“Anime, Manga & Games are Killing Japan”
- Categories: Anime, News
- Date: Sep 30, 2009 18:37 JST
- Tags: 2ch, 2D vs 3D, Eroge, Marriage, Mass Media, Otaku, Relationships
A BBC journalist opining on why Japan is a doomed nation has suggested that Japanese men who retreat from the real world into anime and game fantasies are the reason the nation faces a demographic death spiral.
His screed runs along these lines:
Imagine a country that knows it is shrinking. A country that knows it is ageing more rapidly than any other major industrialised nation on earth. Which has the highest proportion in the world of people over the age of 65, and the lowest ratio of under 15s. That country is Japan.
As I reported on Wednesday, on current trends, the population of Japan will have halved by the end of the century.
It is, literally, a country that is slowly dying.
According to one United Nations estimate, it’ll need to import 17 million foreign workers over the next 40 years, just to keep its economy afloat and provide enough carers to look after the elderly. (By 2050, there will be more than a million Japanese over the age of 100.)
I’m no social psychologist, so I wouldn’t dare to come up with an explanation for why Japanese couples aren’t having enough babies.
But one theory is that Japanese women are increasingly reluctant to marry, because they think Japanese men have shown themselves unable to adapt to the needs of a new, more flexible society – and have retreated into a fantasy world of comics, video games and animated pornography where they feel less threatened.
Of course, anyone capable of actually reading what the Japanese are saying and not merely what people are saying about the Japanese might come to very different conclusions about the causes of the schism between the sexes in Japan.
2ch’s commentary provides the usual scathing insights:
“If everyone retreats into a fantasy of games and anime a new era of peace will dawn.”
“If reality was so appealing all that manga would soon end up in the bin.”
“’Japanese women are increasingly reluctant to marry… Because men have retreated into anime and games’
Don’t you mean men have retreated into anime and games because they don’t want to marry these women?”
“What would happen if we had even more people in such a cramped country, with no natural resources?”
“Love Plus is reality.”
“But real women won’t marry you if your income is less than $100,000 a year?”
“Manga and games are part of reality too.”
“Basically this is all the fault of men isn’t it?”
“This is just another trick by the ones who want to have eroge banned.”
“And for some reason being engrossed in films, novels and soap operas is OK?”
“Anime and manga can do this? We should export them to enemy countries…”
“This guy is just like the ones who think there are still samurai in Japan…”
“How can anyone in their thirties with an income of $35,000 ever get married?”
“They are desperate to ignore what is going on in the UK, so they fixate on other countries…”
“There is no way anime or games have anything to do with low birth rates.”
“After struggling with reality I gave in and got Love Plus.”
“What about all the single men who have no interest in anime?”
“The problem is onanism feels so good.”
“As expected of the world’s most declined developed country, Britain…”
“I wonder if blaming everything on Japanese men will really help solve the problem?”
“I don’t know about the UK, but in Japan the social and economic hurdles to getting married have increased enormously in the past 20 years.”
“There’s no way a guy spending $600 on the DVDs of a single anime series can afford marriage.”
“The charms of women are all but gone. You can do the laundry at the press of a button and get dinner 24/7 at a conbini. If the need for cleaning disappears there’ll be no need to nurture the world’s most haughty money grubbing parasite at all.”
“Probably the real reason is that a lot of guys now realise that once married your life is over.”
“There are only a few tens of thousands of otaku like this at worst. Just look at the sales figures for eroge or anime and you can tell in an instant.”
“The guy probably never even visited Japan, it looks like the kind of article a middle schooler could write using Wikipedia.”
“This is probably just due to low incomes, otaku are a tiny minority.”
“(Quoting a column in the Nikkei BP:)
Why can’t young men wed anymore? I think it is because men can no longer say to women, ‘I can always protect you,’ in this dog-eat-dog world of restructurings and layoffs – such words are now unreal.
Women as a result now target two groups of men: “ikemen” (handsome, cool men), and rich men, the so-called ‘Hills tribe’ (referring to the ultra-prestigious Roppongi Hills residential tower).
But most men have neither money nor good looks, and as a result women will no longer consider them. Surprisingly, I’ve heard of cases where a chosen man will end up dating dozens or hundreds of women.
