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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What is the meaning of this 'fox' hand gesture?
In chapter 729 of トモちゃんは女の子 (Tomo-chan wa Onna no Ko), two characters are negotiating, while other two do the hand gestures depicted in the following image:
By the Giseigo (Onomatopoeia) used here (コンコン - Kon Kon) I deduce it has to do something…
Pepe Ochoa
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Why is there so much nudity in anime and manga?
I have been watching anime & reading manga since 2 years ago. There are so many good anime and manga, but I find it somewhat strange that there is so much nudity in Japanese TV shows, anime, and manga. Why is that? Is this a cultural thing?
Even in…
Bhautik
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What is that "Oh yeah!" gesture that anime characters do called?
Often in anime, I've noticed a gesture is done when a character remembers a previous event of theirs, or something comes to mind. One hand is made into a fist, of which the bottom of it will fall flat onto their palm of the other hand, sometimes…
Reece
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Are high school and middle school students not allowed to use a backpack?
In Ajin-chan wa Kataritai, there are a dullahan student named Machi. In chapter 23, it was said that the school wasn't allowing her to use a backpack, and she could only use a standard school bag or a tote bag.
At first I thought it was only their…
Darjeeling
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Why are school swimsuits with name tags such a popular item in otaku subculture?
How did it get so popular in otaku subculture?
What is the name of the proper name for name tag that's commonly found on female school swimwear? Sometimes it just says the name, sometimes just the class number, and other times both. What…
кяαzєя
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Why do seiyuu famous for doing eroge still use alias?
Seeing Majikoi S in VNDB, the seiyuu for Kawakami Momoyo and Christiane Friedrich is written as Kamishiro Misaki and Misaki Rina respectively. People that is not too into seiyuu might not know, but the seiyuu-otaku are very likely to know that they…
絢瀬絵里
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Before the era of Naruto, One Piece and Bleach being published simultaneously, was there ever another well-defined "Holy Trinity" of Manga?
I recall a few years ago (around 2011) the phrase "holy trinity" being thrown around to describe the size, magnitude and importance of One Piece, Bleach, and Naruto all running in Shonen Jump. Now, with two of those specific publications* ending,…
Makoto
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What are those zigzagged folded paper things you see in supernatural anime?
In a lot of supernatural anime, like Shin Sekai Yori, or Tokyo Ravens there often appear these large ropes with folded paper things hanging from them:
As far as I can tell, they serve to seal or mark places that are sacred or in some way…
HotelCalifornia
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Why is she throwing water on the ground?
So if seen this happen in a few anime's before, but never really understood why it happens.
A character with a wooden spoon like object and a bucket of water throws water on the ground during summer. Why are they doing this?
Dimitri mx
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Why is "Cowboy Bebop" almost unheard of in Japan?
I spent 8 years in Japan, one of the things that always amazed me was that of those people who watched anime, 99% of them had never heard of Cowboy Bebop. In all my time there, there was only 1 person who knew of it and they didn't watch it.
Perhaps…
TryHarder
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Why is the mikan so popular in anime and manga?
In a lot of anime and manga we see recurring elements of the mikan in one form or another (most notably on a box).
Is there a reason these oranges (in one form or another) recur so often in anime and/or manga (and some games as well)?
Where did it…
кяαzєя
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Why is a black ribbon hung over a person's portrait when they die?
Across quite a few Japanese works, I have noticed black ribbons/bows hung over a deceased person's portrait (shown in the photo below). But why are they there? What do they symbolise? Are they commonplace? Are they exclusive to just one region of…
Medium
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Is it common to tell people how you spell your name in Japan?
In Death Note when Light introduces himself to Naomi Misora, he gives his full name and tells her how to spell it in Japanese. When she gives her name, she also tells him how to spell it.
The audience knows he is doing this because
Light Yagami…
sevensevens
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Has there recently been a trending popularity with scissors as weapons over swords?
Why are scissors starting to displace swords as the cool weapon of choice for main heroines to wield? (Inu to Hasami wa Tsukaiyou, Kill la Kill)
user2905252
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How to tell apart Japanese and non-Japanese characters in-universe and out-of-universe?
Anime characters are almost always drawn with... "anime" facial features. Eyes are big and round, every color is allowed for eyes and hair (not to mention hairstyle), etc.
Since there are anime series starring both Japanese and non-Japanese…
Teem Porary
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