#i think her style is just. culturally very similar to kawaii

[terubakudan]

My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness by Nagata Kabi - Book Review and Impressions

(light reflection) Perfect :D Hoping Tumblr doesn't flag me for this xD

Ok, I'm going to start this off with 'this is probably the first and only book review I'm going to do' xD Because I rarely do read books now, and just as rarely buy them. Also, I would have preferred to buy the English version but alas they only had the Chinese version in stock ^^"

Stumbling upon this on the Internet, I was immediately compelled to buy this, as if I knew I would love it and that Nagata's story would resonate with me.

【Short Version】 I can't recommend this book enough, it doesn't matter what sexuality you are or from what culture are you. Nagata makes sure to tell an honest and 'naked' (without embellishments) portrait of her own personal experiences. How she herself is a college drop-out (having only graduated from high school), pushed herself to live/work while struggling with depression and eating disorders, not being sure of what she wants and feeling that she doesn't 'deserve' things, realizing her own sexuality in that she likes girls, and just not feeling 'good enough'...all through her cutesy and unassuming art style.

I will say again though, cutesy art style aside, the book deals with some very heavy topics. Nagata is very honest and doesn't shy away from the gritty details, and I admire her all the more for doing so. Many yaoi and yuri comics often portray an unrealistic and fetishistic view of the LGBTQ+ community whereas Nagata's story is much more grounded and sincere. This is not an easy read, but it's not an overly depressive one either. Nagata literally struggled for years with her mental health, but ultimately found light on the other side. Not mainly through the help of others, but through her own choice to forgive and love herself.

5/5⭐ Definitely recommend and would read again. And if I could, I'd give Nagata a big hug and a heartfelt 'thank you' for sharing her story.

【Long Version】 While it's written primarily from an Asian (particularly Japanese) perspective, Nagata's experiences are ones that should resonate with anyone who has been through the same or similar things, regardless of one's personal background. And I myself, while being fortunate enough to not have gone through eating disorders or self harm, am no exception.

I grew up in an Asian (Taiwanese/Chinese Filipino) household, while my parents weren't Tiger Parents (no offense but fuck Amy Chua for thinking that's a proper way of raising your children), they still had certain expectations on their children: to find a good husband/wife, have a good education, have a 'stable' career, etc. And while I love my parents very much, I'd be lying if I said there weren't any times where I felt they were smothering me, there weren't any times where they kept on nagging and bugging me for very trivial details. My biggest pet peeve: guilt-tripping me just for wanting to spend time alone.

"For me, my parents' opinion of me is absolute." (NOTE: While I won't be providing exact translations of the excerpts I used here, I'll do my best to summarize the gist of them.)

At the same time, I cared very much about their opinion of me. I made it a point to do well in school, to do things according to their wishes, and just like Nagata, I didn't know what I wanted. This even extended to caring about others' opinion of me, more than my own. In my freshman year of college, I 'went along' with being friends with someone, who while was nice to me, turned out to be a manipulative bitch skilled in passive-aggressiveness xD Being half-Taiwanese/half-Filipino, it was hard to fit in since people always treated me differently, it didn't occur to me I could be choosy with friends, I thought as long as they were 'nice' to me, that would do.

Asian culture is largely a collective one, where we define ourselves by our relationships with others, compared with Western culture (primarily America, I'll be using America as a reference point) where individualism is absolute, where you define yourself as you like. In Asia, it's also normal for children to still live in the same house as their parents well into adulthood, compared with Americans who are expected to move out the house once they finish high school or start college, and they're quite literally 'on their own', having to pay their own tuition, rent, etc. Where I live (Taiwan), it's normal for adults to continue relying on their parents financially well until college. Nagata for instance, while saying her parents really make her feel so pressured, is grateful that she still had a home to stay in (and she's 28!).

If you ask me though, neither a collectivist culture or an individualist culture is absolutely good nor bad. Each have their own pros and cons, and both Asian culture and Western culture could learn a thing or two from each other.

After going through quite a few job applications, one of the interviewers tells her "Ganbatte!" (You can do it!) after Nagata tells her what she really wants is to be a manga artist.

And sometimes that's all we need really, a small gesture or kind remark can do wonders. Even if there's no base or reason for it, it's something worth believing in.

I often have doubts if I'm doing what I really want, if I chose the right major for college, if I'm doing the right thing, if I'm 'good enough'. I didn't grow up with much self-esteem as a kid, and often derived my value from others. But even at my lowest times, a 'you're doing ok' was very reassuring to me, be it from family, strangers, or people I care about. Sometimes that's exactly what we need, it may be small but it could be the difference between continuing to wallow in depression or re-evaluating and choosing to be better to oneself.

I find it's really important to know, that however alone you may feel sometimes, there are other people out there going through the exact same thing. It's something universal, and while a lot of things are really unfair in life, each person has their own lot or burden to deal with. I have a Taiwanese friend who, while being more financially well-off than me, has terrible parents. And I mean parents who are quite so literally toxic, unsupportive of her, and would outright say the worst things to their own daughter.

How depression and anxiety can feel sometimes, we can literally feel like it's impossible to breathe and be in a state of disconnection from the world.

"The sounds that invaded my ears occupied my empty brain, making me unable to think at all."

If you only did what your parents asked you to do, wouldn't days like those be very painful? In the end, only you can understand what you really want.

Nagata's art style is one I would describe as simple, cute, and effective. I personally think had her story been drawn in a more serious style, it would have been even harder to read, much less finish. It's also a choice that has artistic appeal to me, serious subject matter juxtaposed with a 'kawaii' art style.

Nagata also depicts very well her mental state and thoughts throughout her struggle and journey to self-actualization. Depression is a really tough thing to deal with, and sometimes we don't even realize that we have it or if we do, refuse to acknowledge it. In Asian cultures especially, mental health has always been something of a taboo subject and there is a very heavy social stigma associated with it. Nagata herself even said that her parents seemingly refused to acknowledge that their daughter's mental health was in a state of distress. In Japan, there is a concept called gaman (我慢), which is described as 'enduring the seemingly unbearable with patience and dignity', and while it is portrayed as an ideal virtue that inspires perseverance, it can be a source of heavy pressure for others. Gaman also means that you are expected to suppress whatever emotion or negative feelings you have, often for the sake of others and no matter how tough the situation becomes for you. And while I agree that through gaman you can become more selfless for others, it shouldn't have to come at the expense of your own well-being.

I was quite fortunate to have grown up in a more liberal Asian household, but even when it came to mental health, our family also adopted the same kind of attitude towards it, by carrying on as if nothing was wrong, or just not talking about it. And to be honest, there were numerous times I wished we had been more open about what was bothering ourselves at that time. Talking and being open about your feelings is not a 'weakness' but something incredibly brave to do, and it's my wish for that to slowly become more acceptable in Asian cultures, which I know is kind of a stretch, but it doesn't hurt to hope.

Nagata makes the decision to clean herself up, by taking a bath everyday, habitually exercising, and no longer wearing worn-out clothes.

Depression especially can be a bitch. It deprives you even of your physiological needs, like your need for food. Nagata had to struggle with that on top of eating disorders for a long ten years. She ate so little and even felt that she didn't 'deserve' to eat, and at one point, anorexia became hyperphagia, and she would feel so guilty for eating almost expired/expired food. Things that would otherwise be simple to do also end up becoming difficult/impossible to do, like taking care of your personal hygiene, getting up from bed, doing simple tasks etc.