Since the ikemen and the rich monopolise the women, all that remains is a sterile desert, where normal men can no longer find a partner, so they flee to Akihabara and find love in the arms of an anime character.”
Top 10 Most Followed Seiyuu
Wonder Festival 2012 Winter Wondrous As Ever
Ciel nosurge: “Your Date With Ion = $170″
Nisemonogatari – “Where Did All The Ero Go!?”
Police Hunt Ushijima for “Public Indecency”
Cops Bust Cop in Nude BDSM Club Raid
K-ON! “Causes Keionbu Girl Band Boom”
Vippers vs Vankers: 2ch Targets “Korean Propaganda”
Overflow Delays “Final” Game: “We Are Not Going Bankrupt!”
Ritsu Topless Manga Time – “She Has Boobs After All!”
Top 10 Most Boring Anime of Winter 2012
Behold: The ONACOUNTER
Future Diary Unveils Eye-Popping Scenes of Sex & Guro
K-ON! Pilgrims Invade London
Top 10 Essential Anime Elements
Lolicon Teacher Rapes Pupils 37 Times, Faces 30 Years
Strike Witches Movie Trailer Unveiled
China Menaced by Exploding Coins
TMA Makes “BL” Tiger & Bunny Cosplay AV
Hatsune Miku Takes Over New Chitose Airport
“Post The Highest Level Cosplay Ever!”
“Share The Cutest Cosplay Ever”
“Dolls vs Figures – Which is Best?”
“Why Do Girls Always Have Such Cute Rooms!?”
Ranka Lee Wedding Dress Cosplay by Tomia
Shoko-tan’s Madoka & Ika-chan Cosplay “Excessively Cute”
Guilty Crown Yuzuriha Inori Cosplay by Sasa
IdolMaster G4U: “Who Needs 3D Idols Now?”
Anegasaki Nene Cosplay by Rinami
“I Want To See What The Vipper Girls Wear To Bed!”
All over the world single income families are in decline. Jap women and men just don't want to deal with it. A portion of the female set wants to be the traditional housewife and are targeting those who can look after them. The independent women who want a career are too threatening to the ego of Jap men so they steer clear. I say strong women are the best, let the brave marry the strong and the next generation will be better than the last!
I call shenanigans!
I believe this is just nature's way of dealing with overpopulation.
The idea is ludicrous.
If first comes Anime, Manga, and Games are killing Japan then what's next? Movies, Books, and Education?
No one is killing Japan except for politicians, religion, and radical sexist and racist bigots.
is it bad that i read ikeman as "Eichmann?"
Real women wont marry you if your income is less than $100,000 a year? are you kidding me? try leaving in this fuk3d up country called Romania and you wont even raise that much in 10 years...
+1
17 years here.
If I was in a more senior position, maybe 10 years.
And that's 4 years worth of my current household income.. And we're already being considered mid-upper class...
Just as fuk3d up here... Maybe I should retreat to 2D love as well?
Real women won’t marry you if your income is less than $100,000 a year? are you kidding me? try leaving in this fuk3d up country called Romania and you wont even raise that much in 10 years...
To hell with women!
Unless they lower their standards a bit Japan is doomed! Otakus (that's us...) can be romantic, manly and sweet too... given we have jobs that is...
Did you ever see a japanese "real" otaku? The most ones don't care about how they look because 2D woman don't care about that. If they would do spent a little efford in their appearance the rest shouldn't be problem actually for woman.
Why being so picky, bitch? Like you were Angelina Jolie.
We need imagination goggles. That way, we can see the world how we want, and call it reality, then everyone will be satisfied. You want a loli wife? Just imagine it and that's what you'll see through your imagination goggles. Now you can have your cake and eat it too.
WHAT THE FUCK HAS HAPPENED TO THIS WORLD!!!!???
Once again, it seems that your avatar suggests that you're happy with the direction the world is currently heading to.
Lol shut up about it being the women's fault, sheesh. Seriously, we're talking about a nation that thrives on fantasy that includes alot of perfect women. But seriously, when you look at the perfect anime romance, do they ever go beyond youth? No, I seriously think that maybe many Japanese men just don't have the emotional maturity to understand reality and will therefore have to learn. But since its easier to retreat into anime, the cycle continues. Do women have high standards? Maybe, but I think the male population have responsibility. Why isn't it happening in every country then right?
