Papers by Selen Çalık
Anime Studies: Media-Specific Approaches to Neon Genesis Evangelion, 2021
Mechademia - Asian Materialities, 2020
『ナラティヴ・メディア研究』, 2018
『ナラティブ・メディアを「プレイ」する――物語論の観点から見たゲーム的ナラテ ィブ――』というタイトルのこの論文は、筆者の英語で刊行された博士論文「“Playing” Anime: A Comp... more 『ナラティブ・メディアを「プレイ」する――物語論の観点から見たゲーム的ナラテ ィブ――』というタイトルのこの論文は、筆者の英語で刊行された博士論文「“Playing” Anime: A Comparative Media- Theoretical Approach to Anime as a Specific Medium」(京都精華大学、2017) に基づいている。
“Playing” Anime: A Comparative Media-Theoretical Approach to Anime as a Specific Medium, 2017
In Gēmuteki Riarizumu no Tanjō (The Birth of Gamelike Realism, 2007), the follow-up of Otaku: Jap... more In Gēmuteki Riarizumu no Tanjō (The Birth of Gamelike Realism, 2007), the follow-up of Otaku: Japan’s Database Animals (Dōbutsuka Suru Posutomodan: Otaku Kara Mita Nihon Shakai, originally published in 2001), Hiroki Azuma points to the fact that light novels feature characters dying and coming back from death repeatedly, or getting stuck in time loops to live the same day or hour again and again in a way that brings to mind the experience of playing games. While Azuma is focusing on light novels, not surprisingly this motif of “replay” is very common in manga and anime too. More importantly, this motif connects to something deeper —to a change in the environment that surrounds these media. As a result of multiple developments in information storage and sharing technologies, a remarkably extensive pool of information has appeared. This “database” has arguably changed the face of narrative production and consumption: by revealing the most commonly used elements in the creation of narratives (from characters to settings), it presented making endless combinations with these elements, thus endless replays, as a desirable way of narrative production.
However, what Azuma proposes as a unifying quality for several media (that is to say, a gamelikeness that can be observed in anime, manga, and light novels) goes against what is commonly acclaimed as a unique quality that sets games apart from storytelling media. The distinguishing trait of games is argued to be the underlying rule-based system that enables repetitional interaction (as opposed to a developmental teleology in, for example, movies or novels) without necessarily having a narrative function. While Azuma does not aim to discuss medial differences, his discussion may actually provide a new entrance point to reconsider the media that are compared to games, specifically to reconsider anime, which shows similarity to video games especially in the semiotic sense. In contrast to manga and light novels, anime incorporates audio elements like most video games, and possesses both static and dynamic qualities.5 The question is, can we talk about an overarching similarity between contemporary media, that is, a gamelikeness, without disregarding media-specificities?
The concept of gamelikeness presents the opportunity to reconsider the similarities between media from a fresh angle. Instead of the storytelling potential of various media, it moves the focus to how narratives across media can be replayed repeatedly in the form of fan works or as official sequels, prequels, and so on. However, as mentioned above, as revealing as it may be concerning the similarities between media, Azuma’s discussion leaves media-specificities out of the picture. In order to talk about such an overarching similarity without disregarding media-specificities, we can ask how exactly the audience play each medium. Brian Upton’s definition of “play” as “free movement within a system of constraints” (The Aesthetic of Play 15) proves crucial to the discussion at this point. Upton argues that this concept is applicable to games as well as to narrative media, taking place within the mind in the case of latter, as interpretive/anticipatory play. The information that media provide in their own ways (be it regarding storyworlds populated by characters or interactive spaces with few narrative elements) sets the parameters for the audience’s interpretation of what is happening (the outcomes of their actions or the characters’) and what can possibly happen (the possible outcomes of future actions) as the process of play goes on. However, it can be argued that in this age of excessive information forming a clear understanding of causality in media products is complicated by several factors. Does the way we engage in narrative play today differ from how we handled narratives before? What kind of constraints specifically bind contemporary gamelike media? What kind of free movement do they offer? As two different forms of play, how do anime and video games differ? In terms of play, how does anime relate to manga and light novels with which it crosses paths all too often in media mix projects? This thesis adopts Upton’s concept, revises it, and puts it into use in addressing these questions.
