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What do Western audiences (Canada and Europe as well as America) find so appealing in anime? Analyze and compare the more popular/recent series and see what conclusions you make with them.
An additional challenge would be to compare the anime are more popular in the West with the anime that are more popular in Japan. Or, if that is too difficult, then compare the genres that are more popular/well-known in the East and West.
e.g. Is My Hero Academia as big in Japan as it is in America? What about Death Note?
You can also research less mainstream anime that is big in either Japan or the West.

Many considered the encyclopaedic novels of the late '90s and early 2000's such as Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves and most prominently, David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest to be, variously, postmodernist, or post-postmodernist – 'New Sincerity," being a label applied to the latter. In the case of DFW, the abandonment of irony in place of sincerity was defined as the source of the departure from the genre or movement, while Danielewski's act of essentially drawing out postmodern literature and all its tropes and threads to their logical conclusions was, essentially, concluding it there and then.
I read House of Leaves in my first year of university, and some years later, it is now the subject of my doctoral thesis. As I studied my way through the university, and particularly in grad school, I found very few scholars wanting to discuss postmodern literature or philosophy. In classes I took on Modernism, postmodernism was included in a one-lecture session where it was deemed to have been subsumed into "New Modernist Studies," as essentially, a subgenre of modernism rather than (depending on who was writing it) an elaboration on or even ar reaction to Modernism.
While there were stragglers throughout the '80s, '90s and naughties, many consider the heyday of postmodern literature to have taken place during the late sixties and throughout the seventies. Even Raymond Federman who wrote extensively on the self-reflexivity that defined these novels concluded during the '90s that this era of self-reflexive experimentation was essentially, over. It is worth noting that while these essays were collected, many were written at the time before the term "postmodernism," had even been applied to this kind of literature (a term that was first applied to architecture before carrying over into the other arts; many of the seminal writers like Vonnegut and DeLillo were often called black humorists in their present tense). While Federman perhaps made that call prematurely in 1992, given the popularity of the first two novels I mentioned for this topic, the fact remains that whether or not the movement is "dead," it has fallen terribly out of favour. A professor confessed to me once, that it was very trendy at a time before I'd been born, or perhaps even when I was very young and as a grad student in their 20's in the '10s I had missed out Is postmodernism dead because it's out of fashion? Or will it return, much like the mullet?

Prequels are often seen as cash-ins that don't add much to the original text. For example, even Solo's fans tend to admit that the movie wasn't particularly necessary: it does not add much to the themes, ideas, or lore of Star Wars. But other prequels have offered deeper insight (or counterpoints) to the original text. For instance, Rise of the Planet of the Apes was used to deepen the apocalyptic themes of the main text.

So: what makes a valuable prequel? If a prequel isn't adding anything to the original, then should it be "re-skinned"?

I think it's worth examining the power dynamics in fantasy games and what makes each particular game feel satisfying. Games like "Monster Hunter" and "Skyrim" both offer the player a degree of power over the world, but the difference lies in degree. "Monster Hunter" empowers the player as an exceptional hunter, but only allows them to practice that power in particular ways. "Skyrim" allows players to kill people with only their words. Yet both these games prove to be immensely satisfying. My question is what common factors lie between them? How do each of these games (and others) feel satisfying despite the difference in how they allow their players to act in their worlds?

Analyze how gender issues in the writings of the past and present are similar to how things are now. For example, look at The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, and explore something like The Golden Girls, or a play like A Raisin In The Sun. What do they say about womanhood? How have things changed? How is there still relevance from the past? What does this say about women's role in society today?

Since its technological and artistic breakthrough in the character of Gollum from Lord of the Rings, filmmakers have experimented with the possibilities and limits of the technology, with varying success. From single characters (like King Kong) to whole races and worlds (like Avatar and several Robert Zemekis films), motion capture elicits anything from wonder in the face of its breathtaking realism, to criticisms that overuse of the technology dumps the audience smack dab in the center of "Uncanny Valley." Why does motion capture draw from critics and audiences such polarizing responses? What films use the technology wisely, and which overuse it to the extent of alienating its audience? Look at both the original instances, like Gollum, and more recent instances, such as Alita in Alita: Battle Angel, and analyse how the different instances work and how they avoid or encapsulate "Uncanny Valley" in their films and characters.

Analyze the evolution of popular RTS games such as the Age of Empire series alongside others like Medieval and how they serve as education through entertainment by using historical battles and events as the crux of their gameplay material. Also analyze how well-sourced the relevant histories being represented in these genres of RTS games are.

Call Me By Your Name – the book version, ends with Elio and Oliver's separation, but their longings for each other last for what seems like an eternity. Find Me – the sequel, picks up the storyline a few years later, and, spoiler alert, slowly leads the two star-crossed lovers back together in the end. However, the perspective has changed as the Find Me is in the POV of Elio's father, now divorced, and his journey of finding new love with a woman much younger than himself. If Call Me, under Elio's POV, was so successful critically and commercially, why did the author switch to his father's, whose outlook on life may not be on who was responsible for some of the most soul-touching, sentimental and inspiring dialogues in the prequel

Analyse the texts that surround the current royal fantasy trend within young adult books. Worth noting Sarah J. Maas's contribution and how texts such as Red Queen and others compare. Are there any archetypes concerning the female hero within?

Boku no Hero Academia (BnHK) is an anime series that has been rising in popularity over the years in Japan as well as with the Western audience. Among the recent slew of movies and entertainment based around superheroes, Boku no Hero Academia is no different. This follows a current trend in the evolution and redesigning of superheroes' past and present. There are various similarities and identifiable inspirations that the author of BnHK has taken to flesh his characters, and yet there is a unique charm to one of the series' protagonists: All Might that carries forward to other characters in the series and makes it truly unique. All Might is very much the Superman of the series, and yet there is something about his character that makes him far more evolved and endearing than the big boy scout. How does this correlate to the current perspective and revision of the modern superhero?

