Why the Walking Dead cast are paid a tiny amount despite show being a smash hit:
'via Blog this'
PHOTO: AkiranJanuary 18, 2017
December 28, 2016
The Walking Dead: Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Son Played Negan With Chickens
The Walking Dead: Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Son Played Negan With Chickens: "ke, 'Dude, what are you doing?' and he's like 'I was playing Negan with the hens.'" "
'via Blog this'
'via Blog this'
In case you didn't know, The Walking Dead's Jeffrey Dean Morgan lives on a working farm, complete with ducks (who are apparently jerks to the rest of the animals), chickens, dogs, cats, and more.
It's the chickens that go him talking on a recent episode of Live With Kelly. She said she loved the idea of raising them and having farm-fresh eggs, and Morgan said that he loved it, too...but that he'd recently had a harrowing experience in the process of having the eggs actually gathered.
"The hens are awesome and yeah, fresh eggs every day," he explained. "It's supposed to be my kid's job, Gus who's six, it's supposed to be his job to get eggs. I have issues with him getting eggs. It's either too cold, or he goes into the coop for hours just talking to the chickens. The other day I lost him -- I'm like 'Where'd he go?' My wife was inside, Gus was out with me, and I see him coming out of the chicken coop all dressed in black with a red scarf on and a baseball bat. I'm like, 'Dude, what are you doing?' and he's like 'I was playing Negan with the hens.'"
Don't worry, folks -- apparently Gus was just playing eeny-meany-minie-mo, and no chickens were actually harmed. But that didn't stop Morgan from bolting to the hen house, paranoid that he was going to find a mess.
MORE: Who Is Creeping On ASZ? / Did The Whisperers Arrive? / Internet Reacts To Midseason Finale / Gallery Of Negan's Midseason Finale Kills / Important Fat Joey Detail You May Have Missed / New Season 7B Key Art / Andrew Lincoln Is Unhappy About Unhappy Fans / Violent Takes Were Removed From Midseason Finale
The Walking Dead returns for the second half of Season 7 on February 12, 2016.
December 16, 2016
WALKÜRE - Ikenai BORDERLINE Mitsumeatte koi wo... | Yack Deculture!
This song is so catchy! Right from the 1st line!
WALKÜRE - Ikenai BORDERLINE Mitsumeatte koi wo... | Yack Deculture!:
'via Blog this'
Lyrics here
WALKÜRE - Ikenai BORDERLINE Mitsumeatte koi wo... | Yack Deculture!:
'via Blog this'
Lyrics here
August 26, 2016
Only a samurai schoolgirl can rescue instant ramen from a noodle-nabbing drone | The Verge
Only a samurai schoolgirl can rescue instant ramen from a noodle-nabbing drone | The Verge:
"One of the major perks about living in Japan, I thought before I moved to the country, would be the TV. I'd been raised in the UK on a steady diet of Takeshi's Castle (MXC in the US), Nintendo games, and incomprehensible internet videos, so I was expecting wall-to-wall oddity on my own Japanese flatscreen. Imagine my sadness when I arrived and realized that Japanese channels were just as tedious as their British counterparts. More so, in some cases, represented by three main category of broadcast: cooking show, infomercials for baffling products with names like "Placenta 100 Challenge," and baseball.
BEWARE THE NOODLE-NAPPING DRONES
Fortunately, that honest-to-goodness strangeness isn't gone — it's just moved from TV to online commercials. Nissin's latest ad is one such breath of weird air, hawking viewers instant chicken ramen with a samurai schoolgirl doing parkour, a Rube Goldberg machine, six competitive eating champions, an estranged zombie father, a cross-dressing reveal, and an army of noodle-napping drones. The story starts when one of said quadcopter drones steals a freshly cooked bowl of Nissin's ramen from an apartment, sparking a chase across rooftops that ends with an explosive showdown.
It's an ostentatious way to sell dirt-cheap blocks of dried ramen, but unlike some of Japan's weirdest ads, is actually grounded in reality: the events of the commercial are inspired by previous commercials, YouTube clips, and shows popular in Japan. Turn on the video's Japanese subtitles and you'll see these references flagged up as "buzz points," nods to previous Japanese memes and viral videos, including this one from make-up manufacturer Shiseido. Nissin's point is that while these fads have come and gone, its ramen has remained popular since its introduction in the 1950s, something legions of broke college students around the world are likely to agree with."
'via Blog this'
"One of the major perks about living in Japan, I thought before I moved to the country, would be the TV. I'd been raised in the UK on a steady diet of Takeshi's Castle (MXC in the US), Nintendo games, and incomprehensible internet videos, so I was expecting wall-to-wall oddity on my own Japanese flatscreen. Imagine my sadness when I arrived and realized that Japanese channels were just as tedious as their British counterparts. More so, in some cases, represented by three main category of broadcast: cooking show, infomercials for baffling products with names like "Placenta 100 Challenge," and baseball.
BEWARE THE NOODLE-NAPPING DRONES
Fortunately, that honest-to-goodness strangeness isn't gone — it's just moved from TV to online commercials. Nissin's latest ad is one such breath of weird air, hawking viewers instant chicken ramen with a samurai schoolgirl doing parkour, a Rube Goldberg machine, six competitive eating champions, an estranged zombie father, a cross-dressing reveal, and an army of noodle-napping drones. The story starts when one of said quadcopter drones steals a freshly cooked bowl of Nissin's ramen from an apartment, sparking a chase across rooftops that ends with an explosive showdown.
It's an ostentatious way to sell dirt-cheap blocks of dried ramen, but unlike some of Japan's weirdest ads, is actually grounded in reality: the events of the commercial are inspired by previous commercials, YouTube clips, and shows popular in Japan. Turn on the video's Japanese subtitles and you'll see these references flagged up as "buzz points," nods to previous Japanese memes and viral videos, including this one from make-up manufacturer Shiseido. Nissin's point is that while these fads have come and gone, its ramen has remained popular since its introduction in the 1950s, something legions of broke college students around the world are likely to agree with."
'via Blog this'
June 12, 2016
June 4, 2016
April 10, 2016
Magic Deck: "Mono White Bolster" (Standard) - DeckStats.net Magic: The Gathering Deck Builder + Statistics
Magic Deck: "Mono White Bolster" (Standard) - DeckStats.net Magic: The Gathering Deck Builder + Statistics
Deck: Mono White Bolster  | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lands | Spells | Creatures | |||
| 21 | Plains | 3 | Battle Mastery   | 3 | Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit |
| 4 | Echoes of the Kin Tree  | 3 | Arashin Foremost | ||
| 4 | Glaring Aegis | 4 | Dromoka Captain | ||
| 4 | Gleam of Authority | 4 | Herald of Dromoka | ||
| 2 | Secure the Wastes  | 4 | Lightwalker | ||
| 4 | Sandcrafter Mage | ||||
| 21 | cards | 17 | cards | 22 | cards |
 Display deck statistics | |||||
March 28, 2016
WATCH: Japanese Youtuber devours 4.3kg of Singapore laksa instant noodles
WATCH: Japanese Youtuber devours 4.3kg of Singapore laksa instant noodles
© Coconuts Media Photo: Screenshot of Kinoshita Yuka's YouTube video
© Coconuts Media Photo: Screenshot of Kinoshita Yuka's YouTube video
Kinoshita Yuka is a Japanese Youtube star (and competitive eater) famous for posting videos of herself wolfing down insane amounts of food — all in one go. She's feasted on stuff like 100 packets of mochi (each cooked a different way), 4kg of katsu curry with rice, three entire birthday cakes, and two jars of cookie butter spread on a towering stack of sliced bread. But it's her latest endeavour that got Singaporeans talking. Thanks to a Taiwanese fan who sent her packets of Singapore laksa instant noodles, she took up the challenge and added shrimp, eggs, onion and seaweed to her gigantic bowl, which weighed in at 4.3kg. Each bite is peppered with commentary on the dish and endearing exclamations of the delicious flavour, and before you know it, she's inhaled the entire thing, even the spicy broth. Watch the video below to see it for yourself.
February 7, 2016
December 22, 2015
What the West Learned About Japanese Culture from Anime | 3tags
What the West Learned About Japanese Culture from Anime | 3tags
What the West Learned About Japanese Culture from Anime
What the West Learned About Japanese Culture from Anime
Anime fans may know by heart the names of their favorite characters or even theme songs, but how much do they know about Japanese culture? There are many mistakes visitors from the West or any country can make when travelling to Japan. Perhaps it is not too surprising that many anime fans can adapt very quickly to the various nuances of Japanese culture, although the extent of this knowledge differs from person to person. Some may argue that these differences can make anime difficult to access, although on the other hand it can behave as an educational tool.
