Questions about anime and manga in the broader context of Japanese culture. Includes both questions about cultural origins for anime/manga references and questions about the cultural impact of a particular series.
Questions tagged [culture]
190 questions
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Check and circle marks in test papers
While watching anime, especially ones that focus on slice-of-life or high school, I often come across a test paper containing a character's score. However, it is interesting to note that the correct answers are circled while the wrong ones are…
romcom_god
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17
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2 answers
When did otaku become a derogatory term?
Related: Is the term Otaku derogatory?
I have been reading The Moe Manifesto lately, and noticed in a lot of the interviews, the term otaku was never really used in a derogatory form.
One of the interviews in particular mentioned something about…
Dimitri mx
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17
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2 answers
Why are cherry blossom so prevalent in anime?
A lot of anime I have seen use cherry blossoms, especially when they fall from the sky. Romantic or emotional scenes have cherry blossom in the background. In many anime, there is a childhood scene in which friends see cherry blossoms falling and…
Shantnu Tiwari
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17
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Who was the first cosplayer?
Who was considered as the first cosplayer ever? Or, who popularized cosplaying anime? Was cosplaying started in Japan as well or it started elsewhere?
xjshiya
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17
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1 answer
How much do mangaka profit from anime or merchandise sales?
People always say they buy stuff of a certain series to support a certain mangaka. Now it made me wonder how much actually goes to the mangaka himself. Do mangaka usually work for a publishing company like jump for example or do they work…
Peter Raeves
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17
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4 answers
Is the amount of Christianity portrayed in anime representative of Japan?
There are a large number of anime shows that portrays Christianity. Neon Genesis Evangelion shows a lot of Christian symbolism, such as crosses. Shows such as Trinity Cross and Chronos Crusade have nuns/people from the Church. Is the percentage of…
kuwaly
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17
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Why do the Human-looking Youkai obscure their eyes?
In Natsume's Book of Friends, some of the human-looking Youkai wear masks, or at least obscure their sight. For example:
Tsubame
Hotaru
Hiiragi
Tsuyukami
Sasago
I am wondering if there is a reason for this as none of these Youkai seemed to be…
Memor-X
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16
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Why all the "Re" in titles?
There have been quite a number of series whose English titles use peculiar forms of Re. I don't mean normal usages like Rebirth or Requiem. Here's some I chose from an alphabetical listing at MAL:
Re Boot
Re-Kan
Re: Cutie…
RichF
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16
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Why is the Tiger/German Suplex wrestling move so popular among anime culture?
I see a lot of fan art that depict this move (even though nothing of the sort happens from the show/series where the characters came from) and even in Nichijou we have the school principal giving a deer a tiger suplex:
Shuichi drops a suplex in…
Jon Lin
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16
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Is Goku in Dragon Ball based on Sun Wukong from Journey to the West?
When I was looking for info on Saiyuki and learned it was based on the Chinese novel Journey to the West, I was reminded of some things:
The Japanese name of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, is Son Goku.
Sun Wukong (孫悟空) is known/pronounced as Suen…
Memor-X
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16
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2 answers
Why are there so many perverted virgins in anime?
In non-hentai anime, nudity and ecchi scenes are everywhere—dramatically more than American broadcast TV and even more than non-porn American movies and cable TV. Yet, at the same time, sex is almost nonexistent and nearly all non-adult anime…
Justin Olbrantz
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16
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1 answer
Was Kodomo no Jikan controversial in Japan?
I recently read the Kodomo no Jikan manga. Then I read about the massive controversy when Seven Seas tried to release the series in the US, explained in excruciating detail by Seven Seas's Jason DeAngelis here, and summarized here. I also read about…
Torisuda
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15
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3 answers
What are the Naruto hand seals based on?
There are a number of hand seals in Naruto that are used to perform jutsus. I know that the seals themselves have different zodiac signs. Is there any lore or historical basis for these seals, or was it invented by the creators of Naruto?
kuwaly
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15
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1 answer
Ubiquity of Totoro
Why is the image of Totoro (from "My Neighbor Totoro") so common? Even outside anime, background drawings can include Totoro dolls or posters.
Is it just a question of marketing or is there something special about the figure or character? I wonder…
igelkott
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15
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Why is there so much reluctant sex in hentai?
Multiple authors on the net have pointed out that a lot of the sex in hentai is, or appears to be, non-consensual.
From here: http://magicalgirlproject.tumblr.com/post/91661244454/porno-month-reflections-why-so-much-rape-in
I watched 20 hentai over…
Malady
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