• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.27
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• pp.99-125
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• 2012

Shojo manga, one of Japan's comic genres, is well-known around the world. There is an equivalent manga genre in Korea and it is called Sunjeong Manhwa. What distinguishes shojo manga from other comic genres is its unique visual representation of the inner world of comic characters. In this study, shojo manga depicted in various shojo magazines in the early 1960s are analyzed. The magazines reviewed include Shojo, Shojo Club and Shojo Book. Among the visual representations, flower expression, panel composition and title page design are selected for analysis. Based on the results of the analysis, the basic elements of shojo manga are portrayed well in manga published in the early 1960s, during which several female cartoonists actively led the creation of the said genre. These findings confirm that the representations adopted in shojo manga for the purpose of expressing the inner world and psychological aspects of the main characters were already evident in the early 1960s. According to earlier studies, shojo manga reached its golden age in the 1970s, when the genre's format and representation method were developed to its full extent. Therefore, studies investigating shojo manga often focused on this golden era, during which a variety of comics emerged and stories and presentation skills further improved. An increasing number of readers began reading shojo manga. Popular cartoonists also emerged, further accelerating the genre's burgeoning popularity. However, there has been no investigation on the unique representations found in shojo manga. This means that the shojo manga published between the late 1950s and the early 1960s were underestimated compared with those published in the 1970s. The aim of this study, therefore, is to reassess the comic works and cartoonists that led to the establishment of shojo manga by analyzing visual representations of shojo manga published from 1958 to 1963. This study proposes new ideas on when the unique representations of shojo manga first emerged and how those representations were described.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.51
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• pp.361-390
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• 2018

Users of KakaoTalk emoticons use Kakao Talk emoticons as means of communicating their emotions in virtual space. Emotional state is represented by design element (auxiliary, color, form, motion) and storytelling element contained in emoticons. The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors of the storytelling and design elements of kakaoTalk emoticons and how they prefer the kakaoTalk emoticons as emotional expression means. In terms of storytelling, crocodiles, peaches, dogs, ducks, lions, moles, and rabbits were made up of ordinary fruits and animals. Most of the emoticons are composed of stories with unique personality, and each story has a complex one by one, which makes it easy for users to approach and use them. In terms of design, I used various auxiliary elements (flame, sweat, tears, runny nose, angry eyes, etc.) to express angry, sincere, nervous, begging, joy, and sadness. The color elements consisted of most of the warm color series with the unique colors (green, red, yellow, pink, white, black, brown, etc.) of emoticon characters regardless of feelings of joy, anger, sadness, pleasure. The form factor is composed of a round shape when expressing factors such as joy and sadness. On the other hand, when FRODO and NEO express sadness and anger, they represent the shape of a rectangle. The motion elements are horizontal, vertical, and oblique expressions of APPEACH, NEO, TUBE, and JAY-G, expressing emotional expressions of sadness, anger, and pleasure. APEACH, TUBE, MUZI & / Shows the dynamic impression of the oblique and the radiation / back / forward / rotation. The anger of TUBE and FRODO shows horizontal / vertical / diagonal and radial motion. As a result of this study, storytelling is structured in accordance with each emoticon character. In terms of design, auxiliary elements such as flame, sweat, and tears are represented by images. The color elements used the unique colors of the character series regardless of the difference of emotion. The form factor represented various movements for each emotion expression. These findings will contribute to the development of communication, emotional design and industrial aspects. Despite the significance of the above paper, I would like to point out that the analysis framework of the storytelling and the semiotic analysis of the supplementary elements are not considered as limitations of the study.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.40
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• pp.521-549
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• 2015

