WRONG ABOUT JAPAN

[defrog]

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of Japanese pop culture. And of course, I’m not the only Westerner who is. There are a number of reasons why, but a common one is that Japanese pop culture has a tendency to adopt Western pop culture and mash it up into something familiar yet different – sometimes to extremes.

This is pretty much the case with me – I like seeing my own pop culture appropriated, blended and repurposed as something fresh and different and creative that might never occur to anyone in the US to try.

But there are times when I suspect a lot of people like Japanese pop culture because they see it as some amusing batshit sideshow attraction where everyone does scary weird shit like marry their Nintendo DS girlfriend and read tentacle porn, oh ha ha those wacky foreigners, they’re so bizarre, they are not NORMAL people like us, isn’t that entertaining, etc.

Or maybe not. But look at the stateside coverage of the guy marrying his DS girlfriend, and the vibe tends to be anywhere from condescending to insulting with an “only in Japan” metatag slapped on it.

Anyway, Lisa Katayama (of the excellent TokyoMango blog) has written a interesting essay looking at why “Weird Japan” has a following out west, and the one thing that tends to be missing from some of the coverage and discussion: a sense of humor.

If you're one of those people who watched our wedding video between the man and his DS girlfriend and said things like: "He's such a loser" "He takes it too seriously LOL" and "God help this poor soul" — not to mention the racist comments about Japs and nukes and one-inch dicks — you just don't get it. You're not in on the joke. You're the one taking it too seriously, and you might be imposing your own biases and hang-ups on someone else's situation.

Being majime (too serious) is not cool in Japan; likewise it is important for voyeurs of Japanese culture to recognize that most everything pop-culture-y that is exported to the West comes at us with a wink. If you're all up in arms about it, then maybe the joke is on you.

The way I see it, Japanese popular culture is like abstract art. Both involve many components that can be interpreted in many ways. If you ask the artist what it means, he might say, "What do you think it means?" And whatever meaning you attach to it is more a reflection of who you are than the composition of the art itself.

Why so serious,

This is dF

Comments

[jasonfranks.livejournal.com]

I like Japanese pop culture because there are no rules.

Western fiction is now like clockwork. Three acts, good vs evil, blah blah. Japanese fiction is often subtle and sly and beautiful, and other times it's bugfuck berserk... sometimes both at once.

Craft and daring in massive abundance--that's why I like Japanese pop culture.

-- JF

[thelastaerie.livejournal.com]

I actually always see all those "weird" pop culture as an outlet for their repressed society. A Japanese can be outrageous and extreme in all these fun stuff, while acting straight as an arrow when he has to face the "real" world. So, the blogger has a point - the Japanese can separate the two, while the West think they are crazy or yeah, too serious.