Subcultures in Japan: Difference between revisions

* Cosplay, in several forms. Anime and J-rock (Japanese rock music) cosplayers and lolis gather around Yoyogi Park in Tokyo on Sundays.

** ''Kigurumi''—Also called ''animegao'' ("animeface"), this is the practice of cosplaying human and humanoid anime characters using masks and body stockings. The effect is often rather creepy, as it seems to back into the [[Uncanny Valley]] from the human side; that many of its devotees are males who crossdress as female characters makes it just a shade creepier. Doubly so since, with the body stockings, ''you can't tell.''

* ''[[Hikikomori]]'' - Young people who withdraw from active life outside their home. They often withdraw into isolated existences with no face to face contact and a refusal to leave their homes or rooms. While not specifically a subculture per se, their behaviour and living styles tend to follow similar patterns. Many of them hang around the notorious [[wikipedia:2channel|2ch]] (ni-channel) web boards. Most anime is aware of the subculture, but because it also often includes some otaku it's a sensitive topic to address.

* ''[[Otaku]]'' - In the Japanese sense, obsessive enthusiasts of a particular hobby—not necessarily anime. Generally follows the same tone as older, more derogatory meanings of the Western word "geek". Still, these enthusiast groups are extremely organized and, at least within their own area of interest, highly social. Recently some otaku have taken to calling themselves ''Akiba-Kei'' or "Akiba style", in reference to the Tokyo neighbourhood of Akihabara where electronics shops, anime merchandising and maid cafes abound. Female otaku, and especially those interested in [[Yaoi Guys|BL]], are called sometimes ''fujoshi'' or ''otome'', the latter because they cluster around Otome Road in Ikebukuro and the former being a derogatory term for a [[Yaoi Fangirl]] derived from an alternate reading of "unnatural woman".

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* ''[[Initial D]]'' focuses on drift racers.

* ''[[Great Teacher Onizuka]]'''s eponymous character was a leader of a ''bosozoku'' gang.

* ''[[Rozen Maiden]]'' has a protagonist who is at least strongly implied to be ''hikikomori'', though they never outright use the term. For an example of how strongly they imply it, in one episode he has to visit the school library to get a book. Entering the school and walking to the library is treated as a ''[[Metal Gear]]''-style sneaking mission, and involves no less than two flashbacks. If he had simply walked in the front door and directly to the library, it would have taken less than a minute. Instead, it takes half the episode.

** There's also an episode early on where Jun goes outside to get Hina Ichigo's favourite snack, which she had been bugging everyone about since the episode began. Jun's fears of his classmates and the outside world are greatly emphasised- even the short walk to the door suddenly looks like a mile away.

* Several of the main characters of ''[[Welcome to The NHK]]'' are ''otaku'' or ''hikikomori''. The show delves into many of the darker social trends in Japan, and treats being a ''hikikomori'' as a mental illness.

* ''[[Puni Puni Poemi]]'' briefly showed a Gyaru on a [[Enjo Kosai|subsi-date]] before the title character violently showed her the error of her ways.

* ''[[Genshiken]]'' has a Gyaru: Keiko Sasahara, Kanji's [[Annoying Younger Sibling]]. It was, however, more of a subversion of the endearing little sister trope.

** And [[Genshiken]] is of course one of the most notable anime series about otaku culture

* A [[Detective Conan]] case featured the investigation of very violent attacks on ganguros and yamanbas, and the murder of one of the ganguros. {{spoiler|And it brings memories of another case that happened 20 years ago... involving a now mostly disappeared subculture of [[The Eighties]]: the ''sukeban'' or girl delinquents. The [[Sole Survivor]] grew to marry Inspector Megure, who was one of the policemen investigating the case.}}

** Another case had an otaku obsessed with [[Tokusatsu]] series (more exactly ''Kamen Yaiba'', an in-universe show about a [[Captain Ersatz]] of [[Kamen Rider]]) as the [[Asshole Victim]]. {{spoiler|Who was [[Fatal Method Acting|tricked into killing himself in front of his club]] by a guy whose little brother died after said otaku stole his most precious memorabilia piece while riding his motorcycle, which then caused the kid to try chasing after him and being hit by a car.}}

 

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[[Category:Useful Notes/Japan]]