草食男子[soushoku danshi]
Love Theory of Soushoku Danshi
It seems like I have been introducing such trendy word as アラフォー[aro-four] rather than anime-related words lately. Boring? I am sorry. As I doubted, perhaps I have started to care about my not-so-far future. Most otakish words do not seem to have clear origins as to who actually came up with them. Before we know it, those words have already made it to the mainstream. Don’t you think so? そう思いませんか？Unlike those otakish words, some of the trendy words coined by the irresponsible press so far have clear origins. But meanwhile, it doesn’t take that much for people to forget.
At any rate, I was quite disappointed to hear this word for the first time because I thought there was another word that should have come before this, 草食男子[soushoku danshi]. I will explain it later, as I shall now introduce this new word first. 草食[soushoku] means herbivorous. Yes, it is supposed to categorize animals by the kind of food they eat. If they eat grass, they are classified as 草食動物[soushoku doubutsu]or herbivore. If they eat flesh, they are 肉食動物[nikushoku doubutsu] or flesh eater. If they eat whatever, they are 雑食動物[zasshoku doubutsu] or omnivora.
So why is this used to categorize men? We men don’t eat grass (neither do women). No no no, that’s not so. A herbivore like a goat is very quiet, not wild, aren’t they? What if this goes for men? The answer is, yes, a man who is gentle, quiet, and soft. Such a guy is what’s called 草食男子[soushoku danshi] or 草食系男子[soushoku-kei danshi]. Wait, hold on a bit. What exactly does that mean? Just because it means such a “softie,” the word 草食 is not even necessarily required here. You have caught on, haven’t you? You’re right. It also means a stoic guy who is not crazy about sex, or a guy who is not aggressive in love. If that’s the case, 肉食男子[nikushoku danshi] means such a “stud,” ? Then could 雑食男子 be bisexual? 両方OKってこと？
In 2007, a book entitled 平成男子図鑑[Heisei danshi zukan] was published, and the author Maki Fukasawa[深澤真紀] named this tnew ype of guy. The following year, when the monthly magazine for women, non-no interviewed her, it started to become famous. Let’s see what are the characterstics of 草食男子, then.
a. Not proactive nor aggressive in love although he can get a girlfriend if they want.
b. He tends to value women as a human being, not as a sexual object.
c. He prefers to stay at home rather go out.
d. Very sensitive.
e. He would travel with a woman, but wouldn’t do anything to her. Even if he stays overnight with her, he wouldn’t do anything.
f. He would prefer to spend money for his hobby or clothes rather than for girls.
g. He would be counted as just a nice person[ただのいい人] by women.
h. He likes to cook, and loves confectionery.
i. ※
Remember I said I was disappointed to hear this word? That is because I really really wondered why the author didn’t use オトメン[otomen] when she coined the term 草食男子. If she had done it, オトメン must have become in the mainstream. I dare to say the era of otomen might have come…yes, my era! See above? Most of the items go for otomen, especially d and h. Darn it!
Putting it aside, why did this word get popular? For one thing, it is said that men are no longer more powerful than women. Like I said in アラフォー, women work as well as men. So men called 草食男子 seem to accept the fact. Rather, if they are as wild as before, it might become sexual harassment. Besides, it is no exaggeration to say that the terrible recession is one of the reasons. Men are too mentally and physically tired to…do it. Come to think of it, I’ve heard even married couples are sexless lately. That is to say, most men are getting 草食.
Speaking of 草食男子, most Japanese people might think of 草なぎ 剛[Tsuyoshi Kusanagi] who is a member of the most popular idol group, SMAP. He is so gentle and good-hearted that he is counted as a 草食男子. Coincidentally, there is a kanji 草[kusa] in his surname. But it was until a few days ago. He got too drunk and showed his naked in public. Even when the police came to him, he didn’t stop yelling. He got arrested and won’t be able to come out for a while…Well, he was too drunk to remember, I am sure he regrets what he did. But there is a time when even 草食男子 want to be 肉食男子. だって…男だもん。I mean, the more people say he is 草食男子, the more he has to act like that. That could be stressful for him. When things get to the point, he might break down.
Are we 草食男子？
Me? I am an otomen. Otomen will never do such a thing. くっくっくっ…but I am dark-hearted. You have no idea how evil I am. 俺って結構腹黒いから気を付けた方がいいかもよ（呪笑） だって反逆を企む王子様だから^^
karesen
Wait, as I learned this word, something came to my mind. Yes, that’s カレセン[karesen]! Are those characteristics vey similar to karesen? The different point is that karesen is old, that’s it. So my assumption is,
草食男子 + old = カレセン.
