Research Log

Given that in this year of Humanities Core, we perused a variety of historical literature, graphic novels, and scholarly pieces of writing and I wanted to stray away from the typical genre of primary sources and venture out into a different approach for my project. I have mainly settled on Sanrio and the Japanese company's history; as for the primary source itself, I am still looking at potential merchandise, exhibition, or brand collaborations Sanrio has done to analyze. During my process of deciding which primary source to focus on, I was also interested in analyzing Newjean's music videos for "Ditto Side A" and "Ditto Side B" and the award-winning film "Everything Everywhere All At Once". However, both of these visual cinematographic primary sources would rely on my ability to interpret without analytical support from secondary sources since they both have only been released fairly recently in 2022. 

I am particularly interested in delving into Sanrio's postwar cultural impact on Japan and how the fostered "cute/Kawaii" culture traveled to the Western market in return rebranded Japan's national identity. With their economic boom and market growth after World War 2, companies like Sanrio established "cute" goods and merchandise with their unique animal characters, actively contributing to the Kawaii scene along with anime and manga. With this general topic in mind, how did Japan present themselves as a less-threatening presence and have people, especially from countries who have been directly affected by Japan's past militaristic aggressions, look beyond their history? As an example, what are people's general views on China versus Japan? How were Sanrio and other Japanese brands popularized among teenage girls in America and how is the brand continuously establishing itself globally in the context of Japan's history?