text / Wang Zhanguan Junran
editor / Qi Fei
"The fantasy adventure journey of one person and one cat, with two-dimensional hand-painted back to nature, tells a beautiful and soothing national style story." Shibata, a 27-year-old Tokyo native, has said The Chinese animation film "Luo Xiaoheiji" has been unforgettable.
watched the film, dubbed by Japanese voice actors Kana Kasawa and Takahiro Sakurai, at a cinema in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, last January. The Chinese film was released in Japan for 86 days, with more than 360,000 viewers and a cumulative box office of 560 million yen, setting a record for the overseas release of Chinese animated films.
Four months later, the classic film "Love Letter" by well-known Japanese director Iwai Shunji was re-released in China. Iwai Shunji posted a handwritten message in Chinese: "How are you, please be sure to read the 'love letter' and tell me how you feel." The white snow, the library card that has been sealed for many years, and the plot of a half-life crush make " "Love Letter" earned more than 60 million yuan at the box office in China after a lapse of 26 years.
◆In May 2021, the classic film "Love Letter" by well-known Japanese director Shunji Iwai will be re-released in China.
Due to the new crown epidemic, non-governmental exchanges between China and Japan are facing an unprecedented test. It is a rare experience to be able to walk into the cinema and watch a movie from each other's countries. At a time when physical distance is blocked, non-governmental exchanges using new media as the carrier are accelerating. Among them, the exchanges between the younger generation have opened a new window for the non-governmental exchanges between the two countries.
◆From September 24th to 25th, in Beijing U-Tang Shopping Center, the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan was held. At the scene, there were not only photo sessions with Pokémon, but also tea ceremony performances, handmade DIY mask painting, and special events for Ultraman .
Whether it is Japan's "post-Heisei" (born after 1989) or China's "post-90s" (born after 1990), they have all been labeled as "self", "otaku" and "waste wood", and even have Called the "Beat Generation". However, in the game world of otaku, in the social circle of fans, and under the spit and imagination of waste wood, a space for Sino-Japanese communication that is different from the traditional has taken shape. Especially when the political relationship between the two countries encounters a bottleneck, this kind of exchange is even more valuable.
Japanese young people fell into the "pit" of Chinese mobile games
Since the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan, as the first Japanese movie " Chasing " released in China, not only has Japanese actor Takakura Ken become a household name in China, but also Open the door for Chinese people to understand Japan through film and television works. Since then, whether it is the smart and tenacious Junko in the Japanese TV drama " Volleyball Girl " in the late 1970s, or the popular female entrepreneur Ashin in the 1980s, the Japanese image of "hard work and hard work" is engraved in the generation. In the hearts of the Chinese people, it has become the "memory of the times" in the context of Sino-Japanese exchanges.
The 1980s and 1990s was a golden age for Japanese animation and games to go overseas. At the time of the reform and opening up, Chinese young people became an important group to accept Japanese culture. China's "post-80s" and "post-90s", wearing the armor of "Saint Seiya", pushed open any door of "Doraemon", from " Slam Dunk " Sakuragi Flower Road and Haruko set off at the intersection where they said hello and formed her own "impression of Japan".
◆In May 2015, the Japanese animation film "Doraemon: Come With Me" was released in China. Based on the original comic book, the movie tells the story of the encounter between Doraemon and Nobita .
Entering the 21st century, with the rapid growth of China's economy, Chinese popular culture has also begun to spread to Japan. The Japanese audience was amazed at the wonderful "showdown" of several leading actors in "Memoirs of a Geisha", and accepted the advertisement posters of Chinese stars in the subway car; The Hokkaido z14 that no one has ever been toz, to become a "pilgrimage place" for Chinese tourists to visit Japan.
From movies to animations to popular mobile games (hereinafter referred to as mobile games), the continuous upgrading of media technology has made the Sino-Japanese exchanges embedded in them with the stamp of the times. The two-dimensional (ACGN) culture represented by animation (Animation), comics (Comic), games (Game) and novels (Novel) has become the most common topic of communication between young people in China and Japan.
