Here’s a troubling new wrinkle: xenophobic manga. “Hating the Korean Wave” presents South Koreans as a bunch of losers and cheaters; it has sold 360,000 copies so far, and the creator is working on a sequel. “An Introduction to China” depicts the Chinese as obsessed with prostitution and has sold 180,000 copies.
The popularity of these books seems to have come as a surprise, even to the publishers:
“We weren’t expecting there’d be so many,” said Susumu Yamanaka, another editor at Shinyusha. “But when the lid was actually taken off, we found a tremendous number of people feeling this way.”
It seems to be an unfortunate part of human nature that people like to take a whack at anyone “different,” especially foreigners. During World War II, U.S. propaganda artists gave the Japanese pretty much the same treatment these manga are handing out to their neighbors. Ultimately, the amount of influence these books have will depend in large part on whether the attitudes they espouse are socially acceptable. The article sounds a pessimistic note on this point, noting that nationalists who deny Japanese atrocities of the past have become more prominent of late.
It doesn’t have to be this way. As I noted last July, the Japan Forum on International Relations is pushing the idea of using the popularity of manga and anime as a way to improve the image of the Japanese in neighboring countries. Indeed, “Hating the Korean Wave” is push-back against the recent popularity of Korean pop culture in Japan.
On a more superficial note, the article has an interesting comment on the look of manga characters.
But the comic book, perhaps inadvertently, also betrays Japan’s conflicted identity, its longstanding feelings of superiority toward Asia and of inferiority toward the West. The Japanese characters in the book are drawn with big eyes, blond hair and Caucasian features; the Koreans are drawn with black hair, narrow eyes and very Asian features.
That peculiar aesthetic, so entrenched in pop culture that most Japanese nowadays are unaware of it, has its roots in the Meiji Restoration of the late 19th century, when Japanese leaders decided the best way to stop Western imperialists from reaching here was to emulate them.
As those sentiments took root, the Japanese began acquiring Caucasian features in popular drawing.
For a different viewpoint on this issue, see Matt Thorn’s essay, The Face of the Other.
(I’m linking to the International Herald Tribune version to avoid the tiresome New York Times registration process, but the NYT story had some art that made the point crystal clear.)
> Indeed, “Hating the Korean Wave” is push-back against the recent popularity of Korean pop culture in Japan.
So called “the recent popularity of Korean pop culture” arised spontaneously? Of course not. It should be called “Korean campaign” rather than “Korean Boom” made by Pan-Asiaist Japanese and Soka-Gakkai believer. I think it is natural for the “normal” Japanese to fight against unfair information manipulation by them. In such meaning,“Hating the Korean Wave” isn’t a wave against the Koreans, but “particular” Japanese.
And Norimitsu Onishi’s articles are always too racistic and prejudiced against Japan and the Japanese to hit the spot rationally, so I hope you read his text as such.
Yes, it is push-back against Korean culture.
And I have read the artocle of Onishi and I don’t think it’s exactly racistic.
The author of this comic book has wrote the similar, discriminating of Chinese and it is very obvious that the author has strong beliefs of Japanese superiority and inferioirity of Korea and China. If not, I wonder why the author and the others who are related with the publishing of these anti-asian books have declined interviews, which they could’ve proven their “innocent” reasons for writing such a book.
I am also very disappointed that it’s already sold over 360,000 copies …
> And I have read the artocle of Onishi and I don’t think it’s exactly racistic.
Such a person of tolerance like you think Kenkanryu as discriminative? umm.. simply unfair or lack of fundamental knowledge about Japan and around.
I can point out ridiculousness from this article and clear bias from his past jobs as a “sufferer”, but that will not be welcomed at this joyous blog so I don’t do so.
Even though every people have their own thoughts and I’ve no right to disturb it, I’m sorry to see an intelligent person like you cementing old familiar prejudice with such crappy propaganda. A tidbit of surveillance will change many things…
> I am also very disappointed that it’s already sold over 360,000 copies …
I’m afraid when you go China or Korea and watching their TV program or bestsellers in a bookstore. Reciprocity is the most important key between Japan and countries of Chinese cultural sphere. Do you think its fair only China’s/Korea’s bashing against Japan are allowable? Does such imbalance make mutual understanding?
