Forum - View topicJapanese exceptionalism/chauvinism in anime, manga, etc.
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TcDohl
 Posts: 82 |
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I have noticed that there is a great amount of Japanese exceptionalism and chauvinism in Japanese media, not exclusive to anime and manga. One good example, Yakitate! Japan is a manga and anime that, though is not meant to be taken seriously, spends a great amount of time differentiating between what is "Japanese" and what is not. Japanese people are this, Americans are that, and so on. Japanese people are proud of their long history, heritage, and culture, but then again, what other country isn't? I realize that this is a product of Japan's monoculture and social uniformity, which restricts the sharing and exchange of ideas and knowledge. But I'm not just talking about nationalism, like in Code Geass. It's like many Japanese think themselves as the most exceptional people on the planet because they are simply too ignorant of what is outside their borders, with a knowledge of foreign cultures on par with, or lower than Americans (sorry).
This goes beyond the sphere of culture, this fact permeates into many facets of Japanese life. For example, Though the much-hyped Blue Dragon is a Japanese game, it simply did not sell as well as many of its contemporaries, simply for the fact that it is on the XBox360, and American console. Sony refuses to adhere to international standards, so they create the Sony Memory Stick, which punishes Sony owners with double the price of any other flash memory card. Mini-Disc, ATRAC, Beta, Sony simply must be exceptional simply because it is Japanese. Okay, what are other examples of Japanese exceptionalism that you have seen in Japanese media? What are your thoughts on the rant? |
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MorwenLaicoriel
 Posts: 1617 Location: Colorado |
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I agree that the Japanese tend to have an "us and the world" mentality. I mean, they even have a seperate alphabet for foreign words. They also have a bad tendancy to fall prey to sterotypes. I remember one character on Katamari Damacy called "American Guy"--the fattest person in the game (except for maybe the sumo wrestlers--maybe), blond, wearing jeans and a white shirt with an American flag on it.
Although I agree that Americans are pretty bad with sterotypes, too. I mean, we still think all Indians wear turbans and live in huts. |
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Keonyn
 Subscriber Posts: 5567 Location: Coon Rapids, MN |
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Every society has its dark side, Japan is no exception just as we are no exception. A lot of societies do this to some degree, but yes, I must admit Japan really does seem to take it a step above most. But, as I said every society has its dark side and this is one of Japan's, our societies certainly aren't perfect either.
I do fear the Japanophiles will hit this thread soon though, the end result could be catastrophic. |
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smoochy
 Posts: 367 Location: Texas |
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Zipang is an example of this.
But it doesn't really bother me, I don't take superiorty complexes seriously. |
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Asako
 Posts: 751 Location: Hawaii |
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I'd really like to comment.. but I would rather like to see references to where you're receiving the information.
I know the Xbox 360 didn't do well in Japan, but where was it said that the Blue Dragon game did poorly because it was for an American console? |
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omar235
 Posts: 1572 Location: Florida, Jacksonvile |
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One would asume that they would have to buy the console to play the game and if they didn't buy the console then the sales of the game may have been just as bad over there...unless it came out for the computer (hmm did it come out for another console, if it did then I guess one couldn't assume the sales where poor  ). I guess they could do what some do here (like my friend) and come over to other people houses and play the game on that persons Xbox 360 (like my friend does to me, he should at least call or something  )
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Steve Berry
Posts: 522 Location: San Francisco Bay Area, CA |
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Oh, I'm sure there's a xenophobic aspect to Japanese culture-- why should it be any different from a host of other countries?
I don't see it that much though, IMO, in anime, but perhaps I'm not watching the right stuff-- I haven't, for instance, watched Code Glass. I have, however, watched Zipang! and I thought it was a very level-headed view of that portion of the WW2-- rather morally ambiguous, rather critical of the Japanese war effort (while, of course, highlighting those historical figures that were more forward thinking), and, even with the Americans being "the bad guys" I thought we were never really villified in the show, nor made out as simple stereotypes (keeping in mind the very very limited amount of time the Americans are given onscreen). I mean, I could think up endless very popular American movies that are very jingoist, xenophobic, or patriotic-- everything from Armageddon to Rambo to the horribly stereotypical (and to me offensive, frankly) portrayal of the japanese in, say, Pretty in Pink or Breakfast at Tiffanys come to mind just off the top of my head. I'm not saying that Japanese culture doesn't have its issues to too, but, to me, it's never really stood out any more than the US has. |
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chicogrande
 Posts: 190 Location: Huntsville, Alabama |
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This is nothing new. The people of any country can brag about their culture once in a while. I for one think that recent anime like Kamichu! and (maybe I'm stretching it) Ghost in the Shell TV season 1 are about cultural-ego stroking. There is a lot competition out there and Japan may have a bit of a complex sitting right next to huge ol' China (not to mention missile-chucking North Korea).
Last edited by chicogrande on Sun Jan 14, 2007 11:22 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Ohoni
Posts: 3421 |
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I agree with your general point, and I cannot stand to watch Code Geass because it's SO jingoistic, but I do have to point out a flaw in your logic re: Sony. Yes, Sony is jerks because they try to create all these wacky storage formats, but it's not a Japanese thing, it's a money thing. When one of these standards DOES take off, the company that develops it makes money on each unit sold. That REALLY adds up.
