American 〇〇 is weird

American jokes

American dogs

Ame-kaji

"Never heard of these!" — by someone who grew up in America

Kevin’s English Room, known for often sharing interesting topics about America, has once again brought up a fun discussion I’d like to feature on Newgrounds. The topic is: “Are things labeled ‘American 〇〇’ in Japan actually American?”

In Japan, there are many products commonly referred to as “American 〇〇,” believed to originate from the United States. In this video, Kake (the blond man on the right, a beginner at English) and Yama (the airheaded guy on the left, with intermediate English skills) each bring examples of such items and ask Kevin (the guy in the center with glasses, born and raised in America) for his thoughts.

In this article, I will translate into English the Japanese content discussed in the video and add my own comments (by Precip.24) to each topic introduced.

1. American Dog (アメリカンドッグ)

Yama: “There's no doubt about this one.”

Kake: “The American Dog is the most familiar ‘American’ thing we have.”

Yama: “Plus, you see it in America, and it exists there too.”

Kevin: “This is not American!”

Kake: “Huh?! But American Dog is American, right?”

Kevin: “That thing isn’t called ‘American Dog’ in America. It’s called a corn dog.”

Kake: “Same thing.”

Kevin: “I’d rather you not call it ‘American Dog’.”

Kake: “You’d rather we didn’t? LOL”

Kevin: “You guys should just call it corn dog.”

Kake: “Why not just keep it as it is? It fits America, and we saw it in America, so it’s an American Dog.”

Kevin: “That kind of careless naming really bothers me the most.”

Kake: “So it did bother you.”

Kevin: “I really want people to call it by its real name: corn dog.”

Kake: “So ‘corn dog’ is the real name.”

Kevin: “Exactly. And honestly, it’s not even something that represents America.”

Yama: “LOL”

Kake: “You’re mad about that too, huh?”

Kevin: “Yeah. There are way more foods that represent America better.”

Kake: “The corn dog is more like a side character.”

Kevin: “Yeah… It’s tasty, but it’s definitely not one of the foods that defines America.”

[Comment]

From my personal experience, ironically, the place where I see “American Dogs” the most is at Japan’s iconic summer festival, Natsumatsuri (夏祭り; a festival that honors ancestral spirits, kind of like a Japanese version of Halloween or Día de los Muertos). That famous image of anime characters in yukata watching fireworks comes from this festival.

That aside, I honestly think it’s the tastiest way to eat a sausage, aside from just putting it in a bun. The combination of ketchup and mustard is unbeatable, and for a while after getting hooked on that flavor, I started putting ketchup and mustard on almost everything I ate.

2. American Shorthair (アメリカンショートヘア, アメショー)

Kake: “Does that mean a short-haired cat from America?”

Yama: “It must be a breed that originated in America.”

Kevin: “Mind if I look this up real quick?”

Kake: “Go right ahead.”

(A few minutes later)

Kevin: “This one is American!”

Yama & Kake: “HOOO!”

Kevin: “Apparently, it’s even called ‘American Shorthair’ in America.”

Yama: “So they use the same name over there too.”

Kevin: “Looks like it.”

Yama: “I thought maybe Americans just called it ‘Shorthair’ or something.”

Kevin: “Seems like it’s a breed that’s specifically marketed as being bred within the U.S.”

Kake: “Huh, interesting.”

Kevin: “Its ancestors were cats from Europe, but the breed was developed independently in America, so they gave it the distinct name ‘American Shorthair’.”

Kake: “So it’s to distinguish it from other types of shorthairs.”

[Comment]

As Kevin mentioned, the American Shorthair is a breed with a history of being bred within the U.S. Interestingly, it was once called “Domestic Shorthair,” but that name had such a bad reputation that they eventually changed it to “American Shorthair.” Why exactly “Domestic Shorthair” was considered so unappealing… well, I’m not really sure.

Also, personally, I really like the American Curl — a breed known for its ears that curl outward. I’ve seen my own cat’s ears flop like that after sleeping in a weird position, but with the American Curl, they’re always like that, which is super cute!

There’s also a breed called the Scottish Fold, where the ears fold inward instead... sorry, I just really love cats. I could talk about them forever and never get bored.

3. The American Dream (アメリカンドリーム)

Kevin: “Okay, okay, okay, okay.”

Yama: “This is the very definition of ‘American,’ right?”

Kake: “Tons of people even go to America chasing this. If this doesn’t count as American, a lot of people’s dreams will be crushed.”

Yama: “I feel like I hear it a lot in movies too.”

Kevin: “This is American!”

Kake: “Yes!”

Kevin: “Even Americans say it all the time.”

Kake: “Really?”

Kevin: “‘The American Dream’ is used to mean that anyone has the chance to achieve great success. I guess it means the same in Japan too, but in America it carries that same idea.”

Kake: “It’s like the phrase was born from that culture or environment in America, where you can make a dramatic comeback in life.”

Kevin: “Exactly. A lot of immigrants come to the U.S. saying they’re chasing the American Dream.”

