So I'm writing an essay on Japanese transnationalism...

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hasteroth
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So I'm writing an essay on Japanese transnationalism...

Post by hasteroth » Thu Mar 27, 2014 4:25 pm

and I came across this chunk in a scholarly article I read
At first, I was tempted to see this example as a case of the limits of global flows of
popular culture. Although the squishable vinyl breasts can be seen as part of a high-end,
‘elite’ world of Japanese toys, for the American reviewer, this feature is troubling, and, as
we might say colloquially, ‘just plain wrong’.
In other words, this moment can be read as
a moment of contact that shows the difference between the otaku worlds in Japan (read,
obsessive fans), and the otaku worlds of the US (geeky but relatively socially
appropriate). Some cultural traits cannot make the leap across this cultural divide.
This gave me the reassuring sense that Americans would never fall for this kind of
perverted toy, and Bricken and I, from this safe distance, could marvel that such a thing
might be popular in Japan; this cultural distancing gives American readers the
perception that the negative behaviours associated with otaku consumption stay
somewhat bounded in Japan.
Am I the only one who finds it funny that this guy clearly has not associated a great deal with Western otaku culture?
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