Superflat is a postmodern art movement influenced by manga and anime. It is intended as an analysis of post-war Japanese culture through the eyes of the otaku subculture. Postmodernism may appear as the ultimate phase of modernism; it expresses what may happen in art after the modernist project appears to have ended. ... Jump to: navigation, search A page from the Marmalade Boy manga, volume 1 (Japanese version) Manga (漫画) is the Japanese word for comics and/or cartoons (not necessarily animated, this includes print cartoons); outside of Japan, it usually refers specifically to Japanese comics. ... Jump to: navigation, search A scene from Cowboy Bebop (1998) Anime (アニメ) is Japanese animation, sometimes referred to by the portmanteau Japanimation. ... Jump to: navigation, search It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Japanophile. ...

Artists who do work that is considered "Superflat" include Yoshitomo Nara, Takashi Murakami, and Aya Takano. In addition some animators within anime and some manga-ka are considered Superflat especially Koji Morimoto and much of the output of his animation studio Studio 4°C and the work of Hitoshi Tomizawa author of Alien 9 and Milk Closet. Yoshitomo Nara. ... Takashi Murakami (村上隆 Murakami Takashi, born 1962) is a Japanese artist. ... Jump to: navigation, search A scene from Cowboy Bebop (1998) Anime (アニメ) is Japanese animation, sometimes referred to by the portmanteau Japanimation. ... Mangaka (漫画家) is the Japanese word for a comic artist/cartoonist. ... Koji Morimoto is an animator and anime director. ... Studio 4°C is a Japanese animation studio founded by Koji Morimoto, Eiko Tanaka, and Yoshiharu Sato in 1986. ... Alien Nine (エイリアン9) is a manga by Hitoshi Tomizawa serialised in the seinen magazine Young Champion. ...

Murakami defines "Superflat" in broad sweeping terms so the subject matter is very diverse. Often the works take a critical look at the consumerism and sexual fetishism that is prevalent in post-war westernized Japanese culture. One target of this criticism is lolicon art, which is satirized by works such as those by Henmaru Machino. These works are an exploration of otaku sexuality through grotesque and/or distorted images. Other works are more concerned with the Moratorium complex (a fear of growing up). For example Yoshitomo Nara's work often features playful graffiti on old Japanese ukiyo-e executed in a childish sort of manner. Other works are more concerned with the structure and underlying desires that comprise otaku and overall post-war Japanese culture. Jump to: navigation, search Lolita Girls Collection by Hikari Hayashibara is a typical lolicon manga (ISBN 4-7567-2463-9) Lolicon, or Rorikon (ロリコン) is a Japanese abbreviation of Lolita complex (derived from the novel Lolita), the sexual attraction to fictional and real underage girls, or ephebophilia. ... Ukiyo-e (Kanji 浮世絵, meaning pictures of the floating world) is the general term for a genre of Japanese woodblock prints produced between the 17th and the 20th century, featuring motifs of landscapes, the theater and pleasure quarters. ...

See also

• Cute formalism

Cute formalism is a term coined by musician and blogger Nick Currie, aka Momus. ...

External links

• Superflat Japanese Postmodernity - essay by Hiroki Azuma
• Superflat - overview by Hunter Drohojowska-Philp