| I personally didn't become an anime fan until I was 16... Before that, whenever someone mentioned the nation of Japan, I thought about Playstation, Toyotas, Sushi, and Ninjas. If you asked me....can you name a famous Japanese person??? I would probably respond Ichiro....(Famous MLB superstar). Back then I had no idea what anime, manga, doujins, Otaku, NEET, or any of these things were. Truth be told, I probably thought a little bit more highly of Japan compared to today... Now I know that Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, they have a serious problem with their population decreasing, and they have problems with shut-ins (NEETs). Don't get me wrong, I love Japan's ancient culture, the enjoyment I get from anime and manga, and their technology is still one of the world's greatest.... However, maybe I learned too much about this country.....unfortunately every country has it's dark sides. |
| This is probably going to end up as a disguised "Stereotype the Japanese" thread. Anyways, I used to think it was the best place to live for children. I mean Anime parents always let their underage children go out whenever they want. |
| Even when I was in crowd, I was always alone |
| Before: Typical country. After: Cicadas and cherry blossom trees everywhere! |
Mr. Wonsworth, you may NOT eat my scones! |
| I was late 1980s or early 1990s and I'm about 4-5 years old when I got expose to Japanese animations, that time I have no idea what's the meaning of the signs and symbols that usually appears in the OP and ED themes of the animation that I watch which are very different from the English alphabet I'm so familiar with. Someone might have told me it is Japanese, but I have no idea what it is, but every time I saw that symbol in the OP themes I know I will be watching something cool :p |
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| Toshito Mifune and Sho Kosugi were great actors. The japanese history were awesome to the end of 2nd World War. Yes and of course I knew about their cars from the beginning of the80's as the trash they were back then. Nintendo's first console were something new and amazing. Better than the Atari and other of the time. Anyone remembering Kid Icarus? Nowadays it's just so sterile, non-personal and spiritually dead in Japan. |
| Aisha reported that God's Apostle married her when she was seven years old, and she was taken to his house AS A BRIDE WHEN SHE WAS NINE, AND HER DOLLS WERE WITH HER, and when he(the Holy Prophet) died she was eighteen years old. Sahih Muslim, Book 008. Number 331D |
| I was very young when I became an anime fan so before that, I'm not entirely sure I even knew Japan existed. I mean yes, I knew there was some Asian country over yonder where people did funny things and spoke in a funny language but beyond that I lived in a world with invisible elephants and unicorns. Childhood was great. After I grew to admire their culture while simultaneously being a bit disgusted by the dark bits (high suicide rates, etc). This is only important to mention because I did go through a phase where I thought Japan was heaven where only the good otakus went. But really every country has something about them that's not pleasant, so you may as well focus on the good whenever you can. |
| "I don't find China that interesting." |
| I thought it was somewhere in China. Bare in mind I became a fan of anime when I was about 5 and I lived in a place with a lot of Chinese people so I knew nothing else of East Asia. |
| I thought Japan was a country with the sole purpose of manufacturing toys and appliances. :D |
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| Before I knew about anime I probably thought about ninjas since I was like 6. After anime (my brother showed me dragonball), I thought it was all anime and daytime tv was only for adults (for some weird reason). Now, I know a bit more. |
| An Asian country. |
| Back then, I didn't know anything much about Japan at all so I didn't really have an impression. |
harmann said: I thought they made the most durable stuff. "Made in Japan" was like a bragging right for anything. Machines, cars and motorcycles that still ran after 30 years. And people said "Honda" instead of "motorcycle", regardless of brand. Same with USSR/Russia stuff. |
| LUL |
| thought they were all pedos and perverts. now my belief is even more enforced |
| didn't differ Japan, China and Korea. but now, know that they hate each other. |
| Pretty much the same before I liked anime. I already knew Japan as a generally xenophobic, highly 'ordered' country and technologically advanced country. I guess being asian helps to know other asian countries... I guess Germans would know the French more than US people know the french. |
 「みんながいるからだ。」 － 棗鈴 |
| Not much just that it was just another country with beautiful scenery. Now it has me interested and I want to go there one day especially to Mt. Fuji and to see Shinsengumi related stuffs in person. |
"What has two arms, two legs, and is alive? Not your favorite character lol! xD" |
