{"product_id":"rediscovered-classics-of-japanese-animation-the-adaptation-of-childrens-novels-into-the-world-masterpiece-theater-series-9781501389900","title":"Rediscovered Classics of Japanese Animation: The Adaptation of Children's Novels Into the World Masterpiece Theater Series","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRediscovered Classics of Japanese Animation \u003c\/i\u003eis the first academic work to examine \u003ci\u003eWorld Masterpiece Theater \u003c\/i\u003e(\u003ci\u003eSekai Meisaku Gekijô\u003c\/i\u003e, 1969-2009), which popularized the practice of adapting foreign children's books into long-running animated series and laid the groundwork for powerhouses like Studio Ghibli.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWorld Masterpiece Theater\u003c\/i\u003e (\u003ci\u003eSekai Meisaku Gekijô, \u003c\/i\u003e 1969-2009) is a TV staple created by the Japanese studio Nippon Animation, which popularized the practice of adapting foreign children's books into long-running animated series. Once generally dismissed by critics, the series is now frequently investigated as a key early work of legendary animators Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki. In the first book-length examination of the series, Maria Chiara Oltolini analyzes cultural significance of \u003ci\u003eWorld Masterpiece Theater\u003c\/i\u003e, and the ways in which the series pioneered the importance of children's fiction for Japanese animation studios and laid the groundwork for powerhouses like Studio Ghibli. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAdapting a novel for animation also means decoding (and re-coding) socio-cultural patterns embedded in a narrative. \u003ci\u003eWorld Masterpiece Theater\u003c\/i\u003e stands as a unique example of this linguistic, medial, and cultural hybridisation. Popular children's classics such as \u003ci\u003eLittle Women\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003ePeter Pan\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eAnne of Green Gables\u003c\/i\u003e became the starting point of a full-fledged negotiation process in which Japanese animators retold a whole range of narratives that have one basic formula in common: archetypal stories with an educational purpose. In particular, the series played a role in shaping the pop culture image of a young girl (\u003ci\u003eshôjo\u003c\/i\u003e). \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eExamining the series through the lens of animation studies as well as adaptation studies, Oltolini sheds new light on this long-neglected staple of Japanese animation history.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMaria Chiara Oltolini\u003c\/b\u003e has a BA, MA, and PhD from Universit? Cattolica del Sacro Cuore of Milan, Italy, where she has been working as a Teaching Assistant in Semiotics and History and Language of International Cinema for several years. In 2017, she was a visiting scholar at Cardiff University, UK as part of her PhD program. Her research interests include adaptation as a form of intermedia and intercultural expression, focusing on the relationships between Japanese animation and Children's literature.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Bloomsbury Academic","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50916071964946,"sku":"9781501389900","price":142.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_bc5080cc-1b03-42c5-98e6-ef89d25a01f6.jpg?v=1738837303","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/rediscovered-classics-of-japanese-animation-the-adaptation-of-childrens-novels-into-the-world-masterpiece-theater-series-9781501389900","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}