History of Japanese pop culture

Japanese Pop Culture

There can be no denying the power of America in twentieth century in Japan's cultural landscape. For Japanese, America has served as a model for both emulation and contrast." (Craig) But in this instance, the pupil is becoming the teacher. Americans seem to be energized by being exposed to Japanese culture via this innocent exchange of pop culture and commerce. Many young Americans are taking martial arts and Japanese language lessons and Asian studies in college has become perfectly normal major while the sale of white rice wrapped with seaweed as a snack doesn't sound so bad anymore.

Japanese comics are also migrating into the United States. This report will discuss both the Japanese and American cultural differences that could be leading to this fad. Today, comic books have changed in the sense of how they are used as entertainment tools. Comics are not just for kids anymore, especially Japan. The report will then focus on the shift of how gender roles are different between American and Japanese comic book heroes. The marketing of the comics is also discussed as those details have made comic heroes in Japan new tools for pornographers.

Comics are an important part of the cultural aspects in both the Japanese and American societies. In Japan, the comic craze has moved into areas such as video games and movies posting huge profits for the Japanese economy. In the United States however, the original Marvel type comic books are gradually losing prominence. In the United States, comics used to be a major cultural icon between the 1950's and all the way up through 1980's. But, today's American kids do not harbor the same interest in the superheroes of old. And a successful TV cartoon does not necessarily mean a successful comic book running parallel with the show. Comics have been affected by the new information age. Both the internet and television have therefore moved the magazines to the back burner in the United States.

The Japanese society is very different from American society. In Japan, the society may be more information hungry than in the U.S., but their comic industry continues to prosper. Although there are specific comics geared for children, new Anime style cartoons and movies are marketed specifically to adults. The Japanese culture continues to hunger for more and more techno and anime. PlayStation II, GameBoy and the walkman are obvious indications of the demand the Japanese culture has on producing newer and savvier technology toys, games and movies.