| i never knew japan was so interesting before i started watching anime, actually anime influenced my views on japan so much that i've decided to visit japan next may! i really want to see the sakuras blooming and stuff like that, but i'm not sure if i will be able to go at the right time :( but regardless, i can't wait to experience japan |
| I don't think my impression was all that different from what it is now. Though I didn't really start watching anime actively until about 5 or 6 years ago (I have watched anime to some degree my entire life though, but as a child it was more just stuff like DBZ, Pokemon, Digimon, Rurouni Kenshin, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Miyazaki movies), I've always been interested in Japan and was a huge fan of Godzilla movies as a kid, and my dad a big fan of Akira Kurosawa along with some Japanese jazz fusion musicians, so I've always had some exposure to Japan. I think what has changed the most as I've gotten older and started watching more anime, listening to more Japanese music, etc. is that I am much more interested in Japan and such and am even doing a minor in Japanese and will be going to study abroad there next summer. Had it not been for my increased interest in anime and the like, chances are I wouldn't be doing that. |
| 私のホバークラフトは鰻でいっぱいです |
Zmffkskem said: Pretty much the same before I liked anime. I already knew Japan as a generally xenophobic, highly 'ordered' country and technologically advanced country. I guess being asian helps to know other asian countries... I guess Germans would know the French more than US people know the french. what. am. i. reading. |
| I was interested in Japanese history prior to really getting into anime (I had watched anime when it was still on Toonami, but I was too young to really care about its country of origin), so my view of Japan was actually pretty accurate. History led to me developing an interest in the country's culture, past and present, and that was actually what led me to anime. I feel that this sounds very pretentious, but nothing in my image of Japan really changed after discovering anime. |
Al_Gore said: Zmffkskem said: Pretty much the same before I liked anime. I already knew Japan as a generally xenophobic, highly 'ordered' country and technologically advanced country. I guess being asian helps to know other asian countries... I guess Germans would know the French more than US people know the french. what. am. i. reading. Are you referring to the redundancy of the word 'country' or are you that surprised that a person actually has a certain level of knowledge of people that live in the same continent he does? |
「みんながいるからだ。」 － 棗鈴 |
| I never gave it much thought, other than knowing it was where my grandpa was stationed after WWII. |
 |
| No different really. Anime changed nothing because i have no illusions that anime is the big contriputor on making Japan different. I find the Op's claim that suddenly Japan is different because he learned about otakus and NEEDS and staff ridiculous. First NEEDS, higigomuri and staff aren't directly related to anime/manga etc as foreighn anime fans think so, second the anime culture is just some under-culture about a sertain activity and not a world turn around. Why to foreign anime fans think that the life of the Japanese is influenced by anime so much? It's just a country like other countries with it's good points and bad points. The fact that they can make some awesome animated works and drawing stories can't really be a minus. It's just one more nice thing they can make. Seeing any further than that and trying to find some evilness in the fact that they can also make sexualized works like that or that a few love them like crazy or that many internet post say stupid things about anime is nothing but over-reaching. Anime is great and awesome but is just a pleasant activity for our free time not the embodiment of a country. If anything TV, sports and other activities are a lot more influential on a country and Hollywood in the US has influenced citizens and country a lot more than anime changed anything in Japan. Maybe my view didn't change because i knew enough about the country before anime. Anime didn't make me learn staff about Japan. Actually i got into anime by searching and learning about Japan. |
MonadJul 12, 2011 9:12 AM
| Before: Oh, China. After: Oh japan lol |
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| Well I loved it since I first heard about it ... I already thought of it as an awesome country when I was 7. ... to the Suicide Rate : The Rate in Japan is higher because the also count in possible suicides , which also could be an accident and they publish every case - in western countries you will not find any of this two things ... only clear suicides are taken in the lists ... and many of them don´t even get published , so the rates here are much lower |
| I didn't know where Japan was, and I didn't know it existed. Of course this is entirely justified because I was an anime fan when I was still very little, I just didn't know it. |
| A far far country that is in the other side of Pacific Ocean (I live in Mexico). It has a strange language and writting. |
