#kawaisa

[nnaoyknek]

[themancorialist]

Aytoun Street, Manchester.

[reflectiondetonation]

Paranoia Agent, or Why Satoshi Kon Hates Kawaii by GamemasterFel

(Uploaded to tumblr with permission.)

Some satire doesn’t translate well in other countries. Oh, sure, some satires are more universal than others. Best example that immediately comes to mind? Network. You don’t need to come from a specific cultural or political backgrund to “get” a movie that’s about the corruption of news media. Believe you me, that isn’t exactly unique to America. But some satires are more culturally specific than others. This is to provide context for what I’m about to say next, to “soften” the blow, if you will. Ahem. If you didn’t understand Paranoia Agent, it’s okay. You didn’t get it and that’s fine. I assure you, this is not an insult. I mean no disrespect. I hate to sound smug and condescending, but it says nothing about your intelligence if you don’t “get it.” Whenever I mention Paranoia Agent, it’s inevitable that someone will comment, “I watched the whole show and I was like, ‘what the hell did I just watch?’” This is a reaction that’s pretty common among anime fandom in regards to this show, with the common consensus being it’s a confusing, bewildering labyrinthine puzzle worthy of David Lynch. Here’s the thing. The anime makes perfect sense if you understand where it’s coming from and what it’s targeting for its satire. Some people mistakenly believed it was aimed at otaku culture solely, with the presence of one character who seems to be a gross caricature of the basement dwelling, ugly, unhygienic socially r*tarded otaku who collects figurines. I know a guy who refuses to watch the rest of Satoshi Kon’s work because of that one character. While it’s true Satoshi Kon had a bone to pick with the anime industry, that and the likes of the otaku caricature are but symptoms. Paranoia Agent’s real target goes far deeper than anime or figurines or pop culture. It’s about the culture itself. Paranoia Agent, using surreal horror and black comedy as its main tools, provides a scathing critique of two sides of Japanese culture Kon argued were – in conjunction – holding the country back. Its conservatism… and the kawaisa mentality that has permeated every strata of the Japanese popular consciousness. What is “kawaisa?” Well, rather simply, have you ever wondered why “cute” is such a prevalent aesthetic in Japanese video games, anime and manga? Same reason why they’ve fetishized childish and infantile traits, really. It all stems from a predominant pop cultural philosophy that first made waves in the 1970’s, with many sociologists arguing it can be traced back to Japan’s long standing cultural fascination with femininity and beauty. Some have even argued it’s an alternative means of – shall we say – “letting off steam” from a social and cultural point of view. We’re all aware of Japan’s reputation as a tightly traditional, stoic culture. Therefore, the “kawaisa” mentality is their way of taking a break from that mentality, delving into something more “innocent” and “fun” so they can relax and a take a breather. … Which is more or less precisely what Satoshi Kon criticizes. Like many cultural critics and counter-culturalists, accusations and arguments have been laid down that the “kawaisa” mentality – as we know it today – was birthed in the aftermath of World War II, when Japan had lost much of its original identity following American occupation and the subsequent wave of American-led globalism. The kawaisa mentality, it has been said, is the result of a Japan that has been reduced to an infantile state so pitiful it needs to hold hands with the big boys in order to matter anywhere on the global stage. In other words, the Japanese popular consciousness, the culture, the psychology, the generations that have followed after World War II… have no damn self-respect. What Paranoia Agent ultimately is, my friends, is a long study into the dark underbelly of the kawaisa mentality and the consequences thereof. It's an academic essay detailing how Japan’s desperately clinging to nostalgia, and the modern cultural practice of escaping into fluffy, cute sweetness to “get away from it all... has resulted in a culture that refuses to grow. The. Fuck. Up. Somebody once said to me that Haruhi Suzumiya is satire. No, it is not. It’s a celebration of the kawaisa mentality, with its main lead specifically wishing that life were precisely like a kawaisa-influenced anime. Lo and behold, her life becomes that, and whacky postmodern lampshade hanging adventures are had. That’s not satire. This is satire. Satire has bite. Satire is mean and never gentle. Satire has a point to make and doesn’t care who gets offended in the process. Haruhi Suzumiya is a product of the mentality Paranoia Agent vehemently opposes with every breath. If there’s any moral to Paranoia Agent, it’s about growing up and understanding life’s issues can’t be solved by decorating reality with “cute.” Cute isn’t going to cut it. It’s fine in small doses, but there comes a time when you have to be an adult and take some responsibility. How can Japan grow up, as a country, as a people, and stand on its own two feet independent of the big boys that have bullied it for so long, if it still so desperately wants to stay as a petulant child afraid of any break in the routine? That is what Paranoia Agent is all about.

[macaroncollar-blog]

[mannymanster]

AMAZING KYARY PAMYU PAMYU video. i am in love.

[arcuate-moon]

Gifts for a friend from a Sanrio supplier in Chinatown.

[53lps]

Week 38, Day 6: The Pop Will Rot You

The other day I was working on some poems and plugged Pamyu Pamyu Revolution into my ears for a little background music. I was revising, editing, chopping up, and I often will play some tunes during that part of the poeming process. I prefer instrumental music, or music with wordless vocals, or non-English vocals, to limit the distraction, and I figured Kyary would work well, being in Japanese and all, and having plenty of beat. Stuff with a beat is nice.

About ten minutes into the album a strange thing happened. The words on the page began to look cheap. To sound cheap. I would so rather just listen to this music, I thought, than to work on poems.

!!!!

I’ve never had a reaction like that to any album I put on while writing. If anything I’ll decide to cut the music; the poetry always stays intact, in focus. But PPM totally dissolved the words in front of my face, hacked them into worthless bits, rendered my brain incapable of calculation. I lost sight of the sum of the equation, lost sight of the equation itself.

Is PPM really that good, to distract me out of an ability to concentrate on anything apart from itself? I’m not sure “good” is the word I’m looking for. “Insidious candy-coated painkiller” might work, or “deer-in-headlights music.” Look, don’t get me wrong, I kind of love this album. This is pop distilled to its most basic sugars, then splashed with a shot of vodka or bourbon. Sweet with just a bit of bite. But just like if you only drink 2-liter size soda-pop all day everyday, this kind of pop will destroy you. Rot you from the inside out. Scramble your emotional make-up until you start to wonder why the sun doesn’t have a smiley face on it today, or why the natural world isn’t tagged with pastels and oversized bows.

I strongly advise that you listen to Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, but only with scrupulous self-monitoring. At the first sign of the world skewing cute, immediately put on some death-metal, and all will be good.