32 replies to this topic

[rocci]

The japan era is done, they are just the shadow of their shell.
This is the time for korea, but it will end eventually.
The future is china.

[Kamina-Yoshi]

This is hardly the time for Korea; it's divided, its military relies on the United States (whose military is very weak in-of-itself), and its population relies on expanding its market for rice into African countries which will sooner or later feel the harshest stings of global climate change. China will fair better overall; this is the era of China, not Korea.

[rocci]

This is hardly the time for Korea; it's divided, its military relies on the United States (whose military is very weak in-of-itself), and its population relies on expanding its market for rice into African countries which will sooner or later feel the harshest stings of global climate change. China will fair better overall; this is the era of China, not Korea.

I agree, but there are still a few more year before South Korea running out of steam. And yes it gonna be china decade. Especially in the pacific area.

[Kamina-Yoshi]

I agree, but there are still a few more year before South Korea running out of steam. And yes it gonna be china decade. Especially in the pacific area.

Conceivably China could reign for more than a decade; with the onset of the worst effects of global climate change, authoritarian governments such as that in China will fair far better as hypothesized in The Collapse of Western Civilization, countries with democracies will be woefully unrepapared to "do what has to be done" to save coastal populations as well as promote cleaner industries and renewable resources. "Neoliberalistic" economies like that in the United States believe in the so-called 'invisible hand of the market', and through that the countries believe that businesses will react to changes and adjust for them. However, since businesses are currently shutting out any evidence of climate change, neoliberal-economic societies will be unprepared whilst China can wave its hand at the sight of rising water and move a good portion of its people out of harms way. Of course there will be issues and logistical problems with China's efforts, but then again at least there'll be success; millions will be saved by going further into the mainland whilst people in the United States will face the encroachment of the sea that will engulf a large portion of Florida and effectively destroy New York City. The Netherlands itself will more than likely be under the sea at the end of the decade due to its small statue, its low-lying areas, and the lack of political will to do anything to stop climate change. Since the benchmark for even beginning to stop what is to come passed in 2007/2009, China will be the one most prepared to move forward as an industrial power empowered by authoritarianism, as bizarre as that sounds.

[Jenskott]

 

I know it might be a harsh thing to say, but part of me isn't surprised. When I think of Japan when I was a kid and now I see a shadow of the country I remember admiring as a child. They were at the forefront of technology, Panasonic, Sony, Hitachi and Toshiba were the tech brands that were to buy, their games were so much better than the rest of the world, Even Manga and Animes had a wide variety of choice that was more widely accepted. Made in Japan was a mark of quality.

 

I see it now, and everyone buys LG or Samsung tech, Japanese Games are a niche market, with the former Giants of Capcom, Square Enix and Konami being reduced to one or two big franchise publishers. And Manga and Anime largely seems to be solely the same few storylines packaged in a different setting.

 

 

It feels like the rest of the world has caught up and continued marching forward doesn't feel like Japan has taken the same leaps. It's hard to see, for me Japan was almost a mythical place when I was a child, I hope they can recover from this.

 

 

I agree. Japan has been in trouble since the middle nineties.

 

In the eighties, though... Well, that era generated this trope: Japan Takes Over The World.

 

Geez, a seinen manga from that age -Sanctuary- explored that situation. The country had become so rich and so prosper that the main characters -a politician and a yakuza- felt that Japanese had got indulgent and stale and they needed that someone roused their ambition and competitive spirit and made them dreaming again.

 

Focusing on entertainment... yeah. Personally I think that the decline started in the middle-late nineties (although I guess my opinion will not be popular). Manga/anime-wise post WWII to the sixties was an age of creation and experimentation. The Seventies and Eighties were an age of expansion and growing. Anime-makers exploited the old formulae, testing how far they could go, or they created new. Manga/anime back then was very exciting. It could be cheesy or gritty, optimistic or dark, sci-fi or fantasy. You could be a soccer player, a superpowerful martial artist wandering over a landscape ravaged by nuclear war, an armoured warrior with powers granted by a Greek goddess, a mecha pilot, a cyborg, the Monkey King...