This article aims to highlight times when anime has presented cultural etiquette, and go into more detail about aspects which may not be as obvious by just watching the animated television shows. Throughout the article I use the word Westerners to imply countries in individualist cultures such as the US, Europe and Australia.
Surprisingly, this aspect of Japanese culture is not so obvious in anime except in situations where a school or work place is involved. Perhaps this is why “delinquents” are common in anime. Main characters like Naruto, Ichigo (Bleach), Haruhi (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya), Seiji (Midori Days) or Hachiman (My Teen Romantic Comedy) are labelled as undesirable and rebellious by the school system. These characters may be liked in anime, but they are rare in Japanese schools. It could be that a character that fits the status quo isn’t interesting to watch or that their popularity is a representation of wishful thinking on the part of the Japanese viewers.
A middle school teacher on a Live-journal forum mentions, “I think it’s fair to say that ‘delinquency’ in Japan can be what would be considered almost normal behavior by western standards”. Long or bleached hair, causing fights, wearing make-up (even lip gloss for girls in some cases), casual speech, wearing a uniform slightly incorrect, slamming doors or skipping classes (futoko) are commonly labelled as delinquent behaviors in Japanese schools.
This could explain why the character Asuka Langley Soryu is popular among the fans of Neon Genesis Evangelion. She is from Germany, an individualistic culture, thus she does not hesitate to speak her mind. Another form of delinquency in Japan are Yanki or bike gangs, akin to teen thugs. They are identified by tattoos, drug use and numerous piercings, but apparently this trend has been phasing out since the 80’s. This could explain why the yanki characters of Kyoko Honda and Arisa Uotani were present in the popular 2001 anime Fruits Basket, but have been rarely seen since.
Thankfully most anime characters are half decent individuals so these sorts of interactions do not happen very often. Many of the cruel characters in anime display their dislike for others by developing a superiority complex, withdrawing from social interaction or speaking to others in a condescending tone, like Ginoza (Psycho Pass), Shana (Shakugan no Shana) or Levi (Attack on Titan). Some characters like Lelouch (Code Geass), Light (Death Note) or Lain (Serial Experiments Lain) resolve this moral dilemma by leading a double life.
Outside of a school setting the subtle snark of the Japanese is present in some anime. In episode five of Eden of the East twenty year old Saki is invited to dinner by some job interviewers as a way to say sorry for not getting the job. While eating, one of the girls ‘accidentally’ knocks the bowl of ramen over Saki’s clothes. Saki is incredibly upset about this and expresses to Takizawa afterward that the interviewers should have found a ‘nicer’ subtle way to express their dislike for her, rather than ruining her outfit.
The nuances of Japanese interaction make the social skills of reading body language and facial expressions come in great use. Another custom to show respect in Japan is the use of bowing. Bowing is done in many different circumstances: as a greeting, thank you or apology, so one may bow multiple times throughout a conversation with somebody. The duration, speed and depth of a bow can indicate the amount of respect you are communicating to the other person. The type of bow one gives to another person depends on the circumstances and context of the interaction (Wright, 2015). This custom is used so frequently that it is immediately obvious to anyone who has watched anime. In fact, how and when to bow became so ingrained that I had no problem adjusting to this when I went to Japan in 2013. In fact, I got so used to it I had trouble not bowing at people when I arrived back home.
Another way that respect is showed in Japan is through the use of suffixes and name usage. It is only in recent years where anime dubbed versions have started to include the suffixes for character names such as ‘san’, ‘chan’ or ‘kun’, although it is very common for these to be omitted as it is a uniquely Japanese custom. There are plenty of anime adaptions where the suffix ‘san’, which indicates a superior (keiko, 2015), is replaced with “Miss” and “Mister” as that is the equivalent in English. ‘Sama’ is often translated to ‘lady’ or ‘sir’.
Another common topic for conversation in anime is the use of first names. In Japan everyone you meet is treated with respect, so initially one would address friends and work colleagues by their last name. It is only under special circumstances when a certain level of intimacy has been reached when permission is asked to use first names (De Mente, 2015). This is present in many anime, but explicitly in CLANNAD. Fuko remarks that Nagisa and Tomoya are so close they ought to be addressing each other by first names. As such, there is a cute moment where the two struggle to overcome their anxiety around the topic.
On the brief subject of schools it is easily apparent about the needs to perform entrance exams and also how the Japanese education system works, although many of the strict rules that can apply to expensive schools don’t often appear in anime.
For example, one only uses the chopsticks to bring the food from the bowl into one’s mouth. Any unnecessary waving around, stabbing food or passing pieces between people is considered rude or simply inappropriate (Rodgers, 2015). You don’t have to look far to see this in anime, although the finer details of the etiquette are likely to be lost unless you are paying close attention. Another rule is that you can’t pour your own drink, but you are expected to pour everyone else’s. In anime, one has no doubt come across the exclamation of ‘kampai’ similar to the custom of saying ‘cheers’ in the West where glasses are clinked together. In Japan it is often done all at once as part of a circle (Wright, 2015). Eating ramen noisily is considered okay since it shows one enjoys it and it is considered fine to raise your bowl of food closer to your mouth so it doesn’t go everywhere (Wright, 2015).
Then of course there’s the food that has inspired many to take the plunge into Japanese cuisine or take a stroll into their local Japanese restaurant. Beyond easy to find sushi or instant noodles, anime displays the wide variety of Japanese cuisine. It is a mystery as to why the majority of lead characters in anime are able to cook to exceptional standards. Mai Tokiha (Mai HiME) can apparently make amazing ramen, and the well-drawn artwork is very convincing. Goku and Naruto are big fans of instant noodles. However, the translation hasn’t always been faithful.
In Pokemon the names for onigiri and sushi were changed to “donuts” and “eclairs”, but dubbing practices are much better. Many Kyoto Animation characters have a favorite sweet: Nagisa (CLANNAD) likes red-bean buns and dango, Ayu (Kanon) likes taiyaki, and Shana (Shakugan no Shana) has a fondness for melon pan. Other displays of food are more generalized. K-On! characters eat cake nearly every episode. These are very easy to come by in Japan as there are stalls that sell slices of cake for around $2. Anyone who has seen Fruits Basket will know that the main character Tohru has a special fondness for onigiri as she is considered the odd one out when playing a children’s game.
Food is so important in Japan that some anime focus entirely on this topic. Food Wars is a recent series that has proven a popular combination of Master Chef-like drama, obscure anime-like eccentricity and fan service. Yakitate! Japan (2004) may be over a decade old now but it has remained popular in the genre. It focused on baking bread. The unique design and breads in Japan are displayed in anime where the character’s parents own bakeries, notably CLANNAD or Digimon Tamers.
These aspects of anime probably mean very little to the locals, but for Westerners they are an easy way to learn more about the cuisine. If the inclusion of food items are supposed to act as product placement they definitely work. One obvious example of using anime to market food is the UCC brand of canned coffee seen in Neon Genesis Evangelion. In order to gain the most in depth knowledge of table manners and Japanese foods, cooking anime are a safe choice.
Full Metal Panic Fumoffu has one of the stronger uses of a hot springs episode. It combines comedy, action and plenty of awkward situations in one. If you want some fluidly animated censored nudity, explosions and guns Fumoffu is a fantastic option. Futakoi Alternative, while it is not licensed, also has a similar style hot spring episode with action, romance and even Beethoven’s 5th Symphony in C Minor. Also by Kyoto Animation, Hyouka had a more serious approach to the idea which worked incredibly well. Not only was it interesting because it deviated from the usual slapstick approach, but it included a touching discussion of family, and the main character discovers some of his attraction for the female lead, Chitanda Eru – which he subsequently represses. Maison Ikkoku‘s only inclusion of a hot spring actually marks the end of a story arc, in which the situation is balances humor, awkwardness and drama. All in all, it was still a memorable execution of the idea, rather than the usual throwaway excuse for fan service.
Aside from which hot spring episode is the superior one, does anime teach viewers about how to use bath houses? There is a very specific way to use an onsen and every one will have slightly different rules so it can be helpful to look for a sign. Generally, one uses soap and a small shower to wash before going into the bath, where one can soak to their heart’s content (Spacey, 2014).
