Turning Japanese
Filed under: CultureCue really annoying pop rock tune…
Hello Kitty, chicken teriyaki, kimono, Tomorrowland, hentai… I could go on and on. The list of things I love about Japan is probably endless (I was kidding about the hentai) but something has been happening lately that I’ve found rather irritating…
Still there’s a small part of me that’s happy it’s happening; it’s the recent Japanese “boom” that’s hit the western world. Now I realise, that there are people out there who have always been a fan of all things Japanese; even before it became popular. So if you’re one of them then you may relate to what I’m going to bitch about.
I’ve been a fan of all thing Japanese for a long time now, in fact I’ve been a fan since I was a little girl. Living in Thailand, anime and manga where common; so for me it was a way of life rather than a “life style”. I grew up watching Doremon, Sailor Moon… It influenced a lot of my growing up. Japanese food was also readily available; I was eating sashimi from the early age of eight, and didn’t think that consuming raw fish was anything unusual.
To my parents dismay though, I never grew out of (or up for that matter) anime and manga. I still enjoy it to this very day. However now that I’m no longer a teenager and not in Asia anymore, I’ve started to feel a little embarrassed about my “appreciation”. Not because it’s anything to be embarrassed about, heck grown men (and women) were reading marvel long before the craze! No, it’s because of the new generation of fans that this boom has spawned…
A new strain of geek
Now I know liking comics and watching cartoons has always been a little geeky anyway, even the Asians admit it; but something has happened to this strain of geek. It’s been deformed into a cringe worthy, achingly sad shadow of it’s former harmless self, that I no longer recognise. This has left me feeling a little robbed and more than a little irritated. Since when has anime/manga had a age limit? Did I miss the fucking memo? Obviously I have, because a couple of months ago, two girls (no older than 15) sniggered when I casually recommended the manga “Death Note” to my friend in Waterstones.
This manga (for those who know) is not what I would describe as a children’s comic. In fact I believe it deals with some issues that are very adult; so the reaction from those two girls really annoyed me. I call them“Fascist fans”. Now another type of fan that annoys me is the “Super fan”. The crazy, cos playing, fan writing, merchandise buying, line reciting fan. It’s the image most people conjure up when they think of anime/manga fans; hell it’s an archetypal geek! It makes me (a normal, healthy fan) look and feel bad. However I try to remember that, most of these fans are quite young; and who didn’t have an obsession (of some sort) when they were that age? Hey at least they are spending all their time and money on fabric and feathers, than drugs and cigarettes.
On the subject of cos play…just don’t
On the subject of cos play and Japanese style; thanks to the likes of Gwen Stefani (who I actually like) and some other influences, fashions like Harujuku style and Gothic Lolita have also become famous. My reaction? Oh. Dear. God. If you’re Asian then it’s OK, don’t ask me why but only Asians can get away with it (and even then they have to be above average cute). How come? Well how do I put this delicately..? Because big boned, pasty arsed, American teenagers, wearing a frilly ribbon mutated maid costume (complete with lacey alice band) and platform heels; burn my retinas. It’s tricky to get right and soo many people get it wrong. I could go on all day but seeing as I’ve written another post about it, you can go check it out there.
Back to the subject though; nowadays I feel compelled to purchase my graphic novels in secret and watch my series in private, for fear of being labeled or stereotyped. On the other hand, I’m happy that such a wonderful culture has reached more people; I smile every time I see sushi packs sitting next to sandwiches and manga in high street bookstores. It’s nice that people are more accepting; this is partial thanks to the rise in marvel/comic movies being made, saying it’s alright to enjoy geeky movies. So even though I have to keep my hobby hidden, I guess it’s a small price to pay for social awareness.
P.S. This however does not change the fact that I think I’m a robotic cat alien, who has magical princess transformation powers.