Actually, it does happen in every developed country. We are now in the age where 1st world countries are facing an aging population. More and more people are getting older and the number of babies born is getting lesser and lesser. You will also notice that people are giving birth much later than before. Also, people who marry, well, those who marry, tend to do so in their late 20s or during the 30s, or maybe even later.
In my opinion, it is most probably because the population of the 1st world countries are becoming more and more materialistic, spending more time buying more things or advancing their career that they ended up neglecting things like family or having children. When the population starts having this mindset that 'money + merchandises = happiness', they end up chasing these ideals instead of settling down and try to raise a family.
it is just not as fast
Also notice that Japan has a salaryman culture which actually seems worse than the ordinary rat race in the west. That might explain why they are doing worse.
Not exactly. 35000 -tax -more tax -even more tax. Hello 2d relationship.
If anime/manga/game has such an awesome power, won't the over-'infestation' of Homo sapiens on Earth be easily solved?
Look at the frigging source . . . The BBC
Why am I not surprised by the reporting.
They will never blame Hollywood...^^U
Society already points finders on education, enviroment and kapitalism...We can't do anythng against mass stupidity...
Unfortunatly they can't ban the three above so they try somewhere else - for example by us...
We have to face the truth, our subculture is treated like trash by Western society...Only because we are brave enough to stand for our likings and hobbies...
We are lifeless sickos who can't care for a family 'cause we spend all of our money on loli figurines with removable panties...XD
I love anime but I don't buy the merchandise, I don't like it that much, but damn some of those figurines are quite well done. I just can't justify paying the prices they want for them in pretty much all cases.
There is only one solution.
Democratic Socialism!
What does democratic socialism mean and how is it different from democracy and socialism?
I think he means Social Democracy.
Kinda like in Switzerland where the people gather around to vote on certain issues?
Nah, that's democracy in it's purest form much like the Athenians had it.
There has never been a true Social Democracy to my knowledge. And to be honest, I don't really know what exactly it is other than that Socialism and later Communism spawned from it. My country had a Social Democrat rule for 7 years ending in 2005 (and had so several times post-WWII), but minor unimportant details in policy aside, they didn't really do anything that would set them apart from their liberal and conservative colleagues...
Theoretically (or so I think), it would be a Republic with a strongly regulated (but still free) economy plus lots and lots of government-funded social welfare, and is therefore supposed to be a bit of a more comfortable place to raise a family.
Where the heck was government and personal life even discussed here? It's a discussion about government forms!
LOL, neither am I in the U S of A, nor did I condone or condemn that specific political orientation... butthurt Amerifag.
The conclusion is; no matter what the goverment ideology it won't help you to solve ANY of your troubles, so Who cares?
Government-funded social welfare does kind of send a couple of shivers up my spine. Whenever we say 'government-funded', we usually mean that it's paid for by the taxpayers' money. And thus, if botched, it's going to end up putting the people in the pinch.
If you think goverment or politics of ANY kind will improve your personal life, I'm sorry to tell you, but you my friend are a RETARD.
There is no "right choise" in politics. We are all alone on our won and if you don't workfor yourself until you get so fucking tired that you wish you die, nobody, really NOBODY will help you.
Don't be another fucktard who thinks will get more pussy or a better life if a negr0e like obama becomes president.
it might be a prolem, but reality as sad as it is is that we need less people thanks to all the western fagggots who screwed up Earth.
by the gay how is the Uk to speak all i see of them is that they are pretty Gay! so unless they get men pregnant i see the same problem brooding over them.
Oh condescending ethnocentrism, how quaint.
i like the 11th comment from 2chan:
くやしかったら漫画やゲームよりも圧倒的におもしろい現実社会を作ってみろよｗｗｗ
"THEN MAKE SOCIETY MORE AWESOME THAN COMICS AND GAMES FAGS!!!"
lol best comment there.
thats what happens if dumb whores have too high standards. at least in japan men have many ways to just ignore them.
i wonder if equality now is also pulling the strings since they want to get rid of these parts of media where they think that they it shows women in bad light,but it actualy doesn't.