 

However in the nineties it gradually got stale. Gradually anime shows became dull Frankenstein patchworks of old tropes with little thought, imagination or creativity (I know, originality does not exist, but you can try anyway! Or at least you can try be good!), genre-sinking deconstructions or fanservice crap. Anime-makers started to pander the aging otaku fandom, mostly stopping making light-hearted, all-ages shows and making nearly exclusively "dark", "gritty" shows to earn the favour of a public that craved for entertainment that they deemed "adult, mature, deep and complex" because they yearned for the approval of the society and they thought that that kind of shows would give it.

 

I know that I am oversimplfying, but often it feels like that (of course, there were also great series in the nineties. Rurouni Kenshin was one them).

 

You know, I have not watched One Piece, but at least I can appreciate what it tries to do: being a light-hearted, goofy show -with some dark moments throw in- about a group of -kinda- heroic characters going on an adventure. In a nutshell: It tries to be FUNNY! And it has earned massive success doing it.

 

Video games are in the same place, as much as I am concerned. I loved the 8-bits and 16-bits eras and I liked the PSX era. But the last fifteen years have been... disappointing.

 

However, sometimes a decline age precedes a golden age. The Japan rise came after WWII. I hope that Japan can eventually rebound and become a prosperous country again. And its entertainment can amaze the world again.

[tricksie]

 

I agree. Japan has been in trouble since the middle nineties.

 

In the eighties, though... Well, that era generated this trope: Japan Takes Over The World.

 

Geez, a seinen manga from that age -Sanctuary- explored that situation. The country had become so rich and so prosper that the main characters -a politician and a yakuza- felt that Japanese had got indulgent and stale and they needed that someone roused their ambition and competitive spirit and made them dreaming again.

 

 

I know Hayao Miyazaki's "Spirited Away" was based off of the many failed theme parks that dotted Japan in the late 90s. Japan's wealth had exploded, but they'd traded traditional for modern, and it hadn't held through the test of time. That's why he set "Spirited Away" in an abandoned theme park. On the surface it's an "Alice in Wonderland" type of trip for Chihiro, but beneath it there is the commentary that Japan has its own spiritworld that has always been there, existing outside of the shiny and new and commercially viable structures that were being thrown up with reckless abandon. It was a bit of a wistful commentary on the old ways over the new.

 

Anyway... Here are some links to see why Miyazaki was so inspired. Be prepared to get sucked into these rabbit holes! Some pics are downright eerie!

 

 

Super creepy abandoned theme park links:

 

Japan's Abandoned Amusement Parks - overview of several parks

Abandoned Theme Parks - one photographer's blog and stories about his time at the parks

Nara Dreamland - an abandoned Disney-eque theme park

Gulliver's Kingdom - based on the 18th century novel, complete with a giant strapped to the ground

Abandoned Amusement parks - includes a Chinese, Russian and Wild West themed parks

[Jenskott]

That is very interesting. Thank you. I will check the links (a friend of mine also likes reading articles regarding abandoned cities. He has told me some things quite interesting... or downright creepy and disturbing. Just look up Hashima Island, Kowloon, Skara Bra or the ruins beneath Glasgow or Beijing).

 

But you have mentioned Alice in Wonderland. And now I have no option but posting this:

 

 `Then you should say what you mean,' the March Hare went on. 

  `I do,' Alice hastily replied; `at least--at least I mean what I say--that's the same thing, you know.' 

  `Not the same thing a bit!' said the Hatter. `You might just as well say that "I see what I eat" is the same thing as "I eat what I see"!' 

 

 

Alice had been looking over his shoulder with some curiosity. `What a funny watch!' she remarked. `It tells the day of the month, and doesn't tell what o'clock it is!' 