We recognize all objects by seeing. However, we are not sure that the things we see through our eyes are their essence. Here comes my question: What does it mean that humans see and recognize things? The things we see are images and so I consider recognizing an object as semiosis via our visual sensation and brain. That is because objects are defined not by their essence but as symbols we recognize. In the era of post-modernism art is a voluntary creative activity that creates a kind of spiritual value and plays an important role for appreciators who realize the fact to enjoy the life value. This paper focused on the art putting aesthetic value on humans' recognition and explored works of art in a visually perceptible way through semiosis. That is because art, an act of creating things, is symbolic and closely linked to semiotic system. Furthermore, derivative visual signs can be considered to be in line with the viewers' visual perception. If we interpreted by recognizing the works of art along with symbol, we can enjoy the works in depth through recognizing their color or shape. Therefore, I intended to discourse on color perception focusing on colors in order to analyze the relationship between art and symbol in the process of recognizing works of art. This paper looked into background of color recognition, status of colors and ways of expression for impressionist who painted with various colors and examined colors as a sensory language. In the process of interpreting art works by communication between the artist and viewers, the role of color is considered as visual symbol through the artist's experience, consciousness, emotions, and their senses. It can be interpreted the visual language through signification of the symbols when the colors are formed in works of art as a recognizable space. Therefore we expect to study in the Visual arts to be the colors symbolic analysis is extended to more effective communication tool.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.44
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• pp.1-31
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• 2016

In this thesis, the movie with mise-en-scene established was compared with the peculiarity of the play that is the etymological source of the term to identify the peculiarity of mise-en-scene which was substituted into animation to find the peculiarity of mise-en-scene in animation. To emphasize the direct connection between the frame's visual peculiarity and the director's opinions, the mise-en-scene of director centered animation created under a restricted environment was reviewed. Mise-en-scene which started from movie critics theory does not simply mean the arrangement of images in a frame. Mise-en-scene emphasizes the exposure of the work's motive by the visual components. The animation's assuming the middle point of environmental share possessed by play and movie when schematizing the genre peculiarity of animation, play and movie was a noteworthy result. It can be said that the cause is that the animation's peculiarity yield different results depending on the making methods; we verified that this is a key factor in the analysis of animation's mise-en-scene. I emphasized that the peculiarity of animation mise-en-scene is in its making method and material and suggested identifying the work's making methods and analyzing the work's aesthetic results derived in this way. The russian animation which was perceived as peripheral arts was relatively free from the burden of censorship while receiving support from the Soviet as a media for propaganda. The russian animation's mise-en-scene which found the material for its works in the country's folklore was metaphorical, focused on new expression forms and achieved experimental elements. Russian animation pursues a unique aesthetic world through space expression based on the forms of opera or ballet and heavy motions formed static inbetweens.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.20
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• pp.75-86
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• 2010

Recently, as the number of female players has increased rapidly, the electronic gaming industry has begun to look at ways to appeal to the largely untapped female market. According to the latest game market investigative report by China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), the total number of game players in China increased by 24.8% in 2009, reached 69,130,000 people, and 38.9% of them are female players. This growth in the number of female player is corroborated by a series of investigative reports from IResearch Company in Shanghai, China: from 2003 to 2009, the number of female players grew from 8% to more than 49%. Therefore, no matter how much attention the game production companies have given to male players or how they have ignored the female players before, the companies would be sensible to face up this reality and adjust their marketing policy a bit more. This article analyzes gender preferences in video games which shows that male players are more likely to be attracted to elements of aggression, violence, competition and fast action in electronic game-playing, while female players are drawn to emotional and social aspects of the games such as an understanding of character relationships. The literatures cited indicates that female players also show apparent preference for games with familiar environments, games that allow players to work together, games that have more than one way to win, and games in which characters do not die. It also discusses the characteristics of female-friendly games from the aspect of emotion, pointing out that the simulation games involving pet, dressing-up, and social simulation games are very popular with female players. Because these are the most suitable game types to fill with emotions of love, share, jealousy, superiority, mystery, these are absolutely attractive to female players. Finally, in accord with the above, I propose some principles of designing female-oriented games, including presenting a good-looking leading character, making the story interesting with "live" NPCs(Non-Playing Characters), and finding ways to satisfy female nature instincts such as taking care of others and the inborn interest of classifying and selecting.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.35
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• pp.107-128
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• 2014