Today, under the wave of Chinese games going overseas, Japan has become an important market for China's two-dimensional cultural output. According to the "China Game Industry Report" released in September, from January to June 2022, the actual overseas sales revenue of China's self-developed games reached 8.989 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 6.16%. Under the epidemic, this growth rate has slowed down, but it is still brighter than other industries. The impact of
's Chinese games going overseas not only stops at the economic level, but also provides a new path for Japanese young people to "approach China".
At 9 p.m. local time on August 2, Nami, a 27-year-old Japanese office worker, logged into the Chinese online video website bilibili (hereinafter referred to as Station B) on time. She was online with more than 40 million netizens at the same time and watched the preview live broadcast of the 3.0 version of the Chinese mobile game " Genshin Impact ". This live broadcast previewed the appearance of Xumi, the fourth area of the "Genshin Impact" game after Mond, Liyue, and Inazu.
◆ "Genshin" advertisement in the Akihabara area of Tokyo.
Nami is the first group of Japanese young people to contact mobile games. In 2013, Nami, who just went to college, got the first iPhone in her life. Since then, she has been involved in mobile games, but mostly Japanese and American games. From November 2020, Nami came into contact with "Genshin Impact" at the recommendation of a friend.
Initially, Nami did not know that this was a mobile game developed by a Chinese game company. Two elements, role-playing, Japanese style, adventure, action and other elements are the main reasons for her to download this game. Every day after get off work, she spends an hour or two playing games and spends an average of 20,000 yen (about 980 yuan) per month to change clothes and buy equipment for her characters.
With the deepening of his love for "Genshin Impact", Nami is also fascinated by the Chinese voice actors who dub the game. "I like Chinese voice actors very much." Nami told " Phoenix Weekly ", "Japanese voice actors are mostly older 'old drivers'. Chinese voice actors are relatively young and will recreate their characters. , to reflect his own ideas. I think it will be China's dubbing culture that will go to Japan soon."
In the game, Nami also felt the sincerity and efforts of Chinese designers. "As long as players point out problems in the game, these problems will be fixed in time after the next update." In the
Japanese version of "Genshin Impact", the character's "insertion method" once caused controversy. It's blade facing down. But in Japanese culture, the correct way to insert a knife is with the blade facing up. "When we updated the version, the blade was inserted upwards. This detail has been well received by Japanese players." Nami said bluntly, "If we didn't respect Japanese culture, we would not have made such changes." Today, Nami has never visited China, but she has already established a close relationship with the latter in her life: watch the Chinese animation " Time Agent " at station B, follow Chinese star Chen Linong through Weibo, go to The "Xiaohongshu" platform learns Chinese beauty and plays the song "Big Fish" by Chinese singer Zhou Shen on a mobile phone. In an interview with
in late September, Nami said excitedly, "I just finished chasing the TV series " Langya Bang ", and I feel like I have fallen into the 'new pit' of Chinese film and television dramas." Perhaps it was Aiwu and Wu, and she even began to pay attention to Japanese media. Chinese reports. She said frankly: "Because the founding team of "Yuan Shen" is in Shanghai, I paid special attention to the epidemic in Shanghai before. Chengdu is also a place I really want to go, and I will pay attention to the news of power cuts in Sichuan in summer."
pursued in the second dimension Zhang Chen (pseudonym), a person from "Other World", who calls himself a "Gen Z otaku", although he doesn't speak a word of Japanese and has never been to Japan, he is familiar with Japan's two-dimensional world. He told "Phoenix Weekly": "How can people still simply play games now? The second timeThe derivative content created is what attracts the most fans. "
"Z generation " usually refers to the generation born between 1995 and 2009, which is characterized by attaching great importance to social networking and regard it as an extremely important part of their lives. Zhang Chen said "secondary" "Creation" refers to the derivative creative content developed by fans under the original story structure such as animation and games. His favorite is the second creation of the Japanese animation movie "Fate" (translated as "Fate Night") by Chinese netizens. .
◆The "Fate" series of works released in 2004 is one of the most well-known IPs in the Japanese 2D world. The "Fate" series of
released in 2004 is one of the most well-known IPs in the Japanese 2D world. Through exclusive introduction, Station B has gained the first batch of fans. These people are not only immersed in the world of animation and games, but also upload a series of derivative works created by themselves, such as novice guides, interpretations of cute stalks, and music performances on social media.
