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    Obsession with Japanese culture?

    I was curious as to why so many westerners have an obsession with Japanese culture. Anybody who's been on the web enough has seen those animated characters with the large eyes and exaggerated features. I even see some of it on these forums, here and there. Note that this is not meant to be 'talking down' or judgemental of those who like Japans culture, I just am curious as to where this comes from. I personally enjoy my nations culture and my local culture, I seek no need to debase myself thousands of kilometres away and obsess with a culture that isn't mine.

    So, why?
    White and Red 'till I'm cold and dead.
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    #2
    Re: Obsession with Japanese culture?

    The animated characters you mentioned are commonly referred to as anime characters, just so ya know. I'm not particularly immured with Japanese culture and anime, but I know plenty of people who are.

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      #3
      Re: Obsession with Japanese culture?

      Originally posted by iflewoverthecuckoosnest View Post
      The animated characters you mentioned are commonly referred to as anime characters, just so ya know. I'm not particularly immured with Japanese culture and anime, but I know plenty of people who are.
      Thanks, I stopped myself from calling them cartoons because I knew there was a different name. Just couldn't quite put my finger on it.
      White and Red 'till I'm cold and dead.
      sigpic
      In Days of yore,
      From Britain's shore
      Wolfe the dauntless hero came
      And planted firm Britannia's flag
      On Canada's fair domain.
      Here may it wave,
      Our boast, our pride
      And joined in love together,
      The thistle, shamrock, rose entwined,
      The Maple Leaf Forever.

      Comment


        #4
        Re: Obsession with Japanese culture?

        Same difference, really...anime is short for animation, so it's just Japanese cartoons, and then other names for different variations and types.

        I've been friends with a lot of otaku in my time(the folks who get obsessive about it) and there seem to be a couple of factors at play that stick out with a humanities/art history background.

        The first is that it's a bit of a Through the Looking Glass thing: Anime started to hit the American consciousness back in the late 80's early 90's(Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Daiguard), but the internet was what really made it blow up into something bigger then a tiny pocket geekdom(like my non-indian friends who are obsessed with Bollywood). The style of these cartoons imitates as much, if not more, Western culture then it does Japanese culture, and began with Jaoan's post WWII obsession with the West. Western Christianity, European Medieval culture, and more modern concepts like modern Western dating culture all were examined and played with as exotic ideas, in turn influencing Japanese culture and getting rehashed back to North America and Europe in a novel--but still very accessible because they were Western concepts to begin with--way. I could give specific examples, but you probably wouldn't be interested, Doc?


        One example that might resonate for you, is that one might argue that the strange hair colors and features, including the big eyes, are a stylized take on Western features and diversity of coloring. Consider that Japan, while having extremely concentrated urban centers, has very little diversity of and places an extremely strong emphasis on fitting in with those around you in every possible way, to the point of rather severe, if polite, xenophobia. The only different population, the Ainu, were hunted almost to the point of extinction, and few live outside of tourist traps to this day who would admit Ainu heritage for fear of prejudice and repercussions. Those who have a multi-ethnic background, even if partially Japanese, are treated very differently. People who cos-play, or dress up like favorite anime characters, do so with wigs and keep it very separate from their day-to-day life. They do not have the cultural freedom to experiment with strange hair colors and tattoos that an American kid into anime might have. The eyes, in particular, are usually considered a stylized version of Western features, a take on Western eye shape that has been ongoing since Japan became open to Western trade in the 19th Century. Paraphrasing, but one of the officials who met some of the first Western women to travel to Japan during that period wrote to friend that they had "dog's eyes" which he found "disheartening".


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          #5
          Re: Obsession with Japanese culture?

          Originally posted by Doc_Holliday View Post
          Thanks, I stopped myself from calling them cartoons because I knew there was a different name. Just couldn't quite put my finger on it.
          They're cartoons, anime is just the japanese word for cartoons. Mickey Mouse is considered an anime character in Japan. Anime is a useful term for differentiating it from western animation, but calling them japanese cartoons does the same and is in no way incorrect. Before the mid-nineties "japanimation" was the preferred term.

          At any rate, for me at least anime was a HUGE part of my childhood. Cartoons being for kids, young kids at that, is pretty well ingrained into western thoughts. You get the occasional mature show, like Batman: TAS or Samurai Jack, but by and large those shows are the exception.

          That connotation is far less pronounced in Japan, to the extant that the teenage and adult demographics are significantly more prominent than ten and under. Anime grew up with me, cartoons for the most part didn't.

          Most cartoons aimed at adults are based around crude humour and cursing, which has it's place to be sure but doesn't lend credence to the idea of animation being a valid medium.

          Let's compare an anime and a cartoon side by side.



          Trust is knowing someone or something well enough to have a good idea of their motivations and character, for good or for ill. People often say trust when they mean faith.

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            #6
            Re: Obsession with Japanese culture?

            Originally posted by Doc_Holliday View Post
            I seek no need to debase myself thousands of kilometres away and obsess with a culture that isn't mine.
            In what way is it debasing to be interested in another country's culture?

            Personally, I like the anime, the video games, the history, the mythology. Japan is an interesting place.
            Yikes, all that cultural appropriation that used to be here tho

            Comment


              #7
              Re: Obsession with Japanese culture?

              Originally posted by Denarius View Post
              They're cartoons, anime is just the japanese word for cartoons. Mickey Mouse is considered an anime character in Japan. Anime is a useful term for differentiating it from western animation, but calling them japanese cartoons does the same and is in no way incorrect. Before the mid-nineties "japanimation" was the preferred term.