Thankfully, after Nagata realizes that she never truly 'valued herself', she starts to turn over a new leaf. Even just starting with cleaning herself up, she takes this as a form of 'valuing oneself' and her mood starts to improve, which her family also points out. In the end, taking care of yourself is not a selfish thing to do, it can even make you a better person who is there for others.

Nagata meets up with the female escort she hired, as a means to experience human sexuality, which she had always repressed her curiosity for and treated as a taboo subject. (NOTE: And I'm glad that she met a really nice girl for her first time too!)

Sex and sexuality is also a subject that I feel is hard to talk about sometimes, which I think also owes itself to most Asian cultures being relatively conservative about it. I myself have only recently identified as bisexual, which I attribute to internalized homophobia, not wanting to admit I was into girls too. And to be honest, 'coming out' is something I'm still uncomfortable about, because I don't want to risk my relationship with my family and it's still something I would choose to be selective about with colleagues and friends. I'm grateful though that as crazy the Internet can be sometimes, it can be quite accepting and tolerant towards things that we wouldn't otherwise discuss with even the closest people in our circle. Nagata's memoir ended up capturing the hearts of many readers ever since she first published it on Pixiv.

Exploring your sexuality doesn't have to be scary, it should be something exciting and liberating. Nagata decided to take matters into her own hands, and while the days leading up to the encounter made her really nervous and she even considered not going through with it at all, she willed herself to continue, because she wanted to do this for herself, it would be pointless if she gave up after coming so far in her decision to value herself.

And it's these series of actions that she decided to do that ultimately led to her life turning out for the better, it gave her the courage to do what she always wanted: to be a manga artist, which lead to the publishing of this autobiographical memoir, something she wanted to create that would 'make people want to buy this book' and from her own preference for reading stories that 'speak of secrets people wouldn't want to tell others'.

Nagata mentions what she calls 'honey': something that varies from person to person. It could be your reason for living, that thing that drives/pushes you, or even your sense of belonging. It may not be something permanent, but you can always find yourself a new one. (she mentions the last time she had her 'honey' was during her high school days, and while she has grown apart from the friends she made, she has found her new 'honey' in the form of being a full-time manga artist.)

Nagata stumbles and trips a lot on her way to being a better version of herself, but who doesn't? She admits to things not necessarily being smooth, but at least she's doing better than before. And it's that decision to at least try that counts. We don't have to be perfect, we're all human after all.

TL;DR My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness is a honest, down-to-earth, and ultimately hopeful memoir about the struggles of mental health and learning about one's sexuality. It's an amazing book, and very much worth the buy.

A big thank you if you read through all of this too. I know it's a mess and writing isn't exactly my strong point, but hopefully I've convinced some people out there to give this book a read! Please feel free to share your thoughts and I'd appreciate it very much too if you reblog/like this post.

#my lesbian experience with loneliness #the private report on my lesbian experience with loneliness #nagata kabi #kabi nagata #yuri #girls love #gl #lgbtq #lgbtq+ #lesbian #lesbians #comic #comics #comic books #books #book review #graphic novel #web comic #pixiv #mental health #tw depression #tw suicidal thoughts #tw eating disorder #tw self harm #personal stuff #taiwan #philippines #japan #asian #I wrote something xD

[wearejapanese]

A Japanese person's perspective on the mini-series. Let's discuss!

As a naturalized Japanese-American who was born in Japan, speaks Japanese with family, and has lived in Japan for 10 years growing up, this mini-season was the absolute best thing I could have asked for. Binging it made my weekend!

Going into this, I immediately had this feeling in my gut knowing that there is an extremely large cultural difference between Japan and America, and was curious how effectively the show was going to explain that to the audience or if they were going to take a more shallow, "JAPAN IS SO KAWAII and COOL" route. People in Japan are EXTREMELY accustomed to the concept of "the nail that sticks out gets hammered down"; you should not be different or stand out, because you will be bullied and conforming is for your sake. Modesty, conforming, gender roles, being indirect and roundabout, and not being emotionally expressive are extremely big concepts in the Japanese psyche. Mental health, therapy, LGBT acceptance, being sexual, "doing me", straightforward emotional expression, embracing your curves, loving your body, etc. are not as prevalent in the general population as they are in America.

Kiko Mizuhara (who I've adored since I was a teenager living in Japan, she is so gorgeous and is in so many commercials in Japan) did a good job explaining and clarifying things to the Fab 5, although I wish she was featured a little bit more in each episode breaking things down more. The whole concept of a "guide" was really great, as she is decent at English and explained well, but I think the show could have done more with her.

1: Yoko was a fantastic hero to start off the season. The fact that she was spunkier than the average 50-year-old Japanese woman helped keep the episode lighthearted and appealing. She was so receptive and warm to the Fab 5 and it was a really feel-good episode overall. I think her episode helps viewers who are unfamiliar with Japanese social norms to get a taste of concepts like "throwing away your womanhood". I think the first slot was appropriate for this episode, as opposed to later. I was a bit sad that Bobby covered up a lot of the traditional Japanese interior of the community center, but I have to say the place ended up looking like it'd really be useful. I loved her transformation. It was really refreshing but still age-appropriate. In Japan, it'd be embarrassing to be talking about things like "How do you like the new me?", "I learned to have more self-confidence", etc. But the way she delivered her speech was soooooo...Japanese, so un-self-centered, it made her experience more digestible for the people there.

2: LGBT acceptance is really lacking in Japan compared to in the U.S. As soon as I saw the preview blurb on Netflix for this episode, I knew we were in for a doozy. Sure, there are still ignorant people anywhere, and still accepting people anywhere. But, as Kan expressed, it's extremely difficult to live "out and proud" in Japan with all of the social norms we grow up indoctrinated with. I thought Kan was the sweetest, most endearing lead, and he was also super receptive to the Fab 5, and I think it helped tremendously that he knew English so he could understand what they were saying. I also thought Kan was so brave to be so open on TV about his sexuality and I have so much gratitude for that. The scene with the monk and Kan breaking down about how he couldn't find support abroad or at home made me bawl my eyes out. I also really appreciated JVN telling Kan in the hair salon that it's radical and brave to love yourself and that's enough, you don't have to dress like him to be radical. Finally, sleeping on the floor is totally normal, and that is what a real futon is. The flat thing on the floor.

3: This was my second-favorite episode for a reason. It was so nuanced and definitely not the bubbliest or most happy. First of all, the mom haunts me. I am 100% Japanese, and my parents are both Japanese, live in Japan, only speak Japanese. They were traditional Asian Tiger parents growing up, and did a lot of things to me that I wouldn't ever do to my future kids. I don't talk to them about anything personal. I don't feel close to them. But, we get along decently in person, and they aren't bad people. Personally, in my opinion, something about Kae's mom gave me the heebie-jeebies. I got so much anxiety every time she came up on screen. There's obviously way more that has to be unpacked here. The pure, still rage on the mother's face when Kae said to Antoni that "she told me not to be in the kitchen so I felt uncomfortable to", the way the mom stirred the stuff in the pan with that blank stare, I felt extremely uncomfortable the whole cooking scene. And Antoni tried his hardest to get them to connect, but it just was a bit too "direct" to work well in Japan. I appreciated that Antoni heard out the mom when she said that saying "I love you" isn't normal in Japan, which is definitely true. The fact that the mother didn't recognize that bullying was a big deal literally floored me. The way she said "I think we're similar in that we both tend to not express our pain to our parents" really rubbed me the wrong way. That may be a fact, but it's not something to be content about or use as an excuse, it's something to improve upon. Sorry, I have a lot of thoughts on this topic from personal experience and also analyzing their body language and stuff from a Japanese perspective. Finally, I love JVN so much, but that hair was horrible. I wished he kept it pink or at least a dark burgundy. Also, loved seeing Naomi Watanabe in this episode and I think she was a great choice to inspire Kae - someone who can turn any situation into something lighthearted which will help Kae feel comfortable, while also being straight up, and with major star power! I don't know why tf Kiko got the drawing in the end, when she didn't even help, but oh well. Tan is so nice.

