I created this nickname when I first got into the culture of knowing more about Japanese pop, especially in the pop music like Ayumi Hamasaki, Do As Infinity in about 2000.
Ayumi Hamasaki when she was still young and before the so-called "plastic surgery" treatment.
Then came my craze into Japanese Anime and Manga like Love Hina, and I gradually know more about Japanese stuff like drama, and more artist like Matsu Takako.
One of my most favourite pic of Love Hina, not because it's all nude, but mainly because it's one of the most complete picture among the collections.
Matsu Takako, one of the first Japanese "goddess" that I have loved. First saw her in the JDrama "Hero" and started loving her since.
If you notice, Takahina comes from the merge of this 2 "favourites" at my time when my fanaticism is the highest.
Matsu TAKAko
Love Hina
And you get Takahina. So for those who wanted to know why I name myself Takahina, reason is such.
I love Japanese culture, 95% of my songs are Japanese songs, of the albums I have bought, only F.I.R is the non-Japanese group I have bought (and F.I.R had the influence of Do As Infinity in their music), of the many bands which I had played with, almost all of them played Japanese music together before, only 1 or 2 didn't.
You could say, yes my obessession with Japanese came from my fanboy roots, and I sought to understand more about Japanese culture and society.
Now that I'm older, I had understand much more about Japanese, along with Japanese culture and society, and yes I have to say my liking for Japanese has drop a great deal over the years. It's not just because recently I read about Issei Segawa the Cannibal, or because of this Rape Club thingy in Japan I have known about, no. I know about Rape Club a long time ago when I was "researching" about Japanese.
Rape Club
For those who had done my "Who knows Chong Woon Han the most" quiz, you would have realised despite my liking towards Japan, it's not the country whereby I'm the most "contented" to live in, I will never want to live there for long, on business trip, on holidays, for 2-5 years... maybe. But to set up a family there, to continue my life there, it's almost a no-no unless something really big happens to me which makes me change my mind.
The purpose of this post, is not to diss Japan or anything. Singapore in a sense has no right to say anything about Japanese, neither is Takahina anyone at all to say anything about Japan. Neither would I want to. But I do wanna tackle, on the ways people thought about Japan, the mis-conceptions which you guys see on media.
Firstly, let's just talk about Anime/Manga/Pop culture.
Japan's Pop culture is strong and independent, in that it can survive on itself. If I wanna be frank, Japan can remain so strong and remembered in the world right now, 60% would be due to it's pop culture, anime manga etc. 30% on it's porn industry, 10% on it's own personal industry.
And both fortunately and unfortunately, this pop culture is precisely the thing which influences and mis-influences youngsters about Japan. Anime/Manga/Games, they all create a following for Otakus and fanatics, people can go gaga over Morning Musume, Suzumiya Haruhi, or Gazette, just to state a few. People can play for hours and hours and hours, without sleeping/eating/whatever playing Final Fantasy. People can spend TONS AND TONS of money, on cosplaying.
All of this, are fine. They are part of the pop-culture in Japan and deserves it's own rightful place in Japan.
However, at the same time, this wave of influence, created this false image of Japanese almost similar to that of an Utopia. The freedom to pursue whatever you want, the freedom to be gothic/emo/punk/cute/pretty/model-like/anime-like etc etc. I mean, yes they do get the freedom to do so, but it doesn't ensure that you can become 1 too.
Going to Japan in a sense, doesn't ensure you get the freedom to do so.
Ok as a simple example, I can go to Japan with my band in Singapore, in hopes of getting big since Japanese people are relatively open with music, and accepting. You sure that's the case??
I'm sure tons of people have watched DMC (Detroit Metal City, not Destroy my Cock), and you should know how the main character "desired" music didn't get accepted or acknowledged...
"Amai... Amai Koibito..." --> I'll fucking stuff Durian in your mouth to stop you singing.
Of course his Lord Krauser status became damn big, but seriously is that what he wanted?? I'll leave that for you to find out.
The point is that Anime/Manga etc etc has created a false impression to our Singapore craving Japanessy that Japan is a freaking big land of opportunity... (Well it's bigger than Singapore that's true...) It created a false image that through pure hard work and stuff, you'll definitely make it. That's not always the case. Surely, dreams and goals are good. But to achieve it you need to work towards it, and not just DREAM about it. That's the false impression Singaporeans are getting, we aren't working towards it, we're just dreaming towards it. And even if we're working towards it we aren't working it in a correct way.
Let's say band for example, the example I know the most.
Band leader get bandmates, band creates original, band goes over to Japan to test their luck.
Their standard? Their strategy? Their aim? Did they think of these many factors in??
The fact remains that alot of Singaporean still remain very immature in their thinking that all things about Japan is good, just because of the image set by their entertainment industry. For all you know, maybe... JUST MAYBE, Aya Hirano managed to become so popular in Japan because she slept with her TV/anime producers?? I can't believe I'm saying this, but yeah, IT'S A POSSIBILITY. I mean, maybe she's stuck up? maybe she's a goddess in real person, YOU NEVER KNOW. For all you know The Rock of WWE may be feeling "why the fuck am I doing a Toothfairy show?!?!?! I will fucking people elbow (the rock's signature move) out the teeth of the kids that are supporting this movie!!!"
(Aya Hirano and Theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee ROCK, I'm sorry if you do manage to read this, but it's for my fans. And there's no sense of defamation intended at you... Please understand)
Behind all the image the entertainment industry has set for you, it is an image!! Just like any other entertainment industry like WWE, US, Korean, Taiwan, China, they are all IMAGES, and shouldn't be rely entirely on as the gauge to how "good" a country is.
Simple, Singapore's image is a very clean and proper country to every country. But stay here long enough, and you'll realise behind the image that's a fucked up nature about it... Just like Japan and any other country in the world, and just like any other person in the world, we keep up an image and you'll only understand more about the person after knowing more about them, investigating more about them.
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Part 2 will be up in the next post around next week. Too tired to even think now. >_>
PS: This blogpost is done at 3.25am.
1 comment:
Daito might be also fake! xD
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