Foreign creators of Japanese freak culture

Tokyo Animation Exhibition It is the annual celebration of global pop culture, from comics to video games, movies, horror and more. The final section of the comprehensive Geek-Out (December 6-8, 2024) brings stars like Jason Momoa, Morena Baccarin, Jude Law, Benedict Cumberbatch and Mads Mikkelsen to Japan. But there aren’t people rarely mentioned in the promotional materials: fans.

Although TCC attracts people from all over the world, the natural audience is composed primarily of Japanese people who bring their own fanatical approach. Tokyo weekend Talk to many foreign creators of the fraudsters to find out what distinguishes Japanese geeks from their foreign counterparts. This is what we learned:

Stan Sakai

Hidden fire

If you list the quietest things ever, “Pop Culture Fanatic” will be at the bottom, between “Industrial Foghorns” and “Jacks Crossing with Megaphones.” However, not bad. “Fever” is just another way to say “passionate people”, and enthusiasm often expresses itself in large quantities. Usually, but not always.

“I went to Japan many times, but this is my first time attending a Japan Congress.” Stan Sakai,author Usagi Yojimbo, , , , , Popular comics about Rabbit Ronin and other anthropomorphic animals in Japanese feudalism. “The people here are so polite, they line up well, they wait for their turn. Great.” Jeff Keanecurrent author Family circus United Comics comics provide a parallel observation: “It’s calmer. It’s less crazy. Less jumping or trying to fight in the crowd. It’s more organized.”

Jeff Keane

This is by no means an indication that Japanese geeks are not excited about pop culture. They only need time to show you their fire. Edwin Knight klugA Kansai-based Lego fan group with a Kanto branch, he said that in terms of brick building in Japan, “the fanatics here are more online and more private. But once you take everyone to one place , it breaks all the barriers. ” You end up seeing people get fired.

The often repetitive emotions from exhibitors who behave in Japanese fans: they are very direct and know exactly what they want, and ironically, this extraordinary focus will stand out like cold. But artists see through this. Sakai expressed his hope to make many new friends among Japanese fans, and he shared: “I’ve been going [cons] For 45 years, you’ve seen the same person every year, like seeing an old friend again. ”

James Harris

Size is important

Japanese pop culture fanatics are huge, and a lot of big energy comes out below the ground. However, what it desires is very small. Comic artists and illustrators James Harris There is a saying: “Japanese fans like to use smaller hand-drawn sketches. That’s why I offer mini Shikishi size [~12 x 13.5 cm]. ”This is more influenced by pragmatism than anything else.

Japan-based Harris continued: “I think that because of the smaller housing here, people want to put something easy in their homes. It’s fun, I’ve met some western artists who have never met Shikishi before. Sketches Before, I thought, if you were to sell in Japan, you should do some work on this because they are really popular. ”

A similar trend was exhibited at Klug’s LEGO booth, where petite plastic brick works dominate. This is not to say that LEGO life in Japan is always small in size – Kruger’s Knight is no stranger to large projects and even assembled a 75cm tall Osaka Castle to raise funds for the 2014 orphanage.

The relatively small Lego model his group showed at TCC was pleasingly creative and talked to the reality of Japanese Lego architecture. As Knight explains: “The main difference between Japanese builders and international builders is that Europeans and Americans own large houses, so the model is larger. But in Japan, due to the expensive and space of Lego Limited so they have to use each part very carefully, so the model is smaller but very complex. “The exquisite LEGO helmet created by Japanese Klug members perfectly illustrates his point.

Bobby Breed

Standing at Manchester United

Western geeks often divide themselves Some Lines, especially in superheroes like Marvel vs. DC. Many exhibitors at the Tokyo Comic Fair said they didn’t see anything like that among Japanese fans. “They really appreciate the original art, and they’re very positive about it – the specific fanaticism doesn’t necessarily matter,” said the comic artist. Bobby Breed.

Based on the sketch committee he got, comic artist and illustrator Harris also noticed that Japanese geeks (with some exceptions) would not limit themselves to a comic company and their characters: “Every time it will change. Now , It’s Deadpool. Last year, it’s just a lot of Rockies. It really depends on what was popular at the time. “But, it’s an important consideration to remember: Not a Japanese fan just consumes anything, no Personal taste, but they look at American comic books, in a larger sense, American pop culture – that’s it. American.

When you are like a Japanese fan of Western culture, when you are outside, you tend to have a broader view of your obsession. Once you step back, some geek splits seem to be so…unnecessary, allowing you to enjoy what makes you happy without worrying about whether it fits your own personal geek brand. Perhaps that’s what makes Japanese geeks so calm and constitute the outside: the lack of this hangup inside.

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