4: I knew guys kind of like Makoto growing up in Japan. Getting by in life, not openly into girls or dating, watching out for themselves, extremely introverted. Really fitting into the mold of what society accepts, because that's all they know how to do, think will be appreciated, and think is the right thing to do/think is enough. The way that Makoto's boss made that comment about how Makoto's wife is more out-spoken, saying what she wants, reflected the traditional gender roles and sexism that Japan still has. It had this undertone of like, women usually aren't like that. I really enjoyed this episode because it was honestly so...interesting. The dynamic between Makoto and Yasuko was really mind-boggling, right? I was so thrown off by all the things that were divulged about their marriage. I don't want to come across as disrespectful, but I honestly had a few moments in that episode where I thought Makoto was in the closet or something. Maybe it was editing. Did anyone else think that? However, I think that there are a ton of different types of people in the world - different personalities, ways of expressing themselves, childhoods, parenting styles that affect adult personality, all that stuff. Clearly, being from Japan where emotional expression is minimal and extremely indirect to begin with, along with maybe having a sad (?) childhood, and not being the most experienced with dating or relationships, I can see how Makoto and Yasuko unfortunately settled into this sibling-like relationship for 4 or so years. I think that they have a great shot at improving their relationship over time, and I think Karamo helped them so much with the yoga conversation where they finally opened up about their insecurities and unspoken worries. Also, I'm pretty sure they translated a bit wrong. Makoto is referring to Yasuko as the superhuman, not himself. He says to her, "Just the fact that you exist makes you a superhuman to me". Very sweet! His makeover also looked amazing, my favorite transformation of the season.

Overall, I'd rank the episodes in terms of how much I enjoyed them: 2, 3, 4, 1. How about you?

I think this mini-season excellently touched on a lot of really real social issues in Japan and presented how different things are in Japan compared to in the U.S. Do you have any questions about certain things that came up in an episode? I'd love to discuss with you and share my perspective.

(Reddit Conversation)

#Reddit #Queer Eye #Representation #LGBT #lgbtqia #japanese #Japanese American

[ilovedangos]

Cosplaying CLANNAD

CLANNADman

Okazaki is the average high school kind of guy that almost every anime has. He’s not going to be hard to portray unless you’re the weird minority who lives in a different world. To be like him all you need is:

spiky blue or dark hair (natural or dyed)

tan skintone (If you’re naturally pale you can choose to get a tan. All optional anyway!)

male Hikarizaka school uniform with senior badge

plain and casual clothes

a straight face (He's never seen without one except for few occasions.)

a low voice

realist attitude

street-smarts

casual, informal way of speech

teenage immaturity (Okazaki is the rebellious type who always breaks the rules.)

talk less (He isn’t a very talkative person.)

talking slowly (Okazaki is always calm and never talks fast.)

low energy level (He is always tired, laidback, and very relaxed.)

a sense of humor (He and Sunohara are never caught dead without one!)

Cockroach

Nagisa is a shy girl who is bad at making friends and later become’s Okazaki’s wife. She is going to be hard to cosplay because of her shyness, eccentricity, and often animated demeanor. If you’re not a shy or strange person, I suggest you carefully follow every single one of these tips to better understand how she acts:

short red or brown hair with antennae

amber contacts (because of her unnatural eye color but optional)

kawaii makeup (Nagisa doesn’t wear a lot of makeup so you can just go for an ulzzang look with faux lashes if you’re eyes aren’t big.)

peach skintone (Getting a tan or not is all optional.)

female Hikarizaka school uniform with senior badge

girly, cute clothes with light colors that aren’t too stylish (Nagisa is a girly girl so besides her school uniform, she is seen wearing skirts or dresses.)

girly and childish high pitched voice (Again she is a girly girl and also very childish.)

always say “desu” at the end of your sentences (She’s one of those weirdos with fucking verbal tics!)

smile and talk a lot (Nagisa is a very bubbly and talkative girl who is never suffering in silence.)

talk fast (She is a very excitable and nervous person.)

blush all the time (She lacks composure.)

innocence (She always follows the rules.)

optimistic attitude (Nagisa sees the good in everything to a fault.)

very good manners (Nagisa is demure, always talks politely, and never swears.)

apologize and forgive (Nagisa always apologizes even if the other person wronged her.)

sensitivity and earnesty (Nagisa doesn’t have much sense of humor and acts on her feelings. Like her mom, she cries a lot or gets defensive when insulted.)

Dangos (She always talks about them nonstop; you can even sing the song all the time to be more like her.)

Fujibayashi twins

The twins are CLANNADman’s friends whom act as support for the Drama Club. They are just normal Japanese high school girls that are easy to portray if you live in Japan or have knowledge of Japanese culture. Since they’re opposite in personalities, you’ll have to be aware of how they each act.

Kyou is a bold and energetic girl who has been good friends with Okazaki since their junior year. She is the archetypal Tsundere, which means type A. To have her aggressive personality, you’ll need:

long purple hair (dyed or wig)

white lace hair ribbon (left side)

bold makeup (Kyou has piercing purple Tsurime eyes so you’d want to apply lots of eyeliner to look fierce like her. Then fill in your eyebrows to complete the look.)

fair skin (If you’re naturally tan I suggest you stay that way.)

female Hikarizaka school uniform with senior badge

flashy, bright colored clothes

knee-high socks

audacity

high energy level

a bad temper

loud, rough voice (mezzo-soprano)

informal, tomboyish way of speech

talk at a faster speed (She’s very energetic and expressive.)

cooking skills (For a tomboy, Kyou is an excellent cook.)

athletism (Participate in as many sports you can in your school.)

work ethic

good sense of humor (She can use sarcasm but she doesn’t have the silly humor like CLANNADman or Sunohara.)

textbooks (to throw at idiots, especially when you see CLANNADman or Sunohara)

pet boar (optional)

sibling to protect (optional)

Kyou's twin is a timid girl who knew Okazaki through her sister and had a crush on him ever since. She doesn’t have as much of a personality nor presence like the other characters which makes it an advantage to easily cosplay her. All you need in order to be like this Dandere girl is:

Similar appearance as her twin except short hair and hairpiece (right side)

mild-mannered face (She has blue Tareme eyes.)

female Hikarizaka school uniform with senior badge

light, dull makeup (Fujibayashi doesn’t stand out much so she won’t be wearing lots of makeup.)

light, casual clothes

soft-spoken, mezzo-soprano voice

cautiousness and hesitance (Unlike her twin, she is a girl who thinks before she speaks or acts.)

clumsiness

talk at a slower speed (She doesn’t talk very much.)

decent manners (Fujibayashi is a fairly polite girl in both speech and behavior, especially compared to her boisterous sister who always yells and acts brash.)