  `Why should it?' muttered the Hatter. `Does YOUR watch tell you what year it is?' 

  `Of course not,' Alice replied very readily: `but that's because it stays the same year for such a long time together.' 

  `Which is just the case with MINE,' said the Hatter. 

  Alice felt dreadfully puzzled. The Hatter's remark seemed to have no sort of meaning in it, and yet it was certainly English. 

 

 `Take some more tea,' the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly. 

  `I've had nothing yet,' Alice replied in an offended tone, `so I can't take more.' 

  `You mean you can't take LESS,' said the Hatter: `it's very easy to take MORE than nothing.' 

 

Chapter 7 always cracks me up.

Edited by Jenskott, 02 December 2014 - 06:35 PM.

[TouKen4Life3g]

I do remember one game developer (I want to say Silent Hill) has once said that Japan is behind times, despite the technology. By that he meant the standards of expectations. You can argue that they brought us good start, such as gaming, technology in certain stuff (TV, cars, etc.), etc.; however, now things are different and now the new quality of people's standards are met outside of Japan. Even in gaming, you have Dark Souls yet it's a western gaming style.

I remember the time I stopped watch anime altogether because there were a time where moe took over anime and I thought it was too much for me to go for. It's like why so many. Then you heard stories that series that is like serious or different standards get cancelled or some sort. Even in SJ, having a hard time to get a new runner of popular series. One season brought like 4 of them and all of them got cancelled at a short rate. I don't know if creativity is slacking or people just have different outlook. I guess that's why I often say, "I'm getting old..."

[Jenskott]

 

 

I do remember one game developer (I want to say Silent Hill) has once said that Japan is behind times, despite the technology. By that he meant the standards of expectations. You can argue that they brought us good start, such as gaming, technology in certain stuff (TV, cars, etc.), etc.; however, now things are different and now the new quality of people's standards are met outside of Japan. Even in gaming, you have Dark Souls yet it's a western gaming style.

 

Yes, what they did is new and good no longer.

 

Personally I am not too enthused over Western gaming. Eastern gaming has gotten stale, but Western gaming is not my cup of tea -with exceptions-.

 

 

 

I remember the time I stopped watch anime altogether because there were a time where moe took over anime and I thought it was too much for me to go for. It's like why so many. Then you heard stories that series that is like serious or different standards get cancelled or some sort. Even in SJ, having a hard time to get a new runner of popular series. One season brought like 4 of them and all of them got cancelled at a short rate. I don't know if creativity is slacking or people just have different outlook. I guess that's why I often say, "I'm getting old..." 

 

Maybe you are not getting older. Maybe you are getting wiser.

 

A few years ago I could not say this without someone leaping for my throat and shouting that manga/anime was so good or better than ever and I was blinded by nostalgia. Ironically, those people got angry and accused me of being nostalgia-blinded because I dissed eras that they were were nostalgic for (late nineties and early 00's).

 

Now? Now many people admits that I have been telling all along. Manga/anime HAS gotten stale and quality has gone down.

 

My advice is always the same: Check the classics. Read/watch stuff of past ages. Not everything is good, of course, but there is plenty good to keep you entertained for a long while if you are able to go past a different art and animation style (there is sadly many people that mistakes "different" with "bad and dated") and notice their qualities and strong points. And if you find something that you do not like the worst possible outcome is an afternoon wasted (as opposite to wasting years reading Naruto).

[TouKen4Life3g]

 
Yes, what they did is new and good no longer.
 
Personally I am not too enthused over Western gaming. Eastern gaming has gotten stale, but Western gaming is not my cup of tea -with exceptions-.
 
 
Maybe you are not getting older. Maybe you are getting wiser.
 
A few years ago I could not say this without someone leaping for my throat and shouting that manga/anime was so good or better than ever and I was blinded by nostalgia. Ironically, those people got angry and accused me of being nostalgia-blinded because I dissed eras that they were were nostalgic for (late nineties and early 00's).
 
