Difference between japan and foreign country

I would like to teach about the difference in the feature of a Japanese hero and an overseas hero this time. It is mainly made the hero of an American comic.

Recently, Spider-Man, a badman, etc... became a movie. They are popular in every country in the world. What is their charm? Of course, it was shown even in Japan. I also liked the American hero and went to the movie theater. A Japanese hero is wonderful. However, the American hero has the strong point different from a Japanese hero. It was very interesting for me to have compared a Japanese hero with an American hero.

First, I will compare from appearance.

An American hero has muscles and his body is large.

Like this picture, they are brawny. Speaking of an American hero, they are tall and have an image called a strong man. Because there is surely an image that it is strong if there are muscles in the United States. Probably the strength of appearance is important in the United States. The hero who does not look strong will not get used to a popular person.

On the other hand, the strength of a hero's appearance is not related to original strength in Japan. A hero strong against looking weakly rather is popular.

Furthermore, the American hero is disguising himself in many cases.

Although introduced also last time, a Japanese hero transform and an American hero disguises himself. An American hero changes into the clothes which he made, and fights. And when covered with a mask, there are many heroes by whom the jaw is not hidden. The jaw of the badman is not wrapped in a mask, either. There is a deep reason in this.

Where do you think the place in which feeling appears most in a face is?

Probably Japanese people will answer it as eyes.

However, Americans are different. They think that feeling appears in a mouth. It is just going to differ from Japanese people greatly. This difference appears also in the face mark of both countries. A face mark is "emoticon." For example, when expressing, Japanese people express "I am glad" “(^_^)" American is ":-)".

Japanese people express "I an sad" “(>_<)”American ":-("

The face mark of Japan changed the form of eyes, and the U.S. face mark has changed the form of the mouth.

Americans think that man's feature appears in a mouth. Therefore, only the jaw of the hero's mask may be visible.

Next, how depending on which a Japanese hero and an American hero fight is different.

A Japanese hero says the name of work, when attacking. For example, Kamen Rider calls it "a rider kick !!", when kicking to an enemy. And it attacks as a partner. For people who have not seen a Japanese hero, it may be somewhat humorous. However it is an everyday occurrence in Japan.

I have noticed that there is an interesting difference, when the hero of two countries is compared. When it was investigated, the difference in the thought of a country came out.

The difference in culture appears also in a hero.

Not transform

You may regard all heroes as they being what transform itself. However, the hero who does not transform himself is also in Japan. While the monster boom and the transformation boom were in fashion, there were also many heroes who do not transform themselves. The hero who does not transform himself is introduced this time. Only on the conditions of "not transform", there are too many heroes. I will assort heroes some groups. It will be divided into three, a robot, a sportsman, and a non-human.Although it is somewhat humorous, it will become them if the classification division of the Japanese hero is carried out.

Robot

There is a tale in which a hero is not a human being but a robot. Tetsuwan atomu which I introduced before is also a robot. The hero program with which a robot fights with the villain came to be made after it. I will introduce three typical heroes.

This is “Tetsujin 28”.

Tetsujin who fights with an enemy does not fight of his will. It moves by command of the boy who is in characters. If the remote control which the boy has is operated, Tetsujin will also begin to move. The children who watched this program thought that they would like to operate a robot rather than to become a robot.

This is “giant robot”.

There is a point that it differs from Tetsujin 28. A remote control does not need it when a boy orders. A giant robot moves according to the command which the boy said.

This is “magma ambassador”.

A magma ambassador hears the sound of the whistle which a boy sounds, and begins to move. Although it was a remote control for Tetsujin 28, in the case of a magma ambassador, it becomes instead of a whistle being a remote control. Moreover, Osamu Tezuka makes this program. He is the author of Tetsuwan atomu.

The feature is among the programs which a robot fights with an enemy.

It means that a hero's robot does not fight it of his will, but it moves by a boy's command. "Operating" a huge robot gave children the dream.