In the West there are some families that ask that you wear slippers inside to keep the house clean, and it is a decent idea. This is always present in Japan, anime but the rule is especially strict in bath houses. The only time this does not occur is on tatami mats (Wright, 2015). They would be damaged if you wore any kind of footwear on them. Many, if not all of rules for using an onsen and entering houses are shown in anime but they are not explicitly stated so it can help to pay attention.
Valentine’s day has more variation on Christmas between Japan and the West. On Valentine’s Day the woman are expected to provide chocolates or other gifts to men, co-workers and friends. These are divided into different types depending on your relationship to the other person. Giri-choco means ‘obligatory chocolate’ and the name implies its role (Sharp, 2013). These are the standard, reasonably priced chocolates that you can afford to give to many people. It might be the ones you buy last minute in the confectionery supermarket aisle. Honmei-choco is the fancier chocolate you save up for to give to a more special someone, whether that is a crush, lover or close friend. Sometimes the girl may want to make her chocolate from scratch (Sharp, 2013). Some of the more memorable Valentine’s day episodes are from Fruits Basket, Toradora and (again) Hyouka.
While Easter has become adopted by Japan, it is still not known by most Japanese. Instead of relying on chocolate eggs, Japanese sometimes replace these with their own local sweets like mochi. A similar trend is seen with Christmas. In Japan the most common religions are Shintoism or Buddhism, with only 1% identifying as Christian (Hammond, 2006), so the celebration of Christmas has been adopted to focus on the spirit of giving. The decorations, cards and giving/receiving of presents are as far as the similarities go (Martin, 2011). For those in the West who are not religious this version of Christmas will not seem out of sorts. In Japan Christmas is an opportunity to dress up nicely and enjoy a romantic night out (Martin, 2011).
A more unusual difference is the commercial ploy from KFC in Japan. Because of their advertising eating fried chicken is a common practice at Christmas in Japan, with many families having to order in advanced (Hammond, 2006). Popular Christmas episodes for anime usually involve a plot or aspect of character development, like Maison Ikkoku, Toradora and The Disapearance of Haruhi Suzumiya film, although I have yet to see any KFC.
Halloween in Japan is a different, but still very exciting, beast to the West. The concept of ‘trick or treating’ has not ever, and probably will never be a trend because of Japan’s strong cultural focus on respect for others (Von Lanken, 2015). However, that doesn’t stop anyone from dressing up. In fact, judging by the Shibuya Haloween Street party of this year, Halloween could be seen as synonymous with ‘giant pop culture convention’ as far as cosplaying goes. While the differences in holidays vary to the Western counterpart, an even more alien variation are the social concerns in Japan.
One possible reason for this is the gun laws which mean that everyone who wants a weapon needs a very in depth and vigorous background check (Engel, 2014). Kopel (1988) believes that the gun laws only partially contribute to the low crime rate, as the majority of crimes in Japan are from organized groups called Boryokudan or yakuza (Adelstein, 2015). Yakuza are immediately recognized by tattoos, so to the Japanese this is an immediate red flag (Goodmacher, 2013). The only time a tattooed person won’t be suspected as a criminal if it’s obvious you’re a tourist and not Japanese (Festa, 2014).
The criminal justice system is stricter than in the West. Being bailed out of jail will be denied if the suspect is still considered useful to an investigation, which heightens the confession rate to 95% (Kopel, 1988). Gangs are represented a lot in anime. The first one that comes to mind is Seiji Sawamura in Midori Days, although Heaven’s Memo Pad, K, La Storia della Arcana Famiglia, Great Teacher Onizuka and Black Lagoon are well known too.
Since many anime take place in high schools marriage rarely becomes a subject topic, although it does from time to time. Maison Ikkoku presents this very strongly, almost to a Pride and Prejudice extent. In the 80’s a small portion of marriages were arranged, which makes sense in the context of the series. Many of the conflicts between Godai and Kyoko are a result of cultural and parental pressures which makes it an extremely interesting series from that aspect alone. Despite its highs, marriage popularity may be on the descent again judging from the number of Japanese people choosing to not be in relationships.
The Japanese Rule of Seven mentions that sex is so difficult to come across in real life that Japanese resort to prostitution, among other quick fixes. This explains the abundance of ecchi anime, even though Japanese come across as sexually repressed. Sex scenes themselves rarely appear in anime that isn’t hentai – the only ones I can think of are in Neon Genesis Evangelion and Gundam Seed. It all appears to be symptoms of a larger problem, one that Japan is trying very hard to fix as soon as possible.
Aoyama’s patients often express dislike of the Japanese model of marriage and feel distressed for breaking from the norm (Haworth, 2013). The number of singles has risen dramatically not just in Japan, but other Asian countries (Seoul & Taipei, 2011). Aoyama believes this can partially be blamed on the typical marriage roles in Japan. The workplace hours can be so demanding that women often stay home to raise children while the father works.
In Usagi Drop very early on in the series Daikitchi works so late that the child care center has to wait with Rin outside in almost pitch black. It is a small window into the sorts of problems that come about with long work hours, twenty hours a day in extreme circumstances.
Although equality of women and men in the workforce is fairly even in the West, according to The Economist (2014) there are far less women who work in Japan. Many stay at home to rear children and rely on their husbands for income. This still happens in the West but it is more common in Japan, with 70% of women leaving work after their first child (Haworth, 2013). Perhaps a symbolic representation of this emotional lifelessness in Japan can be interpreted from this wedding between robots, the first of its kind, which took place in June this year.
On a lighter note, Japan issued its first marriage certificate to a lesbian couple earlier this year as well, showing that Japan does still believe in equal rights for those in love, even if many share very pessimistic views. It is rare to see these dynamics depicted in anime, again because of the focus on high school students. However, in Usagi Drop there is an episode where a mother is having a conflict with her husband and tells the main character that she regrets being married and felt that her childhood dream was too idealistic. The take away mesage of the episode is marriage is not all it is cracked up to be.
On my tour it was explained to me that the reason all windows in Japan can only be opened a small amount is to dis-encourage suicide and it is not unusual for trains to be delayed from someone jumping in front of them. Sadly, this happened a number of times on my trip. Another largely Japan phenomenon is the Hikikomori, sometimes known as NEETs (an acronym coined in the UK to mean Not in Employment, Education or Training). These are a portion of Japanese youth that have withdrawn from society to such an extent that they won’t leave their room or house for a period of longer than six months, sometimes years – except for at night to the convenience store.
Japan and other researchers in the world are trying to find ways to formally diagnose and treat hikikomori, as the symptoms appear independent to social anxiety (Wang, 2015). There are support groups and a call crisis center available as free treatment options (Wang, 2015). However, it is thought that the condition may cross over with other personality disorders and could be brought on by attachment theory or a failed resolution to an identity crisis. Cultural factors, such as over-supportive parents are thought to be a factor as well (Li & Wong, 2015).
The most in depth and deliberate exploration of the Hikikomori is in the hit show Welcome to the NHK!. Every character in the series is some representation of otaku, sexually repressed, hikikomori or all three. The reasons behind this are explored to differing extents depending on how important the characters are. The series reaches the highest highs and the lowest lows, especially in its mid series arc that brings the issue of group suicide and drug use. The show is an entertaining one in its own right.
While many in the West may be able to relate to the expressions of social anxiety and depression, the show is made all the more relevant with this social context. In a similar vein Eden of the East touches upon the issue of NEETs although it is not done with as much sympathy and care as Welcome to the NHK. While Welcome to the NHK portrays its characters as one might a loving friend who wants to help, Eden of the East is a harsh parental voice which has very little encouraging to say. Regardless of the approaches used to display the message, the cultural issues in Japan are the well represented in specific anime like Maison Ikkoku, Usagi Drop and Welcome to the NHK respectively.
There are other aspects of Japanese culture which are so rarely depicted in anime it would not be worth dedicating a whole paragraph to them. One is the idea of the Jazz kissaten, a coffee shop dedicated to playing jazz, and jazz bars in a similar vein (Downey, 2014). These became popular in the 60’s because music records were so expensive that students and those working would spend time in these locations just to listen. This focus on Jazz is displayed in the anime Kids on the Slope.
Hygeine is another concern of the Japanese which is apparent to anyone who has witnessed the spotless streets of Osaka or Hiroshima (not so much Tokyo). Japanese are expected to still go to work and school when sick, so they wear face masks as to prevent the spread of germs. Since anime characters don’t usually get sick these are not shown in anime very often. The Disapearance of Haruhi Suzumiya film is one instance where it is displayed.
