The Eastern Edge

I was having my usual look around all the major comic sites on the internet yesterday when I got stuck on something I was lead to via one of the must see sites of the English speaking Japanese comic world, aka MangaBlog.

It was a debate on the Japanese "gaijin complex" and how it is reflected in animation and comics.
Now, I'm not about to start picking on what anyone said, or take any sides. I don't even know who wrote what and it doesn't matter because this isn't directed at anyone. I just felt compelled to write what I think about it because it’s an interesting topic and one that nearly everyone who gets interested in modern Japanese culture seems to start pondering at some point.

First of all, does Japan have confidence issues on the international stage? Of course it does. There is abundant evidence, not the least of which is that scores of Japanese of various ages and backgrounds will tell you so (I'm not including the English-speaking, Japan-bashing Japanese either). However, I do think "gaijin complex" is misunderstood and far more complex than a simple inferiority complex and/or admiration for foreigners. Japan's emulation of Western culture and lifestyle, along with an outward admiration of Western people, I think is a manifestation of their own search for who they are, as opposed to a desire to be something else. I think that any real inferiority complex Japan may have now, still constantly butts heads with a pride that runs deep and is resentful of a lack of the recognition it craves.

Anyone familiar with the Japanese language knows that phrasing is intended to smooth edges while seeking approval and consensus. Well, they talk the way for a reason and I think part of that is to support a need for validation and recognition. That, in my opinion, is why comic and cartoon characters in spend so much of their inner monologue anguishing over recognition they desperately want but didn't get.
That's also where I think the awkwardness and lack of confidence comes from in Japanese interaction with the outside world, and a major factor in the perception of the "gaijin complex" from many non-Japanese.

There is a fundamental misunderstanding that many of us “gaijin” have when looking at this subject from our side of the fence. When Japanese are seen to praise Westerners, I don’t think it has anything to do with them wanting to be Western. They want to be Japanese, but maybe with the addition of certain attributes they like but don't have. In a country where nails that stick up get hammered down and people look for consensus on everything from politics to what clothes to wear to a given event, standing out from the crowd in the wrong way can cause you a world of trouble.
However, stand out from the crowd in the right way and you are the envy of all (which can also mean a world of trouble and is often the source of the bullying in society here. But that's another topic).

Besides, if you lived in a conformist culture where everything was similar, wouldn't you want to break free of that, even if only in your fantasy worlds?

Basically what I'm saying is that Japanese may like certain things about the West, and be envious of certain physical attributes Western people possess. However, in my experience, while many Japanese may wish to be like Westerners in certain and very specific way, they don't want to actually want to be Westerners at all.
Furthermore, anything most Japanese people may do to emulate Western society or physical appearance is for their own benefit, and it is not intended as a tribute or to impress anyone other than themselves and their circles of influence.

Along with the fact that designers simply don't want to be bound by the limitations of everyday life, such as the physical similarities that Japanese naturally possess, that is why I think character design is the way it is in Japan.

I used to wonder why Japanese characters weren't Japanese myself, until I realized that thinking that not only showed a lack of understanding about Japan, but it also exposed the natural filters I was seeing everything through as a Canadian in Japan; a foreigner.
I also now think that the opinions of many who still think Japanese characters are foreign long after they should know better - especially people who live here - may be a manifestation of the flip side of the very complex they accuse the Japanese suffering from.

However foreign they may look, most Japanese character designs are actually of idealized, or even hybrid, Japanese.
If the reasons I gave for thinking that aren't enough for you, take a good look at how foreigners are often portrayed in the media here. That alone might change your mind!