Now? Now many people admits that I have been telling all along. Manga/anime HAS gotten stale and quality has gone down.
 
My advice is always the same: Check the classics. Read/watch stuff of past ages. Not everything is good, of course, but there is plenty good to keep you entertained for a long while if you are able to go past a different art and animation style (there is sadly many people that mistakes "different" with "bad and dated") and notice their qualities and strong points. And if you find something that you do not like the worst possible outcome is an afternoon wasted (as opposite to wasting years reading Naruto).

I'm out of likes, but this is a well response. I'll keep that in mind.

[harry4e]

I do remember one game developer (I want to say Silent Hill) has once said that Japan is behind times, despite the technology. By that he meant the standards of expectations. You can argue that they brought us good start, such as gaming, technology in certain stuff (TV, cars, etc.), etc.; however, now things are different and now the new quality of people's standards are met outside of Japan. Even in gaming, you have Dark Souls yet it's a western gaming style.

I remember the time I stopped watch anime altogether because there were a time where moe took over anime and I thought it was too much for me to go for. It's like why so many. Then you heard stories that series that is like serious or different standards get cancelled or some sort. Even in SJ, having a hard time to get a new runner of popular series. One season brought like 4 of them and all of them got cancelled at a short rate. I don't know if creativity is slacking or people just have different outlook. I guess that's why I often say, "I'm getting old..."

 

I don't know if the Silent Hill developer has said it but the creater of Rockman (megaman) also made similar comments a few years before he left Capcom.

 

http://www.siliconer...he-left-capcom/

 

His description pretty much underlines the problem with so many Japanese companies, they are not willing to take the risks anymore, they would much rather make a bad product that sells enough or a over recycled product that again sells enough and if when we do see one success everyone else just copy and pastes it, and we'll see like multiple versions of that product everywhere because the  Japanese consumer accepts it.

 

The rest of the world is rapidly moving away from that, we constantly demand more, and more, we jumped all over the PS4 and XBO when they launched yet in Japan many of them are still happy with the 3DS, developers are moving just as slowly to the next gen as they did before, it's why Sony a Japanese company launched in Japan four months later, because they know the majority of consumers will be happy with their PS3 for a few more years. Well that's not entirely true, I think the consumers would be happy to update, but developers are not willing to risk releasing games without a large userbase and consumers are not updating their systems, without the software to justify the purchase.

[TouKen4Life3g]

 
I don't know if the Silent Hill developer has said it but the creater of Rockman (megaman) also made similar comments a few years before he left Capcom.
 
http://www.siliconer...he-left-capcom/
 
His description pretty much underlines the problem with so many Japanese companies, they are not willing to take the risks anymore, they would much rather make a bad product that sells enough or a over recycled product that again sells enough and if when we do see one success everyone else just copy and pastes it, and we'll see like multiple versions of that product everywhere because the  Japanese consumer accepts it.
 
The rest of the world is rapidly moving away from that, we constantly demand more, and more, we jumped all over the PS4 and XBO when they launched yet in Japan many of them are still happy with the 3DS, developers are moving just as slowly to the next gen as they did before, it's why Sony a Japanese company launched in Japan four months later, because they know the majority of consumers will be happy with their PS3 for a few more years. Well that's not entirely true, I think the consumers would be happy to update, but developers are not willing to risk releasing games without a large userbase and consumers are not updating their systems, without the software to justify the purchase.

Exactly.

I remember the constant games for every year being same as before, only few additions. This happens to anime games mostly. It's good to hear games that is targetting worldwide because you'll know what's best for us, rather one nation. Now, it could be a problem when they tried to reach casual in terms of competitive games because it can lose the purpose of hard work since everyone's a winner. So yeah, I can see how things are changing.

[Strangelove]

Although Japan's recession may soon come to an end as consumer spending will increase worldwide in the next 5 years, thanks to the end of the oil age.