work ethic

sense of humor (She has a decent and average amount of humor, no problems understanding jokes or sarcasm.)

do anything for your true love (Fujibayashi can be bolder when in a serious situation that involves her love, Kappei. She risked telling him white lies and had the courage to have his baby if he didn’t want live.)

player cards (Her hobby is fortune telling.)

older sibling (optional)

Tomoyo

Tomoyo is a tough and cool girl who becomes good friends with Tomoya and Sunohara. She is the 'Strong-Silent-Type' who is very mature for her age; she’d be an example of a Kuudere. Tomoyo is a female version of Tomoya since she doesn’t have any noticeable quirks like many of the other characters and is the most sane compared to the other girls. She is a classic tomboy so to cosplay her you’ll need:

Rapunzel length messy silver hair and bangs (dyed or wig)

thick black headband

dark, dull makeup (Tomoyo is more quieter compared to many of the girls in both appearance and personality. You can apply smoky eyeliner then draw your eyebrows in a dark, deep color to give the serious look that she has.)

pale skintone (You can always remember to put sunscreen so you don’t get tan.)

female Hikarizaka school uniform with junior badge

athleisure style or streetwear

piercings (a few here and there)

stoic face

deep monotone

being talented (She is very strong and nobody, not even Kyou, can beat her in that. Eat healthy and exercise to be more fit, beautiful like her.)

intelligence (Tomoyo is a straight A student and has many opportunities ahead of her. To seem smarter, you can pick up a book or 2, study more, or watch the news.)

sense of responsibility (Tomoyo is diligent and hardworking.)

talk less (Tomoyo is a girl of few words; she speaks only when necessary.)

talk slowly (She is a sensible girl who doesn’t have time for nonsense such as Sunohara.)

casual but direct form of speech

confidence (why she’s known as the STRONG silent type of girl)

dark or dry sense of humor (Tomoyo is very snarky and sarcastic like CLANNADman.)

Kotomi

Kotomi is a taciturn and sluggish girl Tomoya reunites with as she is his childhood friend. She is the school’s genius and is seen always reading books in the library. Kotomi is the archetypal Dandere lacking in social skills and common sense which makes her seemingly strange. What you’ll need to cosplay this hot nerd is:

dark purple hair (dyed or wig, medium length)

horsetails tied with 2 large pink beads

pale skintone (not too pale)

female Hikarizaka school uniform with senior badge

formal clothes (Kotomi is a nerd so she always dresses conservatively.)

emotionless face

low, quiet mezzo-soprano voice

talk less (Kotomi is a very taciturn and reticent person who is barely seen talking.)

talking at a very slow speed

good manners (Kotomi is a polite girl despite being a nerd with no social skills.)

low energy level

books (Her hobby is reading all day.)

violin (If you’re a violin player and want to have a deadly weapon, put pressure on the strings to make it sound higher and deafening.)

teddy bear (She loves bears.)

weak sense of humor (Kotomi isn’t one for humor and when she tries, it’s not supposed to be funny. Because she lacks social skills, she doesn’t know how to tell jokes.)

Fu-chan

Fuko is a childish girl who befriends Okazaki and Nagisa. She is actually a ghost whose real self is still in a coma. Fuko is a very loud and hyperactive girl who gets easily distracted. Since you have to be good enough to act as this silly girl, you’re going to need:

dark green hair (natural or wig, medium length, low ponytail tied in a big blue ribbon)

technicolor contacts (She has light unnatural colored eyes.)

bright, colorful kids makeup

tan skintone (optional)

female Hikarizaka school uniform with freshman badge

youthful, colorful clothes

loud, childish voice

very animated facial expressions and body language

talk at a very fast speed (Fuko is the most talkative character in the show and is never speechless.)

artistic interests

little to no manners (Fuko acts like a little girl and tends to come off rude at times)

wooden “starfish” sculpture

childlike sense of humor (Fuko tends to joke around with Tomoya and Sunohara, but her humor isn’t as mature as theirs.)

Sunohara

Sunohara is Okazaki’s best friend who is another fellow delinquent. He is the Boke of the duo and tends to make the stupidest, most immature jokes ever. Sunohara is very easy to portray because he is another average idiotic, immature teenage boy just like CLANNADman. All you’re gonna need is:

bleached hair (He is an archetypal Anime delinquent character.)

fair skin (If you’re naturally tan I suggest you stay that way.)

blue contacts (He is “baby-faced” so his light blue eyes emphasize that.)

male Hikarizaka school uniform with senior badge

sloppy and bright clothes

loud, excitable voice (He has a more higher voice than the darker, more serious CLANNADman.)

obnoxious facial expressions and body language

very rude, informal way of speech (Sunohara talks in an abrasive manner, lacking any sense of politeness.)

talk at a fast speed (Sunohara talks a lot, way more than the quiet Okazaki.)

low energy level (He is a very lazy and tired guy who is hard to motivate.)

waste time (He is known for being the dumbest character in the show.)

distract people for no reason (He always provokes others for stupid reasons.)

cause trouble all the time

irresponsibility (Sunohara is a coward who puts the blame on others for his own mistakes.)

think you’re all that when you’re not (Sunohara has a huge ego even though he is still thought as a loser.)

silly, dirty sense of humor (Sunohara is very insensitive and makes offensive jokes which gets him beaten up a lot.)

Miyazawa

Yukine is a nice, quiet girl Tomoya meets in the back of the school library. She helps him and anyone who visits her, always serving them tea and casting spells. She is the girliest but most wisest, mature of the characters, so to be like her you’ll need:

straight light brown hair with ahoge (natural or dyed, medium-length)

sleepy eyes

full-face or light makeup (Yukine is a mature, feminine character so she’ll have to look pretty and refined. You can start off with contouring your face, applying foundation, etc. Then lightly apply eyeliner and draw in eyebrows. Apply light eyeshadow, mascara, blush, and lipgloss as well.)

pale skintone (not too pale)

female Hikarizaka school uniform with junior badge

lowkey, feminine wardrobe (Yukine is a motherly figure who wears sophisticated clothes.)

a warm, welcoming smile

quiet, reserved voice (Yukine never raises her voice unless something serious happens.)

low energy level

talk at a slow speed (Never talk too fast as that’s the opposite of calm which Yukine is.)

great manners (Yukine is always polite and considerate to others.)

cooking skills (She’s very feminine so she’s obviously going to be good in the kitchen.)

magic spells book (She likes books people don’t read very much, that get left without being touched.)

tea set (She always makes and gives tea when she sees someone.)

#clannad #cosplay

[sneek-m]

Top 10 J artists to get into j music?

I was going to answer this with a more definitive list that includes your Utada Hikarus and your Shiina Ringos, but I thought it would be more fun for the both of us if I talked about Japanese names that I wish to see more writing on. It was hard for me to think of 10, so here are 6.

The Komuro Family* (Ryoko Shinohara, Tomomi Kahara, hitomi, Ami Suzuki, globe)

I would preface this by saying Tetsuya Komuro is far from a decent human being. But apart from that fact, I also think people gloss over his work because he’s so embedded in the narrative of what was happening in Japanese pop music during the ‘90s to the point his ubiquity can seem like a banal concern. Sure, it admittedly sounds very of-the-time as his go-to styles of Eurobeat and rave music get more and more outdated. (TRF and Marc Panther of Globe do not age well in the slightest.) The singers are amateur by nature as well. But all that said, most of his singles endure as many tell melancholy stories of the city that reflect the bitterness of that decade. I would love to see a more in-depth observations of the recurring themes of TK singles because I think there a lot worth exploring.

