Life Imitating Art
                                  or
                    I Thought This Was Just A Movie

   Copyrighted October 6, 1992, by Curtis H. Hoffmann.
   Permission is granted to cross-post this file in whole to other
computer networks (in fact, I'd be very happy if someone would crosspost
this to Fido.)  This file may be re-printed in a fanzine or newsletter
as long as I'm notified, in exchange for a copy of the issue this
article appears in.  This article can not be altered, or re-printed in a
for-profit magazine, without permission.

   Maiko Covington once wrote a series of textfiles for R.A.A. that
described growing up in Japan, and life in high school.  A lot of that
information is embedded in many anime series and OAVs (from Ranma 1/2,
and KOR, to Project A-Ko and Battle Royal High School.  Since I've come
here in June 30, 1992, I've noticed a number of things that are integral to
Japanese life and culture that, if they haven't slipped into anime or
manga already, are bound to do so eventually.  Some of these traits are
so firmly ingrained, that they appear simply as a matter of course, and
not because the director consciously chose to do so.

                        --------------------------

   Sing-song voices:  Ryan Matthews asked about this, and I responded in
a different post.  Suffice it to say that nearly any voice you hear in
anime can be found on the train or subway.  Some girls really do seem to
be singing when they speak.  Stretching out "ha -- i," or "De -- su" in
a sentence to give it a sexy feeling is relatively common in these
cases.  This can be found most often with receptionists, and elevator
operators.

   Sou Desu Girls: Women still play a subservient role in Japanese
society, and this is commonly visible on TV, where the women on a game
show (or when they appear as panelists,) are there strictly as eye candy.
When any man says something, the girls (or attractive, scantily-clad
young women) will react as if the guy had been very witty and deep, by
replying with "Sou Desu Ne," in a properly impressed voice.  In these
cases, "Sou desu ne" has no real meaning.  But, because it's so common to
hear, they've become known as "Sou desu girls."
   During sports shows (and especially during the Olympics coverage,)
you'll have two or three guys acting as sports announcers, and they'll
reply with "Sou desu ne" to whatever their partners say, even more often
than "Sou desu girls" do.  Prompting me to call them "Sou desu boys."
Examples of this pop up in Yawara.

   Ho ho ho: When you watch a show, or read manga, and a female
character laughs out loud, you may notice that she covers her mouth and
the sound is "Ho ho ho."  In Japanese, certain sounds are used as verbs,
and "ho ho ho" is one such example of this ("ho ho ho suru" means to
laugh in a feminine way.)  Further, each kind of laughter conveys a certain
emotion (as it does in English.)  "Fu fu fu" normally is an evil laughter
coming from the villian.  Women laugh with "ho ho ho," which causes the
mouth to be open less than it will be with "Ha ha ha."  But opening the
mouth wide is still considered to be impolite, so she'll cover her mouth
with her hand or a fan at the same time.  Examples of this occur in nearly
every series ever made.

   Pachinko Parlors and vending machines: These are everywhere.  The
parlors have lots of neon and florescent lights, and are very noisy when
the doors are open.  In a business or entertainment district, you'll find
them every couple of blocks.  The addiction to pachinko gambling is the
same as for other forms in Las Vegas.  But the odds against you are worse,
and most parlors have some kind of links to the yakusa.  The only sight
more common than a parlor is a vending machine
   You can not gamble for money, so you cash in your balls for some kind
of trinket or candy bar, which you then take to an office next door to
trade in for cash.  Pachinko machines can be set to change the odds of
winning.  Usually, the odds of losing are very high, but when a parlor
brings in new machines (happens a couple of times a year, I'm told,) it
will have a "grand opening day" and a number of machines will be set to
improve your odds.  So, the best time to play is when a parlor has one
of these special days.
   The odd thing is that pachinko parlors don't appear often, unless
it's in a manga story running in a magazine dedicated to pachinko players.
However, they do show up consistently in the _Maison Ikkoku_ and
_Cooking Papa_ anime, and to some extent in other manga.
   Vending machines can be found in the oddest places, and are usually
only on the streets, 50 feet apart.  They sell everything, from soda,
cigarettes, and cup ramen, to disposable cameras (found at tourist sites,)
kilo bags of rice, dirty magazines, and condoms.  Just about the only thing
you CAN'T buy from a vending machine is candy.  With the recent attempts
to import frozen sushi into Japan, we may expect to see sushi vending
machines in the next couple of years.
   Most anime doesn't show vending machines much, partially because it's
the same thing as product endorsement (but you can still find them in
Assemble Insert, and Video Girl Ai.)