There are many aspects of Japanese culture that become automatically ingrained in regular anime watchers by mere repetition, like bowing, uses of names, hot springs and some table etiquette. The specifics of some of these rules are difficult to gather without doing further research, although anime gives a decent introduction to many of these cultural differences.
The more complicated social issues require deeper research to understand, but can give an extra layer of enjoyment to anime one may not have had before. Anime is an important medium for understanding and sparking interest in Japanese culture and hopefully it will continue to inspire fans for years to come.
This article aims to highlight times when anime has presented cultural etiquette, and go into more detail about aspects which may not be as obvious by just watching the animated television shows. Throughout the article I use the word Westerners to imply countries in individualist cultures such as the US, Europe and Australia.
The Ever Present Value of Respect
Japan, along with most parts of Asia and some parts of Africa, are what is called a collectivist culture. Doing well in Japan is for the sake of everyone, not just personal gain. As such, like other Asian cultures, there is a big focus on mentsu, or saving face (Kopp, 2010). Even if you disagree with somebody, if they are in a position of power, you are to agree with them no matter what. A Western equivalent of this idea is “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything” (JC, 2013). Breaking these rules can cause a lot of offense and discomfort at the expense of the other person (Kopp, 2010). Honesty is still valued but it is considered appropriate to do in private (JC, 2013).“[Japanese] have a reputation for being polite […], although I wouldn’t go that far. They have plenty of ways of being rude, but at least they do it freaking quietly. Even the minor put-downs seem almost innocent just because they’re delivered so delicately.” – Ken Seeroi, Japanese Rule of 7.
Surprisingly, this aspect of Japanese culture is not so obvious in anime except in situations where a school or work place is involved. Perhaps this is why “delinquents” are common in anime. Main characters like Naruto, Ichigo (Bleach), Haruhi (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya), Seiji (Midori Days) or Hachiman (My Teen Romantic Comedy) are labelled as undesirable and rebellious by the school system. These characters may be liked in anime, but they are rare in Japanese schools. It could be that a character that fits the status quo isn’t interesting to watch or that their popularity is a representation of wishful thinking on the part of the Japanese viewers.
A middle school teacher on a Live-journal forum mentions, “I think it’s fair to say that ‘delinquency’ in Japan can be what would be considered almost normal behavior by western standards”. Long or bleached hair, causing fights, wearing make-up (even lip gloss for girls in some cases), casual speech, wearing a uniform slightly incorrect, slamming doors or skipping classes (futoko) are commonly labelled as delinquent behaviors in Japanese schools.
This could explain why the character Asuka Langley Soryu is popular among the fans of Neon Genesis Evangelion. She is from Germany, an individualistic culture, thus she does not hesitate to speak her mind. Another form of delinquency in Japan are Yanki or bike gangs, akin to teen thugs. They are identified by tattoos, drug use and numerous piercings, but apparently this trend has been phasing out since the 80’s. This could explain why the yanki characters of Kyoko Honda and Arisa Uotani were present in the popular 2001 anime Fruits Basket, but have been rarely seen since.
German character, Asuka Langley Soryu, speaks her mind in Neon Genesis Evangelion.
Thankfully most anime characters are half decent individuals so these sorts of interactions do not happen very often. Many of the cruel characters in anime display their dislike for others by developing a superiority complex, withdrawing from social interaction or speaking to others in a condescending tone, like Ginoza (Psycho Pass), Shana (Shakugan no Shana) or Levi (Attack on Titan). Some characters like Lelouch (Code Geass), Light (Death Note) or Lain (Serial Experiments Lain) resolve this moral dilemma by leading a double life.
Outside of a school setting the subtle snark of the Japanese is present in some anime. In episode five of Eden of the East twenty year old Saki is invited to dinner by some job interviewers as a way to say sorry for not getting the job. While eating, one of the girls ‘accidentally’ knocks the bowl of ramen over Saki’s clothes. Saki is incredibly upset about this and expresses to Takizawa afterward that the interviewers should have found a ‘nicer’ subtle way to express their dislike for her, rather than ruining her outfit.
The nuances of Japanese interaction make the social skills of reading body language and facial expressions come in great use. Another custom to show respect in Japan is the use of bowing. Bowing is done in many different circumstances: as a greeting, thank you or apology, so one may bow multiple times throughout a conversation with somebody. The duration, speed and depth of a bow can indicate the amount of respect you are communicating to the other person. The type of bow one gives to another person depends on the circumstances and context of the interaction (Wright, 2015). This custom is used so frequently that it is immediately obvious to anyone who has watched anime. In fact, how and when to bow became so ingrained that I had no problem adjusting to this when I went to Japan in 2013. In fact, I got so used to it I had trouble not bowing at people when I arrived back home.
Another way that respect is showed in Japan is through the use of suffixes and name usage. It is only in recent years where anime dubbed versions have started to include the suffixes for character names such as ‘san’, ‘chan’ or ‘kun’, although it is very common for these to be omitted as it is a uniquely Japanese custom. There are plenty of anime adaptions where the suffix ‘san’, which indicates a superior (keiko, 2015), is replaced with “Miss” and “Mister” as that is the equivalent in English. ‘Sama’ is often translated to ‘lady’ or ‘sir’.
Another common topic for conversation in anime is the use of first names. In Japan everyone you meet is treated with respect, so initially one would address friends and work colleagues by their last name. It is only under special circumstances when a certain level of intimacy has been reached when permission is asked to use first names (De Mente, 2015). This is present in many anime, but explicitly in CLANNAD. Fuko remarks that Nagisa and Tomoya are so close they ought to be addressing each other by first names. As such, there is a cute moment where the two struggle to overcome their anxiety around the topic.
On the brief subject of schools it is easily apparent about the needs to perform entrance exams and also how the Japanese education system works, although many of the strict rules that can apply to expensive schools don’t often appear in anime.
Table Manners & Food
The first lot of table manners one may notice is the phrase ‘itadakimasu’ before eating. This is often translated to ‘thank you for this food’ in English dubbed versions, which reasonably reflects the meaning (Kurihara, 2015), although in some early anime dubs the phrase was butchered. The worst cover up itadakimasu in a US adaption was in Digimon Adventure where it was changed to ‘It’s good to be home!’ Next, Japan uses chopsticks. This is common knowledge, although there are a number of rules on how to use them (Rodgers, 2015).“The food [in Japan] is amazing. I can get sushi at the 7-11 that puts to shame a fifty dollar dinner in the U.S; none of those California rolls and week-old sashimi that people rave about in the States. Then there’s the restaurant I stop at after work, where everyone says “Welcome home, Seeroi-san.” It’s like my house, if my mom had been both Japanese and hated vacuuming.” – Ken Seeroi, Japanese Rule of 7.
For example, one only uses the chopsticks to bring the food from the bowl into one’s mouth. Any unnecessary waving around, stabbing food or passing pieces between people is considered rude or simply inappropriate (Rodgers, 2015). You don’t have to look far to see this in anime, although the finer details of the etiquette are likely to be lost unless you are paying close attention. Another rule is that you can’t pour your own drink, but you are expected to pour everyone else’s. In anime, one has no doubt come across the exclamation of ‘kampai’ similar to the custom of saying ‘cheers’ in the West where glasses are clinked together. In Japan it is often done all at once as part of a circle (Wright, 2015). Eating ramen noisily is considered okay since it shows one enjoys it and it is considered fine to raise your bowl of food closer to your mouth so it doesn’t go everywhere (Wright, 2015).
The finer points of chopstick etiquette may be difficult to understand in anime unless you are paying close attention.
Then of course there’s the food that has inspired many to take the plunge into Japanese cuisine or take a stroll into their local Japanese restaurant. Beyond easy to find sushi or instant noodles, anime displays the wide variety of Japanese cuisine. It is a mystery as to why the majority of lead characters in anime are able to cook to exceptional standards. Mai Tokiha (Mai HiME) can apparently make amazing ramen, and the well-drawn artwork is very convincing. Goku and Naruto are big fans of instant noodles. However, the translation hasn’t always been faithful.
In Pokemon the names for onigiri and sushi were changed to “donuts” and “eclairs”, but dubbing practices are much better. Many Kyoto Animation characters have a favorite sweet: Nagisa (CLANNAD) likes red-bean buns and dango, Ayu (Kanon) likes taiyaki, and Shana (Shakugan no Shana) has a fondness for melon pan. Other displays of food are more generalized. K-On! characters eat cake nearly every episode. These are very easy to come by in Japan as there are stalls that sell slices of cake for around $2. Anyone who has seen Fruits Basket will know that the main character Tohru has a special fondness for onigiri as she is considered the odd one out when playing a children’s game.