Start with: “Itoshisato Setsunasato Kokorozuyosato” (Ryoko Shinohara, 1995); “I’m Proud” (Tomomi Kahara, 1996); “Departures” (globe, 1996); “Sexy” (hitomi, 1996); “All Night Long” (Ami Suzuki, 1998)

*Namie Amuro is part of the Komuro Family as the producer worked on all her music released during that decade, such as “Body Feels Exit” and “Can You Celebrate?” But a quick Google search of “best J-pop” should bring you to her name as well as countless fans, including me, open to share just how much she meant to J-pop and Japanese culture, so I didn’t mention her.

SPEED

I wouldn’t exactly say SPEED is an idol group, more a pop unit, but the girl group definitely reached the masses like one. The four debuted when they were in middle school, inspiring children and teens of the late ‘90s to idolize them: members of Perfume once recounted a time in Actor’s School, Hiroshima’s version of the Okinawa school where SPEED came from, when classmates would pretend to be SPEED and fight over who would be the group’s main star Hiro, or Hiroko Shimabukuro. Their youth really inspires the music too, a gutsy, R&B-influenced pop music that got by a lot on the girls’ energy.

Start with: “Body and Soul” (1996)

Aya Matsuura

For a long time, I thought Aya Matsuura, or Ayaya for those who grew up with her music, was in Morning Musume. But after watching her TV appearances, it was obvious she was far more made to be a solo star. Debuted when she was 15, the Hello Project idol carried herself with this charming ditziness but also a solid awareness of her as a star. Hello Pro’s main producer Tsunku would draw that quality out of her with every release, and it only became more blown-out as the years went by.

Start with: “Momoiro Kataomoi” (2002)

BoA

BoA is still killing it. Just check out her recent K-pop stuff. But as K-pop grows, it’s always worth anyone’s time to go back and check out the icons of the past generations. (Something I should do more myself as well.) Now, I’m way more familiar with her Japanese releases when it comes to old BoA. Her first five albums are all great; the first two, Listen to My Heart and Valenti, may be of-the-time, but if you can get through that quirk, they each got some hits. The difference between her Japanese releases and Korean ones are more obvious with her releases last year, Watashi Konomamade Iinokana and Woman, the former record an A&R mess that really disappointed me. But from 2002 to 2007 at least, she made a lot of simply cool Japanese R&B.

Start with: “Listen to My Heart” (2002)

Dempagumi, Inc.

I’ve only recently got into Dempagumi, Inc. and it admittedly was bit of a deliberate choice not to engage with them for so long. My first impression of Dempa felt similar to seeing Kyary Pamyu Pamyu when she first went viral, which is to say not fun at all. Imagine all the icky stereotypes of Japan, the nonsense sourced from the kawaii and otaku subcultures, just blatantly splattered as pop art. Best believe it didn’t suit well for a Japanese person who wanted foreigners to see their culture as something much deeper than those associations.

But the more and more I familiarized myself to modern J-pop, it intrigued me to see that Japanese pop culture has been so booming and well established to the point that it can produce media and art with an intense self-awareness to some of that very identity. I eventually got into Kyary Pamyu Pamyu by embracing her projected weirdness as cultural pride, and the punkish energy that Dempa puts forth to their creation feels infectious in a similar way that can also feel subversive.

Dempa’s music, especially their early ones, that double down on its idiosyncrasies can feel deliriously meta: the group’s second album, 2015’s WWDD, felt somewhat uncomfortable for me knowing just how much Dempa understood the relationship between idol and otaku. But it presents such a fascinating line of conversation, with idols speaking on idol culture. Outsiders like to observe the weird surface when there’s something much more complex happening beneath it, and I wish other people would elaborate more on it.

Start with: “Chururi Chururira” (2014)

Aimyon

There’s so much buzz around Aimyon right now, you’d be hard-pressed not to hear her name mentioned in J-pop news. But again, the mainstream can be glossed over in favor of the underground or at least lesser known music acts and movements. Which is a completely fine phenomenon! Solely relying on the Oricon as a source of Japanese music would not yield many interesting results. That said, I always remain loud about people glossing over the mainstream because Japanese pop deserves to be represented as it is, middle-of-the-road as it is cool and fascinating.

Japanese pop is not just one sound or movement. The acoustic-pop earnestness of Aimyon sounds uniquely Japanese as a bunch of vocaloid tunes or Enon Kawatani’s finger-twiddling jazz-rock side projects or the backpacker-rap tradition of Sushiboys or the genre-mashing whisper-rap of DAOKO or any typical anime theme song. All I’m saying is I want a media coverage culture that puts critical attention to all of these equally, not one over the other. And I think if you’re gonna praise Perfume, or whomever, there should be an equally approached article on Aimyon, a name who is quickly becoming popular music for the Japanese youth.

Anyway, I like Aimyon. It’s such nice pop-rock for people who frequently dream about being loved with their entire conception of romance built upon what they see in pop media like teen rom-coms and love songs such as Aimyon’s. Her lyrics reach for something more poetic, which adds a sense of cool and maturity that the kids can look up to. Her public persona definitely reflects that, though she reveals herself to be a funny, ditzy weirdo pretty quick. Yeah, she doesn’t play with a very novel sound, but does it always have to be novel to be so moving?

Start with: “Marigold” (2018)

[sightless-highland]

7 reasons to create Yuru-Chara for "Jameson's Door"

"Or a little bit of R-Man's revelations"

So, to begin with, the word "Yuru-Chara is not at all the name of Chara from some Alternative Undertale Universe" Yuru ", and even more so it is not a reference to one member of Jameson's Door community, which has such a nickname in Discord... "Yuru-Chara" is a kind of mascot, but only in the Japanese way. They necessarily look "very cute" (kawaii), which means that their design should be memorable due to its simplicity (so that such a character would be easy to draw even a baby). The goals of Yuru-Chara are obvious - to codify the advertised product, or, more simply, to be its symbol, which would immediately be associated with the product advertised (IMHO, Robbie the Rabbit from Silent Hill franchise is kind of "Yuru-Chara" but he's not enough "moe" on my opinion).

Well, let me explain the reasons why I believe that the Jameson's Door project needs "Yuru-Chara"