   Conversation houses: These are an odd feature of Japan, and I haven't
seen them used in anime or manga yet (but just give it time.)
Basically, many Japanese have learned some form of English in high
school, but this is just a matter of memorizing words, and NOT
understanding the language itself.  (Which is why you'll see animators
making so many spelling errors in their background signs.)  So, the only
option is to find gaijin to practice on, which is kind of difficult,
especially because the Japanese are shy, and afraid of being embarrassed.
However, in a conversation house, the gaijin are mainly there to talk to
the Japanese, and vice versa.  Gaijin are admitted free (to lure them
inside,) and the Japanese have to pay about 1000 yen each per night.
(1500 yen at Mickey House, the one I frequent.)  Coffee and tea are free,
beer and soft drinks cost more than if you bought them from a vending
machine, but less than if you were in a bar.
   These are great places to meet unusual people (both foreigner and
native) if you happen to have the time, but most are open only from 6:00
PM to 11:00 PM, and you'll only find them in the bigger cities.

   Drinking and Smoking:  I don't need to say much about this.  Most
older people don't smoke as much as those between ages 15 and 40.  You
can find salespeople giving out free cigarette samples in front of
department stores in Tokyo -- to school kids as well as to adults.
Nearly everyone in the above age range smokes in Tokyo (from what I've
seen,) including most women.  Many are chain smokers.
   Drinking is considered a form of bonding, both between groups of men
and of women.  One person will be designated the official drunk for the
evening, and the rest of the group will pour alcohol (normally beer)
down the guy's throat until he or she passes out.  Then the rest of the
drunken group will try to drag their friend home -- stopping
occasionally to either piss against a wall on the street, or to throw up
on the sidewalk.
   Smoking appears much more often in anime than drinking, but both
are shown often in Maison Ikkoku.

   Rigged News Interviews: Simply put, someone will be stopped on the
street, given a script to memorize, and when the camera rolls, will be
asked to "voice their opinion" on some subject.  Afterwards, the person
will be thanked, and given a present and sent on their way so that the
crew can find the next "man on the street" to question.
   Several scandals involving rigged "investigative reports" have
surfaced recently, and I've received second-hand stories about people
that have gone through this themselves.
   When you watch a show where a news reporter is on the street and her
(usually a her) interview is blown, keep this in mind.  She acts just
like a carefully rehearsed operation has to be re-shot.

   School uniforms: Maiko Covington described the life of a schoolkid in
Japan, in great detail, and is an excellent source of additional
information.  Some of that info deals with the wearing of school
uniforms, which is something nearly every kid has to do here.  School
life is very regimented, and often can become insane (Ranma 1/2 contains
more real-life examples than you may expect.)  Every school uniform suit
and dress you see in manga and anime can be found on the trains, on the
city streets, and in stores.
   The most popular outfits in manga and anime right now are:  For boys
-- the dark blue (or black) quasi-military jackets and pants, with a
lighter-colored shirt underneath; the high, stiff collar, and
gold-colored buttons.  For girls -- the sailor dress (either in white
with blue trim, or blue with white trim.  Refer to Rokodenashi Blues for
examples of the boys' outfits, and Sailor Moon for that of the girls.

   Odd-colored hair: This isn't as common in real life as it is in
anime, but just go to Yoyogi Park on a Sunday, and you'll see some hair
styles that are wilder than many of those in your favorite TV series or
OAV.  Usually, it's high school and college kids, but some women have
dyed brown, or bleached white hair.  The sculpted style of the punk high
school mangas are common in real life even for young businessmen.

