A Study On The Film Language In The Mamoru Hosoda’s Animated Films

In the Japanese animation film industry,Mamoru Hosoda has already been one of the most concerned directors.His works,such as The Girl Who Leapt Through Time,Summer Wars and The Wolf Children Ame and Yuki,aie widely rewarded and acclaimed whether in Japan or in other countries.Hosoda’s films not only inherit the hand-painted tradition of Japanese animation,but also have some individualized factors in form.These factors lead to an unique film style which makes Hosoda outstanding in the fierce competition of Japanese animation industry. Nevertheless,his works are lack of relevant research,especially in the aspect of film language.To some extent,his academic value is under estimated.The purpose of this paper is to make an objective and impartial judgement of Hosoda’s works in terms of an academic view.This paper will summarize the main features of Hosoda in film language.These features include "no shadow" figures,the use of fix camera and long takes.These features complement each other to form Hosoda’s distinguished style.In order to make a careful and detailed analysis of Hosoda’s style,the paper will be divided into three main parts.In the first part,the feature of "no shadow" figures will be discussed. We are going to make clear the evolution process of shadow modeling in Japanese animation,which will help us to find out the significance of "no shadow" figure modeling.In the second and third parts,we will combine the methods of quantitative analysis and case analysis to point out Hosoda’s uniqueness in using fixed camera and long takes.Some skills in forming his language will also be mentioned.In addition,there will be a overview of Japanese animation industry.Some basic facts of the current situation which are useful to the study of Japanese animation can be acquired in this paper.