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In great many animes I've watch all character seems to be very afraid of catching a cold. Its like: "Quickly, to the bombshelters, its raining we might catch a cold!"

There are only two reasonable answers I can come up with either:

A: All anime characters (and japanese?) suffer from Cheimaphobia or Cheimatophobia- Fear of cold.

or

B: Its like that everywhere except here in Norway, Because I've hardly heard of anyone who wont go outside because of The Cold. Maybe if I suggested skinny dipping in a blizzard...

Acutally my mom once complained that it was too hot in my room because she insisted that too abrupt tempretaure changes would give me a cold.

[EDIT: A bit of an odd topic, so I added the [OT] label. I'm not sure if this will generate some kind of cultural discussion or something, so I'll leave it around for now. -TK]

Well...I think it depends on the person. I, for one, don't care what it's doing outside...i'll run around in the rain half naked and not be worried about getting a cold. A lot of people do, however, say you'll catch a cold.
Even though, as everyone should know by now, being in the rain or the cold does not cause a cold...it only makes you more susceptible to catching one.

Anyway, in reference to anime, i've noticed in a few anime series they worry about catching a cold, but I think it's just a reference to how some people are...or just cultures in general. In Japan, I beleive that during flu season some people wear facemasks if they are sick to prevent spreading germs. (Maybe this is another culture, correct me if I am wrong.) However, I've lived in a few different places in the United States and I've never even heard of anyone wearing a facemask to prevent spreading germs. I guess it's just more of a issue or concern in other parts of the world.

LOLZ, I've noticed this exact same thing in anime, to the point where it's 90% predictable when characters will say stuff like, "You'd better take a bath before you catch a cold" or "you'd better take those wet clothes off before you catch cold" or "I'd better take my clothes off and warm you with my body heat so that you don't get a cold" (Ah, Ai yori aoshi... Rolling Eyes

it's actually a cute scene, though)--I think the word that they use for "cold", kaze, is a "catch-all" word that refers to colds, the flu, and all sorts of minor viruses and ailments.

(It could also be an excuse for fanservice sometimes, like in an Ichigo 100% OVA where spoiler[Drab Male Lead #378 and one of the girls have to run through the rain and take shelter in some cabin. Of course, they have to remove some clothes to avoid the dreaded cold. Of course, like the rest of the Ichigo 100% series, nothing significant happens Twisted Evil

])

I'm honestly stumped on this, because I live in the Midwestern U.S., where it gets cold and rainy fairly often, and I've never encountered the kind of paranoia that anime characters (I won't go as far as "The Japanese in general) seem to have.

Some characters might have legitimate cause to be afraid...Like Tohru in Fruits Basket, who is constantly worried about the Sohmas catching colds, for instance. In chapter 80-something of the manga, it's revealed that spoiler[her dad died of a "cold" or pneumonia or something], so she has some reason to be concerned.

The reason I posted this was in hope that someone had an explanation because often characters will make strange choices. In Elfen lied:spoiler[Yuka wants to help Kouta search for Nyuu but he says that she mustnt go out because she recently had a shower. He was obviously just looking for a reason not to bring her but the strange thing is she accepted it. As if that would kill her.]

I just cant understand why something that silly can affect characters decisions that much.

They're certainly not talking about "cold" (no: kulde), but "a cold" (no: forkjølelse).

Specifically, they're using the Japanese term 風邪 (kaze, or reading the kanji literally: "wind"+"wrong") which can be used not only for the common cold, but also for most ordinary respiratory infections with cold-like symptoms.

The general idea is that if a character in an anime (or any Japanese drama) gets caught outside in the rain and gets drenched, he or she will catch a cold, and the cold will be life-threatening.

This clichéed progression is what is known as a trope - a common memetic element of storytelling that occurs frequently in a particular genre or culture. Tropes are a mainstay of melodrama, because melodrama is generally very unimaginative -- no rules are bent or broken, and nothing unexpected occurs. And much of the anime produced is melodrama.

To understand why this trope exists, you have to understand the interaction of the Japanese climate (with sudden and heavy rains in the rainy season, and with four sharply-defined seasons) with the background of infectious respiratory disease in Asia.

The fact is that respiratory infections are far more common in Asia. The entire region is far more plagued by them than, for instance, Europe or North America. Think back to all the recent SARS and influenza scares -- they all originated in Asia.

Add to this a Japanese obsession with disease and cleanliness (I'm not going to speculate as to whether the obsession is the result of the diseases, or incidental -- it might well be a chicken-and-egg thing). The end result is that colds in Asia (not just Japan) are taken much more seriously than in Europe or North America.

All of which creates the background for this trope.

Part of the trope, incidentally, is the immediate need for someone who is soaked by the rain to get inside and take a hot bath. The japanese bath, as I've noted elsewhere, really isn't a bath as we understand it (that is, the purpose is not to get clean -- you clean yourself before entering the tub), but more like a very wet sauna. It's purpose is to warm the body throughly. In other words, the perfect antidote to getting chilled.

Therefore the regular expression: "You're soaked! Come inside and have a bath!" Exclamation

- abunai
Yes, my specialty is the history of epidemics.

abunai wrote:

They're certainly not talking about "cold" (no: kulde), but "a cold" (no: forkjølelse).

Nether was I, I just added "The" to underline my point.
"Its not just any cold... its The Cold" Dum dum duuum

But thanks for the explanation.
It will still annoy me though, when a cold affects major decsitions.

Kleven wrote:

abunai wrote:

They're certainly not talking about "cold" (no: kulde), but "a cold" (no: forkjølelse).

Nether was I, I just adde "The" underline my point.
"Its not just any cold... its The Cold" Dum dum duuum

I know -- I just wanted to be absolutely sure we were on the same page.

