Why are we so enamored of the Japanese?

Chardok · Post by **Chardok** » 2007-10-20 03:28pm

Specifically, the U.S., but other countries are just as bad.

Of course, I'm talking about Anime, Ninjas, the OMFG I WISH THEY WOULD RELEASE ULTRAFIGHT COMBO POWER DRAGON 7 IN THE US crowd, Otaku, Manga, and anime. Also anime. Catgirls. What the hell?

When did it happen and why does it persist? Maybe it's just the circles that I move in that I'm hyper exposed to this..err...phenomenon, but I mean...why?

Havok · Post by **Havok** » 2007-10-20 03:31pm

I think it is just the nerd population that is obsessed.

Ninjas are just plain fucking cool though.

Nephtys · Post by **Nephtys** » 2007-10-20 03:33pm

kawaii ^______^

You mean that? That's geek stuff. It's different. Most other people would be interested in asian (not necessarilly japanese) culture for it's different-ness in our collective imaginations.

SilverWingedSeraph · Post by **SilverWingedSeraph** » 2007-10-20 03:35pm

I don't know why, on the whole, really. I'm not particularly enamoured with japan, like some obsessive otaku who are like ZOMG I WANT TO BE JAPANESE. Goddamn weeaboos...

But I do, mostly just by coincidence, happen to be fond of many things of japanese origin. I'm a big fan of anime, because, well... anime are basically cartoons that aren't just for kids. Or some of them, anyway, as opposed to the (less prevalent now) Western idea that animated films/television series are mostly for children.

I like sushi, but that's just a personal thing. I've always been a big fan of seafood, and I was surprised to discover raw fish tasted quite a deal better than I thought it would.

And seriously, who doesn't like ninjas?

Fingolfin_Noldor · Post by **Fingolfin_Noldor** » 2007-10-20 03:36pm

Chardok wrote:Specifically, the U.S., but other countries are just as bad.

Of course, I'm talking about Anime, Ninjas, the OMFG I WISH THEY WOULD RELEASE ULTRAFIGHT COMBO POWER DRAGON 7 IN THE US crowd, Otaku, Manga, and anime. Also anime. Catgirls. What the hell?

When did it happen and why does it persist? Maybe it's just the circles that I move in that I'm hyper exposed to this..err...phenomenon, but I mean...why?

Because no one makes that sort of cartoons in the US anymore?

Covenant · Post by **Covenant** » 2007-10-20 03:38pm

Ninjas are cool, so they persist. Samurai, Kung Fu, Russians with big Hats, Creepy Germans with Slicked Blonde Hair, Vikings, Robots, and so on are also cool--and they persist too.

Anime is a cartoon made for teens. If they made a version of GI-Joe that was meant for a 16-20 year old demographic, and included eyecandy and blood, I'm sure people would like that too. The popularity of relatively shittily made Adult Swim cartoons cannot only be tied to the popularity of weed amongst college students. There's a market for cartoons for people of all ages.

Catgirls... no idea. I guess it's the idea of a cute girl thing that'll curl up in your lap, be attractive while also being so stupid you need to care for it, and be utterly and completely pliable to your deviant sexual impulses that turns on men afraid of actual female contact. Other than that, I have no idea. I'm not a cat person, or a cat-person.

Ultrafight Combo Fighter is just that there's some fucking wacky games in Japan. And if you happen to be a fan of Ultrafight 5 or something, you might want them to release it here. I'd say that's mostly Otakudom, but there ARE some fun games that are Japanese only, or were, that are fun to play.

Big Orange · Post by **Big Orange** » 2007-10-20 03:40pm

We geeks are more obessed with Japanese culture more than it perhaps deserves to be, when it has a very, very black streak of nastiness running through it's core and they allow such unnecessary brutality in their society.

Jack Bauer · Post by **Jack Bauer** » 2007-10-20 03:42pm

What's worse than nerdy fanboys beating their dicks off to preadolescent looking anime girls is nerdy fanboys who go to Japan to try to pick up Japanese chicks.

They hope the language barrier and the fact that they look "exotic" will help compensate for their social awkwardness and inability to relate to women back in their countries.

Think of a 40 year old virgin who thinks that a submissive Japnanese girl in a kimono represents the ideal "feminine" type because in fact he can't get any woman elsewhere.

Superman · Post by **Superman** » 2007-10-20 04:53pm

I'm sure as hell not. I lived and worked there for a time. My wife is also Japanese. The novelty of it wore off pretty quickly for me (the culture, not my wife), and now I just see it as being really fucking weird.

