Onedistinctivefeatureofpost-warJapanesecinemaisthefrequentrecurrenceofimagisticandnarrativetropesandformulaiccharacterizationsinfemalerepresentations.Theserepetitionsareimportant,JenniferCoatesasserts,becausesentimentsandbehavioursforbiddenduringthewarandpost-warsocialandpoliticalchangeswereoftenarticulatedbyorthroughthefemaleimage.Movingacrossmajorcharactertypes,frommotherstodaughters,andschoolteacherstostreetwalkers,MakingIconsstudiestheroleofthemediainshapingtheattitudesofthegeneralpublic.Japanesecinemaafterthedefeatisshowntobeanimportantgroundwheresocialexperienceswereexplored,reworked,andeventuallyacceptedorrejectedbytheaudienceemotionallyinvestedintheserepetitivematerials.
Anexaminationof600filmsproducedanddistributedbetween1945and1964,aswellasnumerousJapanese-languagesources,formsthebasisofthisrigorousstudy.MakingIconsdrawsonanart-historicaliconographicanalysistoexplainhowviewersderivemeaningsfromimagesduringthispeakperiodoffilmproductionandattendanceinJapan.