Kleven wrote:

But thanks for the explanation.
It will still annoy me though, when a cold affects major decsitions.

Well, if the general perception is that colds are potentially deadly, then why shouldn't it affect major decisions?

To put it into perspective, imagine a dialogue in mediaeval England:

Quote:

"Don't go outside, John, people are dropping dead of the plague out there!"

"Nonsense, William! Why should I let a little thing like the plague affect my decisions?"

See? It does make sense.

- abunai

Has any anime character ever been reprimanded for staying out in the snow? I can't think of anything offhand, but in my upbringing, I was yelled at more often for staying out too long in winter snow rather than playing outside in the rain. I vaguely remember catching all kinds of sicknesses in winter as well.

Last edited by Kleven on Fri Mar 24, 2006 5:26 pm; edited 1 time in total

abunai wrote:

To put it into perspective, imagine a dialogue in mediaeval England:

Quote:

"Don't go outside, John, people are dropping dead of the plague out there!"

"Nonsense, William! Why should I let a little thing like the plague affect my decisions?"

See? It does make sense.

- abunai

a cold=Plague... Hmm?
If I was going to think like that it would be more like:

Random Poem (abunai):
OMG dont drive the car, you might crash!
OMG dont smell the flowers, you might get allergic and have a rash!
OMG dont take a picture, I might get epileptic because of the flash!
OMG dont go outside, you might get struck by an astriod and go "Splash"!

I werent meaning to mock you too much but it sort of fell into my head after reading your post. Razz

As a token of my guilt I'll give you the dubious honor of naming the poem after you, as I found your name rather fitting.
I just cant take a cold that seriously Crying or Very sad

[Edit: *Senses an aura of displeasment of high art poetry*]

Kleven wrote:

a cold=Plague... Hmm?

Not precisely, but remember that we're dealing in public perception of risk, not necessarily actual risk.

Kleven wrote:

I just can't take a cold that seriously Crying or Very sad

Of course not -- you've been raised in an environment where a cold isn't a serious health risk. Go back a bit over half a century (before antibiotics), and your attitude would have been slightly less serene. Even so, Europe has never had the continual and serious problems with infectious respiratory diseases that Asia has, so it's a different set of circumstances. The worst we've ever had in Europe was our portion of the great influenza pandemic of 1918-1920.

And again, it's not a question of whether the Japanese are right in assessing a cold as a life-threatening situation. It's not a question of facts, but of perception.

- abunai

Kleven wrote:

a cold=Plague... Hmm?

. . .

I just can't take a cold that seriously

Then I suggest replacing "plague" with "bird flu." Though neither affect you or need to be taken "seriously" by you (atm), the bird flu is a more modern example that currently affects China (and other places, I assume). Or maybe "yellow fever," or "typhoid." Countries already developed don't have to worry about certain diseases as much as the developing ones.

I for one always got told to not go outside in the rain/get wet/etc, or "you'll catch a cold." Though I've never seen it as a life or death situation, there's still a word of caution used that couldn't be said about the examples in your "poem" (not counting the flowers~rash part because a word of caution to someone who is allergic to pollen isn't odd).

CyberViper wrote:

In Japan, I beleive that during flu season some people wear facemasks if they are sick to prevent spreading germs. (Maybe this is another culture, correct me if I am wrong.) However, I've lived in a few different places in the United States and I've never even heard of anyone wearing a facemask to prevent spreading germs. I guess it's just more of a issue or concern in other parts of the world.

It ties in with the general Japanese phobia of any germs. If your nose is running while you are in Japan, don't even think of wiping your nose. Making those indrawn sucking noises is infinitely preferable for the Japanese around you than sneezing or dropping mysterious wet substances on your handkerchief. Picking your nose is needless to say a major faux pas.

The face mask is the hardworking salaryman's burden. Unless it's life threatening they just won't stay away from work when they contract something. So they wear those masks in the hope of preventing germs from infecting their fellow workers (a dubious proposition). The masks are also quite popular during pollen season, since allergies tend to make the fluids run and the nose itchy.

As for the thread in general, cold or rainy weather doesn't automagically make people sick. You need bugs and viruses for that. There's considerable speculation why people seem more prone to catch bugs when it's cold. One of the more reasonable propositions seems to be that people simply don't open windows when its cold. Tracking of bacteria levels shows a clear spike upwards when the air doesn't circulate.

Gauss wrote:

It ties in with the general Japanese phobia of any germs. If your nose is running while you are in Japan, don't even think of wiping your nose. Making those indrawn sucking noises is infinitely preferable for the Japanese around you than sneezing or dropping mysterious wet substances on your handkerchief. Picking your nose is needless to say a major faux pas.

This just goes to show how different cultures are. Parents here in the States certainly don't encourge children to sniffle, they're more likely to shout "For god's sake, don't do that! Get a tissue and blow your damn nose!"

At least picking your nose is somewhat the same.

Initially I was curios about the deal with catching a cold, and I've gotten two lengthy and detailed explanations and I'm thankfull for that.
-The japanese dont like germs.
I perceive that they overestimate the dangers, but I for one will not try to change their perception of things.
If they let the dangers of a cold affect decisions, I will perceive that as odd. But if thats how they perceive it then thats their choice.

a cold=bird flu is not a more correct equation. Because the amount of people that get bird flu and die from it seems to be alot more than the amount of people that get and die of cold.

CyberViper wrote:

I beleive that during flu season some people wear facemasks if they are sick to prevent spreading germs. (Maybe this is another culture, correct me if I am wrong.)

No, you're definetly in the right culture. Very common thing in Japan, really.

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