| Before: "Oh, there's China with their squinty eyes and their brains of a genius. let's make fun of them with their weird language. 'Chao Yao Ming Thai Yon!'" (note: Back then, Every Asian country was China to me. :x) After: "Help me! ;u; I don't know that this kanji says! You were in Japanese 4, amirate?" "Of course Nara has alot of deer! :D Cause of Fruits Basket, but I'm still jealous that you went there. ;u;" "Dude! Akihabara and Shinjuku are the places I wanna visit if I ever go to Japan." "I feel bad for sensei's family since the whole Touhoku disaster. I mean, her family in Fukushima are having the whole nuclear plant problems thingy. :c" "I WENT TO CHICHIBU PARK. :DD (Though I told my brother about Antioch Park in Chichibu, Kanto, Japan)." "すみません、今何ですか。" "I wish I can go to nihonmachi and get the new Hetalia volume, since it came out in Japan on June 30th. ;-;" I'd prolly would have more, but let's just stop there, since now I get angry at family members when they say "mira a ese chino. Jajaja. Chao Yao Ming." dude, this Vietnamese guy in my class say it offensive when hispanics call all Asians "chinos", so why do they keep using it. =.= At least now I can tell what country is what, especially since their native language is also kinda different as well as their culture. |
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Monad said: WRONG, WRONG, INCREDIBLY WRONG!!!I find the Op's claim that suddenly Japan is different because he learned about otakus and NEEDS and staff ridiculous. First NEEDS, higigomuri and staff aren't directly related to anime/manga etc as foreighn anime fans think so, Never did I say Otakus are to blame for anything, I said I had a better impression before I learned about the HIGH suicide rate, the DECREASING population, and NEETS. Last time I checked, NEETS are not Otaku.....they are shut-ins who have decided not to contribute anything to society or for that matter their own lives.....by no means did I ever make a correlation between NEETS and anime or otakus. YOU are the one that made that connection simply because NEETS have been mentioned in anime....I never made any such connection. |
| Before liking anime? I had NO impression of Japan... and this brings me back to 1993. |
| Click on this. I dare you. | MAL Fantasy Football League | Currently Watching List RWBY Club. RWBY is anime. Deal with it. |
| I thought they made robots all day. And most of the people were ninjas. So I guess I expected to see a bunch of robot ninjas running around in the future. |
| I did not know such a country existed. Yet again I was 10 lol |
| Before (when I was a kid): Damn those Japanese people screwing us over in WWII. After (has nothing to do with anime though, but influenced me somewhat.): -Their porn industry is huge (pun?). One could say every country got a porn industry, but damn. There's a lot of AV models. -Their technology is very advanced. Damn it, where's my uber toilet? Automatic toilets are so bloody rare in Canada. |
Tachii said: Before (when I was a kid): Damn those Japanese people screwing us over in WWII. Um....Can I ask a question....aren't you Canadian (from the info in your profile)??? Japan screwed over Pearl Harbor (U.S) and for awhile the Japanese were very much HATED in the U.S.....even AFTER WWII. I have to admit as a child when I learned about Pearl Harbor......I thought it was horrible what Japan did to our country....then I learned about Nagasaki and Hiroshima.....and I said "OH....SHIT!!!" Anyways, forgive me if I missed something from the History of Canada.....I honestly don't know that much WWII history from our neighbors from the North. |
| They probably have the playstation 4 out by now |
alexcampos said: I live in Toronto, but I was born in China.Tachii said: Before (when I was a kid): Damn those Japanese people screwing us over in WWII. Um....Can I ask a question....aren't you Canadian (from the info in your profile)??? Japan screwed over Pearl Harbor (U.S) and for awhile the Japanese were very much HATED in the U.S.....even AFTER WWII. I have to admit as a child when I learned about Pearl Harbor......I thought it was horrible what Japan did to our country....then I learned about Nagasaki and Hiroshima.....and I said "OH....SHIT!!!" Anyways, forgive me if I missed something from the History of Canada.....I honestly don't know that much WWII history from our neighbors from the North. |
Tachii said: I live in Toronto, but I was born in China. OH....WOW.....I'm glad you don't hate Japan the way a lot of Chinese citizens hate them. Although, after NANKING, I can kinda understand why China hates Japan. |
| Before: I don't remember After: They're awesomely creative! No wonder there's so like more than a hundred anime out each year! |
| Hard to clarify. As anime & game have invaded the early childhood. Many ideas actually came from them even though I was not an anime fan. TV was another source: those WWII solders, short & mustache over the upper lip, Kimono, Onsen, Ninja, Tatami, Sakura & the Song Could not differentiate onigiri from sushi - grouped together as Japanese food Many of the old stuff shared similarity in Chinese traditional but a bit exotic to me. |
| Before: meh After: meh |
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