A Pop To Be Reckoned With
5
Leisure By Esther Lee That’s right. They are all part of something that has taken the world by storm - the Japanese popular culture. Like all modern cultures, the Japanese popular culture has its roots in Japan’s literary and artistic past. It is a means of entertainment for both the young and old, reflecting current attitudes and beliefs through various forms like books, movies, music, etc. So what are some of these forms of Japanese popular culture? One good example would be the Japanese animation (otherwise known as anime) that you can Manga, anime, J-pop and even the word kawaii (a word that means cute in Japanese). What do all these have in common? catch on a regular basis on Okto, a local children's channel on television. From Digimon Data Squad to more mature shows like Jigoku Shojo, anime is well known across the world and has gathered numerous fans. Anime , mostly hand- drawn or animated by computer, can be based on manga (Japanese comics), light 50 Naruto and Macross animes First published in Vita Edition, Issue 7 (February 2009) Vita Edition is an educational magazine for primary and secondary school students. Published by Asiapac Books (http://www.asiapacbooks.com)
description
A feature article on the Japanese Pop Culture, under my pen name "Esther Lee"
Transcript of A Pop To Be Reckoned With
Leisure
50
By Esther Lee
That’s right. They are all part ofsomething that has taken theworld by storm - the Japanesepopular culture. Like all moderncultures, the Japanese popularculture has its roots in Japan’sliterary and artistic past. It is ameans of entertainment for boththe young and old, reflectingcurrent attitudes and beliefsthrough various forms like books,movies, music, etc.
So what are some of these formsof Japanese popular culture? Onegood example would be theJapanese animation (otherwiseknown as anime) that you can
Manga, anime, J-pop and even the word kawaii (a wordthat means cute in Japanese). What do all these have incommon?
catch on a regular basis onOkto, a local children's channelon television. From DigimonData Squad to more matureshows like Jigoku Shojo, animeis well known across the worldand has gathered numerousfans. Anime, mostly hand-drawn or animated bycomputer, can be based onmanga (Japanese comics), light
50
Naruto and Macrossanimes
Firs
t pub
lishe
d in
Vita
Edi
tion,
Issu
e 7 (F
ebru
ary 2
009)
Vita
Edi
tion
is an
educ
atio
nal m
agaz
ine f
or p
rimar
y and
seco
ndar
y sch
ool s
tude
nts.
Publ
ished
by A
siapa
c Boo
ks(h
ttp:/
/ww
w.as
iapac
book
s.com
)
Leisure
51
novels (dialogue-driven novelsthat usually target teens andyoung adults), or even games.Depending on the medium theanime is derived from, theseries may span over 200episodes like Naruto or simplylast for a couple of hours as amovie like Spirited Away.
Due to the popularity of anime,prominent animators like HayaoMiyazaki of critically acclaimedanime movies like Spirited Awayand Howl’s Moving Castle enjoya loyal following in both the Eastand West. And it’s not justanimators who attract fans.Voice actors (otherwise known asseiyu) who lend their voices toanime characters have their
international admirers too. Infact, their jobs often branch intoareas like singing and acting. Onesuch seiyu, May’n, was invited tothe Anime Festival Asia held atSuntec City from 22 to 23November 2008. She performedthe singing voice of Sheryl Nomefrom the anime Macross Frontierand Singapore was her very firstlive performance outside Japan.
In addition to currently providingabout 60% of the world'sanimated series, Japan also gaveus cosplay - a hobby where fanshonour their favourite anime,manga, games, etc throughdressing up as a particularcharacter. They try to behave likethe character they are cosplaying
Spirited Away
51
Leisure
52
as far as possible and attendevents like the STAC EOY held atSingapore Expo on 13 December2008 where they allowphotographers and like-mindedpeople to snap pictures of them.Enthusiastic cosplayers evenorganise private photo shoots atlocations like the Chinese andJapanese Gardens. Such a hobbydoes not come cheap howeverfor one has to spend a lot ofmoney and time on making surethe cosplay costumes and propsare as accurate as possible. Littledetails such as the colour of theeyes or scars must all be takeninto account when cosplaying.
Of course, cosplaying is not justlimited to simply putting on acostume. There are those whocosplay giant robots from animeseries such as Gundam, usingmaterials like cardboard to createan entire robot outfit that is wornpart by part. Much effort goesinto the making of these outfitsand cosplayers often need anassistant to help them. Anothertype of cosplay that originatesfrom Japan is the kigurumicosplay where the cosplayer iscompletely encased in a body suitand face mask. To this date, thisform of cosplay is still a small partof Japan's cosplay community butwe do have our very own
Above: Lolita fashion in red and black
52
Leisure
53
kigurumi cosplayer in Singapore!You can visit his website at http://wyu.ulmb.com/.
Compared to Japan’s vibrantcosplaying scene, Singapore’scosplay community is still growingbut it is evident that the hobbyis beginning to catch on amongSingapore youngsters. If you areinterested in seeing what cosplayis all about, you can visit eventslike Cosfest that is usually heldat Downtown East during Julyannually. To find out more aboutwhen they are going to hold theirnext event, simply check outhttp://www.cosfest.com/.
The Japanese popular culture hasalso influenced fashion in moreways than one. One such example
is the Lolita fashion that is prettypopular among young peoplearound the world. Girls wearclothing such as knee-lengthdresses, blouses, headdressesand platform shoes, etc to createa childlike innocent image. Lolitafashion can also be divided intosubtypes such as Gothic Lolita,Classic Lolita, Waloli, etc. Youngmales too can get into the actionthrough male Lolita fashion whichis inspired by Victorian-styleclothes worn by boys in the past.Popularised by Visual Kei(Japanese rock bands who mainlyperform in intricate costumes)and often seen in mediums suchas anime and manga, it istherefore not surprising to see
53
Leisure
54
the Lolita fashion taking root inSingapore. Japan even has Lolitafashion selling in departmentalstores and several well knownbrands that carry different typesof Lolita styles.
There are some who consider theterm ‘Lolita’ to be overtly sexualdue to a book with the same titleby Vladimir Nabokov. Howeverthose who follow the Lolitafashion prefer to considerthemselves cute due to theJapanese penchant for childlikeappearances and behaviour.Hence as far as the Lolita fashionenthusiasts are concerned, theyare more kawaii than sexy. In factto enhance their youthful image,they often carry teddy bears ordolls around.
For those who are keen on seeingwhat Lolita fashion is all about,you can go to Haru House at FarEast Plaza #03-42/46 where thelady owner carries cosplaycostumes and props in addition toher Lolita, punk and casual streetwear. She also has a blog at http://haru-house.blogspot.com whereshe updates visitors on the store'slatest news.
Isn’t it amazing how far theJapanese popular culture hasreached into our lives even
54
though Japan is halfway acrossthe world? With the help of theInternet and other media, we willcontinue to see an evolution ofthe Japanese popular culture asit encounters different culturesin other countries. Take the QiLolita for instance. It combinescheongsam-style clothes with apetticoat to result in a uniqueLolita fashion.
It is indeed a force to bereckoned with, isn't it?