1) Community. Yes, you, my dear friends. So, When I invited people to join the project, the Silent Hill fans (who were a priority, because the project was designed specifically for them) reacted rather coldly and even negatively. Messages in which they simply scolded me and sending to hell, were far from rare. But Undertale's fans (to whom I sent out invitations "just for lulz" - forgive me, my friends, but I say how it really was) responded most willingly, and gladly accepted the invitations (for which I thank them & you personally by the bottom of my heart!) 2) Nikita "Bratish" Kuplinov. He is the lead artist of the project, it depends on him what "face" will have "Jameson's Door". But he is far from a professional (some will try to challenge this, but this is really so, he himself writes in his portfolio on DeviantArt that he is just hobbyist), so his drawings, which he does NOT from photographs, but draws in a vector, do not corny fit in a grave and gloomy style, which was set by Silent Hill. In addition, he is clearly addicted to anime - these are his main subscriptions (and followers) to DeviantArt & Pixiv, and indeed his drawing style is clearly strongly inspired by this genre. 3) My personal impressions after walkthrough Silent Hill 1. The fact is that when I played the above game, I was very embarrassed that there was practically no character on which, in general, the goal of the game was tied. In case someone hasn't guessed, I'm talking about Cheryl Mason. She runs away from her father (whom we play as) and our goal is to find her. And in our adventures we sometimes hear her voice, there is even a moment when she appears on the screen of monitors, but we never see Cheryl, let's say, a material form again (if I didn't understand something in the final cutscene that is shown in front of the boss, I humbly ask you to forgive me). And this upset me greatly, because firstly, I did not expect this from the game where we are looking for a daughter (yes, I did not understand anything in Silent Hill when I played the first game for the first time), and secondly, after the middle The game began to annoy me that old woman (I forgot her name), and when I finished going walkthrough the Silent Hill 1, I began to scold the developers ("sotto voce" of course), who, for only for them well-known reason, decided to give this character so much screen time. And that's why I made a vow to myself that if I were to be inspired by the characters, it would definitely not be this old hag, that stole potential time from poor Cheryl. 4) Mass-media ads. I made observations, during which I concluded that products (game, cartoon, something else), the symbol of which is a female character (and, for the most part, a underage), depicted in anime style, are much more popular than products whose mascot is something that does not fit this definition. Lord, look at the same Silent Hill. Not all, but still some games have something similar on the cover, which means that even the maestros could not resist against pop culture, since they did so. 5) My own lack of professionalism. At the very beginning of develop, I confess, I conceived the idea that the main character had a wife. Moreover, he had her in such a way that, on the one hand, Jameson seemed to remember her, but in fact, it is very likely that he just dreamed of her, and in fact, he has always been and remains a bachelor. Sounds a very idiotic and sick, right? I had to do this so that the plot did not look like a tracing paper from Silent Hill 2, where the main character also had a wife in the past (but there she really took place in the life of James, another character was a hallucination). Then I abandoned the idea with my wife, because I just decided to work on minor characters with whom Jameson would contact throughout the game (and this business went well for me - all that remained was to write intelligible dialogues, and then I'll can publish the full story for everyone to see). And until recently (read - before the idea of ​​registering an account on Reddit), I did not even think about returning to the topic of a female character in Jameson's Door, if... 6) And yes, Nikita Kuplinov AGAIN! Oh yeah, this person still haunts me. The fact is that, despite his seeming dependence on me, in fact, he created most of the art before I met him (he was going to do FreeDoom 3, can you imagine?), And in general, he is an extremely willful person. All you need to do is look at his art with his "avatar" (especially "Gamedeveloper's Life"), or the infamous comic strip, "Jameson's Nosebleed". Yes, to be honest, I was completely unaware of the existence of this art until he published it on his profile. It was his strange (and stupid as I thought before writing this post) fantasy, from start to finish. He even add logo of "SH-Team's Core" that I lead, in order, apparently, to make fun of me, to make everyone think that he did art in full agreement with me, although this was ABSOLUTELY wrong! I had to pretend that it was me who gave him the idea for this comic, so as not to look like a person who denies what he is involved in according to the information that takes place (yep, I'm talking about the "SH-Team" logo, which Bratish does not put even for those artworks that have been agreed with me from beginning to end). 7) The fact that I have already promised to give someone a gift is that I will add a love theme to Jameson's Door. When I wrote to this person about this, I was thinking about how to dig out the coffin in which the idea of ​​the protagonist's wife lies (this is a literary reception, do not take it literally), but all of the above factors persuaded me to do what I am going to do now.

Outdated message: So, you are probably already making assumptions about how and in what form this character will be embodied when its design is ready (since at the moment our potential "Yuru-Chara" does not have any appearance in principle ), and that it will not be just a symbol of game, but something more. Well, you are on the right track, dear friends ;)

#so tldr #tldr #sightless-highland #jameson #jamesons door #jamesonsdoor #door #raudokyubu #yuru #chara #yuru-chara

[shorthaircutsmodels]

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[garp19-hannahbroadbent]

Proposal

Introduction

For my GARP I have decided to explore into the world of Kawaii, which is the culture of cuteness in Japan. I had contemplated looking into similar topics like “Why are things cute” and “Harajuku: the unique fashion scene of Japan” as they were subjects of interest for me and relevant to my design practice, I however felt that “Why are thing cute” was too broad to explore and the Harajuku topic was too specific for me and my design practice.

Ideation

I have chosen this topic because I have had an interest in this culture since the age of twelve and is an important part of my current aesthetics and design practice. It is also something that I know quite a lot about and I have taken part in several different aspects of this culture. My personal aesthetics have stayed the same since I have begun involving myself with Kawaii culture, yet I have also at the same time expanded my fashion interests and as a result have been interested in several different ‘Kawaii’ styles (albeit with similar traits). For instance, I have been interested in Sweet Lolita, Cult party Kei and Larme Kei fashions that more or less all derive from Harajuku fashions and are under the Kawaii defining umbrella.

For the focus of my dissertation, I think it would be interesting to explore the positives, negatives, social impact (linking to feminism, constructs in gender and mental health) and the views and similarities to other parts of the world, namely the west. I think it would be relevant to focus on how Kawaii affects people’s lives and how it affects the social aspects of society.

The topic on Kawaii culture could be an interest to people due to it being a bit of an outlandish topic on the surface. For instance, there are many documentaries that explore the lives of people who are involved in alternative lifestyles that have peaked an interest in the masses, the Living doll documentary peaks to mind that has a similar links to Kawaii. It also may interest people to understand exactly what it is about; maybe a few people may think to themselves why products and brands like Sanrio’s Hello Kitty have become such a major force overseas. Some people may also wonder what benefits or disadvantages Kawaii has for women and other people, is it progressive? On the other hand, is it a major setback for women, feminism and society? Whilst on the same topic, I feel like it will interest people from a feminist standpoint as a topic and to get insight from someone who is from Kawaii culture and knows a fair amount about it. I feel like I can offer an honest approach with my dissertation that will be genuine as I am someone who comes from the lifestyle of Kawaii and know a lot about it. I also personally feel that people who have been critiquing Kawaii culture are generally people who aren’t as aware of it, I particularly found this with articles like Ai Perez’s article ‘Sexism and Culture: Japan’s Obsession With Kawaii’  (Perez 2017) compared to someone who is involved in the culture like myself. However, one thing I plan not to do is being biased to the benefits of Kawaii culture; it is something that I would like to delve deep into, especially with the negatives. Regarding the topic on interesting the feminist community, I would like to propose two arguments; why Kawaii is harmless and fine for women and why it is not so beneficial for feminism.

Research & development

As stated before, my subject is based on the topic of cute culture in Japan; I thought to explore the way in which it affects women and how feminine aspects are viewed in Japan, how it affects people who have lived under its influence. Comparing and contrasting to other countries, like for instance how the rise of Kawaii in the 1970s with youth culture in Japan was a form of rebellion against the older Japanese generations due to western culture having an impact on Japan. This is also very similar to the UK’s punk movement that also came into fruition in the same era and was a rebellion against the older generations in the UK and so forth. It would probably be worth also exploring on how it has taken a hold in the west and reflecting on the back and forth influences of both cultures and exploring if there are any similar movements in other countries, comparing both cultures. It may be also relevant to compare the ‘Kawaii’ movement in 1970s Japan to another rebellion subculture in 1970s youth culture named ‘Delinquent’ culture.

