japanese animé - Understanding cultural references in japanese animé and manga

Most Japanese animé is, obviously, made for a Japanese market, meaning

American viewers will be unfamiliar with much of what they see. While some

of this unfamiliarity adds to the pleasure of watching, some facets of

Japanese culture could stand to be explained.

The Eyes:

The large, shiny eyes that have become a staple of anime style are actually

more a product of history than of culture. In the past, characters in

American and European cartoons, such as Betty Boop and Felix the Cat, had

disproportionately large eyes. This style was emulated by Tezuka Osamu, one

of the most influential founding fathers of anime. Today, this distinctive

eye style has become a matter of the animators' preference. Large eyes often

appear on women and young children to make them appear more innocent.

Although most American viewers are familiar only with this particular eye

style, many of the characters in cartoons shown in Japan possess much more

normal eyes.

Various Prefixes and Suffixes:

Although an anime may be dubbed in English, many Japanese "add-ons" are left

attached to characters' names. These prefixes and suffixes do not have

direct English translations, but their meaning is easily understood.

The suffix -sama is a term of the utmost respect, such as one would use when

talking about the Emperor or God.

The suffix -san is used for general politeness.

The suffix -chan is a term of endearment, used only between family members,

close friends, or romantically involved couples. The suffix -kun is often

added to the end of a young man's name. The honorific o- added at the

beginning of names and some common nouns has a duel purpose. It is used as

both a term of respect and as a means to "soften" statements and requests

that would otherwise sound too sharp.

Strange Hair Colors:

Outrageous hair colors are common in anime, despite the fact that no

culture, anywhere, considers them the norm. The reason for this is

surprisingly simple. When a manga series (Japanese comic book) or anime has

been selected for U.S. release, the characters' hair color is often changed

so that viewers will be able to tell the difference between very

similar-looking characters.

Cherry Blossoms:

Cherry Blossoms ("sakura" in Japanese) are evident in many anime, including

Peacock King and X 1999. In Japan, blossom-viewing parties and picnics are

standard fare during the springtime, when the flowers fall as thick as snow.

Cherry blossoms are also considered to be a symbol of a life cut tragically

short and, for this reason, they are often added during a death scene to

give the anime that extra dramatic flair. Sakura is also a very common

girls' name.

Money-hungry Women:

In Japan, women are responsible for managing the household budget. Men bring

home wages and women dole out allowances to their husbands. For this reason,

women are often teased for being either overly interested, or completely

uninterested, in cash flow. Nanami in El-Hazard, Lina Inverse in Slayers,

and Sakura in Key the Metal Idol were all women out to make a buck…many

bucks, in fact.

Prayer Beads:

Religious characters are often adorned with long necklaces of large beads.

These prayer beads are similar in function to the Christian rosary and are

used to keep track while reciting the name of the Buddha. Most of these

necklaces have 108 beads, symbolizing the 108 evil passions denounced in

Buddhism.

Women with Guns:

Stereotypically, Japanese women are seen as soft-spoken and shy by the

outside world. Therefore, many viewers are amazed at the number of

gun-toting women characters in anime and manga. Even though Japan is still

highly gender-role oriented, what most people fail to realize is that women

have a very large, very important position in Japanese culture. Throughout

the country's history, many women have been featured prominently for their

courage and compassion. By including strong female characters, anime and

manga are helping to destroy the misconception that Japanese women are weak,

meek, and mild.

Left-handedness:

Although this is relevant only to manga, it is very interesting and has been

included (since most anime fans also read, or at least look at, Japanese

manga). It may seem that characters in Japanese comic books are all

left-handed, which has led many to think that left-handedness is either an

extremely common or highly respected trait. It's neither. Just as in

America, most people are right handed. And that's the way they are drawn in

the comic books. The switch comes when these books are marketed for the

United States. Because the Japanese read from right to left, their books

open opposite of the way ours do. To put them into a format more comfortable

for Americans, the images are switched to their mirror-image so that the

book can be read. This means that someone driving on the left side of the

road in a Japanese comic book will appear as if he is driving down the right

side in the American version. The same is true for any character writing

with his or her right hand.

While these cultural references may shed some light on particular anime

quirks, some things still can't be explained. For instance, why are women

characters so often obsessed with food, and why do so many (seriously, TOO

many) men dress in drag?