By: Tommy Gaston

Anime: Orochimaru the Essentializing of Culture

Boiling a culture down to its bare essence.Oversimplification and it’s wrong to do.Thesis: Through a textual analysis of the

Orochimaru toy from the anime television show Naruto, this presentation will argue that once the toy is removed form the context of Japan, it represents an objectifying or essentializing Japanese culture into and American fantasy of an exotic “Japanese - ness”

What is essentialization

Fantasy of timeSuper past and

super futureBlending of the twoOrochimaru has

elements of feudal era

Deconstruction of American Masculinity: making an object of Japanese masculinity

Packaging and display: must appeal to young American boysIsle display: If it’s in

the boy isle it’s ok for me to want it.

Surrounding toys conform to American Archetypes.

Packaging color schemes: warm colors intense shades

America: objectified

Essentializing: constructions give false sense of understanding

Japan: exotic Japanese - ness

Quick and dirty way to gain understanding.Get up and do research to gain

understanding.

Essentialization: Conclusion