Zhang Chen will dig deep into these works of and , and is also happy to share his experience on social media, with young Chinese people who like the second dimension as much as him. He admits that he has not met in real life for 20 years in his life. A Japanese, "But under the framework of the same story, we seem to be in the same world, but not in the same world."
At station B where young people gather, there are also young scholars specializing in Japanese culture, 42-year-old East China Normal University One of them is Pan Nini, an associate professor in the Department of Journalism, School of Communication of the University. Her account on Station B is called "Teacher Pan 22", and she currently has 176,000 followers. She mainly interprets the two-dimensional culture on weekdays and shares her views on Japanese politics and society.
◆Pan Nini, associate professor of the Department of Journalism, School of Communication, East China Normal University
"I call myself an 'old second dimension', and I am studying Japan, so I want to combine these two things. "Panini said that she was very hesitant before making a video. At first, she was worried that it would not be easily accepted by the outside world. "If you want to learn and understand Japanese knowledge, is it necessary to involve animation? "
didn't expect the effect to be good. Now Panini has not only gained a lot of regular audiences, but also learned more about the new trends in animation through their messages. "I have also become a fan of new shows! In the show, Pan Nini said casually, "I also have a time of youth and cuteness", but it was played as a meme by fans. As soon as she appeared on the stage, the screen full of "youth and cuteness" hit the barrage. This made her exclaim: "Internet culture is unfathomable! "
In Panini's view, Japanese society has two sides. The elites, such as politicians, university professors, lawyers, and doctors, have very different ideas about the world from the general public. "If you really want to understand Japan, you need to To know the thoughts of the elite, it is more necessary to understand the various emotions of the people, and these can often be felt in animation. "
"Neon Genesis Evangelion" shows a low-desire society through the image of the protagonist of "Heisei waste wood"; the hero's conquest of the ocean in " One Piece " outlines today's Japan's imagination of cosmopolitanism and thinking; In " your name ", traditional Japanese Shintoism allows young people to be redeemed in disasters... The construction of these animation scenes inadvertently shows the current Japanese young people's understanding of society, the world, and the future.
When asked about "the image of China in Japanese animation works", Pan Nini said to "Phoenix Weekly": "When it comes to Chinese elements, Japanese animation works will tell more about ancient China, such as Takahashi Rumiko and 's representative work "Chaos". Horse 1/2", and not very good at talking about reality. "
In Panini's view, on the one hand, ancient and mysterious China embodies Japanese animation creators' imagination of "another world"; People receive another set of education, which will make them feel confused and make them less likely to directly outline the reality of China in their works.”
Pan Nini said that the reason why Chinese young people like Japanese animation is also to pursue” Another world" feeling. "Similarly, many works show us Japan, but it's not entirely true.The real Japan is also a different world. "
" The Japan that I know through movies or animation is indeed very different from the real Japan. "Wang Yu (pseudonym), who lived in Japan for 8 years, described to "Phoenix Weekly", "Before I went to Japan to study in 2014, the Japan in my mind was the color of Iwai Shunji's movie. It was a tawny and gray shimmer, slightly exposed, showing a feeling of youth and romance. Real Japan is more colorful, but less romantic and more rigid. "
Wang Yu said that when chatting with domestic friends, you will find that everyone has cognitive differences in many things." Ukiyo-e tattoo patterns, Ami khaki (American) style motorcycle clothes, Japanese enzymes and Supplements...they keep talking to me about these things. "Wang Yu told "Phoenix Weekly" as an example, "But in Japan, it's hard to see a fashion uncle wearing ukiyo-e tattoos and wearing motorcycle suits. I haven't seen any Japanese colleagues eat enzymes. Japan is in the eyes of friends. Much is an imagination. Since the
epidemic, Wang Yu has not returned to China for more than two years. During this time, he felt a slight change: "There are fewer friends who are looking for me to buy Japanese products on behalf of me. Instead, Japanese colleagues around me have begun to ask me about Chinese cosmetics. "
◆Young Japanese girls are learning to wear Chinese makeup.
