american and japanese perspectives on power rangers...

American and Japanese Perspectives on Power Rangers and

Super Sentai

Chelsea Nagy Spring Semester 2012

Advisors:

Dr. Shigeko Sekine

Dr. Yoshiko Saito-Abbott

Outline   Significance of Study

  Research Questions

  Research Background

  Study 1   Research Method   Findings

  Study 2   Research Method   Findings

  Summary of Findings

  Conclusion

  Discussion

  Bibliography

  Acknowledgements

Significance of the Study  I first watched Power Rangers when I was 6 years old.

 In 2011, while studying abroad, I was introduced to Super Sentai.

 I became interested in how perceptions of Japanese and American audiences differ when it comes to Super Sentai and Power Rangers.

Research Questions

1.  How does the popularity of Super Sentai and Power Rangers differ among Japanese and American audiences?   What makes Super Sentai appeal to their Japanese

and American audiences?

2.  To what extent does age influence the appeal of Super Sentai and Power Rangers?

3.  What are the similarities and differences in how Super Sentai and Power Rangers are marketed in Japan vs. U.S.?   What gender roles are shown and how are they

perceived by their Japanese and American audiences?

Research Background Outline

1.  Introduction

2. Background of Super Sentai and Power Rangers.

3. The inspiration for Super Sentai.

4. How Super Sentai reflects Japanese culture.

5. Why it was adapted for American audiences.

6. Weekly viewing statistics in Japan and America.

Introduction 1. Super Sentai

Japanese Superhero T.V. Show Utilizes group dynamics (Usually 5 member teams)

2. Power Rangers American adaptation of Super Sentai

What is Super Sentai?   Children’s Super Hero T.V. Show   Every Sunday morning for 30 min.   Produced by Toei Co., Ltd.   First series to use Super Sentai name: Battle Fever J on Feb.

3, 1979   Currently running 37th series: Jyuden Sentai Kyoryuger

1st 37th

What is Power Rangers?  American adaptation of Super Sentai   Every Saturday Afternoon for 30 minutes  Produced by SCG (Saban Capital Group)   Mighty Morphin Power Rangers- Aug. 28, 1993

  Adapted from 16th Super Sentai Series  Currently - 19th series Power Rangers Megaforce

1st 19th

Super Sentai vs. Power Rangers

• Character death • Bad Language • Blood

• Footage • Villains • Costumes

• Diverse Ethnicities • Theme Music

Super Sentai Power Rangers

(Everett, 2009) (Allison, 2006)

Inspiration For Super Sentai Kamen Rider (1971) Ultra Man (1966) Cyborg 009 (1968)

  These shows all feature superheroes   Team dynamics were taken from Cyborg 009   Kamen Rider introduced transforming into

masked heroes

Reflections of Culture: Group Mentality

1.  According to Triandis (1985) Japan is a collectivistic culture and America is a individualistic culture

•  Collectivism •  Concern for hurting or imposing upon others (Kim, 1994) •  Directness is ineffective (Kim & Wilson, 1994) •  Emphasize interdependency

•  Individualism •  Emphasize personal goals (Triandis, 1988) •  Individuals take responsibility for immediate family and

friends (Gudykunst et. all, 1996) •  Directness is more effective (Kim & Wilson, 1994)

Reflections of Culture: Female Gender Roles

Japan •  It wasn’t until 1986 that women began to gain equal

rights in Japan •  The latest change for women’s rights came in 2007

•  Women could not be fired do to absences caused by pregnancy/childbirth

•  Women and men became protected from sexual harassment

America •  Women’s rights movements began as early as 1848 •  1975 “Sex Discrimination Act” made men and

women equal in the workplace and education

(“男女雇用機会均等法とは,” n.d.)

(Imbornoni, n.d.)

(“Sex Discrimination Act 1975,” n.d.)

The Adaptation of Super Sentai

Haim Saban (1944~)   Saban Capital Group Chairman and CEO   First introduced to Super Sentai on a business trip to Japan

(Grays, 1996)   Asked various production companies to take on Power Rangers,

but all of them declined   Finally he met with Margaret Loesch

13 13

who later produced Power Rangers

The adaptation of Super Sentai

Margaret Loesch (Unknown~)   Former FOX Childrens Network President and CEO   Wanted a new and different type of children’s show

  "Everybody, including my boss, has said the same thing: what a piece of junk. It may have lousy production values, but it has fantastically imagined characters.”

Viewing Statistics

  Japan   Averaging 1.67 mil. viewers

every week   Approximately 1.3% of

population   10.03% of kids ages 0-14

 America   Averaging 1.75 mil. viewers

every week

Research Methods

 Study Participants:   Japanese

  15 Male   15 Female

  Americans   15 Male   15 Female

 Ages   18-25

 Research Instrument   Google Docs Online Survey

  English Survey   Japanese Survey

(1) (2)  Study participants:

  Japanese   2 Male   2 Female

  Americans   2 Male   2 Female

 Ages   18-25

 Research Instrument   After watching 2 episodes of

Super Sentai/Power Rangers, answer a written questionnaire

  Questionnaire（English)

Study 1

Survey Findings 1

1.  How does the popularity of Super Sentai and Power Rangers differ among Japanese and American audiences?

  What makes Super Sentai appeal to their Japanese and American audiences?