Food is so important in Japan that some anime focus entirely on this topic. Food Wars is a recent series that has proven a popular combination of Master Chef-like drama, obscure anime-like eccentricity and fan service. Yakitate! Japan (2004) may be over a decade old now but it has remained popular in the genre. It focused on baking bread. The unique design and breads in Japan are displayed in anime where the character’s parents own bakeries, notably CLANNAD or Digimon Tamers.
These aspects of anime probably mean very little to the locals, but for Westerners they are an easy way to learn more about the cuisine. If the inclusion of food items are supposed to act as product placement they definitely work. One obvious example of using anime to market food is the UCC brand of canned coffee seen in Neon Genesis Evangelion. In order to gain the most in depth knowledge of table manners and Japanese foods, cooking anime are a safe choice.
Bath Houses
Onsen, hot springs/sento and neighborhood bathhouses are an aspect of Japanese culture that is apparent in nearly every anime, but especially the romantic comedy ones. It is very common to find a filler hot springs episode among a television series. The only other competitor for this is the beach episode, and some anime even have both. It is so prominent in anime that there are many discussion forum debates on what the best hot spring episode is. Although Love Hina introduced many budding fans to the idea of bath houses as the entire series takes place in one, there are many more high quality anime that focus on them.“Naked. That’s the only part of my local guide Moriwaki Michiko’s onsen explanation that I could catch. I would have to be sans clothes…with strangers. What if people stared? What if I brought the wrong towel or got naked at the wrong time? […] Upon sliding my shoji door shut I again I felt angry at myself. I was a fearless traveler. I skydived, bungee jumped and rock climbed. Why was I so afraid of taking a bath?” – Jessie Festa, Jessie on a Journey Blog.
Full Metal Panic Fumoffu has one of the stronger uses of a hot springs episode. It combines comedy, action and plenty of awkward situations in one. If you want some fluidly animated censored nudity, explosions and guns Fumoffu is a fantastic option. Futakoi Alternative, while it is not licensed, also has a similar style hot spring episode with action, romance and even Beethoven’s 5th Symphony in C Minor. Also by Kyoto Animation, Hyouka had a more serious approach to the idea which worked incredibly well. Not only was it interesting because it deviated from the usual slapstick approach, but it included a touching discussion of family, and the main character discovers some of his attraction for the female lead, Chitanda Eru – which he subsequently represses. Maison Ikkoku‘s only inclusion of a hot spring actually marks the end of a story arc, in which the situation is balances humor, awkwardness and drama. All in all, it was still a memorable execution of the idea, rather than the usual throwaway excuse for fan service.
Aside from which hot spring episode is the superior one, does anime teach viewers about how to use bath houses? There is a very specific way to use an onsen and every one will have slightly different rules so it can be helpful to look for a sign. Generally, one uses soap and a small shower to wash before going into the bath, where one can soak to their heart’s content (Spacey, 2014).
In the West there are some families that ask that you wear slippers inside to keep the house clean, and it is a decent idea. This is always present in Japan, anime but the rule is especially strict in bath houses. The only time this does not occur is on tatami mats (Wright, 2015). They would be damaged if you wore any kind of footwear on them. Many, if not all of rules for using an onsen and entering houses are shown in anime but they are not explicitly stated so it can help to pay attention.
Festivals & Events
Matsuri, or festivals, happen all over Japan at multiple times throughout the year. They are usually organized around the shrines and temples in the area. Attendees wear costumes and carry mini shrines around. The term is also used loosely to refer to local events (Kawasaki, 2015), which may involve dancing or art. These are fairly easy to see in almost any anime. Similar to the hot spring episode, Hyouka deviates from the norm and used the New Year’s episode to further develop the bond between the two main characters. As such, levels of sexual tension are at amusingly high levels. The school festival series of episodes are also presented in an unconventional way. Fruits Basket‘s dramady New Years episode is particularly significant for adding detail to the main character. The real obvious cultural differences come when looking at Western and Japanese holidays.“…So we got to the festival and there was music and children laughing and all these Japanese guys carrying around giant wooden shrines and yelling, but all I could think about was food. Everywhere I looked there were food stalls. […] Amazing scents were wafting from every direction.” – Ken Seeroi, Japanese Rule of 7.
Hyouka’s school festival and New Years episodes were well received.
Valentine’s day has more variation on Christmas between Japan and the West. On Valentine’s Day the woman are expected to provide chocolates or other gifts to men, co-workers and friends. These are divided into different types depending on your relationship to the other person. Giri-choco means ‘obligatory chocolate’ and the name implies its role (Sharp, 2013). These are the standard, reasonably priced chocolates that you can afford to give to many people. It might be the ones you buy last minute in the confectionery supermarket aisle. Honmei-choco is the fancier chocolate you save up for to give to a more special someone, whether that is a crush, lover or close friend. Sometimes the girl may want to make her chocolate from scratch (Sharp, 2013). Some of the more memorable Valentine’s day episodes are from Fruits Basket, Toradora and (again) Hyouka.
While Easter has become adopted by Japan, it is still not known by most Japanese. Instead of relying on chocolate eggs, Japanese sometimes replace these with their own local sweets like mochi. A similar trend is seen with Christmas. In Japan the most common religions are Shintoism or Buddhism, with only 1% identifying as Christian (Hammond, 2006), so the celebration of Christmas has been adopted to focus on the spirit of giving. The decorations, cards and giving/receiving of presents are as far as the similarities go (Martin, 2011). For those in the West who are not religious this version of Christmas will not seem out of sorts. In Japan Christmas is an opportunity to dress up nicely and enjoy a romantic night out (Martin, 2011).
A more unusual difference is the commercial ploy from KFC in Japan. Because of their advertising eating fried chicken is a common practice at Christmas in Japan, with many families having to order in advanced (Hammond, 2006). Popular Christmas episodes for anime usually involve a plot or aspect of character development, like Maison Ikkoku, Toradora and The Disapearance of Haruhi Suzumiya film, although I have yet to see any KFC.
Halloween in Japan is a different, but still very exciting, beast to the West. The concept of ‘trick or treating’ has not ever, and probably will never be a trend because of Japan’s strong cultural focus on respect for others (Von Lanken, 2015). However, that doesn’t stop anyone from dressing up. In fact, judging by the Shibuya Haloween Street party of this year, Halloween could be seen as synonymous with ‘giant pop culture convention’ as far as cosplaying goes. While the differences in holidays vary to the Western counterpart, an even more alien variation are the social concerns in Japan.
Crime in Japan
The crime rate is low in Japan and it is considered a very safe country (Wright, 2015), so much so that a decent proportion of crime in Japan comes from foreigners (Takafuji, 2015). Bicycles being stolen, home break ins or sex crimes are far more common. United Nations report stated that Japan’s homicide rate is one of the lowest in the world (Engel, 2014).“A couple of minutes ago I was having a bunch of nice drinks with this chick, and now it’s like: what the hell’s going on? […] The skinny guy on the tile floor isn’t moving and this massive dude is just kicking the shit out of him. And I know immediately the big guy isn’t just an ordinary person. He’s a yakuza. […] There was blood everywhere. It wasn’t anything like a fight; it was like something from a war movie. I was like, Holy crap, this is an actual murder. The man in the purple shirt lay there lifeless with his eyes rolled back in his head, not even breathing, while all his dark blood poured out onto the white tile.” – Ken Seeroi, Japanese Rule of 7.
One possible reason for this is the gun laws which mean that everyone who wants a weapon needs a very in depth and vigorous background check (Engel, 2014). Kopel (1988) believes that the gun laws only partially contribute to the low crime rate, as the majority of crimes in Japan are from organized groups called Boryokudan or yakuza (Adelstein, 2015). Yakuza are immediately recognized by tattoos, so to the Japanese this is an immediate red flag (Goodmacher, 2013). The only time a tattooed person won’t be suspected as a criminal if it’s obvious you’re a tourist and not Japanese (Festa, 2014).
The criminal justice system is stricter than in the West. Being bailed out of jail will be denied if the suspect is still considered useful to an investigation, which heightens the confession rate to 95% (Kopel, 1988). Gangs are represented a lot in anime. The first one that comes to mind is Seiji Sawamura in Midori Days, although Heaven’s Memo Pad, K, La Storia della Arcana Famiglia, Great Teacher Onizuka and Black Lagoon are well known too.