So for example JVC got a cut of every VHS tape made, and Phillips got a cut out of every CD made. So what Sony keeps trying to do is create usch a ubiquitous storage medium that the royalties keep rolling in, they just keep failing at it, usually by making the better, but overpriced version of a thing, while someone else makes a perfectly adequate version that they can sell at half the price. 
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Porcupine
 Posts: 1033 |
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If what you guys say about Japanese xenophobism/stereotyping is true, I think that is interesting. I'm a Japanese person myself but I grew up in America, can't speak Japanese at all, and had very little Japanese influence growing up (didn't really watch anime until college). Yet relative to most people I am fairly xenophobic and stereotype-prone (this doesn't target only Americans...I also stereotype and/or often dislike Chinese people, Korean things, etc). I wouldn't go so far as to say I am totally racist or bigoted, but my feelings on this matter do approach that level at times, and I won't back down on my feelings which I've formed due to past experiences in life.
If there were a nation filled with all mes it would probably be just as bad as most people seem to think Japan is, if not worse. If anything, Japanese people like to hide things I think, so they may actually be quite a bit more xenophobic than people even realize. Perhaps this is partially genetic...not necessarily the xeno/stereotype issue directly, but a matter of genetic personality differences, on average, between different nationalities of people...which in turn leads to a cautious outlook on people of other races. |
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Steve Berry
Posts: 522 Location: San Francisco Bay Area, CA |
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Does anyone else think the can of worms has been opened yet? ;}
I'm not trying to be an apologist for the Japanese (there are obvious issues going on re: atrocities committed in WW2, etc that I think should be recognized-- that the US doesn't have its own), but I guess I'm looking for other concrete examples of their xenophobic jingoist tendencies. This thread has been very vague so far, for people to be throwing around what I would term as pretty harsh criticisms of a culture. I'm curious though-- just waiting for some more convincing examples. |
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CrockPot
 Posts: 75 Location: Jackson, MS |
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Steve I don't know if this is exactly the kind of thing you are looking for but the one thing that I remember really jumping out at me as being 'out of place' in what I felt was an insulting way, was in ROD the TV, where they had the American president wet himself publicly...Twice I think.
I liked ROD a lot but the way the American President was shown always just seemed so 'off' compared to how other personalities were treated. |
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The Seventh Son
Posts: 380 Location: Where your missing socks end up. |
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if you look at little kids, theyll play along fine with everyone. if theyve never encountered a certain ethnicity before, theyll be nervous. but thats not racism. racism is what the PARENTS and SOCIETY drill into the kids, who have easily influenced minds. and when there are kids in the same agegroup, theres always someone who is the leader. the leader forms certain opinions and everyone follows. one leader has certain opinions he got from parents or life experiences, and then you get a following. this can lead to some bad stuff. holocaust anyone?
but can attitudes ALSO be genetic? yes, SOMETIMES. key word there. yes much of it is learned through experience, but consider twins. there have been twins that were separated since birth. when reunited, they were clones of each other in almost every way. some difference from upbringing, but there will be stuff like music interests, skills with certain things, favorite foods, personal tastes in other subjects.... so is it possible? yes. not likely, but it can happen. |
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AirCooledMan_2006
 Posts: 594 Location: Delaware, U.S. |
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Well, you must remember that Japan isn't as diverse as America is. Because of their racially homogeneous social structure, they've never had a civil rights movement. Add to this the fact that they were cut off from the rest of the world for over two centuries (From the end of the Japanese Civil War in the early 1600s until 1853, when U.S. Navy Admiral Matthew Perry reopened the country), and you get more basis for their racial ignorance. Imagine this: You're a Japanese person going to school and working in Japan. Would you expect to learn about sensitivity to "different" people? No, because there AREN'T any "different" people around. You'd most likely live out your entire life without seeing a person of another race, and as such you'd pretty much remain ignorant of cultural sensitivity to other people. It's why black characters in Japanese kid's shows are drawn in the "Sambo" style akin to blackface, as well as why anime often gets away with wholesale racism altogether. So it's not so much racism as it is racial ignorance. |
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TcDohl
Posts: 82 |
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Okay, someone's opened the "nature vs. nurture" can of worms. This really shouldn't be about that. Racism and prejudice is something that is socialized into a person. May I ask, like what Dave Chappelle has asked, what is skin colour to a blind person?
Also, people seem to be confusing culture and society. Firstly, culture is not society. Society can influence culture, and vice versa, but they are totally separate entities. Secondly, racism is not prejudice. What The Seventh Son is describing is prejudice. Racism is when a prejudiced person actually acts on it and denies people who the person is prejudiced against things that the person would normally have. Hope that made sense. Steve Berry, one example in Yakitate! Japan would include saying that Westerners produce more saliva than the Japanese, so that they like x bread more. (I dunno, haven't read/watched Y!J) |
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