This summer, female colleagues in the company sighed around a tube of carved lipstick called Huaxizi. Some colleagues asked him to explain the meaning of Chinese carvings on the lipstick, which made Wang Yu, who knew nothing about this, was quite helpless. In the popular Japanese drama "ANIMALS" at that time, this beauty brand from Hangzhou, China appeared in the main plot, which attracted attention. A Japanese public relations company employee told "Phoenix Weekly": " Since 2018, many Chinese make-up for young groups have become popular in Japan. After Huaxizi came to Japan in 2021, it quickly rushed to the top of the sales list. Whether it is concept or design, the product focuses on Chinese style, which is why it is so popular among young Japanese. "
Since 2019, "Chinese makeup" featuring flaming red lips and ceramic skin has become popular in Japan, and "Chinese beauty" (Chiborg) has become a popular word in Japan. For a time, many Japanese beauty bloggers on YouTube are sharing Chinese makeup tutorials, the word-of-mouth website cosme with 13 million monthly active users has also launched a special edition of Chinese makeup. Japanese women's pursuit of Chinese makeup has created a good atmosphere for Chinese beauty brands such as Huaxizi to enter the Japanese market.
Japanese fans because of Chinese idols fall in love with Hanfu
With the popularity of Chinese cosmetics, Chinese-style makeup and even Hanfu also appear on the streets of Japan.
On August 24 this year, two Japanese girls in their early 20s wore hairpins and light blue Hanfu. Holding a palm fan in hand, he stood in front of a scroll ink painting depicting Liu Yu, a member of INTO1 (an international idol boy group who debuted in China), in an ancient costume. On the same day, Liu Yu's fans held the "Japan·Liu Yu Guofeng" in Harajuku, a shopping paradise in Tokyo. "Themed Birthday Exhibition". As a hot entertainment program in recent years,
's talent show "Creation Camp" produced by Tencent Video has attracted a large number of young audiences at home and abroad. In the fourth season, overseas trainees were invited to join as " Creation Camp 2021" "The biggest selling point. In this season's program, there are 90 trainees from China, Japan, Russia, and Thailand. Among them, there are 17 Japanese trainees, which is the largest group of foreigners.
The most popular in recent years The talent show variety show "Creation Camp" attracted a large number of young audiences at home and abroad.
In the end, three Japanese players, including Konda Rikimaru, Uno Zendo, Mika , made their debut through this talent show and became regular members of the INTO1 group. In recent years, a Japanese trainee debuted in China for the first time. Liu Yu, who debuted as the core of the group and a champion, has gained a large number of Japanese fans. Among the male idols of
who get together with "Korean style", Liu Yu has always adhered to the tradition of national style. His national style dance brought a bright color to the talent show, and he also incarnated as a "Hanfu promotion ambassador", allowing foreign members to experience Hanfu culture. Through the idol birthday party, Japanese fans experienced Hanfu for the first time. They sighed one after another: " Embroidery of Hanfu tooCute too. "
started from late April in Tokyo, Kobe, , Fukuoka and other places to hold offline activities for the first anniversary of the INTO1 group, and more than 6,000 Japanese fans participated in the offline activities. Liu, a Chinese in Japan who participated in the event Ting (pseudonym) told "Phoenix Weekly": "Although it is impossible to compare the fan activities of some well-known Korean idol groups with tens of thousands of fans, in Japan, where the niche culture is dominant, the first attempt of Chinese idol groups can be described as stunning. At the
offline event, fans from China and Japan wore Hanfu, drank Pu'er tea , ate moon cakes, cut window flowers, made sachets, and made palace lanterns . Liu Ting said with emotion: "These Japanese girls have never been there. They have been to China. Before that, they had no interaction with China, and they didn't even speak a word of Chinese. ”
In Kyoto, Japan, a woman wearing a Chinese dress sat in a courtyard to enjoy the most famous dry landscape in Longyuanyuan.