Social Issues in Japan: Marriage, Sex and the Hikikomori
Arranged marriages used to be incredibly common in Japan, usually organized by the parents or with the help of a matchmaker or ‘nakodo’. After World War 2 many Japanese rebelled against their parents and wanted their marriages to be based on love. As a result nowadays many parents strongly recommend a partner, allowing the man or woman to make the final decision (May, 2015). It’s a ‘choose or we choose for you’ mentality. However the miai appears to fluctuate in popularity depending on the circumstances of the country, as these types of marriages became more popular after the 2011 tsunami (Millward, 2012).“I recently ran into a couple at a sakura flower-viewing party. They’d met through a matchmaker, and told me they were planning to get married. ‘I just got tired of being alone,’ said the guy. ‘I made up my mind to get married,’ said the girl. ‘So you decided to get married […] and then you met each other?’ They both nodded. ‘I think we do it the other way around in the U.S.’ – Ken Seeroi, Japanese Rule of 7.
Since many anime take place in high schools marriage rarely becomes a subject topic, although it does from time to time. Maison Ikkoku presents this very strongly, almost to a Pride and Prejudice extent. In the 80’s a small portion of marriages were arranged, which makes sense in the context of the series. Many of the conflicts between Godai and Kyoko are a result of cultural and parental pressures which makes it an extremely interesting series from that aspect alone. Despite its highs, marriage popularity may be on the descent again judging from the number of Japanese people choosing to not be in relationships.
According to the Japan Times, 40-50% of marriages in Japan are sexless, and it isn’t just married couples that are avoiding it. Relationship counselors like Ai Aoyama are trying to tackle this lost interest in sex among Japanese men and women. It is often called sekkusu shinai shokogun, which means ‘celibacy syndrome’ (Haworth, 2013). It is difficult to gain an understanding of this situation from anime. Generally there are characters on either side of the spectrum, your typical perverted character (Brock from Pokemon, Ataru from Urusei Yatsura or Hideki from Chobits) and the apparently asexual (Oreki from Hyouka) or one that finds sexual situations highly embarrassing (Shinji in Neon Genesis Evangelion or Renton in Eureka Seven).“Ah, sex in Japan, always a hot topic in online forums. If you’re a man, and you post: I’m having lots of sex in Japan! then someone will surely reply: The women you’re seeing are all hoes. Or, if you’re a woman and you post the same thing, then: You yourself are a ho. Okay, so the internet’s never been famous for politeness.” – Ken Seeroi, Japanese Rule of 7.
The Japanese Rule of Seven mentions that sex is so difficult to come across in real life that Japanese resort to prostitution, among other quick fixes. This explains the abundance of ecchi anime, even though Japanese come across as sexually repressed. Sex scenes themselves rarely appear in anime that isn’t hentai – the only ones I can think of are in Neon Genesis Evangelion and Gundam Seed. It all appears to be symptoms of a larger problem, one that Japan is trying very hard to fix as soon as possible.
Aoyama’s patients often express dislike of the Japanese model of marriage and feel distressed for breaking from the norm (Haworth, 2013). The number of singles has risen dramatically not just in Japan, but other Asian countries (Seoul & Taipei, 2011). Aoyama believes this can partially be blamed on the typical marriage roles in Japan. The workplace hours can be so demanding that women often stay home to raise children while the father works.
In Usagi Drop very early on in the series Daikitchi works so late that the child care center has to wait with Rin outside in almost pitch black. It is a small window into the sorts of problems that come about with long work hours, twenty hours a day in extreme circumstances.
Although equality of women and men in the workforce is fairly even in the West, according to The Economist (2014) there are far less women who work in Japan. Many stay at home to rear children and rely on their husbands for income. This still happens in the West but it is more common in Japan, with 70% of women leaving work after their first child (Haworth, 2013). Perhaps a symbolic representation of this emotional lifelessness in Japan can be interpreted from this wedding between robots, the first of its kind, which took place in June this year.
On a lighter note, Japan issued its first marriage certificate to a lesbian couple earlier this year as well, showing that Japan does still believe in equal rights for those in love, even if many share very pessimistic views. It is rare to see these dynamics depicted in anime, again because of the focus on high school students. However, in Usagi Drop there is an episode where a mother is having a conflict with her husband and tells the main character that she regrets being married and felt that her childhood dream was too idealistic. The take away mesage of the episode is marriage is not all it is cracked up to be.
On my tour it was explained to me that the reason all windows in Japan can only be opened a small amount is to dis-encourage suicide and it is not unusual for trains to be delayed from someone jumping in front of them. Sadly, this happened a number of times on my trip. Another largely Japan phenomenon is the Hikikomori, sometimes known as NEETs (an acronym coined in the UK to mean Not in Employment, Education or Training). These are a portion of Japanese youth that have withdrawn from society to such an extent that they won’t leave their room or house for a period of longer than six months, sometimes years – except for at night to the convenience store.
Japan and other researchers in the world are trying to find ways to formally diagnose and treat hikikomori, as the symptoms appear independent to social anxiety (Wang, 2015). There are support groups and a call crisis center available as free treatment options (Wang, 2015). However, it is thought that the condition may cross over with other personality disorders and could be brought on by attachment theory or a failed resolution to an identity crisis. Cultural factors, such as over-supportive parents are thought to be a factor as well (Li & Wong, 2015).
The most in depth and deliberate exploration of the Hikikomori is in the hit show Welcome to the NHK!. Every character in the series is some representation of otaku, sexually repressed, hikikomori or all three. The reasons behind this are explored to differing extents depending on how important the characters are. The series reaches the highest highs and the lowest lows, especially in its mid series arc that brings the issue of group suicide and drug use. The show is an entertaining one in its own right.
While many in the West may be able to relate to the expressions of social anxiety and depression, the show is made all the more relevant with this social context. In a similar vein Eden of the East touches upon the issue of NEETs although it is not done with as much sympathy and care as Welcome to the NHK. While Welcome to the NHK portrays its characters as one might a loving friend who wants to help, Eden of the East is a harsh parental voice which has very little encouraging to say. Regardless of the approaches used to display the message, the cultural issues in Japan are the well represented in specific anime like Maison Ikkoku, Usagi Drop and Welcome to the NHK respectively.
There are other aspects of Japanese culture which are so rarely depicted in anime it would not be worth dedicating a whole paragraph to them. One is the idea of the Jazz kissaten, a coffee shop dedicated to playing jazz, and jazz bars in a similar vein (Downey, 2014). These became popular in the 60’s because music records were so expensive that students and those working would spend time in these locations just to listen. This focus on Jazz is displayed in the anime Kids on the Slope.
Hygeine is another concern of the Japanese which is apparent to anyone who has witnessed the spotless streets of Osaka or Hiroshima (not so much Tokyo). Japanese are expected to still go to work and school when sick, so they wear face masks as to prevent the spread of germs. Since anime characters don’t usually get sick these are not shown in anime very often. The Disapearance of Haruhi Suzumiya film is one instance where it is displayed.
There are many aspects of Japanese culture that become automatically ingrained in regular anime watchers by mere repetition, like bowing, uses of names, hot springs and some table etiquette. The specifics of some of these rules are difficult to gather without doing further research, although anime gives a decent introduction to many of these cultural differences.
The more complicated social issues require deeper research to understand, but can give an extra layer of enjoyment to anime one may not have had before. Anime is an important medium for understanding and sparking interest in Japanese culture and hopefully it will continue to inspire fans for years to come.
December 18, 2015
December 17, 2015
December 6, 2015
December 5, 2015
December 1, 2015
George Lucas hasn't looked at the internet in 15 years because of 'Star Wars'
George Lucas hasn't looked at the internet in 15 years because of 'Star Wars'
It seems fandom's obsession with “Star Wars” forced George Lucas off the web.
In a lengthy new Washington Post profile of the creator of the “Star Wars” saga, Lucas said that since 2000, he’s avoided the internet and all its trappings like Facebook, Twitter, even email.
A large part of this has to do with the constant ridicule he’s received since making the “Star Wars” prequels from 1999-2005. Though they were huge box-office draws, most fans thought they couldn’t hold a candle to the original trilogy.
Lucas told Vanity Fair back in June:
“It was fine before the internet... But now... it’s gotten very vicious and very personal. You just say, ‘Why do I need to do this?’”
In the Post story, Lucas also chimed in on the decades-long debated question: Did Han Solo shoot first in the Mos Eisley cantina?