This article aims to demonstrate how exactly Thomas Lamarre reads movement, plot, and characters ... more This article aims to demonstrate how exactly Thomas Lamarre reads movement, plot, and characters in The Anime Machine (2009), as defined to an extent, yet not completely determined by the concept of the animetic machine. Mimicking the first part of Lamarre’s book, this article approaches Miyazaki’s last work, The Wind Rises (Kaze tachinu, 2013). What Lamarre sees in Miyazaki’s manga eiga is a new way of gaining “a free relation to technology” as idealized by Heideggerian philosophy, but, of course, “in animation” (Lamarre 62). This free, critical relation seems to be most noticeably depicted in Nausicaä of the Valley of
the Wind (Kaze no tani no Naushika, 1984) and Castle in the Sky (Tenkū no shiro Rapyūta, 1986). But does the same kind of criticality that Lamarre finds in Miyazaki’s prior works also
apply to the latest one, and if so, to what extent? These questions leads one to reconsider whether the conclusions Lamarre arrives at actually capture the critical potential of his theory. In the discussion of these issues, anime is viewed not as a text, but as a hub of interrelations, including the interrelations between audience groups. Finally, the argumentation arrives at the plurality favored by the medium itself, suggested by Lamarre himself, but not ultimately prioritized.
Presentations (Abstracts) by Selen Çalık
“Storytelling, Storyliving, Storybeing: Juggling Different Levels of Play in Contemporary Narrati... more “Storytelling, Storyliving, Storybeing: Juggling Different Levels of Play in Contemporary Narrative Engagement”
Transferring some qualities of games to all sorts of experiences, especially through the systematic introduction of goals and rewards to make any performance playful, is quite well-known as gamification. Gamification has turned into a common choice of design across countless fields of profession in the past decade, and it is not an exaggeration to say that games have made a noticeable impact on contemporary narrative engagement among other things. In a similar fashion, interactivity, which presents a two-way flow between the user and the material of consumption by swiftly incorporating the user input in the production process, has become another quality that is supposed to push any activity, including one’s engagement with narratives in a gamelike direction.
A familiar form of interactive narrative is the visual novel which leaves plot development to the choices of the readers. Interestingly, while it has been argued that visual novels present low levels of interactivity as the act of the reader to unravel the plot is often reduced to a trivial effort to go the next screen, it can also be argued that more traditional, linear types of narratives create room for play as well. By defining play as the “freedom of movement within a system of limits,” game designer Brian Upton allows us to re-envision the reader as an active agent participating in a game of anticipation. Stretching Upton’s claims a little further, it can also be argued that some texts encourage combinatory play, by leading the readers on with a purposefully vague sense of causality to actively imagine alternative plot developments for the narratives they enjoy.
As digital image and video creation software along with content distribution platforms have grown increasingly accessible, such derivative scenarios created by the fans take all sorts of forms with differing levels of interactivity and room for play. An interesting addition to the fascinating variety of fan works is VR content that grants people direct access to storyworlds. The question is, in a time when digitalization is taken for granted and interactivity seemingly in demand, are we constantly engaged in play? Through the curious example of how the Sword Art Online media mix meets fan-made VR content, this presentation aims to develop a wider outlook on contemporary media-engagement in relation to play, ranging from story-telling to story-living, and to story-being.
The distinguishing features of manga, or the definition of mangaesque, has been at the center of ... more The distinguishing features of manga, or the definition of mangaesque, has been at the center of academic attention for a long time, resulting in comprehensive studies taking up quite a number of pages. Be that as it may, at least one of the most discussed formal features of contemporary manga can be identified as its complex spatial arrangements on the page. Manga panels quite often melt or shatter around the central figures of the characters, in a way that exposes the energy and the emotions of them. Significantly, this formal preference shared by both shōjo and shōnen manga also takes away from the clues which help the audience build a physical understanding of the story-world.
