Yesterday I took a day off to take my daughter to Tokyo Disney Sea, because no one ever says “I wish I’d worked more and gone to Disneyland less” at the end of their lives. We spent all day exploring the sea-themed park and riding the various rides, and it was fun (though it wasn’t Ghibliland). One role Disney plays in Japan is as the first exposure children have to culture that is “foreign,” softening any anxiety they might feel about the outside world and also providing their first experience with English, since Disney characters are used in children’s programs and language textbooks. (I remember taking my kids to Tokyo Disneyland when they were small and seeing their wonder at learning that Mickey could speak both Japanese and English, just like them.) Part of the magic of Disney theme parks in Japan is seeing cast members like Ariel or Prince Eric or Jasmine, who are all played by foreigners, and for many children here, the first gaikokujin they meet in their lives are these Disney cast members.
Anime is a medium that seeks to reflect the reality of its fans, which is why when the high number of hikikomori (aka NEETs, people not involved in education, employment or training) in the country became a social issue of discussion, they started showing up in shows like Rozen Maiden and Welcome to the NHK. Lately there seems to be a trend in characters who are chronically lazy, called guutara in Japanese, and characters like Umaru from Himouto! Umaru-chan, Anzu from Idolmaster Cinderella Girls and the Sanrio character Gudetama all excel at doing as little as possible. The newest version of this kind of character has arrived with the anime and manga Tanaka-kun was Itsumo Kedaruge, or Tanaka-kun is Always Listless, a slice-of-life show about a high school boy who is always staring off into the distance and lacking energy, something that fans of the show presumably identify with.
We’ve got some great news for lovers of unique games from Japan: after many years of development, Seinarukana – The Spirit of Eternity Sword 2 is in stock and shipping now! A sequel to the popular Aselia the Eternal, Seinarukana is a full-fledged JRPG with awesome 3D maps, dungeon crawling and combat, plus great detailed stories with the game characters. It’s the best 18+ RPG ever ported! Order it now!
