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Empire of Self-Satire
Psychic schoolgirls, transforming Zero fighter planes and giant robots stalking the battlefield below the fluttering banner of the rising sun – this must be the world of Command & Conquer Red Alert 3. And it’s hilarious.
But, it has to be said, there are some here who would think ‘parody’ too kind a word to apply to a game which revels in slamming together xenophobic clichés – from George Takei’s difficulty with the letters ‘r’ and ‘l’ to the use of kamikaze tactics.
They’ll be missing the fact that the Russians are vodka-sozzled carousers with an army of bears, helmed by Tim Curry – a man best known for donning fishnet stockings and doing the Time Warp. They’ll be missing the American’s NFL-flavoured can-do yankee moxie, and the Brits’ tally-ho-ing, tea obsession and stiff upper lip.
Red Alert may clearly be a satire of absurd national stereotype, rather than an endorsement of it but, nonetheless, the second you make any kind of generalised statement about the Japanese, it’s an invitation to misunderstanding. I suppose I’ve made one just there.
Otaku culture is pretty resilient to this sort of thing. Red Alert will hopefully be seen for the comedy it is – a ridiculous exaggeration of how foreigners see Japan. We’ve seen many such depictions over the years – some ironic, some ignorant – but otaku, like so many sub- or counter-cultures, are usually able to see the funny side.
Outside of otaku circles, however, there isn’t as strong a sense of how the world sees us. So when Quentin Tarantino pays wry homage to a tiny facet of Japanese iconography in Kill Bill Vol 1, in the form of schoolgirl assassins or masked samurai, it surprises and concerns that this may be writ large as the things that the Japanese fundamentally represent to others.
But ninjas and giant robots are certainly an upgrade on previous Japanese stereotypes. Take a look at the way the Japanese were depicted during and after World War II – shown as wearing small, round glasses and having big ivory front teeth, almost like rabbits.
These Japanese are barely even humans – inscrutable animals only capable of cruelty or cowardice. Even latter-day depictions of that period find it difficult to escape this lazy representation. Clint Eastwood may recently have attempted to bring the Japanese story to a western audience with Letters From Iwo Jima, but the trailers for Call Of Duty: World At War once again gloss the Japanese as an unknowable vengeful force – ciphers that scream ‘banzai!’ before plunging at you with a bayonet.
In the ’70s, the Japanese became hordes of tourists, buck teeth and glasses still in evidence, but now wielding cameras instead of guns. The ’80s heralded a new image again, born from the economic bubble Japan enjoyed at that time, but still unfavourable – avaricious, ruthless businessmen conquering the world economy.
The reputation for manga, robots and strange uses of USB cables that otaku culture has proliferated seems a blessing by contrast. But as absurd a caricature of Japan as Red Alert presents, and as even-handed as it may be in its wit (this is, after all, a universe in which the US president’s campaign slogan is ‘Screw ’em all’), there are still those who will take offence.
Surprisingly, the main source of fury has been outside of Japan – some of our neighbours in Korea, having been under Japanese occupation for the first half of the 20th century, seem to feel that the resurrection of a Japanese Imperial Army is no laughing matter, even if it is one featuring a two-storey-high samurai-robot that shoots lasers from its eyes.
It’s a kind of anger that doesn’t seem to know which direction it’s heading – can they really blame the Japanese when a game developed outside of Japan opens old wounds?
All the same, it’s something I feel conflicted over. While we in Japan have learnt to laugh at ourselves, and don’t mind it too much when people laugh along too, we aren’t the only ones that such levity will offend.
Similarly, there is a sense in which that cartoon of the toothy, vicious Japanese soldier diminishes the terrible reality of the whole of the Pacific war. In Japan we might be able to chuckle at such silliness but, inevitably, some people won’t find Japan quite as funny as we do ourselves.
But, it has to be said, there are some here who would think ‘parody’ too kind a word to apply to a game which revels in slamming together xenophobic clichés – from George Takei’s difficulty with the letters ‘r’ and ‘l’ to the use of kamikaze tactics.
They’ll be missing the fact that the Russians are vodka-sozzled carousers with an army of bears, helmed by Tim Curry – a man best known for donning fishnet stockings and doing the Time Warp. They’ll be missing the American’s NFL-flavoured can-do yankee moxie, and the Brits’ tally-ho-ing, tea obsession and stiff upper lip.
Red Alert may clearly be a satire of absurd national stereotype, rather than an endorsement of it but, nonetheless, the second you make any kind of generalised statement about the Japanese, it’s an invitation to misunderstanding. I suppose I’ve made one just there.
