A few notes about the brand-new J-List website:
- subscriptions (both magazine and snacks) are currently off the site but will be restored soon, all subscriptions are still live and will be processed normally
- customer history will be imported from the old system over the next week or so (so don’t worry)
- not all products are uploaded to the site, so if you see anything you think is missing, ask us
One concept I find interesting is the Japanese idea of 常識 joshiki, which means “common sense” i.e. the basic knowledge that everyone supposedly shares, which is a big part of why Japan seems to be such a harmonious place to us. Most of the fights I have with my wife come when my “common sense” fails to mesh with hers, like when I put clean socks on the dining room table, something that’s unthinkable to her as everything associated with feet are always “dirty” to the Japanese — even freshly laundered socks. One series I’ve been enjoying from the previous anime season is Grisaia no Rakuen. In one scene Yuji says to JB, “If possible, can you buy a new toothbrush? Yours is too soft for me.” “H- Have you been using my toothbrush??” JB asks in shock, and Yuji replies, “Yes, you told me to ‘just use anything I need in the house,’ so I’ve been using your toothbrush. Is that a problem?” Somehow Yuji had grown up without learning the most basic rule of common sense…
Yesterday on J-List’s Facebook page I posted a graphic that blamed Square-Enix for the unrealistic expectations of men by female fans, which lead to some interesting discussions of how easy it was for girls today to grow up with an image of the opposite sex that’s pretty impossible to fulfill thanks to pop culture. Of course, developing a crush for a fictional character is nothing new: back in the 80s I had a nerdy girlfriend who kept Han Solo sheets on her bed “so I can sleep with Harrison Ford every night.” But it’s only been in the last 15-20 years that characters from anime and games have become so visually well designed that we could have discussions about which would be your ideal waifu or husbando. While I’ve been known to obsess over a favorite character or three over the years (mostly Hibiki or Iori from Idolmaster, or the perfect otaku girlfriend, Kuroneko, if you follow me on social media), I’m older than most fans, and didn’t grow up imprinted by impossibly beautiful Final Fantasy characters. What do you think about this? Is it a real struggle that must be overcome, or is it all part of growing up in fandom?
Some great news: just as we got our shiny new website up and running, one of our favorite times of year started: Autumn chocolate season! Because it’s so hot and humid in the summer, we’re forced to remove all chocolate from the site, but our good news is that it’s back today, including legendary treats like Bake-able Pumpkin Kit Kat!
