Blog 5

In this time, I am still finding more media texts and other references to my research project, because my research media texts and references also about the cosplay and Japanese culture. But in my research question, not just focus on the cosplayers and how their think of Japanese culture, the main point on this research project is about the subculture and identity with cosplayers. So I will search the other media texts and references again, as your comment in my blog 4, about the subcultures, resistance and pleasure.

On the other hand, I suppose my interviews have four to five respondents collect the data with my research. However, unfortunately I just had two interviews now, and then in next week I will find the other cosplayers to interview, collect more information.

My interview questionnaires have seven questions, ask them about how they perceive the cosplay and about what problems they will have. In those questions, I hope to find about relationship of subculture, identity and cosplay in Hong Kong teenagers. Now, I had the interview data of two cosplayers, a man cosplayer and a female cosplayer, I discover they have a lot of different concept on cosplay and subculture.

In the interview research, the respondents have many distinct ideas to cosplay and subculture. For example, I ask them how they think about the cosplay. Someone answer me, cosplay is a subculture, because cosplay not just play the role of their favorite character, you will learn the characters background and some culture with that story, and those culture most is come from the real life or that country. But someone answer me cosplay just cosplay, it’s a channel to play the role of character, let she become other people.

The next question, I ask them after becoming a Cosplayer, what change on their life. One of the respondent said, when she became a cosplayer, her money would use more and more. However, the other respondent said, the biggest change is he meet a lot of new friends with cosplay, before he touch the cosplay, his social circle just have classmate and litter friends, in his Facebook friends only forty friends, but when he became a cosplayer, his Facebook friends have About four hundred friends. Except, his Increase the friends, he also expanding the scope of knowledge such as, PS, Makeup, clothing, photography, etc. he think that will helpful to his future.

In this information, I will analyze the relationship of cosplay to subculture and identity.

Name: Leung Yu Hin

Student ID: 10641734

Blog 4

In my research project, my topic is about the Hong Kong teenage consumer cosplay culture. So in this research not just focus on the “cosplay”, I want to know the main point is about the subcultures affect. In my topic I must discern what is “cosplay” and “subcultures”, and then I found some information on the "cosplay" and "subcultures" on the internet.

Why I need to do the topic of Japanese subcultures?

First, the title name is “Japan now has a chaos of subcultures!?” it has a part of that is to talk about the Japanese subcultures. Now, more and more people go to Japan is explore Japanese subcultures. Why do people so concerned about Japanese subcultures? It is because in Europe and the United States, the word "subculture" is used as opposed to mainstream culture, but in japan, "subculture" has a different meaning, it is refer to the polar opposite of the so-called refined or high culture of intellectual, highly educated people, as represented by learning, literature, art, music and drama. In modern times, "subculture" covers manga, anime, computer games, figurines and idol culture.

In some Hong Kong Japanese subcultures event, such as C3HK, Comic World HK, Creative Paradise and Rainbow Gala, you can find many cosplayers in there. Those cosplayers a lot of their cos target is Japanese manga, anime or computer games character, that's mean many cosplayers in Hong Kong have effect on Japanese subcultures, so I need to prove this hypothesis in my research project.

What is the cosplay and what relevance of subculture?

In second article, the title is “An Overview of Cosplay: Exploring the Subculture”. In this article, I have a lot of information about the cosplay and subculture. It has six main parts of articles:

First is introduction, ask the questions to bring out articles.

Second part is “The History of Cosplay”, this part can make me know more about the cosplay. For example, where are cosplay come from, how the cosplay choose in North America to Japan.

Third is “Why People Participate”, this part have the reason of people participate the cosplay, it writing the reason is about subculture.

Fourth part is “Monetization”, it narrate about the pecuniary difficulties with cosplayer life.

Fifth part is “What Makes a Good Cosplay?” from the three-scenario analysis on how to become a good cosplay

And the last, “The Risks of Cosplay” describes some of the risks will encounter when cosplay, these parts make me more insight into what is cosplay, so this article is a good reference to me

Name: Leung Yu Hin

HKU SPACE Student Number: 10641734

Blog 3

What is the refined research question that you are setting out to answer?

How the Hong Kong teenagers consumer cosplay culture?

How does this develop themes and debates explored within the lectures of this module?

In my research project, my topic is about the cosplay culture of Hong Kong teenagers.

I choose cosplay culture to my project’s themes is because I have a lot of interest to Japanese ACG culture, many people will touch that, for example animation, Manga or some games. And then, some teenagers will have special actions to express their love. Such as make the Dōjinshi, Itasha or join the Comic World HK, C3HK and Rainbow Gala etc. But in those actions, I hope to explored is cosplay culture. My research project will choose that is because I have some friends is cos-player, it will make me more easily to finish my project.

