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Stereotypes of the Japanese include real or imagined characteristics of the Japanese people used by people who see the Japanese people as a single and homogenous group. Many of these stereotypes overlap with generic East Asian stereotypes.
Japanese people are often depicted as being shy or quiet, particularly when traveling abroad. Historically, being calm and quiet has been viewed as a virtue in Japan since the samurai period. [1]
Sushi is an iconic example of Japanese cuisine. Many foreigners assume the Japanese consume sushi on a regular basis, when in fact it is often reserved for special occasions. [2]
Additionally, because Japan is one of the few countries that continues to practice commercial whaling, the Japanese are often stereotyped as eating whale and dolphin meat. [3]
Japanese media has a reputation for being dark, violent, and surreal. Famous examples of Japanese media include anime (animation), manga (comic strips), and kaiju films (most notably featuring Godzilla).
Japanese variety shows in particular have a reputation for being surreal and overly cruel. [4] Japanese game shows have been parodied on the Saturday Night Live sketch Quiz Kings and in The Simpsons episode Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo . The American television network ABC produced a series titled I Survived a Japanese Game Show based on Japanese variety shows.
In addition, due to its prevalence in hentai, the Japanese are often ridiculed for enjoying tentacle erotica.
Kawaii , or cuteness culture, has become a prominent subculture in Japan, demonstrated in certain genres of anime and manga, handwriting, clothing, personal appearance, and characters such as Hello Kitty. [5] Cuteness has been widely adopted as part of mainstream Japanese culture and national identity.
Politeness is a major part of Japanese culture. The Japanese language contains two types of honorific expressions: one to show respect, and one to show modesty. The Japanese often rarely outright reject something.[ clarification needed ] Bowing is done as a common greeting in Japan. [6]
Japan is often stereotyped as being highly technologically advanced. Japan leads the world in the robotics industry. [7] Japanese toilets, featuring heated seats and electronic bidets, are regarded as more advanced than Western toilets. [8]
Anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, anime refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and Japanese, anime describes all animated works, regardless of style or origin. Many works of animation with a similar style to Japanese animation are also produced outside Japan. Video games sometimes also feature themes and art styles that can be considered as "anime".
In science fiction, mecha or mechs are giant robots or machines typically depicted as piloted and as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese after shortening the English loanword 'mechanism' or 'mechanical', but the meaning in Japanese is more inclusive, and 'robot' or 'giant robot' is the narrower term.
Otaku is a Japanese word that describes people with consuming interests, particularly in anime, manga, video games, or computers. Its contemporary use originated with a 1983 essay by Akio Nakamori in Manga Burikko.
Astro Boy, known in Japan by its original name Mighty Atom, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka. It was serialized in Kobunsha's Shōnen from 1952 to 1968. The 112 chapters were collected into 23 tankōbon volumes by Akita Shoten. Dark Horse Comics published an English translation in 2002. The story follows Astro Boy, an android young boy with human emotions who is created by Umataro Tenma after the recent death of his son Tobio. Eventually, Astro is sold to a robot circus run by Hamegg, but is saved from his servitude by Professor Ochanomizu. Astro becomes a surrogate son to Ochanomizu who creates a robotic family for Astro and helps him to live a normal life like an average human boy, while accompanying him on adventures.
Doki Doki School Hours is a Japanese four-panel manga series by Tamami Momose. The manga was serialized in Manga Life and published by Takeshobo from 1997 to 2013.
UFO Robot Grendizer, known also as Grandizer, Goldrake and Goldorak, is a Japanese animated television series and manga created by Go Nagai. The series is the third entry in the Mazinger series, later relegated into a spinoff series. The series, produced by Toei Doga and Dynamic Planning, is directed by Tomoharu Katsumata and written by Shozo Uehara. It aired on Fuji TV from October 5, 1975, to February 27, 1977. The robot's first appearance in the United States was as a part of the Shogun Warriors line of super robot toys imported in the late 1970s by Mattel, then in Jim Terry's Force Five series. A reboot of the original anime series is set to premiere in 2024.
Super Milk Chan is a Japanese anime television series directed by Hideyuki Tanaka and produced by Genco, Suplex, framegraphics and Geneon Entertainment for the 24-hour Japanese animation channel called Animax. The show pre-began as 14 eight-minute segment episodes which aired on Fuji Television's Flyer TV block from June 18, 1998 to September 24, 1998 from 24:45 to 24:55, with the animation being produced by Tokyo Kids. The full-length show, entitled OH! Super Milk Chan, ran for 12 twenty-four-minute episodes which was aired on the 24-hour Japanese music channel called Space Shower TV from January 27, 2000 to April 13, 2000 at 19:00 and then 18:00.
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikō is a Japanese science fiction manga series written and illustrated by Hitoshi Ashinano. It was serialized in Kodansha's Monthly Afternoon magazine from June 1994 to February 2006, with a concluding postscript episode in July 2006, and collected in 14 tankōbon volumes. Parts of the story were adapted as two original video animation (OVA) anime series of two episodes each, where the latter one is titled Quiet Country Cafe.