Guys this is coming from a BBC reporter...LOL.
LOL. Japan isn't the only contry whose population is reducing. In may contry also the population is rapidly reducing. And it is not becouse of anime, games or manga. The problem is that you get really low sallaries here and that the government is killing the people themselves. What's most desturbing is that it is an European contry and a part of EU. XDDD
Pretty much, as usual it's mostly about sensation.
People realize it's recipe for success to take serious issues about Japan and associate them with things like "JAPAN CRAZY HARAJUKU ANIME MANGA VIDEO GAME GOTHIC LOLITA HELLO KITTY SONY HONDA KARATE WACKY SUSHI", basically, all the things most familiar to non-Japanese.
It's not even relevant to talk about idoru for them because nobody hard cares about idol or knows what it is outside of Japan. But if it was, you know they would. Overreacting to idols having boyfriends would be all over odds and ends of American and British news sources.
Not that blaming otaku culture is something Japan doesn't already do a lot, though. So it's not something much to blame on Anglo-Celtic cultures for misunderstanding Japan.
LOL I forgot to log in before commenting. *Face Palm*
It's exactly like you say as anon there.
A 2D woman will never betray you.
Not really, just being the fapping material of hundreds of other otaku.
3D bitches can do that anyway... (be fapping material to a bunch of nerds).
Cept Amane from Dream Club..
You know what... Just Screw reality. The current system is boring dull and too predictable. Hypocrites can point fingers all they want but it won't change the fact that they have problems too but want the attention of the world diverted somewhere else... Face it... The world is screwed up everywhere with something and man tries to cover up that shame by showing other peoples situation/shame. Mudslinging has been around to protect your own image. The current system established on the world failed somewhere.
missing one comment where did it go?
All that words i wrote too much of a waste to lose.
AGAIN, blaming anime and games for everything.
Basically, the Men can no longer out do the pleasure the 6 1/2 in diameter battery operated device the women use regularly so its the end of the world.
>Women as a result now target two groups of men: “ikemen” (handsome, cool men), and rich men, the so-called ‘Hills tribe’ (referring to the ultra-prestigious Roppongi Hills residential tower).
That happens in all civilized countries, and our countries don't have a shrinking population.
However, it seems to be that in japan women are majoritarily gold-diggers, which in that case the next paragraph would be the truth behind the whole problem:
>But most men have neither money nor good looks, and as a result women will no longer consider them. Surprisingly, I’ve heard of cases where a chosen man will end up dating dozens or hundreds of women.>
And of course they're not as retarded like to have kids with all of them.
But what i find most ironic, is the fact that most japanese women are fucking ugly and plain. Which is most likely a turnoff, so its no wonder there is a considerable amount of the population of young men, who prefers to fap to drawings of -idealized- women, instead of having to climb MOUNTAINS OF BULLSHIT to have the CHANCE of getting in a relationship with an ugly generic golddigger japanese lady.
If half of otakus had a brain, they would try to marry superior gaijin women. But they're too nationalists to try.
"I doubt an industry such as the anime industry would really be behind this." Is what Id say and what pretty much anybody else would figure out with simple logic.
It probably has to do more with other instances, like I dunno... maybe the general attitude women have?.
But with these problems Japan (and others) faces now, it would take a great level of ingenuity to stay as the world power it currently is in the years to come.
Epic fail see
World Population Prospects: The 2008 Revision
Japan
Median age (years)
Medium variant
1990-2015
Year Median age
1990 37.4
1995 39.6
2000 41.4
2005 43.1
2010 44.7
2015 46.6
Japan
Population growth rate (%)
Medium variant
1990-2015
Period Population growth rate
1990-1995 0.36
1995-2000 0.20
2000-2005 0.12
2005-2010 -0.07
2010-2015 -0.19
Japan
Crude birth rate (births per 1,000 population)
Medium variant
1990-2015
Period Crude birth rate
1990-1995 9.9
1995-2000 9.4
2000-2005 8.9
2005-2010 8.2
2010-2015 7.5
Japan
Crude death rate (deaths per 1,000 population)
Medium variant
1990-2015
Period Crude death rate
1990-1995 7.0
1995-2000 7.5
2000-2005 7.9
2005-2010 9.1
2010-2015 9.8
alll asians look like his
>>alll asians look like his
>>alll asians
>>alll
ROFL, so it's safe for me to say that all westerners are blonde and have long noses?