Anyway, sorry for my unpleasant comments and poor English. I stop writing about this issue and will appear on another amusing theme. Plese talk with me in such chances.
there is no reason for manga / manhwa / manhua such as the two recently published to be coming out of japan, a nation that supposedly fancies itself progressive. racism should be out of the question for modern nations, not openly sold in comic book form. it just appears that the twisted notion of honor and fictional history has clouded many japanese people’s minds and made them forget that historically they would have nothing were it not for korea’s transfer of chinese culture to the islands of japan. were it not for korea, japan would not have moveable type, buddhism, kyokushin karate, the techniques to forge katanas out of steel, and numerous other cultural exports. why do the japanese forget that they stole numerous treasures from korea during toyotomi hideyoshi’s murderous conquest of 1592? do the japanese people also forget the first shogun tokugawa ieyasu’s immediate renewal of diplomacy and cultural exchange with chosun? why did tokugawa do this? because he, and the japanese people had something to gain from korean and chinese culture. we are all essentially the same people with different interpretations of our chinese/manchu/mongol roots…this new trend of extreme japanese nationalism is treacherous and will hopefully not create a new breed of japanese racist children or murderous bastards like ito hirobumi. in this new century, the three main powers of asia need to forgive and forget, and learn from our bitter histories rather than waste time crafting manga that puts forth outmoded, retarded ideologies of racial superiority.
Yes, I don’t like talking about these kinds of unpleasant topics. But I’ll have to state just one more opinion. I don’t know if you have ever been to China or Korea, but I did not recognize any put down work as this book. Yes, I agree that there is some sort of put down works, but not as recent and distorting as this.
What I don’t understand is that why write such a work like this that just evokes more tension. If it is because of “balancing” the criticizism, why repeat the same thing over and over again, and just continue on?
apparently, its not “hating the korean wave”, but “the hate korea wave”
> but not as recent and distorting as this.
In these countries, “Good” China/Korea and “Evil” japan is the default standard(best example about it is the tytle of your article itself), so people in the land like you hardly notice such apparent imbalance.
> Why repeat the same thing over and over again, and just continue on?
The same thing? I don’t think so. “Good old” one-sided action/setdown must not lead peacemaking between Japan and China/Korea, but mutual criticism and examination of other side’s opinion will build a better relationships in my opinion. And you can see some evidence at some Korean BBS like naver or dcinside. thier discussion have changed clearly through quarrels/confricts with Japanese on the net.
I never think that book(Kenkanryu) is 100% accurate or neutral. Wrong parts of it should be criticized by the Koreans or any people of pro-Korea(n side opinions) concretely and specifically(some people did it indeed). On the other hand, the book criticized long-believed common knowledge about zainichi-Korean issue, Japan/Korea annexation issue, local suffrage issue etc. This is the free thought, this is the freedom of speech. Any problem?
no its fine
japan never apologizes or mutually criticizes itself. the culture as a whole places far more emphasis on pride than actual facts. why do you think older koreans and chinese have bitterness? was your grandmother forced to bow to shinto gods and give up her native hangul in order to speak japanese (a language that mutated from hangul)? no! therefore, it is impossible for the japanese people to empathize with those they tortured, subjugated and killed. i believe nanashi needs to look to history to understand why the japanese have no right to feel persecuted. how odd, that japanese people would create such racist manga, and then wonder why some koreans and chinese are upset…get over it, bushido is dead, and korea is the new power in asia. if the only creative way japanese people can come up with to respond to their insecurities is racist manga instead of working hard to surpass others, their nation indeed is in a sad state.
I agree with Seider Heesung. In this age of tolerance and understanding, such racist manga has no place for today’s society. This kind of manga is made by insecure and lonely people and read by insecure, ill-informed and lonely citizens.