   Faces: Normally, you'd expect a wide variety of faces in real life,
and that's what you'll find in Tokyo (even if you don't include gaijin.)
Of course, that variety is lacking in anime.  But, the important thing
to notice is what happens when an anime character is drawn in 3/4
profile.  Sometimes (and I've noticed this in Omoide Poroporo,) the face
will appear distorted, with more of the far-side eye and cheekbone
showing than one would expect.  Thing is, the anime representation is
actually correct in this situation.
   Certain Asian races have flatter, broader faces than Caucasians do.
Therefore, their 3/4 profile will show more of the far-side of the face
than you may be used to.

   Trains and Subways: The most common ways of going from point A to
point B (not counting walking and riding a bike.)  Everyone in Japan is
familiar with the insides of a train station.  So when you see a train
station, or people waiting on a platform, in a manga, keep in mind that
a lot of one's time is spent in Tokyo doing just this.  The movie
_Omoide Poroporo_ has some FANTASTIC scenes involving the insides of
trains and stations that are exactly what you'd find in real life.
   Train tickets can get expensive, and it is a lot more cool to have a
rail card (like a phone card, but used for buying tickets.)  You
don't see this cropping up as often in manga or anime, but just wait.

   Phone cards: Most R.A.A. readers will be familiar with the credit
card-sized magnetic card with a picture on one side.  It's used for
making phone calls, rather than using 10 yen coins.  Animate Shops in
Japan also have collectors cards featuring some great artwork from
Ranma 1/2, 3x3 Eyes, Patlabor, and nearly everything else.
   One result of this type of technology is the fact that these kinds of
cards are also being used for buying train tickets, and a couple of
other things.  Japan does not yet use credit cards much, but machine
cards are showing up in odd places.  You'll see them in manga and anime
pretty soon, too.

   Manga and Anime: These two forms of entertainment are so
all-pervasive as to become self-referential: you'll often see characters
reading manga in the manga, and (with Project A-Ko) characters in anime
going into a theater to watch an animated movie.  It's even gotten to
the point where references appear in other forms, like when a character
in Twinkle^2 Idol Star is shown wearing a Sailor Moon t-shirt.

   Kiosks: In and around most train stations, you'll see little kiosk
shops selling bento box lunches, manga, snacks, and beverages (like Calpis
Soda, Aquarius Neo, and Pocarri Sweat.)  If a manga or anime contains a
sequence on a train platform, chances are you'll see at least one of
these kiosks.

   Walkmans; Nearly EVERYONE in Tokyo will walk around wearing little
earplug speakers and listening to a walkman.  It becomes a habit to put
in the earplugs before you put on your shoes to go outside, and it's so
common that when the closing credits for Dragon Ball start running, you
may not motice that Buluma is wearing a set while gazing out the window
into the rain.

   Rain: During the spring and fall, is the rainy season.  This can
stretch on for weeks, without a stop, and has entered the deepest part
of the Japanese psyche.  So much so that rain itself is often used as a
plot element.  When a major character dies in anime, the skies will open
up in a downpour as a symbol for peoples' sadness and sense of loss.
_Borgman: Lover's Rain_ carries this concept a step further.

   Trash: Tokyo is a filthy place.  Garbage is tossed into the street,
trash bins are filled to overflowing, and uncollected garbage bags can
sit in front of houses for several days on end.  Garbage also includes:
discarded bicycles, working electronics (tossed simply because the owner
bought a newer model,) and used manga phonebooks.  This is one element
of Tokyo society that doesn't appear much in anime or manga (although
it's hinted at in _Akira_.  However, one side-effect of this is that any
commuter that doesn't want to buy a copy of a manga phonebook can simply
wait to find it either on the overhead carrier racks on the train, or in
the trash bins on the platform or in the station itself.  And anyone too
cheap to buy something, stands a good chance of stumbling across it in
the trash behind an apartment building (this way, a character could
furnish his entire apartment without spending a cent.)
   Examples: none.

   People and housing: Tokyo is a crowded place, and most people stay in
apartments (often sharing them with friends or family) rather than
living in houses.  Yet most anime and manga characters living in Japan
have their own houses (or like in Video Girl Ai,) live alone in a HUGE
apartment with lots of expensive electronics.  Usually, this is just a
case of wishfulfillment on the parts of the directors and audience.
Most stories with an urban setting have examples of this.

- Curtis H. Hoffmann
  Oct. 10, 1992