Otaku culture is pretty resilient to this sort of thing. Red Alert will hopefully be seen for the comedy it is – a ridiculous exaggeration of how foreigners see Japan. We’ve seen many such depictions over the years – some ironic, some ignorant – but otaku, like so many sub- or counter-cultures, are usually able to see the funny side.
Outside of otaku circles, however, there isn’t as strong a sense of how the world sees us. So when Quentin Tarantino pays wry homage to a tiny facet of Japanese iconography in Kill Bill Vol 1, in the form of schoolgirl assassins or masked samurai, it surprises and concerns that this may be writ large as the things that the Japanese fundamentally represent to others.
But ninjas and giant robots are certainly an upgrade on previous Japanese stereotypes. Take a look at the way the Japanese were depicted during and after World War II – shown as wearing small, round glasses and having big ivory front teeth, almost like rabbits.
These Japanese are barely even humans – inscrutable animals only capable of cruelty or cowardice. Even latter-day depictions of that period find it difficult to escape this lazy representation. Clint Eastwood may recently have attempted to bring the Japanese story to a western audience with Letters From Iwo Jima, but the trailers for Call Of Duty: World At War once again gloss the Japanese as an unknowable vengeful force – ciphers that scream ‘banzai!’ before plunging at you with a bayonet.
In the ’70s, the Japanese became hordes of tourists, buck teeth and glasses still in evidence, but now wielding cameras instead of guns. The ’80s heralded a new image again, born from the economic bubble Japan enjoyed at that time, but still unfavourable – avaricious, ruthless businessmen conquering the world economy.
The reputation for manga, robots and strange uses of USB cables that otaku culture has proliferated seems a blessing by contrast. But as absurd a caricature of Japan as Red Alert presents, and as even-handed as it may be in its wit (this is, after all, a universe in which the US president’s campaign slogan is ‘Screw ’em all’), there are still those who will take offence.
Surprisingly, the main source of fury has been outside of Japan – some of our neighbours in Korea, having been under Japanese occupation for the first half of the 20th century, seem to feel that the resurrection of a Japanese Imperial Army is no laughing matter, even if it is one featuring a two-storey-high samurai-robot that shoots lasers from its eyes.
It’s a kind of anger that doesn’t seem to know which direction it’s heading – can they really blame the Japanese when a game developed outside of Japan opens old wounds?
All the same, it’s something I feel conflicted over. While we in Japan have learnt to laugh at ourselves, and don’t mind it too much when people laugh along too, we aren’t the only ones that such levity will offend.
Similarly, there is a sense in which that cartoon of the toothy, vicious Japanese soldier diminishes the terrible reality of the whole of the Pacific war. In Japan we might be able to chuckle at such silliness but, inevitably, some people won’t find Japan quite as funny as we do ourselves.
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Copyright 2006 - 2009 Future Publishing Limited, Beauford Court 30 Monmouth Street Bath, UK BA1 2BW
England and Wales company registration number 2008885
With N'Gai getting so much attention with Resident Evil 5, the Asian perspective seems pretty unimportant in comparison.
Correct. The fact that many people focus so relentlessly on finding perceived biases everywhere kind of proves that we have gone down the political correctness line way too far.
Gameplay wise RA3 is actually a very mediocre game, but I thought the style was great. I mean, c'mon, armoured bears - that's pretty cool. :) Even though I'm Russian, I wasn't in the least bit offended by this game.
I admit there are other titles out there that have very hateful stereotypes about Russians and Slavs in general, but RA3 is just not one of them.
Hey I'm wondering, are there any games with Russian characters that you like? `
The only notable one I know is Zangief heheh
My all time favourite is Vladimir Lem from Max Payne 1-2. In the 2nd one they made a villain out of him, but he nevertheless stands out from the crowd of generic Russian "bad guys" as a multidimensional character with some interesting lines of dialogue.
Zangief is ridiculously over the top, but so are most fighters from SF universe, so yeah, I like him :)
The only decent Russian protagonist I can think of is Alexander Nesterov from Cryostasis, but I don't think you know about this game.
http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/cryostasissleepofreason/index.html
I think your heart is in the right place with this article, but you are a bit misguided in my mind.
C+C R3 is satirical. It makes fun of stuff. It is light hearted. I don't see why you think Japanese culture should be immune. A fascination with schoolgirls and the "reputation for manga, robots and strange uses of USB cables" is a part of Japanese contemporary culture, like it or not. I think you are a bit offended that there is a small, tiny kernel of truth in the satire.