And blue eyed with huge boobs.
Hey maybe I can sneak into japan and no one would notice, by George I'm genius
the problem is a Japanese heavily shinto in history nation has been obsessing over Christian fundamentals. end marriage under "god" already you faggots.
“How can anyone in their thirties with an income of $35,000 ever get married?”
Wait! $35000 is a good income. That's $2900 a month. Even in Japan life expences can't be THAT high.
Bear in mind the woman will want to stop working, and any children will impose massive maintenance costs on top of that. Maybe divide it by three or four?
It doesn't help that they make it extremely difficult for a person to come from another country and integrate into Japanese society and become a citizen.
The 2 girls in the first pic are totally Korean...
Not know if they're korean, japanese or chinese, but they are REALLY ugly... Ugly fujoushi cows, perhaps?
T_T 35000~ i wish i would get that much ;G also... i have dated many japanese women and everything gone well until i told them i earn only like 2000~ month ;D seems like its not enuf. 35000~ year would be nice. then id prolly get japanese women easier. easy to get european women tho even with my moneys. 8D european women have lower standards than japanese women... just face it.
3d pig is demanding too much!
Let the poor bitches complain about being lonely now, they are useless thanks to manga and videogames.
We need more LOVE that's all
All you need is love....and good income....and good looks....and status...
on the other hand ...well, really, the other hand is all you need
What is love?
Baby don't hurt me.
Why did I know this would come...
Sorry love died when man gave birth to money
somehow i think all people that don't get any partners are missing a nice or big smile on their faces to attract them like that.
The power of a smile is tremendous.
At this point, the reason "why" is irrelevant. The demographic problem exists and needs a solution. Japan needs to get fucking and squeeze out some newborns.
Perhaps a government issued "arranged marriage" system is in order?
demographic death spiral ??
Summon King Kittan !!!
.
fucking stupid japs.
Can't they admit they take that shit too seriously.
Godamned women !!!
All they care about is money ?
Where is all the sweetness, the romance and the love ?
Dump on the trash.
Heck .
Sweetness and romance were all a lie from the start, not sure about love yet but I have my doubts.
lol women having high standards.
theyre all the same. say you love me! /nod
omgomgomg me2 lol
nope, nope
1)women are just to picky, they consider almost all men below them, and those they do marry soon realise that they prefered life single when his wife wasn't blowing his cash on curtians and the likes
2)there are such thing a Otaku couples...rare but they do exist
3)As already said, men who say im going to protect you are called rapists or stalkers AND LOCKED UP!!!
"3)As already said, men who say im going to protect you are called rapists or stalkers AND LOCKED UP!!!"
LOL you sound creepy
I think it is unfair to blame anime and manga for these problems. They are more a symptom of the underlying issues plaguing Japanese society.
The ironic part of this article is that the 2ch responses simply prove the article's point. They are the symptoms of a dangerous cocktail including a generation of women who have embraced woman's lib. This is not a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination but when combined with a generation of men who stubbornly refuse to accept the new reality and cling on to dangerously outmoded models of womanhood and a society founded on absolute conformity that breeds social isolation, you get a really nasty combination.
That being said, I weep for what Japanese social problems are doing to the anime industry. I grew up in the early 90's, when anime was about cyborgs with mohawks ripping each others faces off and it was awesome. Now it is all about creating idealized sex objects who conform to a standard of womanhood that no longer exists.
As for the response article's assertion that we can no longer say "I will always protect you" in a "dog eat dog world of restructuring and layoffs." I want you to stop and consider the inherent fallacy of that statement. The world today is significantly less "dog eat dog." I mean, imagine saying that to your wife knowing full well that tomorrow the local Daimyo might send his Samurai to burn down your village and rape your wife because he wasn't satisfied with the taxes you sent.
Stop romanticizing peasant life. It was dirty, nasty, ugly and short. We should not miss it.
I don't want Japan to die, but there do seem to be a bunch of factors pushing for it.