              At any rate, for me at least anime was a HUGE part of my childhood. Cartoons being for kids, young kids at that, is pretty well ingrained into western thoughts. You get the occasional mature show, like Batman: TAS or Samurai Jack, but by and large those shows are the exception.

              That connotation is far less pronounced in Japan, to the extant that the teenage and adult demographics are significantly more prominent than ten and under. Anime grew up with me, cartoons for the most part didn't.

              Most cartoons aimed at adults are based around crude humour and cursing, which has it's place to be sure but doesn't lend credence to the idea of animation being a valid medium.

              Let's compare an anime and a cartoon side by side.

              Not that I have a horse in this particular race, but the comparison you give is not exactly accurate. There are plenty of Japanese anime series that are focused to adults and contain crude humor, cursing and the like, that aren't hentai, which is its own thing, mind you. There are also western animated series / pieces that are just that, animated pieces that are nothing like "Regular Show". Since we are cherry picking .... here are some clips from Super Milk Chan, which is fairly "Regular Show" in flavor.




              Conversely, there were some good non-Regular Show pieces done by western folks






              Now, I will grant you that there is less "serious" western animation than eastern. However, I wouldn't say that one was superior to the other.

              Just like I like some movies, and dislike others, there are plenty of anime/animated movies I like, and plenty I dislike. Entertainment is just that to me ... entertainment. I don't discount western animation automatically, nor do I give auto-accolades to Japanese animation. They both have their good pieces and their trash.

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                #8
                Re: Obsession with Japanese culture?

                Thanks for the insights everybody, I'm starting to see how it might have actually started from childhood, pokemon and the sort. Also the cultural stem from ww2 is something I wouldn't have thought off.

                Originally posted by Quetzal View Post
                In what way is it debasing to be interested in another country's culture?
                I never said having an interest in any culture is debasing, I made sure to avoid saying that. I said obsession, that was my choice word. Like when it comes to the point that somebody partakes in Japanese things more than Canadian, American, UK etc. I'm interested in a lot of cultures but I don't feel the need to obsess over them.
                White and Red 'till I'm cold and dead.
                sigpic
                In Days of yore,
                From Britain's shore
                Wolfe the dauntless hero came
                And planted firm Britannia's flag
                On Canada's fair domain.
                Here may it wave,
                Our boast, our pride
                And joined in love together,
                The thistle, shamrock, rose entwined,
                The Maple Leaf Forever.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Re: Obsession with Japanese culture?

                  Originally posted by Rhaethe View Post
                  I don't discount western animation automatically, nor do I give auto-accolades to Japanese animation. They both have their good pieces and their trash.
                  I actually like a lot of western cartoons, including the Regular Show.

                  I would say that anime has far more garbage than western cartoons. It has a big problem with pedophilia, incest, and harem shows. It is seriously an epidemic.

                  I even specifically said that there are good and mature western cartoons, it's just that the anime industry has far more than it's fair share.
                  Trust is knowing someone or something well enough to have a good idea of their motivations and character, for good or for ill. People often say trust when they mean faith.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Re: Obsession with Japanese culture?

                    Originally posted by Doc_Holliday View Post
                    I never said having an interest in any culture is debasing, I made sure to avoid saying that. I said obsession, that was my choice word. Like when it comes to the point that somebody partakes in Japanese things more than Canadian, American, UK etc. I'm interested in a lot of cultures but I don't feel the need to obsess over them.
                    Fair enough, thanks for clarifying. In that case, it's no different than any other obsession really. Some people take it too far and it gets unhealthy.
                    Yikes, all that cultural appropriation that used to be here tho

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                      #11
                      Re: Obsession with Japanese culture?

                      I got addicted to anime back in high school. I'm 32 and I still am addicted to anime. I would love to go to Japan. I do love American cartoons. Pop-eye is one of my favorites. I also love the old cartoons such as Tom and Jerry. Sometimes the old cartoons are better than the new ones.
                      Anubisa

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                        #12
                        Re: Obsession with Japanese culture?

                        I love all cartoons, modern and old, western and eastern. Can we all just agree that cartoons are awesome, regardless of where they're from?
                        Yikes, all that cultural appropriation that used to be here tho

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Re: Obsession with Japanese culture?

                          Perhaps i'm way out in left field here but I do not see how an obsession with Anime / Manga equates to an obsession with Japanese culture? That seem's like trying to equate the American culture to our saturday morning cartoon's as reflective of our total culture. Granted I lived in Japan for 6.5 years so perhaps have a differing perspective about Japanese (Nipponese) culture than just its anime / manga usage.
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                            #14
                            Re: Obsession with Japanese culture?

                            Agreed, maybe the wrong topic title, since this seems to be mostly about anime obsession.
                            But for a lot of people, myself included, anime/manga is what kickstarted their interest in Japan as a whole.
                            Yikes, all that cultural appropriation that used to be here tho

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Re: Obsession with Japanese culture?

                              Originally posted by monsno_leedra View Post
                              Perhaps i'm way out in left field here but I do not see how an obsession with Anime / Manga equates to an obsession with Japanese culture? That seem's like trying to equate the American culture to our saturday morning cartoon's as reflective of our total culture. Granted I lived in Japan for 6.5 years so perhaps have a differing perspective about Japanese (Nipponese) culture than just its anime / manga usage.
                              I'm not a big fan of anime, and cartoons for adults (like Hank Hill or Bevis & Butthead) tend to creep me out. However, I did front the anime club at the high school, and the obsessed anime kids were very deeply into Japanese culture - or at least parts of it. They were learning Japanese, eating Japanese food, and liked Japanese pop music, etc.

                              So, in a sense, they (at least) were obsessed with Japanese culture...
                              Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

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