Since “A New Hope” came out in 1977, many have argued about if it was Solo or Greedo, one of Jabba the Hut’s henchmen searching for Solo, who shot first in their famous faceoff.
That can now be put to rest by Lucas' answer.
“I was thinking mythologically — should he be a cowboy, should he be John Wayne? And I said, ‘Yeah, he should be John Wayne.’ And when you’re John Wayne, you don’t shoot people [first] — you let them have the first shot. It’s a mythological reality that we hope our society pays attention to," he said.
This is also obvious when looking at how Lucas changed the scene when he did his special edition. Here’s a comparison of it next to the original:
November 26, 2015
November 25, 2015
November 18, 2015
Anime bentos brought to a whole new level by Anime-loving mum - This Urban Jungle, Singapore Seen - STOMP
Anime bentos brought to a whole new level by Anime-loving mum - This Urban Jungle, Singapore Seen - STOMP
PHOTO: Akiran
PHOTO: AkiranThis article is contributed by the Stomp Team.
Think Anime art is incredible? Wait until you see Anime drawn on lunchbox rice.
Japanese Anime-loving mom Akiran takes Anime to a whole new level by drawing it on bentos for her two sons.
According to Rocketnews24, she uses oblaat -- edible sheets of starch to draw the designs on.
Then, she cuts it out to place on top of compressed rice.
Akiran has, not only incredible artistic skills, but also great dedication to create these unique bentos.
Take a look at her other works in our gallery down below.
Think Anime art is incredible? Wait until you see Anime drawn on lunchbox rice.
Japanese Anime-loving mom Akiran takes Anime to a whole new level by drawing it on bentos for her two sons.
According to Rocketnews24, she uses oblaat -- edible sheets of starch to draw the designs on.
Then, she cuts it out to place on top of compressed rice.
Akiran has, not only incredible artistic skills, but also great dedication to create these unique bentos.
Take a look at her other works in our gallery down below.
November 17, 2015
November 10, 2015
November 9, 2015
Whatever Happened to Bleach? - Anime News Network
Whatever Happened to Bleach? - Anime News Network
Roughly ten years ago,Tite Kubo's Bleach was among the most popular manga franchises in the world. Online debates raged constantly, with Bleach, Naruto, and One Piece fans all arguing in favor of their own series being the best or most popular shonen mega-hit. Things are much different now. Naruto maintained a fervent fanbase up to its conclusion and beyond, while One Piece is more popular than ever and could easily go on for another decade. Bleach, on the other hand, is a full-blown has-been, a shell of its former self that subsists on the memory of its glory days. It is well past its expiration date, yet it continues to grind on, sluggishly approaching its conclusion on a seemingly parabolic trajectory. The manga's volume sales have dwindled, the anime was cancelled several years ago, and many former fans have just flat-out given up on it. How did things come to this?
Going Downhill For a lot of fans, the most important character in Bleach was not protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki, but rather antagonist Sousuke Aizen. The first major story arc of Bleach dealt with Ichigo trying to rescue his companion Rukia Kuchiki, the Soul Reaper who had given him her powers in a state of emergency. Rukia was sentenced to execution by the governing body of Soul Society for the crime of granting Soul Reaper powers to a mortal. After experiencing multiple intense battles and a whole lot of power growth, Ichigo finally saved Rukia, and it turned out that her sentencing had all been manipulated by Aizen, who sought to recover a powerful device called the Hougyoku from her body. Aizen's villainous reveal drew a lot of new fans to the series because of how incredibly effective it was. Some fans heralded him as the greatest manga/anime villain in recent memory. He was intelligent, manipulative, confident, cold-hearted, ambitious, and he always had an ace up his sleeve whenever he seemed to be at even the slightest disadvantage. He struck an excellent balance between being cool as hell and incredibly detestable. Making him the driving force behind the preceding story arc and the antagonist moving forward in one fell swoop brought a sense of direction to the overall plot, and a lot of people were excited to see where it would go.
So Bleach continued on with a new long-term antagonist and a new determined direction. In an echo of the previous story arc, Aizen abducted Ichigo's friend and love interest Orihime Inoue this time. To save her, Ichigo and his friends traveled to Hueco Mundo, the world inhabited by Aizen's followers, the Hollows. The main strength of this story arc was the long-term build-up of its villains, producing two of the most popular characters in the series: Grimmjow and Ulquiorra. However, Bleach started to suffer from pacing problems around this time. Once the heroes entered Aizen's stronghold, the series became a long, unbroken string of fight sequences. These fights were so protracted that when it came time for the anime to run filler episodes, there was no appropriate place to fit them in naturally. Instead, the characters would simply break the fourth wall mid-battle to acknowledge that the main plot was taking a break while an unrelated story ran in its place.
The arc's final stretch consisted of even more ceaseless fighting, but this time it was mostly between characters who had only rarely appeared in the series before. Over fifty characters got involved in the final confrontation with Aizen. Some of these characters were just now appearing for the first time, simply written in to provide the tenth- through fifteenth-most important Soul Reapers with individual opponents. Kubo's efforts to make the battle a grand spectacle backfired by favoring quantity over quality. By the end of things, I was feeling very sore about Bleach, because it seemed to be putting off the final Ichigo vs. Aizen fight for as long as possible while offering nothing decent in the meantime. On top of that, after being built up for years as tremendous threats, the three highest-ranking members of Aizen's army were defeated in a remarkably anticlimactic way. Aizen even dispatched one himself just to pull off the cliché evil overlord stunt of showing how ruthless he was.
Unfortunately, this was just the first example of Aizen losing his luster. As he grew more powerful through the use of the Hougyoku, he stopped bothering to devise clever schemes and instead relied purely on his own immense strength to get the job done. In other words, Aizen lost all the qualities that captivated fans when he first revealed himself as the villain. Over the course of several years, Bleach had stopped focusing on its most popular heroes and ruined its most popular villain.
After the End While his audience's interest in Bleach may have waned, Tite Kubo's had not. There was still one major story arc left that he wanted to write, but to get to that point, Ichigo had to regain his powers first. So the series skipped ahead to a point 1.5 years after the final battle with Aizen. Apparently, within this time, nobody from Soul Society had bothered to check in on the guy who won a war for them, but then again, nothing at all seemed to have happened during this timeskip, except that everybody got new haircuts. This time, a character named Kuugo Ginjou became the new villain in a baffling new plot. He earned Ichigo's trust, taught him how to gain an entirely new set of powers, then stole those powers from him, prompting a bunch of Soul Reapers to give Ichigo his original Soul Reaper powers back, whereupon Ichigo defeated Ginjou immediately. On the surface, this may sound like a complete waste of time, but digging deeper makes it even worse.
To its credit, the Lost Substitute Shinigami arc did finally let up on the relentless pace that had defined Bleach for the past several years. Characters would occasionally sit down and talk about things, instead of being limited to explaining how their powers worked in the middle of a fight. However, the arc introduced even more bland and uninteresting characters, while relegating every established character barring Ichigo to the sidelines. Somehow even Chad, who was actually part of Ginjou's organization, became practically forgotten and a complete non-factor in the climax. On top of that, Ginjou's heel turn "twist" seemed obvious from the beginning, making it a less effective retread of the Aizen reveal from years before.
His complex schemes were a pale shade of his predecessor's too. Ginjou's plan made no sense whatsoever. To earn Ichigo's trust, he had to pretend that one of his allies, Tsukishima, was actually his enemy, so that Ichigo would be convinced to unite with him against a common foe. To pull this off, Ginjou had Tsukishima use his ability to alter memories on him, causing Ginjou to temporarily believe that they were enemies. Putting aside the gamble he made in hoping that he would act as predicted once his mind had been altered, he ignored the painfully obvious option of altering Ichigo's mind instead. The only explanation Ginjou offered for not using Tsukishima's powers in the simplest way was: "The game won't be any fun if it's fixed so we can't lose." His rationale for not choosing the best plan available was that he didn't want to definitely succeed.
Of course, it would be completely unfair to decry Ginjou's nonsensical plan without talking about Soul Society's bizarre behavior. Why in the world had they waited so long to give Ichigo's powers back if they could just do it whenever they wanted? Apparently, Soul Society had known about Ginjou's plan for a long time because he used to be a Substitute Soul Reaper, just like Ichigo. Believing that Ginjou would seek out Ichigo eventually because of this shared connection, the Soul Reaper captains planned to use the powerless Ichigo as bait to lure Ginjou out of hiding. (But for some reason, nobody stuck around to actually check on their bait, so somebody in the human world had to go to Soul Society and tell them about it after the fact.) So on top of proving so unpopular with fans that the anime adaptation was cancelled as soon as it was finished, the Lost Substitute Shinigami arc made the members of Soul Society out to be tremendous jerks who manipulated Ichigo to achieve their own ends. This was an especially big problem because the plot was clearly meant to demonstrate a strengthening of bonds between Ichigo and Soul Society, so that readers would feel more sympathy when Soul Society was invaded in the final major story arc. After this pointless new adventure was over, many fans who had given Bleach one final chance to prove itself finally quit.