Since comics came into contact with digitalization, hybrid forms such as VR comics have emerged. The first examples of VR comics did not experiment much with page layout and paneling. Simply yet spectacularly, they brought huge comics pages (sometimes panel by panel) in close proximity to the readers. However, a growing number of VR-specific comics, the ones that set out to use a narrative potential specific to VR technology, promise more than a clearer peek at story-worlds: They allow readers to enter the panel, literally making room in the story-worlds for their audience. Paradoxically though, this very ability may be a source of complexity in the encounter between VR and manga: How can VR manga produce a spatial confusion that can be deemed mangaesque? In other words, can VR manga still feel like manga after inviting the readers to join the characters in their own worlds? Where exactly does this hybrid media form position the reader, in what role, to what kind of effect? This presentation addresses such questions by taking up the example of Tales of Wedding Rings (a VR manga by Square Enix) and holding it in comparison to a bunch of other works, including the VR adaptation (by 59 Production) of Richard McGuire’s graphic novel Here.
https://www.uvigo.gal/sites/uvigo.gal/files/contents/events/2022-05/Symposium_manga_program.pdf
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Papers by Selen Çalık
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However, what Azuma proposes as a unifying quality for several media (that is to say, a gamelikeness that can be observed in anime, manga, and light novels) goes against what is commonly acclaimed as a unique quality that sets games apart from storytelling media. The distinguishing trait of games is argued to be the underlying rule-based system that enables repetitional interaction (as opposed to a developmental teleology in, for example, movies or novels) without necessarily having a narrative function. While Azuma does not aim to discuss medial differences, his discussion may actually provide a new entrance point to reconsider the media that are compared to games, specifically to reconsider anime, which shows similarity to video games especially in the semiotic sense. In contrast to manga and light novels, anime incorporates audio elements like most video games, and possesses both static and dynamic qualities.5 The question is, can we talk about an overarching similarity between contemporary media, that is, a gamelikeness, without disregarding media-specificities?
The concept of gamelikeness presents the opportunity to reconsider the similarities between media from a fresh angle. Instead of the storytelling potential of various media, it moves the focus to how narratives across media can be replayed repeatedly in the form of fan works or as official sequels, prequels, and so on. However, as mentioned above, as revealing as it may be concerning the similarities between media, Azuma’s discussion leaves media-specificities out of the picture. In order to talk about such an overarching similarity without disregarding media-specificities, we can ask how exactly the audience play each medium. Brian Upton’s definition of “play” as “free movement within a system of constraints” (The Aesthetic of Play 15) proves crucial to the discussion at this point. Upton argues that this concept is applicable to games as well as to narrative media, taking place within the mind in the case of latter, as interpretive/anticipatory play. The information that media provide in their own ways (be it regarding storyworlds populated by characters or interactive spaces with few narrative elements) sets the parameters for the audience’s interpretation of what is happening (the outcomes of their actions or the characters’) and what can possibly happen (the possible outcomes of future actions) as the process of play goes on. However, it can be argued that in this age of excessive information forming a clear understanding of causality in media products is complicated by several factors. Does the way we engage in narrative play today differ from how we handled narratives before? What kind of constraints specifically bind contemporary gamelike media? What kind of free movement do they offer? As two different forms of play, how do anime and video games differ? In terms of play, how does anime relate to manga and light novels with which it crosses paths all too often in media mix projects? This thesis adopts Upton’s concept, revises it, and puts it into use in addressing these questions.
the Wind (Kaze no tani no Naushika, 1984) and Castle in the Sky (Tenkū no shiro Rapyūta, 1986). But does the same kind of criticality that Lamarre finds in Miyazaki’s prior works also
apply to the latest one, and if so, to what extent? These questions leads one to reconsider whether the conclusions Lamarre arrives at actually capture the critical potential of his theory. In the discussion of these issues, anime is viewed not as a text, but as a hub of interrelations, including the interrelations between audience groups. Finally, the argumentation arrives at the plurality favored by the medium itself, suggested by Lamarre himself, but not ultimately prioritized.
Presentations (Abstracts) by Selen Çalık
Transferring some qualities of games to all sorts of experiences, especially through the systematic introduction of goals and rewards to make any performance playful, is quite well-known as gamification. Gamification has turned into a common choice of design across countless fields of profession in the past decade, and it is not an exaggeration to say that games have made a noticeable impact on contemporary narrative engagement among other things. In a similar fashion, interactivity, which presents a two-way flow between the user and the material of consumption by swiftly incorporating the user input in the production process, has become another quality that is supposed to push any activity, including one’s engagement with narratives in a gamelike direction.
