Japanese Pop Culture - Dec 14, 2018
I’d hazard a guess that no East Asian country has created more influential content through the media form of video games than Japan has, so I see fit to describe the essence of Japanese pop culture through this medium. With Nintendo being one of the biggest household names in the industry, and countless other globally popular companies like CAPCOM, Square Enix, and Konami, just to name a few, there is no question that the media created through video games and the impact that these games have had on not only the popular culture within its own country but also outside of Japan as well has a huge influence on its consumers and fans of games in general. Reliant on the ever-growing and constantly advancing technology within the nation, with the capacity for narrative storytelling and pure entertainment as well, videogames are a perfect example of how Japan mixes its machinery, culture, and media to create a culture not only within the country, but overseas as well. In the form of entertainment media, Japan’s video games slowly spread ideas and stories of its nation’s ideas, values, and stories.
From as early as the days of Space Invaders, video games first began to incorporate narratives into gameplay, as designer Tomohiro Nishikado wove a tale of a sole small soldier fighting a never-ending war against an invading outside army to defend its homeland, which always inevitably culminated in defeat. Upon first glance, this game is merely a fun pastime. However, with a closer inspection into the history and context of Space Invaders development and release, one realizes that the creator has used an arcade as a means of sharing the Japanese sentiments of xenophobia during a period of heavy US military presence in the country, when Japan was forced to endure a forced occupation and reconstruction by foreign nations as an aftermath of World War II. The Japanese felt repressed, invaded, and scared. Through the use of technology and entertainment media, this period of Japanese history, and the culture that emerged from this time was solidified and spread amongst the masses. As the game garnered popularity in Japan, one can assume that the themes resonated within its players. As the popularity became profitable and widespread, the game was transported overseas, in which lovers of videogames coalesced and all hungrily ate Space Invaders up.
Japanese media plants the seeds in the minds of its consumers through storytelling and entertainment—the idea of the little guy standing up to a large foreboding army is ever prevalent in Japanese media, and thus gives way to the idea that it is possible in reality. This idea then spreads amongst the public confidence in the nation, as, though it is small, it has the heart and power to overcome large obstacles.
People are drawn to certain cultural phenomena due to the accessibility and the quality of the products. In some entertainment industries, Japan both nationally and internationally thrives on both ends: games are a great example, as there are a huge number of exports and lots of international fame and renown for particular companies and genres of video games. However, others, like the music industry flourish within the country, but are less than successful in foreign nations due to copyright laws and restricted access.
An entertainment’s popularity is also dependent on what the audience’s expectations are. Again, using the music industry, many Japanese pop fans seek to be merely entertained, while places like Korea value talent, choreography, vocal strength, and clean movements. So while J-Pop fans sing praises of girls who are cute and energetic, loving and warm, and fun and entertaining, other people may be less than pleased with their musical talents and technical performances.
Japanese pop culture shows that it is a nation chock full of culture, as the media caters to the needs of its fans and save and share stories of their history. It also exemplifies how technology is so important to the successes of certain forms of entertainment: media like music flourish where it is widely accessible (in the nation) and fail to outside of Japan. Media like videogames, which are huge exports and are accessible globally have successes both nationally and internationally. Japanese pop culture contains media that rely on a good balance of personalness and business sense, as Japanese audience require a certain threshold of quality and attentiveness to the Japanese culture, and companies can only maintain production of a commodity that is profitable.
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- ASPA FINAL PROJECT Megan Yip