“Anime and manga can do this? We should export them to enemy countries…” ROFL Best comment EEVVAAARRR!!!!
i dont see alot of you mentioning the peer pressure element.
alot of women would prefer to bitch with their friends like sheep about all the good men being taken or gay. thats more acceptable to them than taking a mediocre guy that would love her but getting judged by her friends.
and dont forget the mothers brainwashing the girls with fairytale crap like "white knights and white weddings"
ive been around alot of women, and when i listen to some of the crap they talk about it makes me wanna slink away to the edges of my society like a level 3 otaku. im lucky to have had the privilege to know what im missing.
Then you don't know anything about women. Women are just like men: WE all have ideals of our partner. Guys have ideals of what a perfect woman is as women have of their man. But in the end, it is about compromising: it is finding somebody that you can get along with. A girl is willing to compromise as long as she enjoys talking to you.
If you're not charismatic enough (not a good talker), then of course the girls will not bat an eye on you. Keep blaming your incompetence on their end because it COMPLETELY justifies your end. At least the girls are getting shagged while you're shagging your hand.
Well you're straw hatting so your claim of being a woman must be genuine.
LOL this topic is restarted.
shiet pickle
IT'S THE WOMEN'S FAULT BECAUSE THEY WANT TO BE PICKY AND CHOOSE A NICE LOOKING/PERFECT GUY WHICH IS RARE.
they are probably chinese not japanese. they dont look like they are japanese
Wow that BBC guy is such a retard. Every Summer I've been to Japan, some morons are seriously getting the wrong idea about it being a "dying nation," in my opinion it's way more lively than California, at least.
“Manga and games are part of reality too.” made me lol.
manga and games are the result of someone's need to remove themself from society, not the cause. If there were no manga and games, people would find something else to retreat to.
There are a number of factors that -could- be attributed to the decline, but the particulars of males and females have very little to do with it. Every comment listed here referring to the supposed 'high standards' of women could effectively be replaced by 'the costs of raising a family' and it would actually be more to the point. Considering the high cost of property in Japan, even being able to afford a living space to accommodate two parents and one child is well out of the reach of a large sector of the populace and increasing life expectancy isn't clearing up much more space any time soon. General cost of living also leans on the high side while income rates about average compared to other nations, all a result of years of recession handled with no consumer level support. You also have those famous 100 hour workdays that can cut into time and energy that could be spent on fucking. When you look at the economics, it's surprising anyone is having children, but women or geek stuff just make an easier target than taking a good hard look at business and money in the country.
I love woman, I really do.
But the problem is that they constantly, 24/7, getting in-between myself and my computer.
They are like tamagochi's, constantly demanding attention. The worst part is, there is no OFF button.
Normally it ends with them getting hands on your wallet, then they become no longer interested in you.
There's a good reason for a woman to get in between you and your computer, and it's quite obvious if you realize they see reality based on how it effects them.
In their mind, when you're on your computer you are probably
A) Fapping - A woman's biggest crux that they use to manipulate their mate is sex. Using your computer to fulfill your sexual needs on your own is seen as a huge threat. Quick tip, if you realize your girlfriend is using sex as a weapon / reward system GET OUT OF THAT RELATIONSHIP IMMEDIATELY! Seriously, it can't end well.
B) Talking to women online - Silly right? No girls on the internet. But when you're online she'll equate it to you being at the bar without her, socially speaking. Another threat.
C) Not paying attention to her - This is probably the most pervasive reason. If you're on your computer, you're generally focusing all your attention on it. The one thing I think applies to all women, good and bad, is that they love attention. However, if you can't spend more then 20 minutes on it without her interrupting in some way, the she's probably high maintenance.
My fucking God Chris, in the C option you had just described my wife. What I'm supposed to do? Kill myself, divorce, dissapear? She has her own work, so I can do some stuff while she works, but indeed she is jellous of my computer and friends. and I just fucking hate that...
Have you ever actually been with a woman? Because most of them are nothing like that. If you actually took the time to get to know her, like one of your guy friends, before you decided to live with her you would find out that she probably isn't anything like that at all.
Besides, she doesn't need you're money, she can go out there and earn it her damn self. As a woman, I think that any girl that relies on her partner rather than herself doesn't deserve to get married, because she's still just a little girl who want you to spoil the shit out of her.