LABS: Denzel Curry and Dr. Mimi Ito on Anime culture

Recorded Live at the Anime Station store in Little Tokyo, Los
Angeles on July 13, 2024, rapper Denzel Curry talks with UC Irvine
cultural anthropologist Dr. Mimi Ito about his relationship to
anime and anime culture in Japan and abroad. We discuss Mimi’s
research that tracked how manga and anime grew from just a Japanese
export to a global phenomenon. Fascinatingly, anime spread through
the promotion of fan groups of American ex-pats that would trade
anime and create subtitles for the American audience. After decades
of promo provided by this “fan subbing” and AMV (anime music video)
conventions, the media industry caught on and now distributes anime
across multiple platforms. Denzel does a deep dive into his
favorite anime programs and traces how he was first introduced as a
child in Florida and was later inspired to incorporate it into his
music and fashion. Watch the full episode on our YouTube
channel!