Oh no, then I would definitely be カレセン too if I get older.
[Cosplay] Take love, get all love, get back love in our hands!
I have noticed I don’t basically cosplay more than two characters from the same series. Some of my cosplay buddies can do more than three characters or so from the same series. The series I cosplayed more than one character is just Mirage of Blaze. Takaya and Ranmaru. Nah, Takaya doesn’t count cosplay at all, I know.
That probably is because it is hard to find so many characters that really suit my physique and face in the series. Also, before I try to find another character in the same series I would give up and find someone else from a different one, that’s why.
But this time is not. One day when I was shopping around, I happened to see a pair of glasses which closely resembled a certain character’s…I couldn’t resist. In the end, I bought it. So I decided to cosplay him.
He is Midou Ban[美堂 蛮] in Get Backers[奪還屋]. I actually cosplayed Kakei Jubei[筧 十兵衛] before, so it was my second time cosplaying someone from Get Backers. This time, it was the hero! Jubei is a supporting character, though. Anyway, Get Backers is kind of an old series so I think most people probably know it a bit, but not that much.
The two young guys, Ban and his buddy Amano Ginji are called Get Backers around the city. Their job is to get back something you need to do so. If it is too confidential to even report the police, you just ask them. Or they shall get it back for you. Such is the main plot of this anime.
In case you don’t know this anime, I shall upload the OP here.
This cosplay didn’t need a lot. The glasses, the white shirts, and the black slacks, that’s all. But you know, the most difficult thing was to make his hairstyle like a sea urchin. It took more than 30 minutes! Read the rest of this entry »
医者萌え[isha-moe]
There are some men who like to choose コスプレAV[cosplay AV] that porn actresses show in various uniforms like a nurse, a secretary, a flight attendant, an elevator girl, or something like that. That is, uniforms from those occupations. We can call such a genre 職業系[shokugyou-kei] or occupation thing. Please go to the porn video section at the rental shop if you can, or you will see there would be such a shelf named 職業系 or 職業もの[shokugyou-mono]. In those video, we are always shown such a cliched plot（お約束） like a nurse is raped by a doctor(or a patient)「先生、止めてください！」「次の手術は君だ、くっくっくっ」, a stewardess gets laid with a pilot「ああ、機長～！」, a female teacher teaches her virgin student how to do “something,”「せ、先生…僕…」 「うふっ、怖がらなくていいのよ。先生が教えてあげる」a secretary and her boss do blah blah blah「し、社長止めて下さい！」「いいのか？ワシに逆らったらクビだぞ」…Well, I have seen this kind of thing hundreds of times so I am too bored to watch this. 俺だって男だからね（笑）
However, lately I noticed those who love 職業系 are not even necessarily men, but also BL fangirls(腐女子). I don’t really know what to say, but they have much much deeper dellusion than we men do. I only know there is a genre called リーマンもの[reeman-mono] or salarymen thing in BL. That is, a love story which takes place between two salarymen. But actually there are some more occupations that fujoshis really adore. I found a ranking in the certain magazine, I mean, “which occupation does it turn you on? or something like that.” The top is…医者[isha] or doctor, and there is even a genre named 医者もの[isha-mono]. Of course you can say 医者萌え[isha-moe] if you really like such a doctor thing. The ranking is like below,
1. Doctor
2. Teacher
3. Soldier
4. Salaryman
5. Bartender
As for no. 2 and 4, I have nothing to say. But why soldier? According to those fans, it seems like soldiers are stoic about sex. But when they do it, they become very wild…such a gap sure is a turn-on. Also, those cool uniforms is one of the reasons. Come to think of it, Hetaria[ヘタリア] is really popular among cosplayers…Could it be…?
Back to the main topic, why is doctor the top? Looks cool, is that why? Those fans say it is because they are wearing a white gawn, very erotic! よくわからない…And if he wears glasses, it could be perfect! No matter what, glasses is an essential item…it seems like.
As I have said, fujoshis love to have a dellusion. So in other words, they love to create a story in mind. What kind of doctor is he? A surgeon? A shrink? What is his patinet like? Is he mentally exhausted because of his wife or job? Is that why he needs help? The more he sees the doctor, the more he is in love with him…
医者もの
See? Even I can make such a fuckingplot. That means there are a lot of BL fangirls who really love 医者もの. Come to think of it, when I go to the bookstore, I sure see such BL novels. The cover obviously tells that.
