{"product_id":"rediscovered-classics-of-japanese-animation-maria-chiara-oltolini-9781501389870","title":"Rediscovered Classics of Japanese Animation: The Adaptation of Children's Novels into the World Masterpiece Theater Series","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRediscovered Classics of Japanese Animation\u003c\/i\u003eis the first academic work to examine \u003ci\u003eWorld Masterpiece Theater\u003c\/i\u003e(\u003ci\u003eSekai Meisaku Gekijô\u003c\/i\u003e, 1969-2009), which popularized the practice of adapting foreign children's books into long-running animated series and laid the groundwork for powerhouses like Studio Ghibli.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eWorld Masterpiece Theater\u003c\/i\u003e (\u003ci\u003eSekai Meisaku Gekijô, \u003c\/i\u003e 1969-2009) is a TV staple created by the Japanese studio Nippon Animation, which popularized the practice of adapting foreign children's books into long-running animated series. Once generally dismissed by critics, the series is now frequently investigated as a key early work of legendary animators Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki. In the first book-length examination of the series, Maria Chiara Oltolini analyzes cultural significance of \u003ci\u003eWorld Masterpiece Theater\u003c\/i\u003e, and the ways in which the series pioneered the importance of children's fiction for Japanese animation studios and laid the groundwork for powerhouses like Studio Ghibli.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAdapting a novel for animation also means decoding (and re-coding) socio-cultural patterns embedded in a narrative. \u003ci\u003eWorld Masterpiece Theater\u003c\/i\u003e stands as a unique example of this linguistic, medial, and cultural hybridisation. Popular children's classics such as \u003ci\u003eLittle Women\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003ePeter Pan\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eAnne of Green Gables\u003c\/i\u003e became the starting point of a full-fledged negotiation process in which Japanese animators retold a whole range of narratives that have one basic formula in common: archetypal stories with an educational purpose. In particular, the series played a role in shaping the pop culture image of a young girl (\u003ci\u003eshôjo\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eExamining the series through the lens of animation studies as well as adaptation studies, Oltolini sheds new light on this long-neglected staple of Japanese animation history.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Maria Chiara Oltolini\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1501389874\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781501389870\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Bloomsbury Academic\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/21\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 288\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.85lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.60d","brand":"Maria Chiara Oltolini","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48065656553727,"sku":"9781501389870","price":39.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_1a14443a-61b5-422e-b773-c1e45f2a5852.jpg?v=1768676412","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/rediscovered-classics-of-japanese-animation-maria-chiara-oltolini-9781501389870","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}