Japanese Art, American Artist

Author:

Maslak, Julianna Alexandra

Area of Honors:

Interdisciplinary in Film-Video and Japanese

Degree:

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type:

Thesis

Thesis Supervisors:

Richard Andrew Sherman, Thesis Supervisor
Richard Andrew Sherman, Thesis Supervisor
Rodney Brent Bingaman, Thesis Honors Advisor
Reiko Tachibana, Thesis Honors Advisor

Keywords:

foreigner
japan
animation

Abstract:

On a bright October morning two years ago, while on a study abroad in Tokyo I fell in love on the train. He was perfect: handsome, stylish, with great taste in cell phone charms. I spent the entire ride silently admiring him, and when my stop came, I prepared to part from this silent stranger. When he suddenly reached to pick up his own bag and stand, my heart skipped a beat. Then it plummeted. He was short—desperately short. It was over in an instant. That experience, though brief and silly, came to encapsulate what it meant for me to be a foreigner residing in Japan, and later came to be the inspiration for my short film, watashi wa gaijin dakara (Because I'm a Foreigner). With this project, I set out to explore the challenges faced by someone trying to step into a new world. Two years ago, that new world was the world of Japan. In creating this project, it was the world of animation. I had to teach myself the new languages needed to successfully navigate several film programs, while simultaneously learning how to put my knowledge of Japanese to use in order to express myself. My goal was to create a tight project with artistic direction and style that served to emphasize its message about the position of an outsider or a newcomer, and in creating this project I made the journey from newcomer to insider several times over.