A familiar form of interactive narrative is the visual novel which leaves plot development to the choices of the readers. Interestingly, while it has been argued that visual novels present low levels of interactivity as the act of the reader to unravel the plot is often reduced to a trivial effort to go the next screen, it can also be argued that more traditional, linear types of narratives create room for play as well. By defining play as the “freedom of movement within a system of limits,” game designer Brian Upton allows us to re-envision the reader as an active agent participating in a game of anticipation. Stretching Upton’s claims a little further, it can also be argued that some texts encourage combinatory play, by leading the readers on with a purposefully vague sense of causality to actively imagine alternative plot developments for the narratives they enjoy.
As digital image and video creation software along with content distribution platforms have grown increasingly accessible, such derivative scenarios created by the fans take all sorts of forms with differing levels of interactivity and room for play. An interesting addition to the fascinating variety of fan works is VR content that grants people direct access to storyworlds. The question is, in a time when digitalization is taken for granted and interactivity seemingly in demand, are we constantly engaged in play? Through the curious example of how the Sword Art Online media mix meets fan-made VR content, this presentation aims to develop a wider outlook on contemporary media-engagement in relation to play, ranging from story-telling to story-living, and to story-being.
Since comics came into contact with digitalization, hybrid forms such as VR comics have emerged. The first examples of VR comics did not experiment much with page layout and paneling. Simply yet spectacularly, they brought huge comics pages (sometimes panel by panel) in close proximity to the readers. However, a growing number of VR-specific comics, the ones that set out to use a narrative potential specific to VR technology, promise more than a clearer peek at story-worlds: They allow readers to enter the panel, literally making room in the story-worlds for their audience. Paradoxically though, this very ability may be a source of complexity in the encounter between VR and manga: How can VR manga produce a spatial confusion that can be deemed mangaesque? In other words, can VR manga still feel like manga after inviting the readers to join the characters in their own worlds? Where exactly does this hybrid media form position the reader, in what role, to what kind of effect? This presentation addresses such questions by taking up the example of Tales of Wedding Rings (a VR manga by Square Enix) and holding it in comparison to a bunch of other works, including the VR adaptation (by 59 Production) of Richard McGuire’s graphic novel Here.
https://www.uvigo.gal/sites/uvigo.gal/files/contents/events/2022-05/Symposium_manga_program.pdf
https://www.stockholmuniversitypress.se/site/books/e/10.16993/bbp/
However, what Azuma proposes as a unifying quality for several media (that is to say, a gamelikeness that can be observed in anime, manga, and light novels) goes against what is commonly acclaimed as a unique quality that sets games apart from storytelling media. The distinguishing trait of games is argued to be the underlying rule-based system that enables repetitional interaction (as opposed to a developmental teleology in, for example, movies or novels) without necessarily having a narrative function. While Azuma does not aim to discuss medial differences, his discussion may actually provide a new entrance point to reconsider the media that are compared to games, specifically to reconsider anime, which shows similarity to video games especially in the semiotic sense. In contrast to manga and light novels, anime incorporates audio elements like most video games, and possesses both static and dynamic qualities.5 The question is, can we talk about an overarching similarity between contemporary media, that is, a gamelikeness, without disregarding media-specificities?
The concept of gamelikeness presents the opportunity to reconsider the similarities between media from a fresh angle. Instead of the storytelling potential of various media, it moves the focus to how narratives across media can be replayed repeatedly in the form of fan works or as official sequels, prequels, and so on. However, as mentioned above, as revealing as it may be concerning the similarities between media, Azuma’s discussion leaves media-specificities out of the picture. In order to talk about such an overarching similarity without disregarding media-specificities, we can ask how exactly the audience play each medium. Brian Upton’s definition of “play” as “free movement within a system of constraints” (The Aesthetic of Play 15) proves crucial to the discussion at this point. Upton argues that this concept is applicable to games as well as to narrative media, taking place within the mind in the case of latter, as interpretive/anticipatory play. The information that media provide in their own ways (be it regarding storyworlds populated by characters or interactive spaces with few narrative elements) sets the parameters for the audience’s interpretation of what is happening (the outcomes of their actions or the characters’) and what can possibly happen (the possible outcomes of future actions) as the process of play goes on. However, it can be argued that in this age of excessive information forming a clear understanding of causality in media products is complicated by several factors. Does the way we engage in narrative play today differ from how we handled narratives before? What kind of constraints specifically bind contemporary gamelike media? What kind of free movement do they offer? As two different forms of play, how do anime and video games differ? In terms of play, how does anime relate to manga and light novels with which it crosses paths all too often in media mix projects? This thesis adopts Upton’s concept, revises it, and puts it into use in addressing these questions.