Cultural Content industries based on imagination and creativity are attracting attention and the animation high value-added industry is still spotlighted. Among them, Disney Studios make money through using their professional skills. There are the know-how has developed for a long time, and there are timeless strategy. This study is analyzing by fantasy elements for knowing the messages of Disney animation. Fantasy defined as genre of literature by Todorov and Jackson emphasized its social role and significance. Hume expanded the area of fantasy and Tolkein Jahoriski and Boyer classified the fantasy according to the purpose. Through the analyzing Disney animation , Disney's fantasy show the specific expression depending on the target. Disney is based on the three types of fantasy depending on the growth of the journey. The first area is composed of the main character's growth and satisfy the desire and escapism, The second is the word of antagonist who opposed to reality and break the rules of the dominant ideology. The last area is the utopia provided after hero beat the antagonist. Disney characters give the messages by using the fantasy like the transformation or alter ego. That show the subject of the main character's growth and the supporting characters as the expression of the multiple personality of main. These emphasize the hero's growth and give the fun. Also, in the subject of the otherness, the hero always destroy the evil who broke the rules of reality. In this way, the fantasy offered by Disney give the messages of sacrifice and family from true love. Disney has the support of their target audiences continue to be able to convey ideology.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.26
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• pp.1-30
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• 2012

The purpose of animation is to give interesting stories to an audience through motion. To achieve the purpose, over the past century since its inception, animation has adopted many kinds of technologies, and thus developed diverse narrative methods and visual expression techniques. In addition, with the advancement of expression techniques, all elements making up animation have gradually been systemized, and at the same time, have helped express the worlds beyond the reality. As a result, people have faced the era when an audience can watch everything imaginated by an animation director on a big screen. These days, more efforts have been made in order for the audience to feel much more than enjoy pictures moving in a frame. In other words, the purpose of the animation is changing from the passive viewing of animation to feeling and sensing stuffs through the animation. In the center of the changing process is 3D technology which gives new interesting to an audience. Sometime ago, a 3D animation movie was produced in Korea. But it did not bring out box-office profits, for it failed to give satisfaction to an audience who expected high perfection and beauty being able to be rivalled to those of international 3D animation movies. The failure is attributable to the fact that the domestic 3D animation production industry is merely in the early stage, and has not sufficient human resources, technology, and experiences in producing 3D animation films. Moreover, the problem is that most studies on 3D focus on the technologies related to reenactment, but that few studies on the images, which an audience directly faces, have been conducted. Under the domestic circumstance, the study on stereoscopic image screen of , a 3D stereoscopic animation film which was released in 2010 and has been seen as the best successful 3D stereoscopic animation, is worthwhile. Thus this thesis conducted theoretical consideration and case analysis focusing on the visual direction that creates the pictures to deliver abundant three dimensional effect so that it can be used as a basic data when producing high quality-domestic 3D animation and training professional labor forces. In the result, it was found that the 3D animation was not a new area, but the area which has been expanded and changed by applying the characteristics of 3D image based on the principles of the existing media aesthetics. This study might be helpful to establish the foundation of the theoretical studies necessary for producing 3D animation contents for realizing the sense of reality.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.36
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• pp.147-165
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• 2014

Around the turn of 21st century, there has been a major technological shift in the animation industry. With development of reality-based computer graphics, major American animation studios replaced hand-drawn method with the new 3D computer graphics. Traditional animation was known for its simplified shapes such as circles and triangle that makes characters' movements distinctive from non-animated feature films. Computer-generated animation has largely replaced it, but is under continuous criticism that automated movements and reality-like graphics devaluate the aesthetics of animation. Although hand-drawn animation is still produced, 3D computer graphics have taken commercial lead and there has been many changes to acting of animated characters, which calls for detailed investigation. Firstly, the changes in acting of 3D characters can be traced from looking at human-like rigging method that mimics humanistic moving mechanism. Also, if hair and clothing was part of hand-drawn characters' acting, it has now been hidden inside mathematical simulation of 3D graphics, leaving only the body to be used in acting. Secondly, looking at "Stretch and Squash" method, which represents the distinctive movements of animation, through the lens of media, a paradox arises. Hand-drawn animation are produced frame-by-frame, and a subtle change would make animated frames shiver. This slight shivering acts as an aesthetic distinction of animated feature films, but can also require exaggerated movements to hide the shivering. On the contrary, acting of 3D animation make use of calculated movements that may seem exaggerated compared to human acting, but seem much more moderate and static compared to hand-drawn acting. Moreover, 3D computer graphics add the third dimension that allows more intuitive movements - maybe animators no longer need fine drawing skills; what they now need is directing skills to animate characters in 3D space intuitively. On the assumption that technological advancement and change of artistic expressionism are inseparable, this paper compares acting of 3D animation studio Pixar and classical drawing studio Disney to investigate character acting style and movements.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.36
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• pp.237-257
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• 2014

