Presentation Outline

• Introduction

  • What is ma?

  • Outline

• Part I: “Genre importation” & cover songs

  • Japanese jazz as a product of genre importation… Miho Keitaro: “Stopper” & Midnight in Tokyo (1956)

  • Western cover songs… Koyama Rumi (小山ルミ): “Hey Jude” (1973) — transcription here

  • Issues of translation

• Part II: “Western-modeled Japanese songs”

  • Incorporating traditional Japanese elements into Western-modeled songs

  • Yano Akiko: Japanese Girl (1976)… “Fuuta” (“颯太”) & the koto

  • Shiro Miya & Pinkara Trio: “Onna no Muchi” (“女のみち”) (1972) & traditional Japanese singing style

• Part III. Modern J-pop

  • Momoiro Clover Z: “Wani to Shampoo (-ZZ ver.-)” (2021)

  • MCZ & idol culture… “Wani to Shampoo” live (2022)

  • Traditional instruments in modern J-pop… MCZ: “Nippon Egao Hyakkei” (2012/2021)

  • Kyary Pamyu Pamyu: “PONPONPON” (2012)

  • KPP & differentiating from Japanese idol culture

  • Anison (アニソン) = anime song

  • YOASOBI: “Idol” (“アイドル”) (2023) & Oshi no Ko

• Conclusion

Songs in presentation order

• Charlie Mariano: “Stone Garden of Ryōan Temple” (1963), Kikuchi Masabumi (piano) /// YouTube link

• Momorio Clover Z: “Wani to Shampoo (-ZZ ver.-)” (2021) /// YouTube link

• Midnight in Tokyo (1956) /// YouTube link

• Koyama Rumi (小山ルミ), The Beatles: “Hey Jude” from ビートルズを歌う (1973) /// YouTube link

• Yano Akiko: Japanese Girl /// YouTube link

• Shiro Miya & Pinkara Trio: “女のみち,” “Onna no Michi” (1972) /// YouTube link

• Momoiro Clover Z: “Wani to Shampoo” live @ MOMOFEST 2022 /// YouTube link

• Momoiro Clover Z: “Nippon Egao Hyakkei” (2021), music video /// YouTube link

• Kyary Pamyu Pamyu: “PONPONPON” (2012), music video /// YouTube link

• YOASOBI: “アイドル,” “Idol” (2023), music video /// YouTube link

Works Cited (select)

Cavallaro, Dani. 2010. Anime and the Visual Novel: Narrative Structure, Design and Play at the Crossroads of Animation and Computer Games. Jefferson, North Carolina, and London: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers.

Condry, Ian. 2013. The Soul of Anime: Collaborative Creativity and Japan’s Media Success. Duke University Press.

Denison, Rayna. 2015. Anime: A Critical Introduction. Bloomsbury Academic.

Lamarre, Thomas. 2009. The Anime Machine: A Media Theory of Animation. University of Minnesota Press.

———. 2018. The Anime Ecology: A Genealogy of Television, Animation, and Game Media. University of Minnesota Press.

Manabe, Noriko. 2006. “Globalization and Japanese Creativity: Adaptations of Japanese Language to Rap.” Ethnomusicology vol. 50/1.

———. 2009. “Western Music in Japan: The Evolution of Styles in Children’s Songs, Hip-Hop, and Other Genres.” Ph.D. diss., CUNY Graduate Center.

Stevens, Carolyn S. 2008. Japanese Popular Music: Culture, authenticity, and power. London and New York: Routledge.

Tsutsui, William M. 2010. Japanese Popular Culture and Globalization. Association for Asian Studies, Inc.

Slideshow statistics:

• Made in Apple Keynote

• Slides: 82

• Animations: 149