In order to help idols gain popularity, Liu Ting will translate information about INTO1 into Japanese , "Transfer" to Japanese social platforms. This has also become an important channel for Japanese fans to obtain information about idols. Some Japanese fans said with emotion: "Whether it is offline or online platforms, fans with common hobbies gather across borders and show amazing performance. the power of. "
has been working hard to promote Chinese domestic entertainment to the Japanese society. Lei Lei, a YouTube video blogger and a Chinese living in Japan, recorded the offline activities held in Tokyo when INTO1 formed a group. At that time, Japanese fans recalled various details in the program, while Complained that "it's too hard to follow without Japanese subtitles". A year after the
program was broadcast, some Japanese fans began to try to contact Chinese social platforms such as , Douyin, , Kuaishou, Weibo, etc. Someone left a message: "In order to get more idols information, I will set learning Chinese as a compulsory course for chasing stars. The subtitles of the program are the best Chinese teaching materials, and you can learn the way of speaking of young Chinese people. "
In addition, China's vast entertainment market and the tolerance of Chinese fans allow Japanese trainees who are struggling to make their debut to find their own "Chinese dream". Liu Ting bluntly said: "Japanese trainees who debuted in China are not good-looking. , is not considered to be all-around singing and dancing. Compared with debuting in Han Sun, where the conditions for forming a group are harsh, going to China, the uncultivated land of idol audition, has given hope to these young Japanese with star dreams. Shortly after the broadcast of
"Creation Camp 2021", Kanako Yasuda, the CEO of ALAND's public relations company in Japan, told "Phoenix Weekly" that more than 100 young Japanese girls left messages for the company, expressing their desire to sign up for the 2022 draft. Willingness of the program. At the request of the Chinese side, Yasuda Kanako finally arranged for 5 Japanese girls to conduct online interviews. Their ages range from 17 to 22 years old. They can introduce themselves in Chinese and sing Chinese songs. Hua participated in the competition and made good preparations.
"Some Japanese girls originally wanted to debut in Korea, but after seeing the Chinese talent show, they felt it was fair, so they changed their minds. "Kanako Yasuda said," At the same time, many Chinese entertainment companies have also begun to pay attention to Japanese trainees. "
However, since June 2021, with the launch of the "Clean Movement" aimed at rectifying the chaos in the entertainment and rice circles, talent shows have been suspended, and the interviews and signing of the above-mentioned trainees have to be put on hold.
According to Leilei's observation, such programs are gradually decreasing, and after the epidemic, Chinese idols cannot go to Japan to participate in activities, and it is difficult for Japanese trainees to appear in Chinese programs. "Currently in Japan, there is only a strong interest in "Creation Camp" A small group of people are still holding on. But this group of fans is bound to keep losing. Only when new programs emerge in an endless stream will the interaction between Chinese and Japanese food circles become frequent. "
"Small Narrative" opens a new window for Sino-Japanese exchanges
On May 30, 2020, Leilei posted the first video under her YouTube account "leilei's Chinese Trends": "520 is marriage in China day? A day to express love?
Her original intention for making the video was because in the early days of the epidemic, she felt that the Japanese around her had deepened their unfamiliarity with China. She bluntly told Phoenix Weekly: "I want to convey to the Japanese what is happening in China right now. That's another voice outside the mainstream media. "The account
has been maintained to this day.The frequency of weekly updates is varied, and the themes of the program are varied: "How to celebrate Children's Day in China (Children's Day), a festival that adults enjoy more than children?" "How popular is Yuzuru Hanyu in China?" "5000 What kind of house can 10,000 yen buy in China?"
In two years, Lei Lei gained 14,400 fans. "I want to tell 'Gen Z' Japanese young people what the Chinese people of the same age are thinking and what will be the fashion trends in China in the future." Leilei said that she is also running and twitter simultaneously, but the latter is more focused on publishing Chinese entertainment trends. "At present, Hallyu culture is still highly sought after in Japan. My selfish intention is to make those who like Hallyu also interested in China."
According to Leilei's observation, the modern Chinese drama "Thirty Only" has also been introduced into Japan. , but most Japanese people are not easy to empathize with China's current social values; on the contrary, ancient puppet dramas showing chivalry, ancient clothes and Chinese makeup are more attractive to them. In addition, the trend of young Japanese people listening to tanmei novels (mostly gay-sexual romance novels) on the "Cat Ear FM" radio platform has also quietly emerged.
