Well remember that Japan follows the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_law_(legal_system)]Civil Law[/url] way of enforcing things. That means - in fewest words possible - that the law is followed as written, and not interpreted by Judges like in the US and UK, whenever possible.
So if a rule says something in a straightforward manner, it’s pure hell to fight against it, because the rule is to be obeyed as written.
I had a Japanese foreign exchange student over the other day, who also happens to play eroge. He was surprised when I told him that selling porn without mosaics was illegal in Japan (note this discussion was somewhat complicated by his less than perfect English). Apparently he thought mosaics were added by companies simply because of tradition.
Actually, the “appeal” of a mosaiced image is more of a fetish that caters to a specific niche, as opposed to an actual “appeal” to those who purchase eroge/AV/h-anime/h-manga. Although most Japanese who view them are pretty much used to it, a good amount of those who enjoy adult titles would rather have the mosaic not exist at all. There are some who have a fetish for the mosaic, they tend to be few and far between–I have a handful of otaku friends in Japan, and none of them really like the fact that all their porn is mosaiced. Furthermore, R2 h-anime producers nowadays are highly reluctant to allow an R1 anime companies (such as Kitty Media) to release their titles outside of Japan thanks to fears of reverse importation–Since every hentai OVA released here has their mosaics removed, a lot of Japanese viewers would rather buy the demosaiced R1 DVDs over their censored R2 counterparts, which would then take sales away from the R2 companies.
Besides, why else would a lot of Japanese otaku spend exorbiant amounts of money on “demosaicing” glasses that never work?
Can you think of something Japanese otaku WOULDN’T spend exorbitant amounts of money on?
I don’t play my erogames for the ero (and, in fact, often skip the ero-scenes) so I couldn’t care less about them having pictures or not, and said pictures being mosaicked or not…
Dating?
[duck]
You pretty much hit the nail on the head.
Aah… now I know why some studios are still making uncensored Japanese porn, which is illegal to distribute in Japan. From eroge point of view, can we assume these otakus will be potential marketing target to JAST/PeaPri/G-Coll? At least for the download edition of the products?
http://www.japanator.com/bbc-writer-cal … 1570.phtml
It appears that dating is necessary for population maintenance.
There’s people on this board that have pretty much admitted to that.
Considering that the internet has basically nullified the odd censorship laws of Japan, why does the gov’t still insist on mandating this ridiculously outdated law? In the end it does far more harm to their own economy since many consumers will turn to the free uncensored porn on the internet in comparison to censored erotica. Well, I guess such stupidity shouldn’t be surprising. Europe has willingly crippled its own economy and the US is well on its way to being just as suicidal.
Anyway… Interesting article, even if the discussion was far more interesting than that article though.
Why do people always blame the nerds? But I just have to give my two cents on that issue… maybe it is the stupid belief by both sexes that wealth creates love that is one of the biggest issues facing modern society when it comes to relationships? Probably why I have such rotten luck. I want love, not a frakking bank account.
Give me poor and living with my lover in a cardboard box any day of the week. It beats living in a mansion with a gold digger simply leeching off your “vital” number.
Any minority group is blamed because they are an easy target, and nerds are no exception. Oh, and go ahead and say “fuck” if you want. We’re all adults here (unless someone is lying about their age), and can handle someone saying it.
Due to other boards, and BSG of course, I’ve gotten rather used to saying frak as much as fuck… and it just seems more elegant and “cultured”. I have to be a snob somehow you know.
One of the upshots of not linking to Sankaku Complex.
Anyway, not starting a family when you don’t have the financial security or time to do so seems like a good judgement call to me. I’d say the real problem is people who have children without the money or time to raise them, and then end up not properly providing for them or leeching off the government. That said, an aging population, combined with a low birth rate and virtually no immigration, could wreak havoc on Japan’s economy. Retirement is funded by the current work force. If the retiree population is growing, and the work force is shrinking…that’s a financial crisis in the making. If the government doesn’t at the very least loosen the restrictions on immigation, Japan is going to be screwed.
Well, the new DPJ majority in the diet has promised to ease immigration policies in Japan, so at least there’s some hope.
This nationalistic pride that decries a diminishing population completely confounds me, especially in over populated areas such as Japan. I mean, this earth is already severely over-populated but Japan alone is so far beyond saturation levels itself that you would think they would celebrate a shrinking population.
It is quite confusing.
I just explained why a shrinking population can be very detrimental–a growing retiree population coupled with a shrinking workforce is not sustainable. Euthanizing unproductive citizens generally isn’t considered acceptable in modern culture. Something has to give, and if it comes to that, it won’t be pretty. This isn’t about national pride. It’s about the future of Japan as an economic power. This is a very, very, serious issue facing Japan, which is why it’s getting a lot of attention.
Ahhh, money again… well, it’s an explanation.
Too bad people value money over truly important matters, but then civilisation has only ever been about two things: money and “status”. The reason why the world has never been able to rise above its miserable state.
You say that as if money weren’t important. There literally won’t be enough money to pay to maintain the infrastructure necessary to care for the soon-to-be elderly population of Japan. Their economy is not large enough to take the hit. Either they fix the birth rate now, or they allow immigration. They are unwilling to do either. (The birth rate is impacted by a number of features of their society they are unwilling to change, and they are unwilling to allow immigration either.)
If they do not, then what will happen is they will go broke. What does that mean? It means all the old people essentially get told “sorry, we can’t help you” and therefore they die off in droves. Their whole society will collapse
Money is only important to the systems civilisation has developed. In truth, money is insignificant and offers no true worth into life. It is merely another method by which society controls, labels, and rewards/punishes its members.
In the long run, if a society must collapse for money to finally fade into obscurity… well, I won’t be shedding too many tears. I’m tired of people putting a number next to my name and expecting me to give a shit. I don’t measure my life by my wallet.
You would if you had a life threatening condition and no insurance to cover the medical bill.