I have found out through my research that people within Kawaii fashion movements like Yami Kawaii and Sweet Lolita  for instance tend to use fashions as a positive coping mechanism and a source of empowerment and a reflection on their personalities. One of the key areas of research I have found is the elements of sexism in Kawaii culture. In the article by Sophie Knight titled ‘Japan has a cute problem’ (Knight 2014), Knight explores into how a female scientist named Haruku Obokata  released a ground breaking research paper on stem cells only for the Japanese media to focus more on how cute her apron was rather than her scientific and intellectual merits. The article explores how Japanese society deems women intellectually inferior compared to men due to how women’s greatest aspirations should be cute and child-like ‘To be Kawaii is to be vulnerable, weak and powerless. “Cute” is the opposite of capable’ (Knight, 2014).

I have also discovered how Kawaii culture influences the west as well as Kawaii culture being inspired by aspects of western culture. An example of this would be when I went to London and the amount of Kawaii themed products I saw, especially in specifically themed Kawaii shops like one shop I visited in London, ‘ArtBox’ (Artbox n/a). The items in ‘ArtBox’ tend to be stuffed animals, home wear and stationary with a few fashion based items. There has been a blatant following and rise in the last couple of years of Kawaii based retailers based in Britain. This is also very similar to the rise of Kawaii in Japan with stationary being the origin and boost of the movement. Stationary and home wear is a palatable stepping-stone into different aesthetics without fully committing to them so you can see how it has also become big overseas as it had over in Japan especially within the 14 to 25 girl age bracket.

This unfortunately is not so much a case for men and boys in that age bracket; I unfortunately now cannot compare how the male population of Japan compares to the male population of the UK in relation to Kawaii culture and in extension feminine related attributes and interests. I do know that there is an extent of machoism and embracing femininity in Japanese culture when it comes to men. I just do not know to what extent; there is one article called ‘To say Kawaii or not to say Kawaii? Almost half of Japanese guys don’t want to be cute’ by Casey Baseel (Baseel 2014), the article explores how 52% out of 114 Japanese men between the ages of 22 to 39 would come away feeling content after being called ‘Kawaii’ by a girl as they associate it with the girl taking some sort of interest in them. The other half did not want to be called ‘Kawaii’ due to the feminine connotations and that these men would rather be called ‘cool’.

  Critique & explanation

Many of the key concepts of my topic seem to sway towards women’s/gender issues and the comparisons of Japan’s Kawaii movement to the west. I feel with the Feminism direction I can look at how gender issues and roles from Kawaii affect woman and by extension how it affects Japanese men but also could look at how it affects people outside of Japan too, this in my opinion would be a great transition into influences towards the west. Furthermore, on that concept, I could discuss how Kawaii culture has influenced the west, and even though Kawaii culture was a result of cultural appropriation from America, has Kawaii culture been appropriated back from the west and if so, how much? Obviously as stated previously, I need to do more research into how much Kawaii culture has influenced the west and if it has, how much has it been watered down to what it originally was. It could also be worth exploring individuality in Japan and how Kawaii culture especially in Harajuku fashion links into that and helps people explore their individuality, mental health and themselves. This is especially relevant in Japan where individuality is somewhat frowned upon as this goes back into Japans conformist culture where everybody is supposed to work with one another rather than thinking of themselves. This concept is beneficial as a society but leaves no room for personal expression and is encouraged as such. There is a phrase in Japan that goes ‘The nail that sticks out should get hammered down, This phrase is explored in the article ‘The nail that sticks up..’ (Hashi 2012) as the phrase summarises Japan’s conformist individuality. I feel like it is important to explore this and to see how the people of Japan view the unique Kawaii fashion movements like Fairy Kei, Lolita and Cult party Kei to name a few examples. It may also be worth in comparing to Kawaii Harajuku fashion movements into non-Kawaii fashion movements like Visual Kei that has obvious connections to the British Punk movement. It would probably be worth linking Japan’s culture and view on Kawaii culture and compare it to the Punk movement in the UK and other fashions that were influences from Punk, especially in the 1970s when Britain was a traditional society like Japans. Comparing both Japanese society with British society is also something I would like to explore and to see how both societies mind-sets have changed from the 1970s with the Kawaii and Punk movement retrospective. Going off on 1970s Japans fascination with western culture, Japan also had a fascination with British culture and it would be useful linking the two. It may also be worth noting how even though a lot of Kawaii fashions are unique, are they really that unique when so many people still wear them?

 Action plan

I still need to explore more aspects of Kawaii culture that I am not as aware of, like researching into more fashion subcultures that I do not have the knowledge on. I would also like to investigate more evidence on how Japan and the west have influenced each other and how much it is seeped into our everyday lives like for instance, I need to explore into not only Japan’s fascination into Western culture predominately from America but also Japan’s fascination on British culture. It would also be relevant for me to research on how men (especially from Japan) seem to view Kawaii and Kawaii aspects on other men. It will be also useful for me to look at more links between Japan and the West on how they have influenced each other, especially concerning my topic. I also would like to find out more into the relevance of 1970s delinquent culture of Japan with the 1970s Kawaii culture. Both of which influenced and affect the youth at the time. They consisted side by side and were both forms of rebellion so I feel that this could be an important field to research with comparing and contrasting and to see how relevant it is towards the history of Kawaii.

I need be looking at more books that also goes into research that is more credible, I would also like to do more of my own primary research. I would like to do my primary research at places like anime/manga conventions like MCM because they are places with a lot of Japanese pop culture so naturally a lot of Kawaii themes will be present and I know from personal experience that there will stalls and cosplays for example that would be present at them. I would want to interview people wearing Kawaii themed things and shop assistant who would be selling Kawaii products; obviously, I understand that with it being a public event and I may encounter people that I could interview but may be under aged. I will need to do an ethics form regardless, but I may need to consider doing a specific ethics form for underage people.

As stated previously, this summer I would like to go to Pop culture conventions relevant to Japanese ­­culture in some way and interview people who appear to have an influenced by Kawaii culture. Whether that be people, attending the convention or shop assistant at specific Kawaii themed stalls. I would also like to be looking into more books, continue looking at articles online and doing primary photo research of ‘Kawaii’ things when I am out in public to demonstrate the links of Kawaii in the West. It would also be beneficial if there would be an art exhibition or artwork in general that will be relevant for my topic to investigate this if it is available over the summer.

   Bibliography

 Artbox (n/a). "Artbox." Retrieved 28/04, 2019, from https://www.artbox.co.uk/.

Baseel, C. (2014) To say Kawaii or not to say Kawaii? Almost half of Japanese guys don’t want to be “cute”.  

Cummins, K. (1970). www.culture24.org.uk.

CutesyKink (n/a). www.bbc.co.uk.

Hashi (2012) The Nail That Sticks Up...  

Junnyan (n/a). https://www.instagram.com/junnyan69/. web-japan.org.

Knight, S. (2014) Japan has a cute problem.  

lolitafashion.fandom.com (n/a). "Sweet lolita." Retrieved 28/04, 2019, from https://lolitafashion.fandom.com/wiki/Sweet_Lolita.

Perez, A. F. (2017) Sexism and Culture: Japan’s Obsession With Kawaii.  

Sanrio (n/a). Hello kitty waving, Sanrio.

xxxCandyholicxxx (n/a). www.twitter.com.