Research Question 1

Survey Findings 1-1

 Both Japanese and Americans have very high viewing statistics, but America’s is slightly higher.

People who have seen Power Rangers

Survey Findings 1-2 Number of different series seen

  Most Japanese and Americans had seen 1-5 different series.

  There is one Japanese person who had seen 11-15

Survey Findings 1-3 Most Popular Power Rangers Series

  Japanese and Americans liked very different series.

Top 3 1 2 3

Japanese Mighty Morhphin Alien Rangers

Power Rangers S.P.D.

Power Rangers Light Speed Rescue

Americans Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Power Rangers Time Force

Power Rangers Ninja Storm

Survey Findings 2

2. To what extent does age influence the appeal of Super Sentai and Power Rangers?

Research Question 2

Survey Findings 2-1 Perceptions on what age group Super Sentai and

Power Rangers are geared towards.

  88% of Japanese said it was for children 5-7 years old.   Americans think that Power Rangers is geared towards an

older audience.

Survey Findings 2-2 Age they stopped watching Super Sentai/

Power Rangers.

  64% of Japanese stopped watching by age 13.   Americans stopped watching at an older age,

and some are still watching.

Japanese

Survey Findings 3

3. What are the similarities and differences in how Super Sentai and Power Rangers are marketed in Japan vs. U.S.?   What gender roles are shown and how are they

perceived by their Japanese and American audiences?

Research Question 3

Survey Findings 3-1

  Both Japanese and Americans found out through TV Ads, but Japanese also found out through family and friends

How did you find out about Power Rangers?

Survey Findings 3-2

  Most Americans owned toys and clothing.

  Most Japanese owned toys and stationary.

What kind of merchandise did you own?

Survey Findings 3-3 Percentage of “very common” and “common” responses to how

common the following were in an episode

 While percentages are low in both series, they were significantly more common in Japan’s Super Sentai

Study 2

Questionnaire Findings 1-1 Aspects of the show that are APPEALING were similar


Japanese Characters Special FX

Americans Characters Storyline

Special FX Costumes


Japanese Actors Music

Americans Nothing Undecided

Nothing Characters

Questionnaire Findings 1-2 Age perceptions after watching the shows.

 After watching the shows, Americans still believe it’s targeted at an older audience.

 However, the Japanese did give a higher age than previously


Japanese 8-10 year olds 8-10 year olds

Americans 11-13 year olds 11-13 year olds

Questionnaire Findings 1-3

 Americans and Japanese agree that the American portrayal of women is cute but independent

  They also agree that Japanese women are portrayed as cute and vulnerable

Women’s Portrayal in Power Rangers/Super Sentai


Japanese Cute Vulnerable

Cute/Cool Independent/Smart

Americans Cute Vulnerable/Weak

Strong Independent/Cute

Summary of Findings 1

 A surprising number of people have seen Super Sentai and Power Rangers   Japanese are more interested in storylines

  Americans are more attracted to visuals

  The series that Japanese and Americans liked were very different

 More Americans watched Power Rangers than Japanese watched Super Sentai

1. How does the popularity of Super Sentai and Power Rangers differ among Japanese and American audiences?

Summary of Findings 2

  Viewers age influenced how they viewed the show when they were young and how they view it now

  Americans think both Power Rangers/Super Sentai are for pre-teen/teenage audiences

  Japanese believed that Power Rangers/Super Sentai are for younger children   After watching the show their target age opinion

increased

  Age was the main reason for people to stop watching the show

2. To what extent does age influence the appeal of Super Sentai and Power Rangers?

Summary of Findings 3 3. What are the similarities and differences in how Super Sentai and Power

Rangers are marketed in Japan vs. U.S.?

Super Sentai (Japan)

Power Rangers (America)

Marketing • Boys • Relies on word of mouth

• Boys and girls • Utilizes TV commercials

Female Portrayal • Cute/Vulnerable • Cute/Independent

Preferred Female Ranger Image

• Japanese • They are cute and relatable

• Americans • They are Independent/strong

  Americans prefer American gender roles (strong/independent)

  Japanese prefer Japanese gender roles (cute/relatable)

Conclusion   Super Sentai and Power Rangers are both

extremely popular shows   Japanese liked storylines where the Sentai were

portrayed as ‘police’ like figures   Americans were more drawn to the action and

visual aspects of the shows

  Even though Super Sentai and Power Rangers are perceived as kids shows, it is still enjoyable for adults

  Super Sentai and Power Rangers reflect current cultural trends of gender roles   Japanese viewers liked the Japanese

representations of women   Americans liked American representations

Localization may be

necessary

Discussion   Important Findings

  Women’s portrayal reflects stereotypical societal gender roles in both countries

  Japanese series uses harsher language and violence compared to the U.S.   However, Japanese felt it was geared towards a

younger audience despite the violence

 Limitations   Participants were only adults aged 18-27   Smaller number of participants in both studies

 Future Studies   Focus more on the changes in female gender

portrayal and whether it follows historical trends

Bibliography Allison, A.(2006). The Japan Fad in Global Youth Culture and Millennial Capitalism. Mechademia 1(1), 11-21. University of Minnesota

Press. Retrieved October 25, 2012, from Project MUSE database.

