Forum - View topic

NEWS: Yumi Nakata's Chu-Bra!! Manga Gets Anime Green-Lit

It should be noted that Japanese high school system is divided up into 2 parts: first 3 years and last 3 years. The last 3 years is often called "high school" while the first 3 years is often called "middle school".

Anyways, with all the whining and bashing going on here, I can only point out cultural relativism. A lot of you guys sound like the first westerners and missionaries to arrive in Japan upon finding out that nearly all of the onsen were mixed gender of all ages.

That's a laugh. What do you think the reaction of the average Japanese (non-otaku) citizen is to this stuff? Do all the people lauding stuff like this think that otaku have some sort of enviable status in Japanese society? Cultural relativism? You're right, things are different in Japan. Show the average US resident this stuff and they would think it was made for perverts. But in Japan it's very different; show this to the average Japanese resident and they would think it was made for hentai or chikan. It's a whole different world I tell you.

configspace wrote:

It should be noted that Japanese high school system is divided up into 2 parts: first 3 years and last 3 years. The last 3 years is often called "high school" while the first 3 years is often called "middle school". Anyways, with all the whining and bashing going on here, I can only point out cultural relativism. A lot of you guys sound like the first westerners and missionaries to arrive in Japan upon finding out that nearly all of the onsen were mixed gender of all ages.

That's a laugh. What do you think the reaction of the average Japanese (non-otaku) citizen is to this stuff? Do all the people lauding stuff like this think that otaku have some sort of enviable status in Japanese society? Cultural relativism? You're right, things are different in Japan. Show the average US resident this stuff and they would think it was made for perverts. But in Japan it's very different; show this to the average Japanese resident and they would think it was made for hentai or chikan. It's a whole different world I tell you.

hissatsu01 wrote:

That's a laugh. What do you think the reaction of the average Japanese (non-otaku) citizen is to this stuff? Do all the people lauding stuff like this think that otaku have some sort of enviable status in Japanese society? Cultural relativism? You're right, things are different in Japan. Show the average US resident this stuff and they would think it was made for perverts. But in Japan it's very different; show this to the average Japanese resident and they would think it was made for hentai or chikan. It's a whole different world I tell you.

Have you read it or not?

It's just a bit more mature than Naisho no Tsubomi. No big deal, folks.

Of course, they don't have an enviable position. But as far as what you assume would be people's reactions, I'm telling you that you're plain wrong. Most of reaction to the manga would simply be indifference.

configspace wrote:

Of course, they don't have an enviable position. But as far as what you assume would be people's reactions, I'm telling you that you're plain wrong. Most of reaction to the manga would simply be indifference.

I'm going to have to disagree. Considering one of the negative stereotypes of otaku in Japan is that they're all into anime/manga porn (blame it on the coverage of that serial killer otaku named Miyazaki - no relation to Hayao), telling them you're into a manga about middle school girl's panties is probably not the best way to win a popularity contest.

hissatsu01 wrote:

I'm going to have to disagree. Considering one of the negative stereotypes of otaku in Japan is that they're all into anime/manga porn (blame it on the coverage of that serial killer otaku named Miyazaki - no relation to Hayao), telling them you're into a manga about middle school girl's panties is probably not the best way to win a popularity contest.

First I'll remind you again that middle school in Japan is not the same age range as middle school in US. It's equivalent to junior-high to US high school freshman. That said, sure, if you describe it as a purely panty fetish title of course, you're not going to get a favorable reaction. But if you describe it as a show about the lives of school girls involving ero situational comedy, a coming-of-age discovery about funny and explicit matters of sex, no one would care.

The whole point is that the culture at large does not have this knee-jerk, violent reaction matters of this kind in general. As I noted in the metro-con thread, there's this mainstream puritanical attitude in the US, that's not as prevalent most elsewhere in the world. There are mounds of current, historical, and real anecdotal evidence about how the whole topic of general is much less than a taboo than people here make it out to be, from the aforementioned onsen example, to mainstream game shows featuring jiggling teen idol boobs, to blogs (see older entries of http://gaijinsmash.net for his experiences as a middle school teacher), to legal marriage at 15, to oppai shaped cookies, to annual fertility festivals like here and here (maybe nsfw depending on your perspective), etc.