Sportsman

Do you remember “tiger mask” which I introduced at the 1st week? He is a hero though it is a sportsman. He has contributed for the children of an orphanage the prize gained in the convention of wrestling. Moreover, he fights on the enemies which are aiming at his lifei n the mat . He is a hero for the children of an orphanage. Even if it does not fight with a monster, the hero who is fighting with various enemies is in Japan.

Not human

A Japanese hero has a hero who is not man, either a robot. Here, ”supernatural creature human being Bem” is introduced. 

They are supernatural creatures. They are not men and woman. However, they are wishing he would like to become man. People look at and fear their figure.

However, they do not necessarily do mischief and protect people from wrong.

They are sometimes persecuted by man and friendship is sometimes built with man. 

Transform

This report plans to explain heroes' transformation.Many of Japanese heroes transform themselves.American heroes (a superman, a badman, etc.) have disguised themselveses, too.The common men can transform himself in the program of japanese heroes. it will give children a dream.

When I telling about "transformation", there is an important thing.

If it says strictly, American heroes do not have transform themselves. They have disguised themselves. However, the Japanese hero has transform himself. Although an American hero changes into clothes, a Japanese hero changes a dress according to a supernatural phenomenon. It is not what can prove by science, but therefore, a dream will be given to children. Although it came out the in last report, "Transformation boom" is indispensable when I talking about a hero's transformation. The originator of that is Kamen Rider. First of all, why can he transform himself? The hero of Kamen Rider is Takeshi Hongoh. He was get away by the group "Shocker" which plans an earth uniform. He is made to undergo the operation what becomes a superman on the base of Shocker. He must have become a friend of "Shocker". However, he escaped from the base and did not become a bad man. An American hero (for example, Spider-Man and a bad-man) makes clothes himself. They change into it, when fighting.

However, many of Japanese heroes transform themselves and its body is changing unawares.

A transformation hero has some features. It is a trademark pause and a shout. The cause of this pattern is also Kamen Rider. When a hero transforms himself as "Masked Rider", a shout is applied as "transformation", the arranged both hands are raised high greatly. It is his pose. Since a "transformation pause" tended to have imitated children, it became an explosive boom among them. A "transformation pause" and "transformation" became a social phenomenon. Children all took in this "transformation pause" to play. This transformation pause changed the way of a child's play. Moreover, there was also a programs which changed the hero's transformation method. The complicated transformation method is difficult for children. Therefore, there was also some program changed into the transformation method which children tend to imitate.

A "transformation belt" is indispensable to Kamen Rider. They have always attached the transformation belt (common name is rider belt). They transform themselves by the power which it emits. Thanks to such a setup, children wanted the rider belt. Then, the rider belt was sold as a children-oriented toy. It became a hot product immediately. All the children attach a rider belt and came to play. The concept of the "transformation" of a hero became new business.

A girl-oriented hero are also in Japan. They are the heroine rather than a hero. Different from an overseas hero, a girl also can become a hero. It gave girls the dream in which a girl also got used to the ally of justice. For example,"Akko chan of secret" is a tale which that Akko chan transform herself as the figure which she wants to become, and carries out a kind deed. She uses a compact mirror, when transform herself. Girls wanted the toy. In fact, I also got parents to buy it.

Booms

Some booms happened in the hero program of Japan. I will introduce them this time.

The first Kaiju boom

Kaiju means a monster. In Japan, a monster is called Kaiju.

Once a monster boom is settled, it came into fashion again. Therefore, there are two kinds of monster booms. The broadcast of the "Ultraman" series of a monster boom is a cause. I think that you also know because Ultraman was introduced last week. In fact, before Ultraman was broadcast, the tale of the monster "Godzilla" was showed. But it was a movie. Since not all people can go to see a movie, it not very be in fashion.People were able to see the monster only in the movie theater. However, since the Ultraman series was telecast, everyone was able to see it. And some children could see the monster now on television every week.Children become absorbed in a monster and came to do Kaiju Gokko. “Gokko” means “making-believe play”. Before, although children had been doing ninja Gokko, they changed to monster Gokko.

