[EVA][SPAM?] Japanese Culture and Evangelion

[MMKokusaiYK]

> Does anyone on this board have a bit of trouble understanding
> some parts of Evangelion due to the cultural differences?

Nope, but maybe I have been here too long...  :P
I think that general aspects of everyday life and interpersonal relationships
are rather straightforward (ie: these can be equally as screwed up in any
country/culture), but things such as why some people might find Gendo
attractive (as a as a charismatic leader - not in the physical sense) might be
a bit more difficult to appreciate.


> Most of Evangelion is universal but there are some
> things that could, I think, be deepened by further knowledge of the
> Japanese culture. For instance, the role of the Japanese man in the
> family. Only after reading a book on Japan did I realize that males
> in Japan, when children, customarily receive excessive amounts of
> attention, or husbands "sometimes seem to be the wife's big grown-
> up child". (Reischauer)

Reischauer's information is out of date and in many cases no longer applies.
Furthermore, Reischauer failed to realize that he was dealing only with a
select "elite" section of the population (ie:
bureaucrats/politicians/corporate officials = top university graduates and
other elites), which is understandable seeing as how he was a foreign "VIP"
and only met/dealt with these types of people.
Other than lacking a bit of common sense in some areas (:P) and of course
taking into account differences in environment, average Japanese people are
not that much different from people in other countries.  They have the same
dreams, the same troubles, the same concerns, etc.  Of course certain values
and ways of looking at things (logic) are different, but that can be said for
just about any culture.


> Or, for instance, it was pointed out that "childhood friends"
> (Touji/Hikari, or Shinji's alternate reality) generally end up
> married. Is this a trend in anime or in the actual culture?

This is an older trend stemming from the fact that Japan was still rebuilding
after the war and opportunities to meet people (advanced schooling, work,
etc.) were still limited.  I would say that it no longer applies or that it
currently happens on about the same scale (on average) as overseas.
Arranged marraiges currently account for less than 20% (and dropping rapidly),
and most people meet and marry someone they meet at school (university), at
their workplace, through introduction by a friend/family member, or through a
common interest.  Gee -- sounds like back home. :P


> The makers of Eva were supervised that so many nationalities
> could sympathize with Shinji's plight-obviously they think
> there are some cultural hurdles.

Ah, the well-known self-held misperception that Japanese are "special".
This is a holdover from the pre-black ship days when Japan was still sealed
off from the rest of the world and the Japanese viewed themselves as special
or different from other peoples.  You occasionally run into this in areas such
as language (how can foreigners speak their difficult language!?) or even
something as basic as using chopsticks -- even Chinese/Korean people are
sometimes complimented on how well they (as foreigners) use chopsticks.  :P
Basically, people (including the Japanese themselves) just need to get over
the "Japan is special" syndrome...


> Also I get the impression that childhood friendships in Japan are very
> strong, children form bonds that never break, they go to the same
> school as their best friend, and then they go off to uni together, they
> eventually end up going into the same profession, this is especially
> true with girls, but I think it applies to boys as well. "

Again, I think this is true to about the same scale as it is overseas.
There are friendships that endure a lifetime, and friendships that peter off
as the people involved move in different directions.  Of course everyone
reminisces when they get back together, but it is not that different from a
reunion back home.

Bochan_bird