1. Perception of youth through cultural values
Japanese and American Films from the Early 2000’s
Addie Gingold
JAPN 310: Japanese Cinema

2. Featured films The Girl Who Leapt Through Time Summer Wars
Group versus the individual
Summer Wars
Interactions with family
Kamikaze Girls
Values of self-expression

3. Analytical design
Collected American films that follow similar storylines
Compared how the young characters act according to general cultural values
Address messages to young audience through the actions of young characters

4. Major paper contents Group versus the individual
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
Independence and motivation of American youth
Interactions with family
Summer Wars
Cheaper by the Dozen
Social hierarchy
Sempai-kouhai structure
Mean Girls
Values of self-expression
Kamikaze Girls
She’s the Man
Globalization via film

5. conclusions
Japanese films display young characters that subtly challenge traditional viewpoints
actions of young characters in American films depict current social issues
perceptions of adolescents in movies can be a medium for major social change
LIMITATIONS
Articles taken form adult perspective
Films don’t always address variety of social problems