So Then What Happened? Bleach is very gradually coming to a close in the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, which is focused on an all-out war between the Soul Society and a race known as the Quincy. It's not as bad as the previous arc, but it suffers greatly from a lack of strong characters. Because of its nature as Bleach's last storyline, pretty much every Soul Reaper character has been engaged in a life-threatening fight at some point in the war, with many being killed off. Unfortunately, only about half of these twenty-five-plus characters had been fleshed out enough for anyone to care about their fates. The first victim of the war was a character with literally two lines of dialogue prior to this arc, but his death was treated as a game-changing, “anyone can die” moment. Nearly half a dozen times now, characters on the verge of death have had their backstories revealed in a last-second flashback to evoke sympathy from the audience, which would be completely unnecessary if some of them had any development before that point.
While its uninteresting heroes crippled the arc, it truly suffered most from a lack of compelling villains. Some of the Quincies had outlandish designs even by Bleach standards: a cyborg, a Thor lookalike, a guy with two tongues, a mustachioed wrestler in a pink luchador mask, a hairy man in a diaper, a giant sentient hand, and a literal brain in a jar. Despite this, hardly any of the more than thirty villains introduced were very interesting, and for the first time, none of the villains were framed as an important rival of Ichigo's or anyone else's for that matter. Most baddies were defeated within their first major battle, with no chance to establish themselves as a threat or garner interest in their personalities. Even Uryuu Ishida, a Quincy and longtime main cast member who betrayed Ichigo's group to ally himself with his own people, has failed to garner intrigue. You'd think that would be impossible given his dramatic potential, but Ishida has done absolutely nothing significant for the entire 3.5 span of the arc after changing sides. The manga is now overcrowded with characters who have no chance to stand out as any more important than the rest.
What did you think of Bleach's evolution (or devolution)? Let us know how you felt about Bleach's development in the forums!
Roughly ten years ago,Tite Kubo's Bleach was among the most popular manga franchises in the world. Online debates raged constantly, with Bleach, Naruto, and One Piece fans all arguing in favor of their own series being the best or most popular shonen mega-hit. Things are much different now. Naruto maintained a fervent fanbase up to its conclusion and beyond, while One Piece is more popular than ever and could easily go on for another decade. Bleach, on the other hand, is a full-blown has-been, a shell of its former self that subsists on the memory of its glory days. It is well past its expiration date, yet it continues to grind on, sluggishly approaching its conclusion on a seemingly parabolic trajectory. The manga's volume sales have dwindled, the anime was cancelled several years ago, and many former fans have just flat-out given up on it. How did things come to this?
So Bleach continued on with a new long-term antagonist and a new determined direction. In an echo of the previous story arc, Aizen abducted Ichigo's friend and love interest Orihime Inoue this time. To save her, Ichigo and his friends traveled to Hueco Mundo, the world inhabited by Aizen's followers, the Hollows. The main strength of this story arc was the long-term build-up of its villains, producing two of the most popular characters in the series: Grimmjow and Ulquiorra. However, Bleach started to suffer from pacing problems around this time. Once the heroes entered Aizen's stronghold, the series became a long, unbroken string of fight sequences. These fights were so protracted that when it came time for the anime to run filler episodes, there was no appropriate place to fit them in naturally. Instead, the characters would simply break the fourth wall mid-battle to acknowledge that the main plot was taking a break while an unrelated story ran in its place.
The arc's final stretch consisted of even more ceaseless fighting, but this time it was mostly between characters who had only rarely appeared in the series before. Over fifty characters got involved in the final confrontation with Aizen. Some of these characters were just now appearing for the first time, simply written in to provide the tenth- through fifteenth-most important Soul Reapers with individual opponents. Kubo's efforts to make the battle a grand spectacle backfired by favoring quantity over quality. By the end of things, I was feeling very sore about Bleach, because it seemed to be putting off the final Ichigo vs. Aizen fight for as long as possible while offering nothing decent in the meantime. On top of that, after being built up for years as tremendous threats, the three highest-ranking members of Aizen's army were defeated in a remarkably anticlimactic way. Aizen even dispatched one himself just to pull off the cliché evil overlord stunt of showing how ruthless he was.
Unfortunately, this was just the first example of Aizen losing his luster. As he grew more powerful through the use of the Hougyoku, he stopped bothering to devise clever schemes and instead relied purely on his own immense strength to get the job done. In other words, Aizen lost all the qualities that captivated fans when he first revealed himself as the villain. Over the course of several years, Bleach had stopped focusing on its most popular heroes and ruined its most popular villain.
To its credit, the Lost Substitute Shinigami arc did finally let up on the relentless pace that had defined Bleach for the past several years. Characters would occasionally sit down and talk about things, instead of being limited to explaining how their powers worked in the middle of a fight. However, the arc introduced even more bland and uninteresting characters, while relegating every established character barring Ichigo to the sidelines. Somehow even Chad, who was actually part of Ginjou's organization, became practically forgotten and a complete non-factor in the climax. On top of that, Ginjou's heel turn "twist" seemed obvious from the beginning, making it a less effective retread of the Aizen reveal from years before.
His complex schemes were a pale shade of his predecessor's too. Ginjou's plan made no sense whatsoever. To earn Ichigo's trust, he had to pretend that one of his allies, Tsukishima, was actually his enemy, so that Ichigo would be convinced to unite with him against a common foe. To pull this off, Ginjou had Tsukishima use his ability to alter memories on him, causing Ginjou to temporarily believe that they were enemies. Putting aside the gamble he made in hoping that he would act as predicted once his mind had been altered, he ignored the painfully obvious option of altering Ichigo's mind instead. The only explanation Ginjou offered for not using Tsukishima's powers in the simplest way was: "The game won't be any fun if it's fixed so we can't lose." His rationale for not choosing the best plan available was that he didn't want to definitely succeed.
Of course, it would be completely unfair to decry Ginjou's nonsensical plan without talking about Soul Society's bizarre behavior. Why in the world had they waited so long to give Ichigo's powers back if they could just do it whenever they wanted? Apparently, Soul Society had known about Ginjou's plan for a long time because he used to be a Substitute Soul Reaper, just like Ichigo. Believing that Ginjou would seek out Ichigo eventually because of this shared connection, the Soul Reaper captains planned to use the powerless Ichigo as bait to lure Ginjou out of hiding. (But for some reason, nobody stuck around to actually check on their bait, so somebody in the human world had to go to Soul Society and tell them about it after the fact.) So on top of proving so unpopular with fans that the anime adaptation was cancelled as soon as it was finished, the Lost Substitute Shinigami arc made the members of Soul Society out to be tremendous jerks who manipulated Ichigo to achieve their own ends. This was an especially big problem because the plot was clearly meant to demonstrate a strengthening of bonds between Ichigo and Soul Society, so that readers would feel more sympathy when Soul Society was invaded in the final major story arc. After this pointless new adventure was over, many fans who had given Bleach one final chance to prove itself finally quit.
While its uninteresting heroes crippled the arc, it truly suffered most from a lack of compelling villains. Some of the Quincies had outlandish designs even by Bleach standards: a cyborg, a Thor lookalike, a guy with two tongues, a mustachioed wrestler in a pink luchador mask, a hairy man in a diaper, a giant sentient hand, and a literal brain in a jar. Despite this, hardly any of the more than thirty villains introduced were very interesting, and for the first time, none of the villains were framed as an important rival of Ichigo's or anyone else's for that matter. Most baddies were defeated within their first major battle, with no chance to establish themselves as a threat or garner interest in their personalities. Even Uryuu Ishida, a Quincy and longtime main cast member who betrayed Ichigo's group to ally himself with his own people, has failed to garner intrigue. You'd think that would be impossible given his dramatic potential, but Ishida has done absolutely nothing significant for the entire 3.5 span of the arc after changing sides. The manga is now overcrowded with characters who have no chance to stand out as any more important than the rest.
What did you think of Bleach's evolution (or devolution)? Let us know how you felt about Bleach's development in the forums!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)