In 2020, the ancient puppet drama " Chen Qingling " starring young actors Wang Yibo and Xiao Zhan was broadcast in Japan many times, and it was also sold in DVD and Blu-ray mode. Lei Lei found that Japanese video sites seem to have found the traffic password about China, and introduced a large number of Chinese costume dramas including ancient puppet dramas. "There are always fans who leave messages in the comment area and let me talk about ancient puppet dramas such as "Chen Qingling"."
◆Young Japanese people listen to "Chen Qingling" through the radio platform. In contrast to
, Japanese movies have also swept the Chinese box office by a whirlwind. Leilei introduced: "This year, the Japanese movie "Love Like a Bouquet" has grossed 1.48 billion yen in China. The Japanese dramas " Lonely Gourmet " and " Late Night Cafeteria " are also very popular. Chinese young people in recent years The popular term 'Xiao Que Xing' was first spread from Japan." The popularity of
's younger generation towards China has attracted attention from all walks of life in Japan. According to a public opinion survey conducted by the Cabinet Office of Japan in late 2021, only a little over 10% of people in their 60s and 70s said they had a favorable opinion of China, while more than 40% of those between the ages of 18 and 29. In addition, according to the Pew Research Center's favorability survey on China in June this year, Japan belongs to the country with the largest generation gap in understanding China, but it is also clear that the younger generation has a more favorable impression of China. When
talked about this phenomenon, Mingsheng Gao, a well-known Japanese scholar on China and professor at University of Tokyo, explained to Phoenix Weekly that this shows that China's soft power has improved, and Chinese popular culture has become more and more attractive. "Young people are more open and can accept new things. For them, good things have nothing to do with which country is produced. In addition, young people in Japan are generally not interested in politics. If there are obstacles between Japan and China, Mainly in terms of politics, cultural and economic exchanges are very good. In addition, young people have more channels to obtain information, many people do not read mainstream media at all, but they do not have any stereotypes.”
Lei Lei also said, "Although the environment between China and Japan has fluctuated, entertainment itself has no political color, so it can become a source of happiness in the lives of Japanese young people."
The famous Japanese cultural critic and philosopher Dong Hiroshi From a deeper cultural background explains the situation. In the book "Animalized Postmodernity", he analyzes the changing process of the times from the "big narrative" with the mass media as the platform to the "small narrative" with the Internet as the platform. He used the term "database animal" to describe the situation of this generation of young people. In his view, as individualization accelerates, young people are projecting more attention on themselves. At the same time, a wide variety of cultural products also provide them with enough choices.
Nowadays, whoever is an idol and which mobile game they play has transformed into an individual behavior that shows personality. In Dong Haoji's view, the pursuit of subcultures such as the second dimension can be regarded as a "small narrative" among certain youth groups. Different from mainstream political expressions and international exchanges, "mini-narratives" are based on sharing and communication based on common preferences, and have " exclusive " characteristics while possessing the characteristics of "diversity". becauseTherefore, cultural exchanges represented by the second dimension are often labeled as "non-mainstream".
Pan Nini also mentioned that, be it comics or games, most of the exchanges between Chinese and Japanese youth around the second dimension are based on sharing and communication based on common hobbies. "It's hard to imagine that this kind of communication activity with a very personal preference can evolve into a topic of public opinion."
Combined with the Chinese people's habit of watching Japanese anime, Panini said that the Internet has allowed more Chinese young people to come into contact with Japanese anime and manga . "In Japan, anime has a relatively strict system of grading, time-based management and broadcasting. But these do not exist in China's cyberspace."
late-night topics, slightly violent fighting scenes, or quiet loveliness, as "Small narratives" that are different from the real world attract a group of young people, but it is debatable whether such exchanges can carry the historical mission of Sino-Japanese exchanges. Nonetheless, for the "Gen Z" young people of the two countries, a new mode of communication has been opened.
"We can't judge the direction of the relationship between the two countries in the future, but there are still a group of Japanese people who are accepting new things from China and watching Chinese TV dramas. I hope that the stereotype between China and Japan can be reduced a little, so that everyone can get in touch with more Each other's information, less information deviation, and more common cultural soil." Leilei said.
(Jiahui Wang also contributed to this article)