Kake: “I see.”

Kevin: “This one is definitely ‘American.’”

[Comment]

The American Dream… For me, it might be a little different from the motivations Kevin mentioned, like those of immigrants. I’m extremely socially anxious and live with constant loneliness, rarely interacting with others.

Even if 95% of that comes from my own personality, I sometimes wonder if the remaining 5% stems from the overly sanitized and hyper-systematized nature of Japanese society — a society where it’s entirely possible to go an entire day without speaking to anyone and still get by just fine.

For example, a friend once told me about how in America, just playing a mobile game at a bus stop was enough for a random old man next to him to ask what he was playing — people are that friendly.

And when I hear stories like that, I start to think it might be almost impossible to live in America without speaking to someone at all.

But at the same time, I also wonder if being in that kind of environment — even if the language barrier might be tough — could actually correct parts of my personality.

And that… is my American Dream.

4. American Coffee (アメリカンコーヒー)

Kake: “You often see ‘American Coffee’ on café menus.”

Yama: “Yeah, it's listed right there.”

Kake: “Blend coffee, American coffee, and… espresso or something like that.”

Kevin: “This one’s a tough call… but it is not American!”

Kake: “What?! No good? So it's not actually American coffee?”

Kevin: “You Japanese folks think ‘American coffee’ just means ‘weaker coffee,’ right?”

Yama: “Yeah, that’s the general image in cafés.”

Kevin: “And maybe you also imagine it's made with more lightly roasted beans, right?”

Kake: “Ahh, I see.”

Kevin: “Well, in America we do have a coffee called ‘Americano.’ I think that’s what you guys are referring to.”

Kake: “Yeah, I’ve heard of ‘Americano.’”

Kevin: “Right, Japan has Americanos too. That’s the one where you dilute espresso with hot water. But see, Japan has both Americano and American coffee. If the Japanese Americano is the same as the American Americano, then… what exactly is Japanese American coffee? If you're calling the kind of coffee Americans typically drink ‘American coffee,’ then that’s actually not accurate.”

Kake: “Ah, I get it now… So, what do Americans typically drink, then?”

Kevin: “If I had to say… just coffee.”

Kake & Yama: “LOL”

Kevin: “Black coffee.”

Kake: “I see, I see, got it. So it’s not light roast or watered-down — coffee is just coffee.”

Kevin: “Exactly!”

Yama: “And actually, Americano is usually made with dark roast, too.”

Kevin: “That’s right.”

Kake: “So then why is it called ‘American coffee’ here?”

(A few minutes later)

Yama: “According to what I found, apparently someone once saw an American actor chugging a big mug of coffee in an old movie, and they assumed, ‘It must be weak if he can drink that much at once.’ That’s how the term started.”

Kake: “Wait, what kind of reasoning is that?”

Kevin: “Then it’s even more unacceptable. I can’t allow something to be called ‘American’ based on that logic. Also, the reason that person could chug it like that was probably just because it was really sweet. Americans put tons of sugar and milk in their coffee.”

Yama: “So what if we call coffee loaded with sugar and milk ‘American coffee’?”

Kevin: “I’d be more okay with that. That at least makes some sense.”

[Comment]

There are people in America like L from Death Note! Well, that’s just a personal opinion, of course. Ultimately, the best coffee is the one you enjoy the most.

By the way, I only drink black coffee. (It’s funny how coffee with just sugar is still black in color, yet “black coffee” specifically refers to plain, unsweetened coffee!)

Interestingly, milk only started becoming common in Japan about 100 years ago, and there are even theories that the Japanese body isn’t naturally built to process it as a nutrient. As a Japanese person, my dislike of milk makes some sense — though in my case, it might just be due to a mental block that says, “Let bitter coffee stay bitter.” As proof of that, I prefer tea the more bitter it is, too.

Also, one tip for people visiting Japan: when you see the word “tea” (茶) here, it usually refers to non-sweetened tea by default. Just as bitter coffee is the norm in America, bitter tea is the standard in Japan. If you’re looking for the kind of tea that’s popular in the U.S. or U.K., you’ll need to ask for “koucha” (紅茶).

5. "American" (Pizza Menu Item)

Kake: “On the Domino's Pizza menu, there's a pizza called ‘American,’ right?”

Yama: “What kind is that again?”

(A few minutes later)

Kevin: “Found it!”

Yama: “This one!”

Kake: “‘Pepperoni and tomato sauce’...”

Kevin: “Ohhh! This one! Yeah, this is ‘American.’”

Kake & Yama: “Nice!”

Kevin: “Calling this ‘American’ is a beautiful thing.”

Kake: “Beautiful? LOL”

Kevin: “It’s excellent.”

Kake: “Quite the opposite of the American corn dog situation.”

Kevin: “In America, the number one king of delivery pizza is the pepperoni pizza.”

Kake: “Really?”

Kevin: “It’s no exaggeration to say it’s the symbol of delivery pizza. So calling this one ‘American’ is totally acceptable.”