Shouldn't stuff like this be BANNED? I mean, anime should focus on more serious, more realistic issues in life and NOT be abused and NOT focus on nothing but moe, lolicon, useless hentai, fan-service and fetishes! We don't NEED an anime about a girl who has a fetish for lacey undergarments! Why can't there be an anime about World War II (Tezuka's Adolf is an example), The Civil War, autism (Tobe's With The Light is an example), the aftermath of Kennedy's assassination, the Vietnam war, slavery, or all that stuff?!?

It should be noted that Japanese high school system is divided up into 2 parts: first 3 years and last 3 years. The last 3 years is often called "high school" while the first 3 years is often called "middle school".

Anyways, with all the whining and bashing going on here, I can only point out cultural relativism. A lot of you guys sound like the first westerners and missionaries to arrive in Japan upon finding out that nearly all of the onsen were mixed gender of all ages.

Everything paints it as fan-service heavy fluff. Is that somehow off?

I haven't read Chu-Bra.

I'm assuming you have,

but just about nobody else in the thread, on either side appears to have read it either.

Everything paints it as fan-service heavy fluff. Is that somehow off?

I'm going to have to disagree. Considering one of the negative stereotypes of otaku in Japan is that they're all into anime/manga porn (blame it on the coverage of that serial killer otaku named Miyazaki - no relation to Hayao),

telling them you're into a manga about middle school girl's panties is probably not the best way to win a popularity contest.

The US imported/imposed some of its puritanism post WW2.

I guess if it were in Shounen Jump it might be titilating to boys

In fact a large portion of Shonen Jump sales is now supported by fujoshi, fantasizing Naruto and his fellow ninja boys and so on.

hissatsu01 wrote:

I haven't read Chu-Bra.

Good. Shut up then. Don't criticize something that you have absolutely no idea of.

hissatsu01 wrote:

I'm assuming you have,

Guess who had added it to the Encyclopedia 14-months ago.

hissatsu01 wrote:

but just about nobody else in the thread, on either side appears to have read it either.

Like if I care.

hissatsu01 wrote:

Everything paints it as fan-service heavy fluff. Is that somehow off?

It looks like you've never read Naisho no Tsubomi either. And yes, it is quite off.

hissatsu01 wrote:

I'm going to have to disagree. Considering one of the negative stereotypes of otaku in Japan is that they're all into anime/manga porn (blame it on the coverage of that serial killer otaku named Miyazaki - no relation to Hayao),

How long have you been in the cave, Mr. Master O. T. Obvious? The stereotype of otaku is now Densha Otoko, not Tsutomu M.

You do know his given name don't you?

hissatsu01 wrote:

telling them you're into a manga about middle school girl's panties is probably not the best way to win a popularity contest.

In fact, Japanese middle schoolers are more into manga like this one, which has spoiler[a sex scene in a Ferris wheel car]; another title from the same author has a spoiler[sexual assault scene]. A Japanese mom found a copy of ShoComi in her 14-year-old daughter's closet and panicked, calling authorities and demanding it to be labeled as a "harmful book."

Coincidentally, neither series has been licensed in North America, but they are readily available in Asian and European countries, not to mention the author will visit Taiwan in August.

hissatsu01 wrote:

The US imported/imposed some of its puritanism post WW2.

Such as intentionally importing movies with kissing scenes? Either my source of information (a Discovery Channel episode interviewing the last surviving member of designers of Japan's post-WWII constitution) or yours is wrong.

hissatsu01 wrote:

Everything paints it as fan-service heavy fluff. Is that somehow off?

Weirdly enough, it is off.
I’ve been pondering whether to bother posting anything about that. I mean, the author and/or publisher obviously wants to promote it as a “sexy jr. high kids, teehee” comic with that title and catchphrase, so contradicting that seems a little silly, but despite that and despite running in a men’s magazine, the actual comic has way less "naughtiness" than, say, To-LOVE-ru. (Comic High! has always been a bit of an odd magazine. Their original catchphrase was, “girls’ comics for men.”)

It’s mostly kids sitting around talking matter-of-factly about underwear designs and clothes, with some light "Is this love??" coming-of-age romance stuff. I guess if it were in Shounen Jump it might be titilating to boys, but in Comic High! alongside stuff like Bro-con!, Hiiragi Elementary School Romance Club, and Kodomo no Jikan, it comes off as pretty mild.

I find it rather boring, but we’ve seen examples of not-particularly-interesting comics turned into enjoyable cartoons (K-ON!), so who knows? *shrug*