But even that, I don’t understand why doctor comes to top yet. There has to be an assumption…Oh, I have heard something a while ago. Most doctors are hentai, but there are as many gay doctors as straight hentai doctors. I don’t really know this is true or not, but let’s see…OMG, what about…あの…えっと…その…the proctology department? だって…do they look over anus every single day, right? That is their job, I know. Here is a question, can doctors choose the department they want to pursue when they become a doctor? The surgeons wanted to be a surgeon, so that’s why they are who they are, right? Same goes to the proctology? Did they want to look over anus? If that’s the case, it’s no wonder they happen to be…そっち系？Does it make sense why 医者もの comes to top?
Suppose you are a proctology doctor, and come across your very old friend on the street.
a(your friend). Hey, long time no see! How’s it going?
b(you). Yeah, fine.
a. What are you doing now?
b. I am a doctor.
a. Cool! What kind of doctor?
…Can you really answer it? Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure? Why are you lying, huh? 嘘だッ！
BTW, what kind of occupation do you like the most?
[Cosplay] Captain Tsubasa
I am pretty sure you guys would doubt how old I am because I sometimes cosplay a character from such an old series. Speaking of a soccer anime, what would you think of? Even if you are very young, I guess the anwer is, yes, Captain Tsubasa[キャプテン翼]! If a baseball anime, you might think of Touch[タッチ]…oops, there’s Major[メジャー] or Ookiku furikabutte[おおきく振りかぶって]. If a basketball anime, it is definitely Slam Dunk. Like this, there are very few famous series when it comes to the sport anime. Especially soccer anime. In case you don’t know this anime, I shall upload the quick movie here. Please put aside the fact that this anime started the fire for fujoshis who really love shotakon.
Anyway, why do I cosplay such a sport guy? In real life, I am not really good at sport. I cosplayed a basketball boy like Rukawa Kaede, and this time I decided to cosplay him.
He is Karl Heinz Schneider[カール・ハインツ・シュナイダー]. Yes, as you can tell from his name, he is a German soccer player, and people call him a young emperor in Germany(西ドイツの若き皇帝). Nah if now, it must be ××王子[prince], but at that time a word 王子 wasn’t in the trend. Well, I used to play the Captain Tsubasa game a lot when I was a kid, and I really liked Schneider. He is really cool and passionate, but not childish like Hyuga Kojiro. He just keeps going to win, and somtimes he even becomes very cold to anybody else.
In fact, his father used to be the director in the team but for some reason he stepped down. And he got a divorce so Schneider lives with his mother and younger sister. Schneider sometimes asks his father to start with his mother again, but he always turns down…So Schneider is doing his best to win so that his father could come back to the field, and his family can reunite again.
Oh no, this is something I love! I always fall for such a melodramatic plot, why? At any rate, a friend of mine told me when he saw my cosplays. Why have I cosplayed a lot of student characters? He assumpted that I am wanting to be a student again, moreover my real school days was sucks so that is why I want to have a better school days in 2D[2次元]. Yeah he has a point! My school days in 3D[3次元] was not good at all, so I want to enjoy my school days in 2D…Oh no, that is why I cosplay such a young character! Even I didn’t know that. げー、俺って本当に2次元コンプレックスだったんだ！ええ、私の生きる世界は2.5次元ですが、何か？＾＾
The hardest thing in this cosplay was to make his hairstyle. This is really difficult to copy! Like Dragon Ball! Well I did my best…I really did. Read the rest of this entry »
ハイジ沖田ネロ[Heidi Okita Nello]
I have been saying I am not that young here, but everytime I hear this word, I feel I am still young. Because the term I shall introduce now origins from the really really old anime series. If you have watched them in real time, you must be 40-something.
Anyway, the fact that a word like this exists implies that the TV staff don’t want to spend money to make a program because of the recession, I suppose so. Come to think of it, I am surprised to realise there are amazingly a lot of programs which just broadcast the past video. They just edit the old video as if they are making a new program, show it to the showfolks, and talk about the past memories. This costs almost nothing because, as I have said, they just edit the old video. But this way could get people to feel nostalgy so easily, so that is why this kind of program is popular. The harder the reality is, the more people want to dwell on the past memories…No, we have to come back. That’s what life is all about.
For those who watch anime overseas it doesn’t ring a bell, but in Japan the omnibus which summarize the most famous and touching scenes of the old anime series is aired from time to time. The title is mostly like 視聴者が選ぶ！名作アニメ名場面ベスト１００[The chosen-by-audience 100 famous scenes of the great anime] or something like that. This kind of program always pick up the heartbreaking scenes of the old anime series, and broadcast them again and again. How many more times do we have to see this crap? I know good scenes are good, but the more we are seen, the less we get touched. Yes, that is ハイジ沖田ネロ[Heidi Okita Nello]. It could be also written as ハイジ起きた寝ろ[Heidi woke up, go to sleep].
