Toronto Metropolitan University
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Cultural Appropriation: Erasure of Cultural Odour, Homolingualization, and Queer Erasure within English Adaptations of Japanese Anime

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posted on 2021-05-22, 16:20 authored by Olivia Matheson-Mowers

[Introduction]: 

The first month of Pokemon Go is the only time this world knew peace @cake_hoarder (Twitter, September 2019)

The above tweet illuminates the nostalgia and fondness that is often evoked by the memory of summer 2016, a summer that was characterized by the release of Pokemon Go, a smartphone app based on the anime series, Pokemon. The twitter user likens this period to “world peace”, a comparison that is rooted within the design of the game that motivated social interaction among its users. One of the ways that Pokemon Go promoted communal gameplay was through the inclusion of PokeStops, a digitized meeting hub that allows for players to collect Poke Balls. These digital hubs mirrored the ones featured within Pokemon, and similarly to the characters within the anime, players would often encounter other players while visiting Poke Stops. This allowed for players to interact with one another, leading many to exchange tips on where to find rare and hard to catch Pokemon and even forming teams to widen their scope. The fusion of nostalgia for the times of trading Pokemon cards in schoolyards, the collective goal of players, and the warm weather created a rose tint around the summer, one that almost felt like “world peace”."

History

Language

eng

Degree

  • Master of Arts

Program

  • Literatures of Modernity

Granting Institution

Ryerson University

LAC Thesis Type

  • MRP

Year

2020