This study is the process of performing the interdisciplinary fusion study between multiple fields by identifying the status on the previous artistic education considering the brain scientific mechanism of image creativity and brain-based learning principles. In recent years, producing the educational methods of each field as the fusion study activities are emerging as the trend and thanks to such, the results of brain-based educational fusion studies are being presented for each field. It includes artistic fields such as music, art and dance. In other words, the perspective is that by understanding the operating principles of the brain while creativity and learning is taking place, when applying various principles that can develop the corresponding functions as a teaching method, it can effectively increase the artistic performance ability and creativity. Since the animation drawing should be able to intuitively recognize the elements of movement and produce the communication with the target beyond the delineative perspective of simply drawing the objects to look the same, it requires the development of systematic educational method including the methods of communication, elements of higher cognitive senses as well as the cognitive perspective of form implementation. Therefore, this study proposes a literature study results on the artistic education applied with brain-based principles in order to design the educational model considering the professional characteristics of animation drawing. Therefore, the overseas and domestic trends of the cases of brain-based artistic education were extracted and analyzed. In addition, the cases of artistic education studies applied with brain-based principles and study results from cases of drawing related education were analyzed. According to the analyzed results, the brain-based learning related to the drawing has shown a common effect of promoting the creativity and changes of positive emotion related to the observation, concentration and image expression through the training of the right brain. In addition, there was a case of overseas educational application through the brain wave training where the timing ability and artistic expression have shown an enhancement effect through the HRV training, SMR, Beta 1 and neuro feedback training that strengthens the alpha/seta wave and it was proposing that slow brain wave neuro feedback training contributes significantly in overcoming the stress and enhancing the creative artistic performance ability. The meaning of this study result is significant in the fact that it was the case that have shown the successful application of neuro feedback training in the environment of artistic live education beyond the range of laboratory but the use of the machine was shown to have limitations for being applied to the teaching methods so its significance can be found in providing the analytical foundation for applying and designing the brain-based learning principles for future animation drawing teaching methods.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.111-121
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• 2005

The appearance of digital culture swiftly has changed the culture in domestic and international arenas before and after the year 2004 and the image and animation have become two of the most important expression media in contemporary age. Among the Japanese animations that have demonstrated the rapid development of cartoon and animation in the world, the director Dakahata Isao's 'Graves of the Fireflies' that has influenced many works has been evaluated as one of the noticeable works that has a unique method and scenario dramatization in terms of producing the original novel into an animation. This study investigates the metaphor and symbolism shown in this work according to each sequence, divides the production ability in the work into three elements and applies them to the important elements such as camera, colors and mise-en-scene when the original work is depicted into image. It can be summarized in more detail as in the following: firstly, I study the rhythm of camera corresponding to the symbolism of the angle that the camera has and production; secondly, I analyze the artistic elements appeared in the process of expressing the original work into the image, especially the production for the colors and symbolism contained in them and the composition of screen. Thirdly, I analyze how effectively the atmosphere for the situations for the original work is expressed in animation with the aid of one of the image elements, mis-en-scene. It is expected that the analyzed findings will be effective as a way of overcoming the limitation of expressions that the original work in text and the study on these processes will become good examples to the relevant workers and will be the good references to the producers who are interested in the creation of animation in Korea.