Although very entertaining, Japanese media seems to be a lot more commercialized than even over-the-top American media. I realize that I may be desensitized to my own culture and I just don’t notice the level that American commercialism raises to, or maybe because I do come from another culture with the same sort of problem, I am more able to notice these flaws in Japan, even though they may not bother me as much in my own country. I often wonder how Japanese people feel when they come to America; do they also feel as though they are suffocated by mass marketing and commercialism?

Because J-pop idols are based mainly on appearance more than talent or singing ability, these idols also send a shock wave through the fashion world, and impressionable young people everywhere cling on to the stupidest of fashions simply because their idol wears it. At the time that Ayumi Hamasaki released the single called ‘Surreal’, she wore a leopard print outfit. Following this, the aftershock from the outfit became one of the hottest trends of that year. Every trendy girl seemed to have accessories that were designed with leopard print. The irony is that even though this person may wear these outfits for their concerts or music videos, you know they don’t wear this type of attire at home. They are just normal people like everyone else. Nevertheless, I guarantee that if Morning Musume started wearing underwear on their heads, every young person all the way up to Hokkaido would happily imitate them without questioning or pausing to think about what they are doing or trying to find their own unique style.

Porn manga, also known as hentai, is very common and many cultural observations can be made from these. In these manga, all fantasies are let loose in the most revolting ways and I can’t imagine how anyone but the sleaziest person could find these attractive in any sort of way. Many seem to be primarily demons or tentacle aliens raping schoolgirls, which makes me assume that although Japanese culture may be safe, the compensation for this safety are these manga which serve as their outlet for releasing all of their perverted aggressions.

It is also interesting to compare the different types of manga in Japan. They have all different kinds and even the pickiest person should be able to find something that they like. In America, comics usually involve superheroes with superpowers that save the world and are loved by all. Though they have that here too, but you can also find manga about the average person’s life and the trials that he faces everyday (Izawa, 2002).

Japanese humor also takes some getting used too. At first I though it was just me, but I’ve asked some of my friends here and they don’t seem to find it all that much amusing either. Considering that we don’t understand the language half the time, this could possibly detract a lot from the show and cause us to miss key lines that complete the joke. However, I do not think this is true as I have read other cases where even those who understand it entirely agree that eastern humor is far too immature and almost childish for their tastes.

I’ve already mentioned the money that is made through the music itself, but record labels can make even more of a killing off of band-related merchandise and clothing. As soon as a group releases a single or an album, you can be sure that countless products will soon follow. What amazes me is how utterly useless these products may be, and even though you can get the same exact item at 75% less people still buy the products up simply because of the group’s name on it. For example, a friend recently gave me various Morning Musume goods that they got for free from a friend who owns a music store. The price tags were outrageous! Five-hundred yen for a Morning Musume pencil box that looks as if it was worth, at most, one-hundred yen. This just goes to show the power that these people have.

If they do manage to gain superstar status, Japanese J-pop idols have an amazing amount of power over their fans, as you can see by observin

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