Jack Bauer wrote:What's worse than nerdy fanboys beating their dicks off to preadolescent looking anime girls is nerdy fanboys who go to Japan to try to pick up Japanese chicks.

You are correct, sir. I saw this a lot in college. The nerdy dudes who had zero chance with any American girl would often try to pick up on the foreign Japanese student babes. It usually didn't work though; their nerdiness knew no cultural bounds.

They hope the language barrier and the fact that they look "exotic" will help compensate for their social awkwardness and inability to relate to women back in their countries.

Muaha! Exactly. It was also like they were trying to "trick" them.

Think of a 40 year old virgin who thinks that a submissive Japnanese girl in a kimono represents the ideal "feminine" type because in fact he can't get any woman elsewhere.

Yeah, instead of trying to stop and figure out what the hell is wrong with his own thinking, he somehow decides that a Japanese girl is the way to go. I think the reality of the situation is that these nerdy types have a problem with relationships, and Japanese women become an overblown, and pathetic, fantasy. These problems don't go away though; I remember one or two nerds who managed to date a couple Japanese students. The girls didn't stick with them for very long.

By the way, if anyone else around here is considering marrying a Japanese woman... get ready to have the notion of them being "submissive" destroyed.

une · Post by **une** » 2007-10-20 05:09pm

It's the cartoons and the video games. It's really as simple as that.

Big Phil · Post by **Big Phil** » 2007-10-20 06:26pm

I'm not sure anybody with a maturity level greater than that of a 16 year old male virgin is obsessed with Japan. Most people, once they grow up, may still retain their affection or interest in things they once obsessed over, but generally they grow out of the teenage wanking phase. I know plenty of adults who like Japan, or Japanese culture, literature, art, or games, but they're not obsessed. A 30 or 40 something wanking over ninjas or godzilla or video games is a sad sight to behold.

Mr. T · Post by **Mr. T** » 2007-10-20 06:40pm

Japan probably has one of the largest entertainment industry's outside of the U.S so it's only natural that some of their entertainment is inevitably exported in to the U.S and the rest of the world.

Ubiquitous · Post by **Ubiquitous** » 2007-10-20 06:51pm

I can safely say that I do not share the love-fest of the Japanese. The twats in their government still refuse to apologise adequately for what they did to my great grandfather and thousands of other British soldiers they captured during WW2. It is deeply offensive to my family, and is something that I will never forget - because I know my great grandfather certainly never forgot the horrors he endured when he was alive.

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » 2007-10-20 07:00pm

I like Shogun that's about the extent of my interest in Japanese culture. I never really understood the fascination with anime and the various other oddities. One thing that puzzles me is a friend who had Japanese parents who actually migrated from Japan to Canada before she was born and her father left her mother for a younger woman. My friend explained to me that this is very common in Japan as it shows that the aging male is still competative and masculine.

Anyone know if this is true or if she was snowing me?

Pelranius · Post by **Pelranius** » 2007-10-20 07:01pm

The only things Japanese that I happen to be fond of besides food is those walkie bit toys and films by the Studio Ghilbi.

Post by **Broomstick** » 2007-10-20 07:28pm

It's not a new phenomena.

My parents have told me about a faddish interest in Japan post-WWII - the US became quite interested in Japanese food (not sushi - it was saganaki and tempura back then, cooked stuff) and cultural aspects. My mom took Japanese flower arrangement classes for a time, and at the time she'd never been outside of the greater St. Louis area in her life.

Back then, I think there was some influence from servicemen returning from the war having tales of exotic lands which, my relatives tell me, the younger untraveled generation found a LOT more fascinating than the guys who actually been shot at by the Japanese. Also, we owned Japan at the time, even if we eventually gave it back, and I think there was some interest in this strange (to us) land that we now controlled. The US has this weird habit of idealizing the people they conquer - Native Americans, Japanese, whatever - once those "funny-looking" folks are no longer a threat.

The fascination with things Japanese started post-WWII and never entirely went away, it just changed form over the years as we continued to maintain relations and trade with Japan. When I was young it had mutated to things like Speed Racer and Hello Kitty and wanking over martial arts and samurais. Now it's animie and video games. No doubt some of the attraction to young men has always been the extent to which Japanese society is oriented to the benefit of men - women are much less obsessed with things Japanese, even when they are interested in Japanese culture.