Why Heidi Okita Nello? This is the broadcasted order of below series,
a. Heidi: Heidi, Girl of the Alps[アルプスの少女ハイジ(Jan 6th to Dec 29th, 1974)] This is absolutely nominated. The cliched scene is always クララが立った！[Kurara is standing up!] in episode 51. この手の番組では１００％紹介されます（苦笑）
b. Okita: Captain Okita Juzou in Space BattleshipYamato[宇宙戦艦ヤマト(Oct 6th, 1974 to Mar 30th, 1975)]. The cliched scene is that Okita dies just before he returns to the Earth. “Oh our earth…everything is nostalgic…” in episode 26.
c. Nello: Nello in A Dog of Flanders[フランダースの犬(Jan 5th to Dec 28th in 1975)]. Isn’t it obvious? The answer is, yes, when Nello dies with his beloved dog in front of the picture in episode 52. “Patrasche…I am tired…” The angels come down to take them to heaven.
Well, if I have to give some more examples, it would be みなしごハッチ[Honeybee Hutch(1970) when Hutch finally meets his mother. “Hutch!””MOOOOOOOOM”], or ベルサイユのバラ[The Rose of Versailles(1972), when Andrei dies.”Andrei! Don’t die! Please don’t leave me alone!”].
Thanks to this kind of program, I just know what happens at the climax in those series although I haven’t watched all of the episodes. Meanwhile some fans might despise this kind of program since it is too repetitive. Having said that, good anime is good no matter how many times we watch. In fact, when I come across some scenes of my favorite anime which I almost forgot with this kind of program, I feel like watching it from the beginning. So I just go to the rental shop…
By the way, don’t you think now is the right time to make this kind of program with the series which were aired 2000 onwards or something? この手の番組は腐るほど見たから飽きてんだよね。If it comes to pass, there are some scenes which I really feel have to be nominated. I gotta list it out quickly though I don’t give away any spoilers in case you haven’t watched.
1. Kamui in X movie. Nice bどうして…どうしてこんな事に…答えてくれぇッ！封真ーーーッ！！[Why…why has it become like this? Answer me, Fuma!!] もう独りで歩けない～時の風が強すぎて～♪
2. Nagisa Kaworu(渚カヲル) in Neon Genesis Evangelion. Episode 24. 好きってことさありがとう、シンジ君[Thanks, Shinji-kun]。
3. Kamio Misuzu(神尾美鈴) in Air. Episode 12. No need to explain, right? あの海～どこまでも～青かった～遠くまで～誰よりも～遠くに行っても ここからまた笑ってくれる～♪
4. Sawatari Makoto(沢渡真琴) in Kanon. Episode 10. あう～あう～(ToT)
5. Rolo(ロロ) in Code Geass R2. Episode 19. 兄さんは僕の…だから…！[Because bro is my…!]果たしてこの放送の後にルルロロに走った腐女子は何人いただr
That’s all I can think of now. 全部死ぬシーンじゃん！！But umm, it is too difficult. I want people to know these great series. But at the same time, I don’t want them to think those scenes are everything about it. So broadcasting just such a touching scene is a good thing? Ugh…I don’t really know.
[Intermission] オフ会にようこそ！Ⅱ[welcome to off-kai!]
Spring has come. Now it is a good time to see the cherry blossom, so that means a lot of travelers are coming to Japan from all over the world. It was around a year ago, I had an オフ会[off-kai] with the two young Singaporean boys who I made friends with on this blog. Time flies, it has been a year…
Now here came a new guest, and I had an オフ会 yesterday. This time the guest is from Germany. What I want to highlight is that she is actually a cosplayer! She and her friend are visiting Japan for sightseeing and…cosplaying.
We knew each other on the certain cosplayers’ forum last winter. When she told me she was going to Japan, I asked her to cosplay together. Hopefully, she was on it. Her name is Maria. マリア様がみｔShe is a great cosplayer because she can make her costumes and cut a wig herself. Meanwhile, she is learning a camera thing so she is good at taking a photo.
Yesterday, I met up with her in Akihabara to give her a quick tour. This is her first time coming to Japan, so I wanted her to enjoy this otaku town. She seemed to be surprised to see full-length dolls…while she told me about the cosplay events or the comic conventions in Germany. Those things she told me was really interesting because I had never heard how those otakish things actually are in Germany. It was a bit funny that we could share the same interests as a cosplayer.
