What's wrong with this picture?

[yukio_michael]

There's more than one picture, but allow me to elaborate. First, have a look at

Exhibit Number One

KirbyAngel ~ Kirby (Kotoko - Princess Bride!).

What's going on? Rabid French-Canadian fangirl with blue anime-hair (poorly) lipsyncs to Jpop singer Kotoko's theme song for a hentai video game.

So what? Considering the fact that this girl is singing bubbly-techno-ish Japanese 'pop', it's all harmless fun isn't it?

I don't know, you decide that. Of course the girl in question has no real understanding of Japanese (by her own admission in other videos), and from the looks of her lip syncing hasn't even so much as read the roumaji transliteration... still, so what?

Then you get to the actual meat and potatoes of the lyrics... Typical moe moe! otaku lyrics that proclaim some young virginal bride's willingness to please her 'prince' in any (unspecified) way he should desire... It's very typical otaku wish-fulfillment stuff... The question is, why would a girl want to sing it?

The jist of the song is as said, typical, lots of "doki doki" heart beating, lots of trepidation and nervousness which is some sort of way of saying that perhaps this is the first experience in love that this girl has ever had... Untranslated it comes off cute, translated it comes off as just the sort of crap that people in Japan come to find creepy about and associate otaku with.

Combine this all with the fact that it's the theme song to a game where (as is typical) your goal is to try to coerce "eighteen" year olds who look 9 into having sex with you, and perhaps their sisters...

Endorsed by those illiterate in Japanese, consumed & praised by those who find the material in this second hand fashion enticing, because it seems---, cute, bubbly, kawaiii~~~~~.

Exhibit Number Two

Mediocrefilm's Gorgeous Tiny Chicken Machine Show

What's going on? Mediocre Film (probably the most apt title for a company that I've ever read) make blatantly racist and cheesy attempt at parodying a 'wacky random' Japanese talk show.

So what? This clip which is Episode 1, and I shudder to think about that meaning the possibility of future episodes, is sort of like watching Mathew's Best Hit TV if Mathew's Best Hit TV was preformed by a intellectually-insulting, humorless woman (again, for the kawaii appeal) who spoke no actual Japanese, but instead spoke cringe-worthy "Me So Solly! Rooka Rike Rain!" Japenglish---

The pass is supposed to be that this woman who does this is Asian... I don't know if she is Japanese, but does that make much difference? The intended audience for this is obviously the Spike-Tv watching detritus who find laughing at fictional pop-culture the recipe for a good time.

If this was the sort of content in Lost in Translation (rather than oddly, Mathew's Best hit TV, which really was portrayed not that differently than the way his programme actally is...), I can imagine the boycotts would have at least been warranted.

What's the responsibility of any Asian person, not to make fun of their culture for an audience who has no real way of understanding if this is an exaggeration, or just a blatant exploitative stereotype?

Again, if you read the comments for the episode, something I really couldn't even watch a minute of, you'll find that people love this... There really isn't a lot of condemnation...

I like to write a lot about how Japanese culture is modified outside of Japan, for use and exploitation, for re-contextualizing depending on the consumer... I'm wondering how these two examples make you feel?

Indifferent, angry, contemplative, concerned? Please share with me your thoughts, if you so choose. Thanks.

 

[pipokun]

Forbidden love somewhere in Asia, not in Japan

But please do not start a thread, "All Asian women are lesbians?".

 

[caster51]

in France

 

[leonmarino]

Exhibit Number One

KirbyAngel ~ Kirby (Kotoko - Princess Bride!).

I actually enjoyed this comment:


But anyways, I kind of stopped caring about these Japanophiles. Or shall I say I'm trying to stop caring about them.. Nevertheless it is interesting how people can be so hooked up on a country they often have never visited or often don't have a clue about the language written or spoken.

I'm not saying that sincere interest is bad, but fanatism that's sad.

 

[yukio_michael]

I'm not saying that sincere interest is bad, but fanaticism that's sad.

I think that there is a social market for this sort of thing... If you can't get a Japanese girlfriend (oh lord heavens!) why not settle for one who's just as clueless as you who'll never condemn you for you Sinophilia....

I like the band HALCALI, well I did... funny, my gf (Japanese) always called me otaku for it--- it IS an otaku band... it was our little joke... Can you fathom how these two types of poles might collide... fanatic, and realist?

I'm a little more offended and puzzled by the second exhibit...

 

[Gentleman10]

Doesn't this happen all over the world in all countries though? I think in addition to a loss of literal translation, there is naturally a loss of cultural translation when people of different cultures interact with each other. I'm not trying to justify this (b/c to me, I find this stuff just as stupid), but do you really think Japanese people have an acurrate perception of American minorities? For instance, if black people were to act the way a typical Japanese percieved them, then they'd be wearing baggy clothes typical hip hop clothes. Of course that's not the truth, but most people that don't explore the country to the depth that most of us here do (ie haven't gone to japan, have an interest in anime and thus in jpn) simply will accept the aestheic aspects of such an incredibly different and foreign country that they like regardless or whether or not they understand the true meaning b/c it simply appeals to them (long sentence sry). But really, can you blame them?
Really, I think this is just the result of globalization though, and really, I don't think it's exactly a bad thing. If anything, I think it means that we're growing as people are beginning to accept things that other cultures have to offer. I know it sounds funny, but to me it's like a 'we're moving forward as a people' kind of thought- rather than just reject other people's unique aspects, we're at least becoming curious in what other people are doing. In this information age, we're going to take what we like- and that's really what everyone around the world is doing. It's not like we can expect everyone to be concious of cultural values (at least we're here) , but at least we're moving towards some sense of quasi-cultural acceptance/openess.