Starglider · Post by **Starglider** » 2007-10-20 07:38pm

Broomstick wrote:The US has this weird habit of idealizing the people they conquer - Native Americans, Japanese, whatever

But not Germany, AFAIK. Germany has plenty of culture that was there before and after the Nazis, but the US didn't seem to be interested. Not exotic enough perhaps.

Styphon · Post by **Styphon** » 2007-10-20 07:43pm

I'm confused... why does being a Godzilla fanboy automatically mean I love the whole damn country?

To counter this assumption: I dislike Japanese horror movies (and the terrible American remakes they spawn), despise samurai wank, and absolutely HATE this "research whaling" crap they've got going.

Sidewinder · Post by **Sidewinder** » 2007-10-20 07:46pm

What I admire about the Japanese is the fact that when they realize there's something they must do, they do their hardest to do that something, and THEY DON'T GIVE UP. Witness the nation's transformation from a medieval society to an industrial one during Emperor Meiji's reign, or the astounding rebound after the destruction of World War II.

Of course, the fact that Japanese artists tend to draw cuter girls than American ones, also helps.

Zim · Post by **Zim** » 2007-10-20 08:25pm

It's probably a fascination with the exotic. There are romanticized versions of everything which is considered foreign. But the fascination isn't limited to just westerners. Ever wonder why in anime all the characters are Western styled? That's because the reverse is probably true for the Japanese.

Wait... does that mean the fan boys are obsessed with another culture's obsession with us?[/url]

Mlenk · Post by **Mlenk** » 2007-10-20 08:27pm

Mr. T wrote:Japan probably has one of the largest entertainment industry's outside of the U.S so it's only natural that some of their entertainment is inevitably exported in to the U.S and the rest of the world.

Correct. Japan is the 2nd largest exporter of pop culture only behind the US. This according to some entertainment news I was reading the other day.

AniThyng · Post by **AniThyng** » 2007-10-20 08:56pm

Broomstick wrote:No doubt some of the attraction to young men has always been the extent to which Japanese society is oriented to the benefit of men - women are much less obsessed with things Japanese, even when they are interested in Japanese culture.

Insofar as anime and manga and video games in concerned at least, the rough percentage of girls interested in them on a casual level does seem relatively high, though admitedly female otaku (actually, female geeks and nerds in general) never sink to as low a level as thier male counterparts - I think that's more of a female thing, not a "otaku" thing par se.

I mean seriously. Yaoi? Hello Kitty? Bishounen? ^________^;;;;;

Girly stuff all there.

Oh yeah. And japanese gothlic lolita stuff. big market there.

But then again, the japanese culture at heart just copied and bastardized my own anyway, so it's not a huge leap

*

*diclaimer: statement made in jest, debate about the nuances and the differences between chinese and japanese culture not really wanted

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2007-10-20 09:02pm

I like some anime, I find Asian girls in general cute to look at and the bizarre culture just catches my attention like any oddity. I wouldn't mind visiting, even considered doing a year teaching English until I found out what a slave trade that thing was for gaijin. So while I can like a fair few parts of their culture, I'm not exactly wanking daily over the rising sun flag or spending a significant amount of my income on Far Eastern pursuits.

Plus, I also had a grandfather who fought in Burma and got a collapsed lung and malaria thanks to the country, though I don't hold that against the current generation. I do wish the Govt. would get over itself and accept that they are NOT fucking whiter than white martyrs to a noble cause who had to get their hands dirty because of the evil Westerners.

I have to admit, having friends who cosplay and are really into, say, Japanese RPGs or J-pop is a bit disorienting. I find myself swinging from disliking Western and then Japanese pop culture depending on who I interact with, almost like playing Devil's advocate.

Watch any season of Jonathan Ross' Japanorama. You'll see the loved and the unloved parts of that culture in each programme.

Jack Bauer · Post by **Jack Bauer** » 2007-10-20 09:11pm

What's most annoying is how nerdy fanboys / girls will go ape-shit over J-Pop and yet despise American pop.

As if J-Pop was any less fake, whiny, and cloying.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2007-10-20 09:23pm

I figure they want something different, as in, they want something with different lyrics and looks. Not that it's different as in it's "good" or "original".

Gackt fans are the worst.

StarDestroyer.Net BBS

Why are we so enamored of the Japanese?

Why are we so enamored of the Japanese?

Re: Why are we so enamored of the Japanese?