Or, maybe it's being promoted as the next big thing to replace Manga. Sent to me by a University lecturer of my acquaintance.
I think it's saying, "Buy Japanese" ...
by fulltimestudent 6 Replies latest social current
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LisaRose
Yikes! I have a Vietnamese American friend who is in Japan with her husband for six months, he is on a student Visa. She says it's much like you expect from Anime and this kind of thing, everything is so cute and tiny and adorable.
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ron rawson
I dunno....almost pedophilic (is that a word?)....at about 3:20 the banner on the bottom of the screen says "love us from top to bottom". Maybe selling Japans version of the worlds oldest profession thru this weird, disturbing video. Cute kids , but man-o-man this is twisted....or maybe it's me. Either way I don't care for it.
Then again, I'm not 25 anymore.
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fulltimestudent
LisaRose : Yikes! I have a Vietnamese American friend who is in Japan with her husband for six months, he is on a student Visa. She says it's much like you expect from Anime and this kind of thing, everything is so cute and tiny and adorable.
Lisa, that's a perfect description of some things the Japanese call 'netsuke,' which were little button like things used to attach items to clothing, they were often exquisitely ornamental. Do a search and see what you think. Because of that the the points you're friends have observed it's often thought that the Japanese have a knack for making things small and beautiful.
ron rawson: I dunno....almost pedophilic (is that a word?)....at about 3:20 the banner on the bottom of the screen says "love us from top to bottom". Maybe selling Japans version of the worlds oldest profession thru this weird, disturbing video. Cute kids , but man-o-man this is twisted....or maybe it's me. Either way I don't care for it.
Then again, I'm not 25 anymore.Interesting observation Ron, and thnx for discussing your feelings. I think Japanese (in particular) and East Asian (generally) attitudes to sex do push the boundaries for Americans (in particular) and the Anglosphere (in general).
However, having some experience (after six years of studying Asia) in Japanese cultural attitudes, I do NOT think that there is a specific sexual intent in the video. While the girls may look young, I'd be surprised if they were say 15, much more likely they are around 20. East Asians often look much younger than they are.
And yes, 'pedophilic' does seem to be a word, at least in some usages. But the problem is that there is no universal standard for pedophilia. In the USA, the age of consent is now 18, in 19th century Vermont the age for marriage for a girl was supposed to have been 7.
IF an adult in the USA has sex with a 17 year old partner, its a crime, but here in Australia its not, because the age of consent is 16. Go back a hundred years or so, and the age for getting married was often around 13-14.
So you may be surprised to know that the age of consent in Japan is 13, nationally, though in many provinces, there are additional laws that govern age of consent.
The other cultural factor, is that we are acculturated by Christian attitudes. Galations 5:17 sums it up for us:
"For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do what ever you want."
So sexual discussions and off-key sights often make us feel uncomfortable, but the Japanese have little in their own unique culture that makes them feel uncomfortable over sexual matters. I'm not trying to say that in East Asia/Japan its a sexual free-for-all. Its not like that at all. Its just that they are much more comfortable about sex than we are likely to be.
I think you may have put your finger on the real difference, when you said that you were not 25 anymore (nor am I anymore!). When we were young, silly things were more attractive.
I see this video in much the same classification as a Chinese video I posted some time back. Called 'Little Apple" it takes a swipe at the Bible story of the Apple, at the importation of western attitudes and sexual attitudes generally. For some reason it caught the Chinese imagination and song and dance groups all over China were singing and dancing (public dance groups are very common) 'Little Apple,' everywhere, so just a bit of silly fun.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d59boCs31uM
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Bonsai
That's a *****d up video, but sadly it's the perfect embodiment of young Japanese people's version of what is cute and in vogue these days. The lyrics are all helter-skelter without much reason or rhyme to them. Basically saying to come to Japan when you are feeling down. Enjoy the culture, eat our chocolate and famous dishes. Take a dip in an onsen spa and visit the famous places here. Enjoy Japan because it's a stable,safe place to be etc. The foreign guy is just prattling off a list of things to do and places to visit in his death metal voice.
The girl singers are high school students, probably part of a small-time band out of Tokyo.
So many young people here dress like princess prostitutes and think it's cute, not pedophilic. Sadly this is resulting in many kids and teenagers getting stalked, kidnapped and raped.
I asked my Japanese friends if anyone has ever heard of "Ladybaby" and none of them had. The song's name is Nippon Manju. Nippon is another way to say Nihon, which means Japan. Manju is a rice snack filled with red bean paste - I love it!
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fulltimestudent
Bonsai : That's a *****d up video, but sadly it's the perfect embodiment of young Japanese people's version of what is cute and in vogue these days.
Hi Bonsai - thnks for posting your thoughts on Ladybaby. Are you Japanese? Not that it matters, just interested in how cross-cultural identities develop and see things.
I asked a student friend, (white -grin!- and Aussie) just back from a years study in Japan, for his Impressions? "Crazy, man, crazy," was his response.
"Crazy man, crazy" is not ( I think) a descriptive term that would have been used to describe Japan, pre-WW2. So can we think that (maybe?) that what we are seeing is a result of Caesar MacArthur's attempts to turn Japan into an American clone?
You also commented:
So many young people here dress like princess prostitutes and think it's cute, not pedophilic. Sadly this is resulting in many kids and teenagers getting stalked, kidnapped and raped.
That's sad. But, I dont know how to separate that as a Japanese experience, from the experience of women in India, and here in Australia. Being a woman seems to be the problem.
And, on this thought -
I asked my Japanese friends if anyone has ever heard of "Ladybaby" and none of them had.
Your friends maybe absolutely correct, but 'Ladybaby' seems to have become known in Aussieland, as the following link will demonstrate.
http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/from-ladybeard-to-ladybaby-the-pro-wrestling-heavy-metal-singer-taking-japan-by-storm-20150711-gia24x.html
What about a group called 'Babymetal?' Have they come within your cultural experience yet?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9r-DbjqDgk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cpmLWC7tW0
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Bonsai
I never heard of Babymetal up till now, but I kinda like their style.
You have a PM fulltimestudent.