So, I will cosplay with her tomorrow at Harumi Terminal where I had an Evangelion collaboration with my friend. This is going to be my second time to cosplay there. Anyway, we will do the same series. What is it? Yes, you will see it soon. Stay tuned!
俺達のコスプレに乞うご期待ッ！
派遣切り[hakengiri]
I don’t remember how many times I have heard this term so far. If there is God in this world, I really hope this stops. Before I start to explain this, I have to explain how this peculiar style of work is. I wonder if there is something like this out of Japan.
派遣[haken] means a temp staff, you can also say 派遣社員[haken shain]. They are from various agencies which handle temp staff, and come to work at a company which temporarily needs manpower. In order to be a haken, you just register at such an agent, and agents shall find a job for you. If you are willing to work there, you and the agent go to the company for an interview. And if you pass it, you will be able to work there. But here is a contract between you and the company, so basically it lasts only three months. If the company wants you to keep working, they will renew your contract. Otherwise, you have to quit.
Haken gets a salary per hour, and no bonus. Even though they have some insurance, it is not perfect. So haken shall be placed between full-time workers[正社員, seishain] and part-time[アルバイト, arubaito]. They are hired by each agency, so they don’t need to take any responsibility even if something happens to the company they work for. Which means they don’t have to work overtime[残業, zangyou] or on holidays[休日出勤, kyujitsu shukkin]. Haken’s hourly pay is almost from 1,200 yen to 1,800 yen. That depends. If a job requires some certain skills, the pay would be better. So in other words, your life as a haken depends on what kind of skill you have.
What is the difference between arubaito and haken? For one thing, it is hourly pay. Basically haken requires some special skills which regulars do not seem to have such as translation or something like that. So haken’s hourly pay is supposed to be higher than that of arubaito. But this has changed. More and more people who don’t have such a skill become a haken, so the hourly pay has become lower than before.
And because of the recession, most companies are not willing to hire full-time workers. So that is why they are willing to use haken since they don’t have to pay bonus or other expenses. Also, when something urgent happens to the company, all they have to do is dismiss haken. Nothing left. Yes, that is 派遣切り[hakengiri]. 切り[kiri] is a noun form of the verb 切る[kiru] which means to dismiss here.
Around last December, the economy became terribly bad. Since then I have heard 派遣切り happened eveywhere in Japan. So loads of haken had nowhere to go…But as I have said, if they had had some special skills, they wouldn’t have been dismissed. Or even if they got fired, they could be able to find a next job. Otherwise…その先に待っているものは…
Speaking of haken, there was an interesting TV drama named ハケンの品格[Quality of Haken]. This story follows a haken lady, Ohmae Haruko who works for the certain food company for 3 months. She is a professional haken, indeed possesses numerous skills, so that she is actually more superior than the regulars. The contract that she submits says she never works overtime or on holidays, never helps other departments, and never renews a contract. Since she is a great haken, this is granted. Otherwise it can’t be. No way.
She is not very nice to everybody else at the company although she is doing well. She doesn’t speak nor smile at all. Just typing very quickly. When it is 6 o’clock, she leaves. “I don’t want to be chained by a company,” that is what she says when her boss suggests she should renew the contract.
However, why is she always like this? Actually when she worked full-time for the bank, she used to be really nice. But she got fired because of the mergin…and she worked for the fish market next, but she got fired with no proper reason. So that is why she doesn’t trust “company.”
I really like Haruko, I sure love her. She is tsundere! If you want to know about haken, I shall recommend you this drama. Please check it out.
And one more thing I love, that is what she always says, ○○ですが、何か？[so-and-so desuga, nanika?] or blah blah blah, so what? This is something most otaku people say as well. Haruko is not an otaku, so I was a bit surprised. Yeah! So what? What’s wrong? It doesn’t matter to you. If someone blames you for some reason, shut them up!^^ Okay, I shall write down some examples…
a. オタクですが、何か？[I am an otaku, so what?]
b. 腐女子ですが、何か？[I am a fujoshi, so what?]
c. 私の恋人はリーシンクですが、何か？[Lee Shinku is my boyfriend, so what?]
d. ショタコンですが、何か？[I love shota, so what?]
See? No one would blame you anymore. So what would you say? Well, I definitely say
オトメンのコスプレイヤーですが、何か？[I am an otomen cosplayer, so what?]
Japanese words of anime fans, by anime fans, for anime fans 