every pocket of spirit should be celebrated. They also believe that natural landscapes were created and inhabited by Kami (gods/spirits) Nature is sacred; to be in contact with nature is to be close to the Gods. Japanese people value and respect the natural world However this has not always been the case, and they often export their polluting industries and waste to other countries. Their respect for nature often contradicts other values e.g. Whaling

36. Shrine to Kami spirits

37. Evil of War Both Shinto and Buddhist ideas teach that killing is wrong. This does not mean that there has been no war or murder. Japanese believe in protecting the sovereign rights of Japan- and went to war to protect them Hiroshima is seen by some as an unpunished war crime. The Paper crane represents the wish for peace. It is said than anyone who folds 1000 cranes will bet a wish, and it is used to represent the wish for peace after Hiroshima.

38. Duty of Service To heal, educate and rehabilitate Buddhism teaches that wrong-doers are not evil, but merely not in touch with their inner Buddha (enlightened person). It is the duty of other Buddhists to educate the wrong-doer so they understand their actions are wrong. The Shinto religion teaches that doing wrong is ‘impure’ and impurity must be cast out.

39. Wrong-doers Buddhists believe that your actions and thoughts attract negative and positive energy and can help or hinder you in the path to enlightenment. Japan has a very low crime rate compared to Western Countries as the pressure to be part of the group means that they do not tend to wish to hurt their society/group. Hurtful behaviour is punished by ostracizing the offender. The traditional path of justice includes apologies and forgiveness. It is very shameful to apologise in Japanese culture as it involves admitting you were wrong and a loss of ‘face’.

40. Importance of the Group Japanese children learn from their earliest days that human happiness comes from close association with others. Children learn early to recognize that they are part of an interdependent society, beginning in the family and later extending to larger groups such as neighborhood, school, playground, community, and company. However, in the early part of the 21st century school bullying has become a topic of very great concern as it isolates someone who has not committed a crime from the group. Most Japanese tend to avoid open competition and confrontation Working with others requires self-control, but it carries the rewards of pride in contributing to the group, emotional security, and social identity. Wa (和), the notion of harmony within a group, requires an attitude of cooperation and a recognition of social roles. Success can come only if all put forth their best individual efforts. Decisions are often made only after consulting with everyone in the group. Decision-making involves each member of the group, reinforces feelings of group identity, and makes carrying out the decision smoother. Cooperation within a group also is often focused on competition between that group and a parallel one, whether the issue is one of educational success or a work goal

41. Making everyday life beautiful! It is part of Japanese culture to make the ordinary, everyday routines and items of life as beautiful as possible. It is considered very dirty to wear outside shoes in the house so every Japanese home has slippers for guests. There are also special slippers for bathrooms. You should not blow your nose at the table, and should eat everything you are served. Plates are shared- so if you are given a plate of 3 items, only 1 is for you When given a gift, it is to be opened at home. Or you should ask if it is alright to open it in front of the giver. Women and girls should either kneel or sit with their legs to the side. Men can cross their legs.

43. Kawaii-cute! As a cultural phenomenon, cuteness is increasingly accepted in Japan as a part of Japanese culture and national identity. "cuteness" is rooted in Japan's harmony-loving culture. It is also a reaction to an oversexualised media culture and traditional expectations of maturity. Kawaii is criticised as promoting a childish, non-assertive attitude in women

44. American vs Japanese fashion