早稲田大学　国際教養学部　AO入試　志望理由書　提出例(吉本　光宏 教授参考)

早稲田大学　国際教養学部　AO入試　志望理由書　提出例(吉本　光宏 教授参考)

Dear Reader, 

First and foremost, I would like to thank for the opportunity given, and in this letter I will do my best to explain my motivation in applying for School of International Liberal Studies at Waseda University, hoping to pursue a major in International Culture, Japanese History and Language studies later in my academic years. I would be more than grateful if you could kindly give it a read and grant me an admission. During the in-person interview, I would also be delighted to expand more on my area of studies, previously participated activities and what I wish to achieve with liberal studies curriculum including study abroad program.

We must all agree, there are movies, shows and anime that changed our mind and shaped our lifestyle. According to the LA Times, in 2018 Netflix spent around $1 billion equals 11% of its original content budget, on animation. By 2022, that investment is expected to reach $5 billion, or 15%. Similarly Amazon Prime Video’s $0.3 billion figure for 2018 is expected to rise to nearly $2 billion in 2022. There is huge demand for animation targeting both children and adults. Even if you are not a big fan, you are likely to have heard of Ghibli. The studio frequently appears on critical lists of superlatives. Another of Miyazaki’s projects, Spirited Away (2001), is the highest grossing film inside Japan and the highest grossing anime film internationally. It also won an Academy Award for best animated feature. Recently, it lost its top spot internationally to Shinkai Makoto’s Your Name (2016), another film revered globally as an anime masterpiece, but recaptured it after it was released in China. 

Proudly or not, one of the most popular things to do nowadays when you are idle at home and you want to add some entertainment into your life is watching movies or shows on online streaming services. Due to the increasing time spent, it is more than kill-time entertainment, it has become a lifestyle. Indeed, movies nowadays have an impact to our society, not only are most of popular movies highly influential but they can totally change our way of thinking as well in both a good way and a bad way. For example, one of the most influential movies that were then talked about was Air Force One. This is that movie where the president of the country had to board a plane but was then hi-jacked, and there are rumors saying that this was one of the movies that may have motivated terrorists to do the same and create destruction in large scale. Besides giving us ideas in life, events in movies may trigger our subconscious to perform activities, such as individuals who typically watch violent movies may perform similar acts in real life.

If we were to continue spending our time on these entertainment, we must be aware of the effects it has had on our society and it would have on our daily life, instead of being a receiver and having our emotions hijacked. Looking back at the history of Japanese anime and Hollywood movies and its social implications could help us understand why things are the way they are today. Therefore, I feel passionate about studying the visual culture, entertainment history on top of comparative culture and social studies to continue my research on this topic and further gain my own perspectives to unlock different pockets of opportunities in the future. And in order for me to attain high-level education and equip myself with what is needed to survive the next decades of globalization and competition, it is extremely important for me to study various international studies among like-minded students at Waseda where liberal studies is offered. Studying abroad in relevant school that excel in the field of studies would be an enriching experience. Thank you very much for taking the time to read and I am already excited to join such a great school next year.

With Regards,