This dissertation explores the reception of Japanese popular culture outside of Japan as a global, transnational phenomenon with numerous local manifestations, interpretations and appropriations. It focuses on the analysis of the reception of anime and manga media culture in Croatia, where the local context affords individuals a distinct basis for interaction with complex, fluid and non-unified global practices. Reinterpretation and appropriation of these media texts implies the creation of a localized, individual expression of this media culture. The research examines Croatian anime and manga fandom within a wider transnational „community of sentiment” as defined by Appadurai (1996). The participation of Croatian anime and manga fans in these global cultural flows is analysed by applying the concept of fantasyscape – a creative space that provides a form of escape, as well as differing worldviews and values that at times question Western ones (Napier 2005, 2007). In the case of anime and manga, the notion of fantasyscape encompasses both the fictional worlds depicted in them and place of origin of these media – Japan, with fans developing an interest in other aspects of Japanese culture due to exposure to the aforementioned media, such as language, cuisine, history and so on. A key aspect of participation in this –scape (Appadurai 1996) according to Napier (2007) is the principle of taking pleasure in something, which encourages the creation of new emotional experiences. Although this ludic activity is initiated by a conscious decision to enter fictional worlds (Harrington and Bielby 1995), these worlds function as support for imagining the worlds of others, one's own locality, as well as one's own possible lives (Appadurai 1996). Research results indicate that, by participating in these transnational flows, anime and manga fans employ both fictional and „real” elements pertaining to the fantasyscape, which in turn inform their lives both as fans and individuals. Fan engagement with this instance of popular culture is also investigated within the theoretical frame of fan studies. Croatian fandom and individual views and experiences are examined in the light of the key issues of this field, such as fan community, fan participation, the productive aspect of fandom, fan conventions, principles of exchange, individual affective relationships, and others. Fans are early adopters of technology (Jenkins 1992a), and this aspect was identified as a crucial factor shaping local fan experiences. Furthermore, the thesis presents a brief historical overview of the media in question and explores certain issues addressed by the scientific research of these media, such as the Tezuka model (Berndt 2008), the question of their cultural and national distinctiveness, their visual and narrative mangaesque (Berndt 2012) and anime-esque (Suan 2017) qualities, theories of database (Azuma 2009) and narrative (Eiji 2010) consumption, and others. Several key genres, authors and works are presented, as well as instances of localization processes within the transnational dissemination of these media. Because the reception of anime and manga is both a transnational and local process, the thesis presents research into these media and fandom in other contexts, primarily in USA and Europe. When discussing the transnational dissemination of these flows in the West, scientific discourse often generalizes diverse markets and fan experiences, identifying them with those in the USA (Darling-Wolf 2015). By presenting a variety of local research, the thesis aims to show how the national context, along with global forces, shapes contact with this popular culture. Research of Croatian fandom was conducted by way of semi-structured interviews, covering topics such as first encounters with the media, impressions of the media, matters of language – subtitles and dubbing, fan appropriation and identification practices, worldview issues and the influence of these media texts on individual life decisions. The analysis of fan interviews shows that the key characteristic of anime and manga discerned by these fans is that of difference, a feature that, by expanding their subject of interest, they also identify in Japanese culture. By establishing an affective relationship with the objects of their fandom, fans incorporate their readings of the media texts, as well as their socio-cultural background, into their everyday life and identity. Through their fascination with anime and manga, some fans develop an interest in other aspects of Japanese culture such as language, cuisine, history and so on, and generally claim an openness towards different cultures and experiences, a proclivity termed pop cosmopolitanism (Jenkins 2006a). Perceived by fans as „some other world”, this fantasyscape becomes a source of alternative elements for the construction of their imagined worlds (Appadurai 1996). Furthermore, the research also examines the attitudes and imaginings of individuals in relation to local fan practices, fan community, transnational anime and manga fan culture, their own social fan positions, and their attitude towards Japan as the country of origin of their objects of interest. The research reveals the significance of individual and group imagination in regards to these issues. The relationships established by fans are relational and involve negotiations with the local context, transnational fandoms and Japan. In general, fans view their own fan experience in Croatia as one defined by realities of a small country with socially unaccepting groups, where access to fan merchandise and events is limited. Frequent comparisons of opportunities to satisfy their interests to those available to fans elsewhere, mostly other European countries and Japan, show that fans consider their participation in the mainstream of this transcultural experience to be incomplete. Hence although as a community of sentiment, participation in these global flows implies certain similarities, their appropriation takes on local forms and meanings in local contexts.