Allison, A. (2006). Millennial monsters: Japanese toys and the global imagination (pp. 93-127). Berkley And Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press.

Campbell, S., & Knight, C. (Producer). (2006). Power Rangers Mystic Force [Online video]. Retrieved January 13, 2013

Everett, S. C. (2009, November). Mirawge Multiculuralism: Unmasking the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers [Electronic version]. Journal of Mass Media Ethics: Exploring Questions of Media Morality, 11(1), 28-39. doi:10.1207/s15327728jmme1101_4

Grays, K. (1996). Super Sentai Sensation. Retrieved from http://www.historyvortex.org/SuperSentaiSensation.html

Imbornoni, A.-M. (n.d.). Women’s Rights Movement in the U.S.: Timeline of Events (1848-1920) | Infoplease.com. Retrieved May 10, 2013, from http://www.infoplease.com/spot/womenstimeline1.html

Kim, M.S. (1994). Cross-cultural comparisons of the perceived importance of conversational constraints. Human Communication Research, 21, 128-151

Kim, M.S., & Wilson, S.R. (1994). A cross-cultural comparison of implicit theories of requesting. Communication Monographs, 61, 210-235.

Markus, H. R., & Kitayama, S. (1991). Culture and the self: Implications for cognition, emotion, and motivation. Psychological Review, 98, 224-253

Pr ratings tracker. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.angelfire.com/scifi/prstuff/ratings.html

Bibliography Triandis, H.C. (1985). Collectivism vs. individualism: A reconceptualization of a basic concept in cross-

cultural psychology. In C. Bagley & G. Verma (Eds.), Personality, cognition, and values: Cross-cultural perspectives of childhood and adolescence. London: Macmillan.

Triandis, H.C. (1988). Collectivism vs. individualism: A reconceptualization of a basic concept in cross-cultural psychology. In G. Verma & C. Bagley (Eds.), Cross-cultural studies of personality, attitudes and cognition (pp. 60-95). London: Macmillan.

Video research Lid.(2013.4)「視聴率からの視聴世帯・人数の推定｜ビデオリサーチ」　http://www.videor.co.jp/rating/wh/13.htm

ヘドウィック, 1., 塚田, 3., 宇都宮, 2., & 矢田, 2. (Producer). (2005). 魔法戦隊マジレンジャー [Online video]. 日本: テレビ朝日. Retrieved January 13, 2013

スーパー戦隊36Legends. (2012). N.p.: 日之出出版.

男女雇用機会均等法とは. (n.d.). コトバンク. Retrieved May 10, 2013, from http://kotobank.jp/word/男女雇用機会均等法

特撮視聴率補完　By@Wiki - 視聴率一覧. (n.d.). 特撮視聴率補完　By@Wiki. Retrieved May 10, 2013, from http://www10.atwiki.jp/shichouseiko/pages/15.html

Image Sources   http://stuffpoint.com/power-rangers/image/4620/power-rangers-picture/

  http://wiki.tvnihon.com/wiki/Super_Sentai

  http://www.deviantart.com/art/Super-Sentai-216481705

  http://j-cul.com/super-santai/himitsu-sentai-goranger/

  http://www.clipartsegifs.com.br/clip_power_rangers.php

  http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/margielamarni/33995365.html?s=art_cmt&no=&pno=&fno=&target1=&target2

  http://www.moegame.com/sfx/archives/201212271108.html

  http://www.tylertarver.com/2011/06/13/new-mighty-morphin-power-rangers-movie/

  http://www.rangercrew.com/forum/showthread.php?24244-Power-Rangers-Megaforce-Cast-Thread

  http://lifeofpi99.blogspot.com/2012/12/choudenshi-bioman-10-goodbye-yellow.html

  http://www.rovang.org/wiki/necrolai.jpg

  http://www.powerrangersonline.com/newsstorys/samuraigrove.html

  http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/ultra%20man

  http://www.tvsinopse.kinghost.net/c/cyborg%20009.htm

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamen_Rider

  http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57373589-503544/haim-saban-considering-giving-to-obama-super-pacs/

  http://www.usm.edu/news/article/symposium-address-women-and-media-honor-four-prominent-alumnae

  http://angelkissesmaternity.typepad.com/famousmommy/2009/11/tvwatching-guidelines.html

Acknowledgements

o Dr. Shigeko Sekine o Dr. Yoshiko Saito-Abbott o Gus Leonard o Study Participants o Exchange Students o Greg, Cindy, and Trevor Nagy

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