What do you expect when the whole Japanese nation did not apologize for WWII atrocities (comfort women, Nanking massacre, etc) unlike the Germans who did for the Holocaust? What do you expect with a proud nation like Japan when its history textbooks have been twisted by ultranationalistic falsehoods and its leaders (Koizumi) venerate war criminals? Of course, being brainwashed with such proud notions of racial, military and economic superiority, many japanese (at least 360,000 of them) feel threatened by the rising influence of Korea. They fear that the “inferior” culture of Korea has infiltrated Japan and so they feel that it is their right to retaliate by denouncing their neighbor and paint themselves as innocuous martyrs. Shimabara they ain’t! It’s quite ironic to see them bash Koreans and Chinese that way, and look down on Malays (Filipinos) when in fact they look to the west with those submissive puppy-dog eyes eager to practice their broken english. I just hope that these Japanese nationalists would look at the mirror before insulting their Asian neighbors through baseless falsehoods.
C’mon people, Japan fears China because of their economy is growing at 11% annually and accelerating, I am scared even if I am USA. Japan need to create some kind of standard to try to convince their people to work harder than China.(Only a dream) Also China hate Japan because Japan killed millions of innocent people in China. Japan hate China because China hated Japan because of WWII.Its called if you hate me I’ll hate back no matter what happened in the past or future. Hey people, you don’t have to worry about talking shit. All you need to worry about is that your economy is dead (Japan). And your island is too small for 100 million people. I hope you can invade China again and try to take over their land, cause you will get owned. Personal opinion only. Hey people out there, please let the economy (GDP) do the talking. Reading manga doesn’t help you mature. My son read manga and I don’t. That’s the difference between mature and unmature.
Open-minded and tolerant? Come on! We relatively wealthier people leave food rotting on supermarket shelves, leave power and/or gas on all day and take long showers and we have the audacity to send the goon squad of the UN (UNICEF) to get rid of the “overpopulated” places like they were a litter of mice? We buy clothes made in sweatshops by these people and call them overpopulating and damaging the Earth. Even the liberal George Carlin called that bluff. He said the Earth would shake us off like a bad case of the fleas if we were any threat to it. It doesn’t need us to save it. It’s interesting that the founder of Planned Parenthood, a liberals’ darling, was founded by a Hitler fan who wanted to get rid of blacks and her places are still mostly in black neighborhoods. That is the modern times.
Those countries supporting abortion, embryonic stem-cell mad science (Korea had one who said he accomplished that, though it was a lie, and I’m sure he isn’t the only one working on that in a nation that counts human life at conception) and euthenasia (China does all 3). Those without sin, throw the first stone. Japan has its faults, but atrocities against mankind have been committed in all the 3 Asian superpowers and all over the West. Besides, it has the most rational spoken and written language (if it would just drop those pictograph characters that don’t look like anything except to maybe a Freudian psychoanalyst) in Asia. It improved upon all the nations in culture. It just got cocky in a very twisted way (interestingly, one of those times was in the spirit of the Buddhism brought from China and korea using swords brought to it by China and S. Korea and using martial arts developed from Korea, apparently. Violence begets violence. China is very scary now as a socially communist nation, Koreans have given the world N. Korean dictators (and S. Korea is not far behind the way they apparently treat their military and treat their own children with half-naked busty women). Japan at least doesn’t have any outright communism in its land.
All the nations, though, have perverted themselves. At least healthy adults can run, fight and/or prepare for death unlike the unborn and infirm preyed upon by every “civilized”, “tolerant”, “open-minded” nation in post-Christian Earth. God help us (literally)! Actually, has the coldness in people’s hearts from these social ills not been the inspiration for hatred? Jesus would have us love our neighbor, but we’ll have no more of him. Westerners love Buddhism because they have this notion they’ll become like Neo from Matrix and go to a big rave party in some high-tech Shamballah or maybe you think Steven Seagal is hot shit with his prayer beads in a movie where he slashes throats with a credit card—ain’t happening. They also like not having responsibilities and laws. You won’t be enlightened in any way being a spoiled brat. This is not an open-minded and tolerant, this is a world full of illusions made by spoiled brats with temper-tantrums and dangerous political power.
Let’s think of that before just blaming Japan for it’s sins. We need to lean up our backyards first.