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Thread: Japanese Pop Culture Questionnaire

  1. #1
    Junior Member Jonathman is on a distinguished road Jonathman's Avatar
    Gil
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    Post Japanese Pop Culture Questionnaire

    Hi everyone I'm new to this forum (first post).

    I've been into Japanese Pop Culture (meaning the general entertainment and modern style and design) for around 8 years. I started watching anime etc then manga and the films etc and I've also been into Japanese graphic design for awhile now.

    Anyways now I'm at uni studying Graphic Design and I have based my dissertation on Japanese Pop Culture/Graphic design/anime and manga and why its becoming so popular and influential towards western culture and I was hopefully wondering if you guys here could help me out by answering this questionnaire with your thoughts and opinions.

    If you guys could reply with your views or just email me at

    [email protected]

    that would be great, thanks people =)


    1. What are your views of Japanese Pop culture and its differences compared to western culture (america, europe etc)?

    2. What do you prefer about Japanese Pop culture and what energy does it have that is different to western pop culture?

    3. Have you noticed to the increase in the growth of Japanese imports involving films, tv shows and anime/manga and the availability of them over the last 10 years?

    4. Why do you think there is an increase of anime/manga popularity?

    5. What do you like about anime/manga in general?

    6. Do you think the attraction of Japanese pop culture will keep getting bigger? If yes/no why?

    7. Obviously Japan has been influenced by western culture e.g Walt Disney. What western influences do you see in anime/manga?

    That's it ladies and gentleman! Thanks for your time and patience. I obviously have my own views about the subject but I wish to hear yours.

    If you have any other thoughts my email again is [email protected]

    P.S if you know anything about Japanese Graphic Design please let me know

    Thankyou

  2. #2
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    Gil
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    Hi there. We're in the same boat, more or less. I got into Japanese culture at about the same time as you did, and not necessarily because of anime either (rather, it was because of the music and ancient culture). I only got into anime a few years after I started getting into Japanese culture. I'd be glad to help you out.

    1. IMO, Japanese pop culture is less into commercialism in comparison to western culture, and more into actual popularity. I'm not sure if I'm making sense, but let's bring into account something like gravure magazines. Even if the magazine sells a lot (commercialism), it's not the fact that the magazine sells a lot that makes it a good magazine, but rather the models in it. Sometimes I feel that in western countries, some things are only popular because they sell a lot, due to commercialism. There have been groups with such terrible or limited talent that have been made popular just because of how well they were marketed, rather than actually being worthy of having fans, for example.

    Even if it's true that in Japanese pop culture, if something isn't selling, they'll stop and find something else that will sell, like any good business-minded company would, it seems that they consider the commercialism a welcome side-effect of trying to boost the popularity of whatever it is they're putting out. At least that's how I see it. Does that make any sense?

    That's just one area though, but I'll cut it short for now because just the number 1 is already pretty long. If you want to talk about other areas and aspects I'll gladly post more later.

    2. I don't "prefer" Japanese pop culture really. It's just that I don't have much alternative. I'm more exposed to Japanese things than anything else, but this is mostly by choice since I'm in self-imposed Japanese immersion for adapting the language.

    If I had to say one thing, though, is that I like how even in pop culture, the Japanese way of doing things with excellence is noticeable.

    3. I can't answer this one. I'm not in America or anywhere that imports Japanese stuff in that manner. I have the privilege of watching Japanese TV raw without having to import or wait for licensed distribution.

    4. I honestly think it's been pretty much the same in the last 10-15 years, only that it's being glorified as something different now. There have been long-term fans of classic anime such as DBZ, Sailor Moon, Slayers, Kenshin, etc., since the late 80's and early 90's, but most people wouldn't have defined being a fan of such things as cool, at least not until recently, when such mainstream hits as Naruto and Bleach came out.

    But that's just an outsider's point of view. Like I said I'm not in the west, where this sort of thing is more likely to occur.

    5. I don't really like anime or manga in general. I like good stories, though, and some good stories happen to be realized in anime and manga. But I wouldn't watch an anime or read a manga just for the sake of watching or reading, or just to say that I've already seen this or that, or know the story of this or that, even if I don't like the story. Even if I were watching a puppet show or even just listening to drama CDs, if the story is good I'd still enjoy it. The media are only secondary to the quality and grip of the story.

    6. Well it depends. What part of Japanese pop culture is attractive? Most foreigners only know anime and manga, and a few know anything about Japanese music. Even less know anything about other parts of the pop culture, such as gravure, dramas, manzai and comic acts, etc. These are all relevant and important parts of the pop culture, but if it's only anime, I hardly consider that a growing attraction. It's like saying the only thing I like about America is the NBA. Even if the NBA gets more and more popular worldwide, it doesn't really mean the attraction to American pop culture is getting bigger.

    7. Hard to answer this one. I'm more inclined to thinking that it's more like the other way around. Even if western culture started the whole animation thing and even comic strips and graphic novels, Japan took it and evolved it into something of their own. At some points, they are completely different. These days, though, western pop culture is starting to draw from the successes of Japanese pop culture, as you'll see in certain new American animation, graphic novels/comic strips, and even movies. American-made samurai and ninja movies, cartoons that use anime-style senses of humor and even borrowed artwork, and the like are pretty prevalent.