 

[Kirirao]

*Exhibit Number One*

Love at first sight~ Well I guess I'm your everyday Japanopile so I dont find anything wrong with the video. *shrugs*

 

[Gentleman10]

*Exhibit Number One*

Love at first sight~ Well I guess I'm your everyday Japanopile so I dont find anything wrong with the video. *shrugs*

Say it loud, say it proud, lol.

--you know, a thought just popped into me, is it anybetter that Japanese ppl listen to American music just as blindly to the point where they've incorporated English into their own Jpop? Or is that broaching a different subject?

 

[leonmarino]

But really, can you blame them?

Oh I'm not blaming anyone, I think it is perfectly understandable, because I used to be idolizing Japan in my youth as well. It's just that I could idolize because of a lack of knowledge of the country, and not the other way around.. That I find sad, also of my past way of thinking.

If anything, I think it means that we're growing as people are beginning to accept things that other cultures have to offer.

I guess that's true. Cross-cultural engagement have to start somewhere.. I hope these people don't get stuck in the stage they're in though.

--you know, a thought just popped into me, is it anybetter that Japanese ppl listen to American music just as blindly to the point where they've incorporated English into their own Jpop?

True!! There are quite a few Americanophiles and Europamaniacs in Japan, people knowing maybe even less about "The West" than many Otaku's do. I find them equally.. Well, maybe I shouldn't use the word "sad" anymore, so let's say I find them "different".

And with regard to the Japanese use of English in many J-Pop songs.. I can't express a nuanced opinion on it. I think many of them should be abolished. Nah I'm kidding, I'm pretty sure the freedom of expression also counts for any (Japanese) artist, but I sometimes hope they'd studied English better..

 

[GodEmperorLeto]

I don't even know where to begin. Okay, the blue-haired chick would be cute if I were 18. At 28, though, she seems lame and pathetic. Add to the fact that when I was 18, NOBODY DID THIS!!! Partly because webcams didn't exist within the average person's price range, and party because you'd be ridiculed.

This brings to mind this article about the shift in nerdism today.

The TV show, though, I can actually understand. Why?

Because Japanese talk-TV and game shows are one big "what?". The game shows moreso than the talk-TV, though. Not to say that American TV is a paragon of complexity and philosophical discourse. I mean, people line up to get insulted by the judges of American Idol, how intelligent is that?

I actually would be amused as hell if a Japanese audience somehow did a parody of American reality-TV. And I'd imagine it would be perfectly justified if they made us look like idiots.

 

[The7thSamurai]

The girl in 'Gorgeous Tiny Chicken Machine' or whatever it's called is definately not Japanese. I've been listening to Japanese people speaking English for the last 2 1/2 years and that's not how they speak. Most likely she's simply an American-Asian who has no idea about her own Asian heritage. Further proof is that before the show was filmed she failed to recognise that 調 was upsidedown.

 

[GodEmperorLeto]

The girl in 'Gorgeous Tiny Chicken Machine' or whatever it's called is definately not Japanese.

Oh, no, I am fully aware of that. I know that flick was made in North America. I just figure that if the Japanese make stupid/insane shows that scream to be parodied, then the U.S. does, too. And I would love to see a Japanese parody of <i>American Idol</i> or even something more serious, like <i>24</i> or <i>Lost</i>. Lampoon is the most sincere form of flattery.

Besides, I believe, like the Greeks, that comedy is sacred to Dionysus, and that nothing is off-limits.

But I can understand how some people can get offended. And, honestly, I couldn't watch much of the Chicken Machine thingy either. It was lame. And the girl's fake accent was god-awful.

 

[pipokun]

Jack quickly eats Japanese nutritious cookies, CalorieMate, here.
http://www.cmt24.net/

 

[GodEmperorLeto]

Jack quickly eats Japanese nutritious cookies, CalorieMate, here.
http://www.cmt24.net/

I da--Huh? What the heck? :?

 

[yukio_michael]

[...]but do you really think Japanese people have an acurrate perception of American minorities? For instance, if black people were to act the way a typical Japanese percieved them, then they'd be wearing baggy clothes typical hip hop clothes.

Comparatively to the way that Japanese media, or Japanese entertainment sees black culture, I think it would almost be charitable if they were wearing typical hip-hop clothing. There is a segment of the youth culture (if you look in magazines like Boon, Samurai , Street Jack) who have some inkling about typical urban youth trends...