I could respectfully argue with almost every paragraph you've written here. But I think that would be the waste of time.
But for example, in paragraph one, you call "difficulty with the letters ‘r’ and ‘l’ " an "xenophobic cliche." I'm sorry, but that is retarded. I've made tons of literally dozens of people visiting from Japan from the hear and this isn't a cliche that they have extreme difficulty pronouncing l's and r's. This is a fact. I'm not sure how you would consider it an cliche or why this would be found somehow offensive in anyway.
I think your heart is in the right place with this article, but you are a bit misguided in my mind.
C+C R3 is satirical. It makes fun of stuff. It is light hearted. I don't see why you think Japanese culture should be immune. A fascination with schoolgirls and the "reputation for manga, robots and strange uses of USB cables" is a part of Japanese contemporary culture, like it or not. I think you are a bit offended that there is a small, tiny kernel of truth in the satire.
I could respectfully argue with almost every paragraph you've written here. But I think that would be the waste of time.
But for example, in paragraph one, you call "difficulty with the letters ‘r’ and ‘l’ " an "xenophobic cliche." I'm sorry, but that is retarded. I've made tons of literally dozens of people visiting from Japan from the hear and this isn't a cliche that they have extreme difficulty pronouncing l's and r's. This is a fact. I'm not sure how you would consider it an cliche or why this would be found somehow offensive in anyway.
In a bizarre way, this could also be considered George Takei returning to his roots as an actor.
His first on screen appearance was playing a Japanese in WW2.
He has had many roles as a Japanese WW2 soldier
There's a twilight zone episode where he plays the son of a Japanese American who guided Japanese bombers to Pearl Harbor. George Takei has a samurai sword there too.
Check http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001786/
Wait, Brick you're Japanese? I thought you were an expat living in Japan?
On this race business though, I think racism shows itself when people aren't aware of it.
Take Red Steel. Did anyone consider that a racially controversial title? No, because it's sorta normal for only a white guy to be heroic enough to save the traditional old culture japanese, get the girl, and kill the bad dishonorable japanese.
Or Faith from Mirror's Edge being pretty ugly with exaggerated features in the eyes of Asians. The Japanese image board 2chan actually had a field day redesigning her to suit Japanese tastes.
BANZAI JAPAN GIANT ROBOT PSYCHIC SCHOOLGIRL MOST HONORABLE is so obvious nobody's in danger of falling in.
But it's the things we accept which can be dangerous.
*Racism not so much in the "git off my lawn" variety. It's more just not seeing eye to eye.
"And if the whole world is laughing at otaku culture may be there's really something wrong with it."
For most Japanese, calling someone otaku in Japan is an insult--usually in a playful way, but an insult none the less.
If the cliches are applied so evenhandedly, how can they be described as xenophobic. I'm with the silence here.
No theres not.
Narrow minded idiots who judge others for self gratification and furthermore preservation of their individual and socialy exceptable norm are wrong.
Don't get me wrong Im not calling you an idiot,, its just that your nation is one of many that suffers from a horrible national stereotype I can't believe that instead of supporting those that are (to some extent) in the same boat as you, you would rather join the same mob that accosts not only otaku culture but your own as well.
Japans national history is a rich tapestry. The samurai were noble and honourable and I should know cos my uncle knew all about bushdo and the way of the warrior and the stories of the legendary Mirimoto Musashi.
These noble arts and traditions are now lost to history. Instead Japan is now recognised for its otaku pop-culture. Although I love otaku culture, I am still able to distuinguish it from the REAL Japan.
>>he samurai were noble and honourable and I should know cos my uncle knew all about bushdo and the way of the warrior and the stories of the legendary Mirimoto Musashi.
>>Although I love otaku culture, I am still able to distuinguish it from the REAL Japan.
But Red Alert 3 is as much a parody of the bushido samurai culture of Japan. George Takei walks around in traditional clothes with a samurai sword spouting words of wisdom.
How do you distinguish 'real' culture from 'fake'? Bushido, samurai, do you consider that 'real'? Otaku culture, mecha and anime, is that 'fake'?
Which culture am I more likely to encounter in a busy Tokyo metro station?
The whole your article seems extremely butthurt (btw I'm russian). Your pop-culture deserved all the humiliation (just like, you know, any other pop-culture in the world) and all that samurai and ninja... well, it's a grotesque representation of nation's history, there's nothing offensive here, i know what i'm talking about. In Russia we know about all those commie/bears/vodka stereotypes and we just find them funny. And if the whole world is laughing at otaku culture may be there's really something wrong with it.
Jeez! No vodka left in your cabinet?