At the end of the 19th century, a sociologist named Thorstein Veblen argued that privileged people flaunt their wealth in three ways: conspicuous consumption (showing that they can afford to buy products); conspicuous leisure (showing that they can afford to waste time); and conspicuous waste (showing that they can afford to throw things away). Recently, conspicuous consumption and conspicuous waste have lost a lot of their worth as status symbols because goods have become more affordable and both practices are associated with environmental destruction, but conspicuous leisure (which can entail anything from sitting around and doing nothing to lavish vacations to memorizing pointless social rules and regulations) doesn't seem to carry the same stigma. Classically, conspicuous leisure was embodied in an aristocrat who sits around in a large mansion and looks down on people who perform manual labor, but what are some modern equivalents, either in real life or in our media?

Shounen manga and shoujo manga have both been perceived as opposite ends of the spectrum, with shounen being seen as 'for boys' and shoujo being seen as 'for girls'. Analyse how both demographics explore femininity and female empowerment, and how the stereotypes of both demographics can affect the way women are written or interpreted by the audience.

How are women often portrayed in shounen manga? How does this compare with shoujo? Where are the similarities, and to what extent are these similarities cultural? Is it fair to expect a shounen manga to emphasize female characters when the target audience is supposedly largely male? And are our stereotyped perceptions on these demographics even true anymore? Manga like Naruto, FMA, Sailor Moon and Akatsuki no Yona touch on these questions and may be good considerations

Numerous stories have featured plants in the role of villains. These plants range from minor nuisances (like the mandrakes in Harry Potter) to central antagonists (as in the musical Little Shop of Horrors). Why are people so fascinated by the idea of plants as villains? What are some examples of real-life dangerous plants? Are there any particular real-life plants that seem to get used as models for evil plants more often, and if so, why?

Scott McCloud's graphic novel "The Sculptor" gained recognition for its art and plot. "It was the best graphic novel I've read in years" were Neil Gaiman's words to describe how much it is a good read. The events pivot around the protagonist David Smith who was granted the power to turn anything he imagines into reality through sculpture. That was, however, only made possible when Death manifested itself in the form of his uncle Harry to tell him that he will, in return, have just 200 days to live. As the comic book was published in 2015, it could be assumed that it questions the position of art in modern society. Considering the capitalist lifestyle in the American society, McCloud seeks to criticize how art cannot always be treated as a business and that we should not forget its primary purpose.

Vinland Saga began it's first animated season this summer. The series focuses on Thorfinn Thorsson, as he embarks on a quest of revenge. His father, Thors is killed by Askeladd. Thorfinn joins Askeladd's band of Vikings, waiting for the day that he's strong enough to kill Askeladd in a duel. Revenge is a common theme in anime. Analyse how revenge is depicted, what are the effects on the main character and secondary ones.

Consider comparing and contrasting how the theme is presented in anime. You could focus on popular series like Vinland Saga, Attack on Titan, Kill La Kill, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and Goblin Slayer. Some of these series are more violent than others. How does this effect the depiction of revenge? What happened that warrants revenge? Are the characters justified? Do they attempt revenge in different ways? Do they succeed? Are they all sympathetic figures? Finally, how does the pursuit of vengeance change them.

Korean's broadcast channel Mnet has been found out that they fabricated the final results of their survival shows Produce 101. On these survival shows, the audience has to pay their own pocket money to vote for their contestants, so when the worth contestants don't get to win, it has become a legal issue. The contestants who join the shows can get the ultimate chance to become famous when they debut, but with the scandal going around, they are also in the pitfall of having the "Cheating" tag hanging all over them for the rest of their career. What are some of the risks of Produce 101 and Korea's Talent-Survial Shows in general? Is the temptation of becoming famous worth having your entire career suspected and hated by the nation?

The family unit has been at he heart of both salvation and destruction in recent horror films. Analyze some recent horror movies revolving around questions of family (familial curses in Hereditary, family-making in It) and discuss how the family unit can be a source of both fear and strength in these films

Since humanity's earliest days the ability to fly has long been one of the most innate yearnings of our species. This is reflected heavily in our fictional works, perhaps most noticeably in superhero comic books and films. However, not all heroes can fly (Besides the story's internal reasoning for their powers) what does this indicate about heroes who do have this ability and why? What does it say about those that don't? Comparison of multiple works may yield the most interesting results.

Most actors spend their careers playing fictional characters. However, many actors are chosen to star in biopics, Biblical epics, or similar films at least once. When an actor makes the switch from playing a character to portraying a real person, the gravitas factor goes through the roof, and while most actors will try to play real people respectfully and responsibly, there are some who arguably do it "better" than others. Just for one example, look at the many actors who have played Jesus Christ over the years.

In your opinion, what does it take to play a certain real role responsibly and respectfully? How much of a production team's choice is based on "casting type" and how much is based on say, personality or lived experience? What are some of the best biopic portrayals you've seen, of whom and by whom, and why? Discuss.

Saving Mr. Banks (2013) was something of a groundbreaking film for Disney. The company had done films based on true stories before, but Saving Mr. Banks was the first to juxtapose the story of a Disney classic's making with the story of the original work's author. Saving Mr. Banks met with critical acclaim and is also one of my favorites in the canon. In fact, I'd very much like to see more films like this.

Do other films in the canon, live-action or animation, lend itself to this type of storytelling? Would actors or viewers be interested in say, learning about the personal lives and struggles behind the makings of Disney's Golden, Bronze, or Renaissance films? Are there untold stories to be mined from animators (e.g,, Walt's Nine Old Men, female animators, etc.) and other production staff/voice actors? Discuss.