[youmeandwinona-blog]

epcot

8:00 AM

Today is Epcot day! We weren’t as on the ball as usual in regards to getting ready today. Our plan was to get to the park by 9 but as it reached that time, we had yet to leave the house. We were worried that we were going to miss our one fast pass that we were allowed for the day, which was for the ride Test Track. But as it turned out, traffic and the line for parking were not as bad as expected. On the radio in the car, we heard a story about a man who left his gun in his bed (like an idiot) and in the middle of the night, the dog jumped up onto the bed and shot his wife in the butt. 

10:15 AM

Test Track

We headed straight for our fast pass ride when we arrived at Epcot and got through the line very quickly. Our first stop was at a big tv where we were able to create our own personalized racing car! We created a car named Piglet (in order to match Winona/Winnie which we drive on the regular) which was pink and quite stylin’. 

The idea of the ride was to test Piglet in four categories: power, responsiveness, efficiency, and capability. The only really cool part was the power component, where we sped around a track extremely fast, to see how well our car could hold up to the speed. 

10:45 AM

Mission: SPACE

For this ride, we had to choose between green (less intense) or orange (more intense). Obviously, we are adrenaline junkies and chose the MOST INTENSE. Maria was being a little baby about it because there were so many warning signs throughout the line up that suggested not riding if you were prone to motion sickness, and she had felt sick during the Simpsons ride two days prior. However, I knew what the ride was like and thus told her to man up and do it. This ride was a simulation that mimicked going into space and running into problems along the way. Maria was the navigator and I was the pilot, and the two random people we rode with were the commander and engineer. The most exciting part was liftoff, where you could actually feel yourself being pushed against the seat because the pressure was so intense. It was so strong that it made my one eye start to water a lot and my ears popped! 

WATER

The water section was basically all Finding Nemo. There we window shopped in the gift shop with a lot of cute stuffed animals. Then, we saw this ride with people riding in shells so we got into the line that we thought was for that. Alas, we were mistaken. We ended up waiting in line for Crushes Turtle Talk which is basically a show where an animated Crush picks out kids from the audience and answers their questions about being a turtle. Originally, we were disappointed that were stuck in this kids show, but we found ourselves laughing along and were impressed with how adult friendly the show was. We also loved how quick Crush was to respond to any question he was given. 

After that, we looked in the aquarium a bit and found that it was actually very big! Maria commented on how similar it was to something that you would pay $45 to see at Ripley’s aquarium in Toronto. We saw sharks, dolphins, sting rays, and even a manatee. 

We had done everything except for the shell ride, which we didn’t want to wait 45 mins for, so we moved on to the next section...

LAND

12:30 PM

This is where we ate lunch. I had Mongolian Beef with chicken fried rice and Maria ate shrimp stir fry. We were going to do the rides here, but the lines were long and we were excited to get to the main component of Epcot. 

AROUND THE WORLD

This area is 12 stations representing different countries and their cultures, positioned around a lake. Our first stop was our very own homeland. 

Canada

Here, we watched a 360 degree movie all about Canada and what makes it special. It had beautiful landscapes and we learned where the ship on the dime comes from! Martin Short was the host of this movie, which added some comedy to the film.

UK

We looked through many gift shops here and found Holland in the book of last names for crests, but no Nicula :( I guess Nicula truly is not a UK derived name. Surprise surprise. We also witnessed a man attempting to buy a sword, but he couldn’t because it was a danger to have in the park. The lady told him they would have to ship it to his home town which made him and his son quite unhappy. However, it was probably for the best because she saved him a solid $200. 

In the UK, we also listened to the end of a show from the band Quickstep, which performed folk music on the streets as we passed by. 

France

In France, we fell asleep. More, specifically, we fell asleep in an 18 minute long video of France which was much less exciting than Canada because instead of Martin Short’s jokes, they had soothing classical French music playing the entire time. 

Morocco

This was not a big stop for us, and we mainly just browsed the gift shops. Here they had many beautiful piece of jewellery, beaded head ornamentation, and belly dancing skirts, all of which we tried on. There was also an artifact gallery which displayed traditional clothing and accessories worn by those from Morocco in the past. 

Japan

The first thing we saw in Japan were 3 drummers performing in front of a pagoda with a big crowd watching. While listening to the drumming, we looked in a Kawaii museum, which was meant to explain how Japan created its cute culture. This is not a simplification, that is literally all the museum was. We saw many Hello Kitty and Pokemon figurines. 

In the gift shop, the kawaii continued with sailor moon, dragon ball z, and many cute figurines to choose from. There was also a pearl booth where one of the women took a live oyster/clam out of the water and cut it open to give each person their own individual pearl. 

Afterwards, we grabbed some shaved ice, which was rainbow flavoured and continued on our way. 

United States

There was not too much here, and we were not extremely interested in watching another 18 minute video about the American heritage. However, we did stumble upon the ending of an amazing acapella concert which took Maria’s breath away. She was very impressed from the three minutes we were there. 

Italy

This area was very beautiful- they had mock statues and the Trevi fountain was present. There were a lot of places to eat and we regretted getting fast food from LAND. Debbie had warned that there was an amazing wine cellar that sold cheese trays and other appetizers, but we did not stay to try it out. 

Germany 

This was Maria’s favourite architecture. Here we found out that Snow White is German, as well as Rapunzel. The area smelled of pretzels and beer, and seemed to be where many of the adults were located. We looked at some really expensive Swarovski crystals, like the amazing belle and beast figurine which was going for $14 000. So much for shopping here. 

Outpost

Here is an African style section, which unfortunately was never made into a full country. There were a couple of outdoor gift areas and a refreshment booth, but nothing else was in the area. 

China

We got to China right on time, as there was a show about to start so we sat among the crowd and waited. It turns out the show was some sort of acrobatic, circus like performance with many impressive balancing acts and a duet with the couple in rollerblades. At one point, they were spinning, with the girl attached to her partner by only a necklace and as she spun around her neck, I was positive she was going to die. BUT she was fine! 

China also had a huge gift shop, which include lots of Buddha’s that I wanted to buy.

Norway

We walked through the Norway gift shop, that had skin products, winter coats, and many Frozen memorobilia. There was also a bakery where I wanted to go because I still had pretzels on my mind, but they didn’t have what I was looking for. 

Mexico

This area is unique from the rest of the pavilions because it is completely indoors. You walk through a pyramid resembling Chichen Itza and it opens up into and indoor market, including a tequila bar, an Aribas Bros. shop, and a stunning looking restaurant under faux stars.

There was a ride here called the Grand Fiesta tour: in it, Donald Duck leaves Mexico city to be a tourist and see what makes up the rest of the country. However, he has left his two amigos alone right before they need to go on stage to perform! We sat in a boat and enjoyed watching as they searched Mexico for the missing Donald and eventually played us some tunes. 

5:30 PM

At this point, we decided it was time to leave Epcot so we took one last picture with the golf ball and were on our way. We headed back to the outlet mall to grab a couple of things that we had been thinking about from our trip there the day before, namely a pair of Nike running shoes for Maria and a lavender dress for me. 

On our way home, I started talking about the Walking Dead, which had gotten Maria intrigued. We stopped at Chilis for our dinner and spent the evening conversing about the show. So, of course, upon our arrival back to the hotel, we sat down and began to watch an entirely different type of show than our last one. 

- Jessica

P.S. We have decided to place the pictures in a separate post as to not stretch our lovely images. 

#feb 24 #epcot

[shorthaircutsmodels]

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