However, the program in which a monster appears costs a lot of money. It became severe that a work company continues making programs. Then, the work company devised so that making programs cost a lot of money. For example, Ultraman made a setup that he could be in the earth only for 3 minutes. They are setting up the time limit and tried to reduce the battle scene what requires money as much as possible. The setup is still succeeded. The newest Ultraman is not to be able to be in the earth only for 3 minutes, too. It has been Ultraman's absolute conditions.

The second monster boom

Even after the first monster boom went away, the program in which a monster appears was broadcast. After, the doll of the monster came to be sold.

This became a cause of the second monster boom. When children got the doll of a monster and came to have played, instantly, the program in which a monster appears became popularity. And Ultraman what broadcast had stopped was newly broadcast. The title is "Ultraman who came back." The doll came to be sold whenever a new monster appeared. Although the making cost of the program became insufficient before, the sales of the doll came to be used as a making cost. The work company could make a program now more comfortably.

Transformation boom

"Kamen Rider" came to be broadcast at the same period as "Ultraman who came back." By broadcast of Kamen Rider, children came to imitate the transformation of it. This is a "transformation boom." Children yearn after Kamen Rider and came to do imitation of the transformation pause of it, a punch, or a kick. When a transformation belt (it used when Kamen Rider transform) came to be sold as a toy, the transformation boom was in fashion more. The child absorbed in imitating Kamen Rider involved in the fatal accident.

Even now, Ultraman and Kamen Rider are popular. We can buy the doll of a monster, and a transformation belt in a toyshop.

Media

We divide a Japanese hero program into two media. They are an animation and Tokusatsu.

Will you remember the hero whom I introduced last report?

Kamen rider black is Tokusatsu, and a tiger mask is Anime.

The hero of Tokusatsu and the hero of Anime appeared at the same time.

Do you know “Anime”?

It means the animation.

But “the animation” is called “Anime” for short in Japan.

The hero of the first Japanese Anime is "Tetsuwan Atomu".

Tetsuwan Atomu is called "Astro Boy" in a U.S. and is famous abroad.

The original was comics of Osamu Tezuka, and it became the Anime.

The current Anime are colorful, but the Anime was monochrome then.

This is a state of then "Tetsuwan Atomu".

It was very popular in those days, and the program audience ratings might exceed 40%.

Tetsuwan Atomu is popular now, and is broadcasted again and is remade many times.

I have watched rebroadcast at the age of an elementary school, too. About 40 years passed since Tetsuwan Atomu was broadcasted first, it seen by many children.

Do you know Tokusatsu? Because it is difficult, some explanation of Tokusatsu quote from Wikipedia.

Tokusatsu is a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects (tokusatsu literally translates as "special filming" in Japanese).

（Extract from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokusatsu）

In Japan, the hero program of live filming is said to be Tokusatsu.

"Live filming = Tokusatsu"

For example, “Star Wars” is considered to be Tokusatsu in Japan.

Because it uses the latest computer graphic, and a picture is very real. However, the Japanese hero is an undeveloped technique, and there are many programs what made with few budgets. Therefore we look slightly cheap. However, I think that the looking cheap may have nostalgia.

The hero program of the first Tokusatsu of Japan is "Gekko Kamen".

“Gekko” means “moonlight”. “Kamen” means “mask”.

It was a monochrome picture like Tetsuwan Atomu, too.It was very popularity for children, and the mean audience rating was 40%. Moreover, the most high television ratings recorded 68%. Because I was too popular, the figure of the child disappeared from the public bath in a broadcast time at that time.

After Gekko Kamen was broadcasted, various Tokusatsu hero programs were broadcasted.

Of all others, “Ultra Man” and “Kamen Rider” and “Squadron Hero” are especially popular and they were serialized and still were broadcasts.

These series were changed every year. A hero of each age has personality and is popular with children every year.There were 14 kinds of series of Ultra Man, and there were 23 kinds of series of Kamen Rider. Surprisingly, the series of the Squadron Hero has 37 kinds, too.

Because there are many programs what were serialized, there are more heroes of Tokusatsu in modern Japan than the hero of Anime. Tetsuwan Atomu was animated at the first, too, but it was become a Tokusatsu program on a spot later.

I will introduce three series of hero program of Tokusatsu in detail on future article.