...but, by and large, as Bobby Ologon & Warren Sapp as examples, the Japanese entertainment industry prefer their blacks as pickaninny coons who can barely speak the language--- Even though Ologon is fluent in Japanese, he makes his money by pretending to be big, dumb, and stupid...

I've read some forums of blacks whom have lived in Japan & worked in the entertainment industry for some brief amount of time, and most report that it's "act the Uncle Tom, or walk...", most walk. Who wants their culture degraded for money? In the words of Method Man, "Who the F@cK wanna die for they culture?"

 

[leonmarino]

Jack quickly eats Japanese nutritious cookies, CalorieMate, here.
http://www.cmt24.net/

Bwahahaha!! I love the CM's!!

 

[ginyu]

That first clip made me sick.

The whole topic's indeed interesting. I used to glorify Nippon myself when I came in touch with Japanese (Pop)culture as a kid.

The sad thing is people trying to imitate things they've never grasped. No wonder that those imitations are so poor.

But, instead of getting too gloomy about this I'd like to place a little 'To each his own.' here.

 

[yukio_michael]

The whole topic's indeed interesting. I used to glorify Nippon myself when I came in touch with Japanese (Pop)culture as a kid.

The two things that surprised me, not everyone watches anime (I didn't even watch much---- but I thought it was a national past-time), and that pornography is seen as something more for otaku than every day people... What kind of man reads Urecco? Indeed.

The first example is just a 'meh' for me... honestly, she has a cute french accent--- & it's not surprising people are intrigued by her sometimes being coy & shy. This is the age of people gaining notoriety for their own histrionics. People are attracted to an unnatural 'physical' ideal in the same way that people may be attracted to an unnatural ideal in manga or anime---- she becomes the manifestation of what is essentially fantasy wish-fulfillment in anime & manga.

The second clip just makes me want to punch whomever produced it.

 

[ginyu]

The second clip just makes me want to punch whomever produced it.

Without a doubt this clip is very provocative, but it's so utterly awkward and lacks even the slightest hint of humor, therefore I think it only appeals to the very worst otakus or to people who really don't have ANY clue about Japan.

Even the average Yu-Gi-Oh GX fan will doubt it's authenticity I think.

 

[miwasatoshi]

Sometimes, drawing attention to things like this makes them into a bigger deal than they really are.

Or maybe I'm just jaded

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

Sometimes, drawing attention to things like this makes them into a bigger deal than they really are.
Or maybe I'm just jaded

I have to agree. It's just kids being kids. None of us are without fault; there are plenty of things you could make fun of me for, and realizing this, I do my best not to pick of others.

Just for your information, I know of at least one member we'Ve lost due to this thread alone. You might think that he or she is being too sensitive, but I can understand his or her feelings. No one likes it when people are being condescending towards them, so please let's remember that we're talking about and dealing with people here!

 

[miwasatoshi]

It's a real shame.

I've been in anime fandom since the mid-90s, so people have assumed in the past that's why I'm interested in Japan. It was a catalyst, yes, but not the reason -- I've been interested since childhood thanks to family history and a general interest in world culture.

During my time as a Japanese major, I've found that a lot of people are polarized into these ridiculous cliques depending on the motivation for taking the language. Now. Most of us here know better than to assume Japan is "just like anime and manga" (especially those of us who've been there).

However, I don't think it's right to be condescending. Instead, I try to be educational and diplomatic about things.

It's fine to like cartoons -- but I gently remind people that Japan isn't a cartoon. It's fine to listen to Japanese pop music -- but I gently remind people it's not so different than when non-Americans listen to Avril Lavigne and 30 Seconds to Mars. It's fine to like Japan -- but it's got plenty of warts too, for otherwise we wouldn't have folks like Arudou Debito running around trying spread anti-wart cream on Japanese society!

I constantly hear complaints about "Wapanese", but in the end, they too can be educated, and it's infinitely better than dealing with people who maintain a hostile attitude towards Japan, or indeed, any society other than their own.

 

[yukio_michael]

Without a doubt this clip is very provocative, but it's so utterly awkward and lacks even the slightest hint of humor, therefore I think it only appeals to the very worst otakus or to people who really don't have ANY clue about Japan.

Even the average Yu-Gi-Oh GX fan will doubt it's authenticity I think.

Yeah, I wrote the producers, I mean, it's not that I feel especially "offended" by whatever racism you could get from it, its just such a piss-poor production, that only the most dilettantish people could find it funny... What does she say, something like HAGEEMAYMASHTAY... what the f? Surely somone knew a friend of a friend of a friend that knew someone Japanese who could teach them a few common phrases at least...

Now... if they would have parodied a show where a group of people huddle in a shack waiting to see which shack gets a rocket shot at it, THAT would have been funny, and oddly, NOT a parody, but a re-creation of an actual program I've seen....

 

[Glenn]

You talking about the sauna thing with the chair that rockets down the mountain? That's some crazy stuff.

 

[GodEmperorLeto]

Now... if they would have parodied a show where a group of people huddle in a shack waiting to see which shack gets a rocket shot at it, THAT would have been funny, and oddly, NOT a parody, but a re-creation of an actual program I've seen....

For some reason, that sounds like some sort of war movie. Could you elaborate?