From Philosophical Research
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[S2] (pronounced [S2]) Japanese media must be understood from within Japan 1:(-)1:(-)1
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- alias (en)
- Japanese media must be understood relative to how the people of Japan see them
- prototype notes
- one of the only progressive-anthropology lessons that crusty isolated White people sometimes miraculously understand. [1] if Japanese media seem totally inexplicable, some half the time or more they actually do make perfect sense in Japan. (when it isn't the case Japanese writers just want to be silly and spontaneous, which also does happen.) Dragon Ball is constantly mocked, even though everyone has inexplicably watched it. but Dragon Ball has a rich history behind it of Buddhism in Japan, rejecting Buddhism, Journey to the West, and trying to juxtapose the mythical, fantastical feel of that story with "what is modern", in an act of turning the story's own themes of fantasy or adventure versus daily life around on itself, not to mention the vague nods in "Bardock" to casting off Imperial Japan — a historical event that happened to Japan but has never really happened to the United States. not only is Dragon Ball better in its thematic cohesion and story structure than a lot of other Japanese action shows that vaguely copied it or coincided with it, but if you compare Dragon Ball to something like Avatar: The Last Airbender there is no comparison. Avatar's worldbuilding feels vaguely "fake", like United States people tried their hardest to act like they knew what Asian countries were but in the end they just didn't. Dragon Ball actually feels like something someone from Japan would write for people in Japan, as much as it provides rather shallow portrayals of any other country or countable Culture of people. the crux of this seems to come down to "China is a medieval kingdom". people in Japan know that Japan has had more history since feudal times and what it's like to live in a Japanese city, while people in the United States seem determined not to know that. the concept of Asian immigrants writing fiction is a different discussion entirely. but when it comes to White people it really seems like a lot of what appears to be acts of embracing diversity in embracing Asian fantasy settings is actually an act of escaping learning about real China or real Japan or the real Koreas as they exist today. the probable surface reason: that would be modernity, and modernity is bad! the unintended implication: I don't know I have a lack of knowledge about other populations which in itself is effectively racist and in escaping from reality before I know about reality I am unknowingly evading education and perpetuating xenophobia. see also: why is there no fantasy Leninism?
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