One word: Gravure.

baka-san: your heart goes BOOM BOOM BOOM!


/if I remembered that accurately, I will commit seppuku out of shame for my family

mekkab: baka-san: your heart goes BOOM BOOM BOOM!

/if I remembered that accurately, I will commit seppuku out of shame for my family

It's close enough!

Otaku, but not an obsessive one.

Maybe so, but Japanese girls are teh hot, and their television shows are the greatest thing ever.

But still not as bad as this guy...

Midnight Rambler: But still not as bad as this guy...

I was here for this...

And yet legions of nerds who call themselves "otaku" will still gobble it all up and convince themselves that because it's in Japanese it's not just mass-produced lowest common denominator crap.

So the "Music Industry" is a soulless, money-hungry, crap machine in Japan too. Big whoop.

mekkab: baka-san: your heart goes BOOM BOOM BOOM!


/if I remembered that accurately, I will commit seppuku out of shame for my family

Stab in the dark...Perfect Blue?

If it is, pass the knife.

El Freak: And yet legions of nerds who call themselves "otaku" will still gobble it all up and convince themselves that because it's in Japanese it's not just mass-produced lowest common denominator crap.

It always kills me how people convince themselves that because something is foreign, it's better than the shiat we have here.

Though I have to admit I'm guilty of this as well. I'll watch the hell out of Japanese cruelty shows on Hulu, but won't think twice about changing the channel when Punk'd or Jackass comes on.

El Freak: And yet legions of nerds who call themselves "otaku" will still gobble it all up and convince themselves that because it's in Japanese it's not just mass-produced lowest common denominator crap.

Yeah, the music I'm interested in has those sorts of fans too. We call them Aphex twits.

Are all boy band managers pedophiles? Just another reason to hate pop. The Japanese really want to be lemmings instead of humans. They try so hard but once in a while, an individual thought emerges.

Maybe South Park is right. Maybe Japanese people don't have souls.

El Freak: And yet legions of nerds who call themselves "otaku" will still gobble it all up and convince themselves that because it's in Japanese it's not just mass-produced lowest common denominator crap.

Wow, what a baseless and unwarranted comment. Otaku are nerds/geeks, not idiots. I'd bet you 10 to 1 they are well aware that the stuff they like is "mass-produced lowest common denominator crap." They listen to it because (and this is the important part... stay with me... I'm not sure you can handle this...) they LIKE IT!

That was a crazy read, the "don" as they called him was raping those younger boys back in the day and no one cared wtf?

But I suppose that's japanese culture...turn a blind eye kind thing because its to "vulgar" or "in proper"?

And all the fan boys need to grow up. Japan is like every other country nothing special and there turning into some big anime-hot asian-school girl-hentaii theme park in there heads. And not all japanese people are fans of that *gasp* shocking.

dGTLcALM: Japan is like every other country

You mean in that it has people living there?

So, when did you go?

This isn't even really to defend Japan-as-interesting as to take offense at your statement in general. The world is a diverse place with a multitude of different cultures, world views and ways of life. As just one example, Japan is a country rich with tradition and history and is far, far, different than, say, the United States. China is still different. India on top of that... Middle East... Africa... that crazy hodgepodge of countries we call Europe...

You should really go experience some of this world. You'll find that there are very few places that are "just like any other country".

Accolade: El Freak: And yet legions of nerds who call themselves "otaku" will still gobble it all up and convince themselves that because it's in Japanese it's not just mass-produced lowest common denominator crap.

Wow, what a baseless and unwarranted comment. Otaku are nerds/geeks, not idiots. I'd bet you 10 to 1 they are well aware that the stuff they like is "mass-produced lowest common denominator crap." They listen to it because (and this is the important part... stay with me... I'm not sure you can handle this...) they LIKE IT!

Yeah, they're not all like that, but unfortunately I've met plenty who'll tell you all about what shiat Rihanna/Britney/whoever is, but listen to what is basically the same damn thing in Japanese, and convince themselves that it's somehow different because Japanese culture is so much cooler than Western culture is. It's usually the same guys who think Japan is some fantasy land where they can hang out in the Akihibara district all day where they will find legions of hot Japanese schoolgirls who'll drop their panties for any overweight pasty white dude they see.

They're out there and god DAMN do they need to get a grip on reality.

I would like to "manage" Max. All four them need good "managing." I would "manage" them one at a time, then "manage" them all together. Max is the J-pop group I would most like to "manage," although spinning Utada Hikaru around on the old "manager" would be fun, too.

benlonghair: One word: Girugamesh.

El Freak: Accolade: El Freak: And yet legions of nerds who call themselves "otaku" will still gobble it all up and convince themselves that because it's in Japanese it's not just mass-produced lowest common denominator crap.

Wow, what a baseless and unwarranted comment. Otaku are nerds/geeks, not idiots. I'd bet you 10 to 1 they are well aware that the stuff they like is "mass-produced lowest common denominator crap." They listen to it because (and this is the important part... stay with me... I'm not sure you can handle this...) they LIKE IT!