So, the aim of my research is to explore the cosplay culture of Hong Kong teenagers, in this project, I hope to know how the HK teenagers to thing about the cosplay culture. And the most important, is need to interview the cosplayer, question them why they will choose to be a cosplayer? How difficult they will have? How they think the cosplay? In that question, I will get the ideas of the cultural hegemony in Hong Kong.

What critical methodologies are you going to use? How are you going to produce the evidence you’ll need to answer your research question?

 In my research project, I will use the qualitative research to collect the data, this research make my question have the answers become in-depth information, the teenagers’ in-depth ideas. In the first, I need to design the questionnaire, in the questionnaire I will ask them about their view of cosplay, what the significance with cosplay of them, what reason make they start cosplay and what affect with they become a cosplayer.

Name: Leung Yu Hin

HKU SPACE Student Number: 10641734

Research Daily 2: Statement of Intent

Research question:

In the first, is my project research topics, in my research project, I will choose to research the topic about the Japanese animation in Hong Kong. So my research question is:

“How the Hong Kong teenagers think about the Japanese animation?”

“How the Japanese animations affect to Hong Kong teenagers?”

Introduction:

Secondly, I choose the Japanese animation to my research project is because I find a strange phenomenon, in Hong Kong we are contacting animation most is come from Japanese, so some people would very like of that. However many people can’t differentiate animation and cartoon, they will think watch animation is very naive. And if someone watches Japanese animation, then other people will label them is Otaku or Dokuo. It makes the people refuse to admit they like Japanese animations, or feel shame with they watch animation. I would to know how the teenagers think about the Japanese animation in Hong Kong. If they watch the Japanese animation, they shame to admit that or direct to admit that and how they think about of Japanese animation.

On the other hand, in Hong Kong we can find many people will interest with Japanese culture, or we can see some events about animation and Manga in Hong Kong, such as Comic World HK, C3HK and Rainbow Gala etc. and HK have a lot of cos-player. In our society have those much Japanese subculture, even in the many university have the events of this Japanese subculture. I think that is cultural hegemony in Hong Kong, so I need to know how about other teenagers think about the Japanese animations affect.

Methods to be used:

Last, in the method, I will use the qualitative research to collect the data. I choose this research is because my question want the answers become in-depth information, the teenagers’ in-depth ideas. So I will design some question to interview the interviewee. In my interview, I must ask them watch the Japanese animation or not, because that can let my have more different information, the position difference is good from my questions, I can collect the ideas from both of pros.

I will choose many different teenagers to be my interviewee, some people was contact Japanese animation was a time, like cos-player, some people will random to find, because I need my data have many variety to Increase the project credibility.

Research Diary 1

In the Media culture 2, we need to finish the individual research essay with academic research on media and culture. Then when we need to collect some data to do our project, we may use the quantitative or qualitative research methods. So I will analyze the strengths and weaknesses of those methods.

1.      Quantitative research

Basically, qualitative research is the use of statistical, mathematical or computational techniques and other methods to carry out systematic empirical study of social phenomena. If we would to carry out this research, we have a few steps, first of all we need generate a hypothesis based on theory, secondly is collect data and process data, in third step we should quantify all the data and analyses it, at the last is conclusions.

In qualitative research, we will most to use questionnaire to collect data. For example, we can survey on the street or Email. Qualitative research is based on a fixed-form questionnaire, using a large number of samples to obtain the data.

This research is use most people to collect the data, so the strengths of quantitative research is studying large numbers of people, it will make the research findings can be generalized with random samples, that's mean qualitative research can give we more and extensive information. Quantitative data or statistical information is presented in the form of numbers and percentage, so it’s easier to show to other people. But in the measurement process, we can control results interviewed.

2.      Qualitative research

Relative quantitative research, qualitative research focused on smaller but more concentrated samples generated information or knowledge about a particular case study. It is because the difference is qualitative research telling you "why", the quantitative research is "how much". When we use qualitative research, is hope can in-depth to target of the specific features or acts to further explore its causes.

And the qualitative research great majority is use in-depth interviews to collect the data, so it has more in-depth information and less emphasis on reliability and validity. The disadvantage of this research is it need more time to collect and analyse the data.

So, what the difference of quantitative and qualitative research? The first is those have different focus, such as quantitative research focuses on aspects of the amount of things, qualitative research focuses on aspects of material things.

Next, quantitative study using empirical measurements, statistical analysis and modeling methods, but qualitative research is mainly to use of logical reasoning, comparison of example.

Last, it has the presentation of different conclusions. Quantitative research mainly the data, models, graphics, etc. to express, qualitative research findings mostly to use text-based description.

But in this time, I can’t choose which research method in my essay, because I can’t decide my topic now.

Student Name: Leung Yu Hin