Cromartie High School is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiji Nonaka. It was serialized in Kodansha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Magazine from August 2000 to May 2006, with its chapters collected in 18 tankōbon volumes. It follows the everyday life of Takashi Kamiyama and his odd classmates at Cromartie High School, an infamous school for delinquents. The series is a parody of Japanese yankii manga of the 1970s and 1980s. The style of art resembles Ryoichi Ikegami's works such as Otoko-gumi and Otoko Ōzora.
Strawberry Marshmallow is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Barasui about the adventures of four elementary school girls and their older sister-figure. It began serialization in ASCII Media Works' manga magazine Dengeki Daioh in 2002. In 2005, the manga was adapted into an anime television series and a PlayStation 2 video game. Three original video animation (OVA) episodes were later released from February to April 2007. Another two-episode OVA project titled Ichigo Mashimaro Encore was released in 2009. The manga's tagline is "Cute is justice."
The following is a glossary of terms that are specific to anime and manga. Anime includes animated series, films and videos, while manga includes graphic novels, drawings and related artwork.
Japanese popular culture includes Japanese cinema, cuisine, television programs, anime, manga, video games, music, and doujinshi, all of which retain older artistic and literary traditions; many of their themes and styles of presentation can be traced to traditional art forms. Contemporary forms of popular culture, much like the traditional forms, are not only forms of entertainment but also factors that distinguish contemporary Japan from the rest of the modern world. There is a large industry of music, films, and the products of a huge comic book industry, among other forms of entertainment. Game centers, bowling alleys, and karaoke parlors are well-known hangout places for teens while older people may play shogi or go in specialized parlors. Since the end of the US occupation of Japan in 1952, Japanese popular culture has been influenced by American media. However, rather than being dominated by American products, Japan localised these influences by appropriating and absorbing foreign influences into local media industries. Today, Japanese popular culture stands as one of the most prominent and influential popular cultures around the world.
Mecha anime and manga, known in Japan as robot anime and robot manga, are anime and manga that feature robots (mecha) in battle. The genre is broken down into two subcategories; "super robot", featuring super-sized, implausible robots, and "real robot", where robots are governed by realistic physics and technological limitations.
Hetalia: Axis Powers is a Japanese webcomic, later adapted as a manga and an anime series, by Hidekaz Himaruya. The series' main presentation is as a comedic allegory of political and historic events as well as more general cultural comparisons. Characters are personifications of countries, regions such as Hong Kong, and micronations. Both positive and negative cultural stereotypes form part of each character's personality. Hetalia (ヘタリア) is a portmanteau combining hetare and "Italia".
Girl Friends is a yuri manga series by Milk Morinaga. It was serialized by Futabasha in the seinen manga magazine Comic High! from October 2006 to August 2010, and subsequently published as five bound volumes. The manga has been licensed in North America by Seven Seas Entertainment.
Whispered Words is a Japanese yuri manga series written and illustrated by Takashi Ikeda. It was serialized in Media Factory's seinen manga magazine Monthly Comic Alive between March 2007 and November 2011, and was compiled into nine tankōbon volumes. A canon Drama CD musical spin-off was released on 23 Dec 2009, titled The Longest Day of Sumika. The series has been licensed in North America by One Peace Books. It was adapted as a 13-episode anime television series produced by AIC that aired between October and December 2009 on TV Tokyo. The series, which is set in a co-ed high school, is about Sumika Murasame, a 15-year-old girl who is secretly in love with her female best friend, Ushio Kazama. Ushio likes girls too, but is only into "cute" and "small" girls, while Sumika is tall, good at sports, and outgoing rather than shy.
The anime and manga fandom is a worldwide community of fans of anime and manga. Anime includes animated series, films and videos, while manga includes manga, graphic novels, drawings, and related artworks. The anime and manga fandom traces back to the 1970s, with numerous countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Chile, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Japan, China, South Korea, India and Malaysia participating in it.
Nichijou is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Keiichi Arawi. The manga began serialization in the December 2006 issue of Kadokawa Shoten's manga magazine Shōnen Ace, and was also serialized in Comptiq between the March 2007 and July 2008 issues. Kadokawa Shoten later published all chapters of the series' initial run in ten tankōbon volumes from July 2007 to December 2015. After a six-year hiatus, the manga began serialization again in 2021.
Hanako-san, or Toire no Hanako-san, is a Japanese urban legend about the spirit of a young girl named Hanako who haunts school toilets. Like many urban legends, the details of the origins of the legend vary depending on the account; different versions of the story include that Hanako-san is the ghost of a World War II–era girl who was killed while playing hide-and-seek during an air raid, that she was murdered by a parent or stranger, or that she committed suicide in a school toilet due to bullying.
Mitsuboshi Colors is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Katsuwo. The manga was serialized in ASCII Media Works' Monthly Comic Dengeki Daioh magazine from 2014 to June 27, 2020. An anime television series adaptation directed by Tomoyuki Kawamura and produced by Silver Link aired between January and March 2018.