Yeah, they're not all like that, but unfortunately I've met plenty who'll tell you all about what shiat Rihanna/Britney/whoever is, but listen to what is basically the same damn thing in Japanese, and convince themselves that it's somehow different because Japanese culture is so much cooler than Western culture is. It's usually the same guys who think Japan is some fantasy land where they can hang out in the Akihibara district all day where they will find legions of hot Japanese schoolgirls who'll drop their panties for any overweight pasty white dude they see.

They're out there and god DAMN do they need to get a grip on reality.


Back up for a second. What's this about a place where panties drop for pasty white guys???

El Freak: Yeah, they're not all like that, but unfortunately I've met plenty who'll tell you all about what shiat Rihanna/Britney/whoever is, but listen to what is basically the same damn thing in Japanese, and convince themselves that it's somehow different because Japanese culture is so much cooler than Western culture is. It's usually the same guys who think Japan is some fantasy land where they can hang out in the Akihibara district all day where they will find legions of hot Japanese schoolgirls who'll drop their panties for any overweight pasty white dude they see.

Yeah, those people are just idiots. Every group has 'em. Sports fans, TV show fans, antique car fans, you name it.

If these people weren't obsessed with Japan they'd just be idiots toward a different cause.

El Freak: Yeah, they're not all like that, but unfortunately I've met plenty who'll tell you all about what shiat Rihanna/Britney/whoever is, but listen to what is basically the same damn thing in Japanese, and convince themselves that it's somehow different because Japanese culture is so much cooler than Western culture is. It's usually the same guys who think Japan is some fantasy land where they can hang out in the Akihibara district all day where they will find legions of hot Japanese schoolgirls who'll drop their panties for any overweight pasty white dude they see.

They're out there and god DAMN do they need to get a grip on reality.

This. I live in Hong Kong where there's even more of those people - says Cantopop sucks (which it does, for the most part) and yet listens to the same crap from the Japanese. They don't sound exactly the same - some of the anime-themed music in Japanese are pretty unique - but it's all mass-produced crap. I never understood the addiction with Japanese culture, especially in a place such as Hong Kong where the Japanese have brutally massacred and raped over a hundred thousand people during WWII.

El Freak:
Yeah, they're not all like that, but unfortunately I've met plenty who'll tell you all about what shiat Rihanna/Britney/whoever is, but listen to what is basically the same damn thing in Japanese, and convince themselves that it's somehow different because Japanese culture is so much cooler than Western culture is. It's usually the same guys who think Japan is some fantasy land where they can hang out in the Akihibara district all day where they will find legions of hot Japanese schoolgirls who'll drop their panties for any overweight pasty white dude they see.

They're out there and god DAMN do they need to get a grip on reality.

I'm a musician and a music buff, and I've been to Japan. I'd say the disposable pop tripe music is more prevalent in Japan than in the US. You can hardly lift your head without being assaulted by mini-posters of incredibly same-looking girlie popsters and undeniably same-looking boy banders. Hundreds of redundant "stars", all Photoshopped identically. In many cases they double as TV actors/presenters.

The corollary in the US is the blond American Idolater or the squeezy-eyed C&W music man. But Japan is even more shameless about it. Their music industry is utterly awash in shiate. One must struggle to find good music in Japan. It's there, though.

Granted, the US is awash in shiate, too. But at least our live music venues feature innovative, cool, interesting acts more often than not.

//I still love Pizzicato 5. Guilty pleasure.

El Freak: And yet legions of nerds who call themselves "otaku" will still gobble it all up and convince themselves that because it's in Japanese it's not just mass-produced lowest common denominator crap.

Bingo. Ive been living in Japan for >10 years now and those self proclaimed white "otaku" who come over here thinking this place is some kind of paradise are more embarrassing than English teachers. If you self identify like this or as an anime fanboy or anything similar, please stay away. Feel free to contribute to our economy by mail ordering that crap but remember that you are the living embodiment of shame, a poster boy for all that is wrong with the West. Stay away.

Back OT, its no great secret that JPOP is factory produced and its quite an open secret that Johnny Kitagawa is a pederast. This article is typical of UK schlock journalism, giving people some bullshiat to fell superior about themselves.

CitizenTed:
I'm a musician and a music buff, and I've been to Japan. I'd say the disposable pop tripe music is more prevalent in Japan than in the US. You can hardly lift your head without being assaulted by mini-posters of incredibly same-looking girlie popsters and undeniably same-looking boy banders. Hundreds of redundant "stars", all Photoshopped identically. In many cases they double as TV actors/presenters.

The corollary in the US is the blond American Idolater or the squeezy-eyed C&W music man. But Japan is even more shameless about it. Their music industry is utterly awash in shiate. One must struggle to find good music in Japan. It's there, though.

Granted, the US is awash in shiate, too. But at least our live music venues feature innovative, cool, interesting acts more often than not.

//I still love Pizzicato 5. Guilty pleasure.

Korea's pretty much in the same situation. I teach at a middle school so all of the students are into the same factory produced pop, which is normal for 13-15 year olds, but it's all you can hear on the radio and TV. Fortunately most of the good places to see music are in the same two areas in Seoul, so there's usually something cool going on. Plastic Day are a good band Link (new window)

I learned all I know about Jpop from Gravitation and I found out it was an evil machine.

/gravitation is a guilty pleasure.