the Wind (Kaze no tani no Naushika, 1984) and Castle in the Sky (Tenkū no shiro Rapyūta, 1986). But does the same kind of criticality that Lamarre finds in Miyazaki’s prior works also
apply to the latest one, and if so, to what extent? These questions leads one to reconsider whether the conclusions Lamarre arrives at actually capture the critical potential of his theory. In the discussion of these issues, anime is viewed not as a text, but as a hub of interrelations, including the interrelations between audience groups. Finally, the argumentation arrives at the plurality favored by the medium itself, suggested by Lamarre himself, but not ultimately prioritized.
Transferring some qualities of games to all sorts of experiences, especially through the systematic introduction of goals and rewards to make any performance playful, is quite well-known as gamification. Gamification has turned into a common choice of design across countless fields of profession in the past decade, and it is not an exaggeration to say that games have made a noticeable impact on contemporary narrative engagement among other things. In a similar fashion, interactivity, which presents a two-way flow between the user and the material of consumption by swiftly incorporating the user input in the production process, has become another quality that is supposed to push any activity, including one’s engagement with narratives in a gamelike direction.
A familiar form of interactive narrative is the visual novel which leaves plot development to the choices of the readers. Interestingly, while it has been argued that visual novels present low levels of interactivity as the act of the reader to unravel the plot is often reduced to a trivial effort to go the next screen, it can also be argued that more traditional, linear types of narratives create room for play as well. By defining play as the “freedom of movement within a system of limits,” game designer Brian Upton allows us to re-envision the reader as an active agent participating in a game of anticipation. Stretching Upton’s claims a little further, it can also be argued that some texts encourage combinatory play, by leading the readers on with a purposefully vague sense of causality to actively imagine alternative plot developments for the narratives they enjoy.
As digital image and video creation software along with content distribution platforms have grown increasingly accessible, such derivative scenarios created by the fans take all sorts of forms with differing levels of interactivity and room for play. An interesting addition to the fascinating variety of fan works is VR content that grants people direct access to storyworlds. The question is, in a time when digitalization is taken for granted and interactivity seemingly in demand, are we constantly engaged in play? Through the curious example of how the Sword Art Online media mix meets fan-made VR content, this presentation aims to develop a wider outlook on contemporary media-engagement in relation to play, ranging from story-telling to story-living, and to story-being.
Since comics came into contact with digitalization, hybrid forms such as VR comics have emerged. The first examples of VR comics did not experiment much with page layout and paneling. Simply yet spectacularly, they brought huge comics pages (sometimes panel by panel) in close proximity to the readers. However, a growing number of VR-specific comics, the ones that set out to use a narrative potential specific to VR technology, promise more than a clearer peek at story-worlds: They allow readers to enter the panel, literally making room in the story-worlds for their audience. Paradoxically though, this very ability may be a source of complexity in the encounter between VR and manga: How can VR manga produce a spatial confusion that can be deemed mangaesque? In other words, can VR manga still feel like manga after inviting the readers to join the characters in their own worlds? Where exactly does this hybrid media form position the reader, in what role, to what kind of effect? This presentation addresses such questions by taking up the example of Tales of Wedding Rings (a VR manga by Square Enix) and holding it in comparison to a bunch of other works, including the VR adaptation (by 59 Production) of Richard McGuire’s graphic novel Here.
https://www.uvigo.gal/sites/uvigo.gal/files/contents/events/2022-05/Symposium_manga_program.pdf