    It's hard to say that the west still holds any influence in Japan, since it's branched off too distantly. If there's anything, though, it'd be the style of some graphic novels. Masamune Shirow is an example. He started manga like Ghost in the Shell, with deep and serious storylines with a lot of plot twists and targetting more mature audiences, which is something that you'd see in a lot of American graphic novels.


    Hope that helps. Sorry for the somewhat biased-sounding responses. Your questions are a little hard to answer without putting out a biased standpoint, especially since I'm not in the west, and I don't do things like import or even watch anime like most people on this forum. Like you probably do to some extent, I actually know a lot about the Japanese pop culture, and I'm up to date even with the trends, even with the comic fads, and it isn't limited to just anime and manga. To say you like a [pop] culture or other means you have to understand everything about it. So I won't believe other people if they say that they like Japanese culture when the only thing they know about Japan is Naruto-style ninjas and sushi, like most foreigners do.

    No offense to anybody of course.

    下げ下げ下げ下げ

    In case any of you want to correct, question, comment on, or suggest anything to me regarding my translations or use of Japanese, please do. My sources of learning have all been listening to people and kinda forcing my brain to interpret, rather than actually translate like a dictionary.
    I understand I'll make many mistakes (I'd be surprised if I translate something mistake-free) but you have to understand that I'm doing my best.

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    1. What are your views of Japanese Pop culture and its differences compared to western culture (america, europe etc)?
    2. What do you prefer about Japanese Pop culture and what energy does it have that is different to western pop culture?
    I think it's pretty interesting. Honestly, I feel I relate to Japanese pop culture more though I am not Japanese. Maybe it's because I'm half Asian of Filipino/Chinese/Japanese descent is why I like it. I say they both have their own kinds of impact. Like in Japan, boy bands tend to be more appealing to all kinds of audiences from school children to retierees and are skilled actors and they write their own music. While with American boy bands, they are just mostly limited to teenage girls and sing the same crap over and over and have no diversity to their talent and music.

    To me, it gives me the kind of addiction that I'm looking for. It's catchy to me personally and I enjoy the themes some of the music videos have.

    It's very complicated to give a full explanation on it.

    3. Have you noticed to the increase in the growth of Japanese imports involving films, tv shows and anime/manga and the availability of them over the last 10 years?
    Well, yes, there is more anime than ever. It's more main stream than ever. Even libraries are carrying manga and anime DVDs!!! I also see Battle Royale, Azumi, Versus, the Returner, and Shinobi in the US now which is pretty cool. Though I wish they bring J-Doramas like Kurosagi, GTO, Gokusen, and Kinpachi-sensei to the US. Though I heard a station in Hawaii called Kiku-TV airs them.

    4. Why do you think there is an increase of anime/manga popularity?
    I say because of the promotion of such animes as DBZ and Pokemon now being marketed as gateways to animes. Though we had Voltron and Robotech as kids, audiences could recognize something different about them, but we really couldn't define what was different about it in a cultural sense. Or at least I couldn't. There was really no definition of anime and from what I recalled Voltron and Robotech were not promoted as shows originally from Japan and saying why it's sooo good.

    With Pokemon and Dragon Ball Z, it was promoted as already being a hit in other countries for years. Plus, Pokemon had that "seizure" incident in 1997 or 1998 and controversey creates cash. Because they were promoting the previous success DBZ and Pokemon had in Japan and other countries we were starting to have a demand for more anime.

    5. What do you like about anime/manga in general?
    I think it's something different. Like I said, I saw Voltron, Robotech, and Flying House as a kid and loved them. I thought it had unique art and story telling but just didn't really know why it was so distinctive until I saw Dragon Ball Z, Yuu Yuu Hakusho, Sailor Moon, and Slam Dunk in the Philippines almost 14 years ago. Before they even came to the US!! My cousins in the Philippines told me all about anime and those 4 became my gateway. I just loved the art style, the execution of the action, the story telling, and how it took animation to another extreme and love how diverse the story telling can be.

    6. Do you think the attraction of Japanese pop culture will keep getting bigger? If yes/no why?
    Well, try not to limit it to anime and manga. I feel they should adapt or bring over Japanese dramas. They are short but still have a touching story and touch modern day issues like education, marriage, finding acceptance, etc.

    With music. Fans recognize that regardless of knowledge of language, we still hear the excellent use of guitars and music and the kind of concerts jrock bands put on are pretty unique. Jay Chou, an actor and singer from Taiwan tried to break it into the west with his Chinese music. He lives by the philosophy that no matter what language music is in, language is universal.

    I say the attraction should not be based on anime and manga alone. Granted a huge majority of printed material is manga in Japan, I don't think they soley represent the society, culture, and pop culture of Japan. I believe there should be other mediums to help that. But as long as anime and manga are still being brought over, I say it can keep on growing, or it can fall.

    I honestly can't give an overall prediction.


    7. Obviously Japan has been influenced by western culture e.g Walt Disney. What western influences do you see in anime/manga?
    In the 1970s and 1980s, there have been european literature for kids adapted to anime. Such as the Three Musketeers, Heart (from Italy), Count of Monte Cristo, Dog of Flanders and some others. Hayao Miyazaki's works are hugely based on children's literature from other countires

    Oda, the creator of One Piece admitted his style was influenced by Tom and Jerry.
    Check out my anime reviews at: [URL="http://www.youtube.com/users/hajimenojmo[/URL] and http://blog.honeyfeed.fm/

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