Yama: “Do Americans actually call this pizza ‘American’?”

Kevin: “Well, since it already has the name ‘pepperoni pizza,’ not really. You wouldn’t order it by saying ‘I’ll have the American,’ either.”

Kake: “Maybe the reason ‘pepperoni pizza’ isn't as well-known in Japan is because we just call it ‘American.’”

Kevin: “That could be.”

Kake: “That’s probably why we didn’t recognize the name ‘pepperoni pizza’ right away.”

Yama: “We always think of it as ‘salami.’”

Kevin: “LOL. That’s actually kind of a serious issue.”

Kake: “I always thought it was ‘karupasu’ (dry sausage snack)! LOL”

Kevin: “LOL, oh man, that is serious! Listen — this is ‘pepperoni pizza!’ If the name ‘American’ is overshadowing the proper name ‘pepperoni pizza,’ that’s kind of a problem.”

Yama & Kake: “LOL”

Kake: “But you’re okay with Japanese people calling it ‘American’?”

Kevin: “I think… that’s very ‘American’ of them.”

[Comment]

In my whole life, I’ve only once had a pizza topped with shrimp, crab, and scallops, all cooked in olive oil — it was so incredibly delicious that I’ve been quietly looking for that same flavor ever since, but haven’t found it again.

Also… pineapple pizza — I don’t see that much anymore either...

That said, if I were to draw a girl eating pizza right now, the first image that would come to mind would probably be pepperoni pizza. This might be a bit niche, but in Project Itoh’s novel Genocidal Organ, the protagonist was deeply in love with pizza — and I’d bet the kind he loved was pepperoni.

6. American Comics (アメコミ (amekomi))

Yama: “There’s Marvel and a bunch of others — those are ‘American comics,’ right?”

Kevin: “That’s right — they are American.”

Yama: “Oh, good to know!”

Kevin: “In America too, Japanese manga and anime have become pretty well-known. As their counterpart, terms like ‘comic books’ or ‘cartoons’ are used. There's a clear distinction in how we use them.”

Kake: “So they're not seen as the same thing?”

Kevin: “Exactly. So as an American, I can accept the logic of putting ‘American’ in front of something made in the U.S. We don’t usually call them ‘American comics’ ourselves — we just say ‘comic books’ — but if the idea is to recognize their unique identity, then I’d say it’s more or less acceptable.”

[Comment]

These days, there are more and more works that blur the lines between American and Japanese styles. For example, some works made in Japan have an American comic feel (like Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt), while others are made in the U.S. but look like they came straight out of Japan (like PUNCH PUNCH FOREVER!). Even when it's not that extreme, there are lots of works that incorporate elements of American cartoons or Japanese animation techniques in more subtle ways — and I think that kind of cultural exchange is really exciting and fun to see.

Also, I’ve come to realize lately that just because something is in English doesn’t necessarily mean it’s American. A good example of that is the game MiSide.

7. American Cars (アメ車 (Ame-sha))

Kevin: “Somehow, they give off a kind of ‘classic car’ vibe, don’t they?”

Yama: “They’re definitely American cars, though. I’ve heard that real enthusiasts even go out of their way to import them from the U.S.”

Kevin: “But! These aren’t ‘American’!”

Kake: “Wait, what? But they’re American cars, right?”

Kevin: “You hardly even see cars like these in America anymore. These days, when you think ‘American-made cars,’ you think Tesla.”

Kake & Yama: LOL

Kevin: “I’m serious — Tesla all the way.”

Yama: “So modern American cars are Tesla now.”

Kevin: “Yeah, Teslas… and for some reason, also Toyota.”

Kake: “So American cars nowadays mean Tesla and Toyota? LOL”

Kevin: “That’s basically all you see on the streets — Teslas and Toyotas.”

Kake & Yama: LOL

Kevin: “Seeing a car like this, you wouldn’t think, ‘Oh, it’s so American!’”

Kake: “Too old-fashioned?”

Kevin: “Way too old. It’s ‘vintage.’ If you call it ‘vintage,’ then maybe it fits.”

Yama: “Ah, so it’s a vintage car.”

Kake: “Come to think of it, Japanese people don’t usually look at a Tesla and think, ‘That’s an American car!’”

Yama: “Yeah, it doesn’t feel like an American car.”

Kevin: “Still, calling these big, bulky cars ‘American cars’ isn’t totally wrong either.”

Kake: “Like Land Cruisers and stuff?”

Yama: “With smoked windows, blasting hip-hop.”

Kevin: LOL

[Comment]

You might already know this, but there's a Universal Studios in Japan, and inside USJ there’s a spot that looks like it was taken straight out of Pulp Fiction — the kind of retro restaurant scene you'd expect from the film. Parked there are lots of “American cars” — or more accurately, vintage cars — and I remember peeking inside and being fascinated by the bench-style seats that weren’t split down the middle, and old-school audio systems that I had no idea how to use. It all felt really charming.

Even though Kevin says what he does, games made in America like GTA still constantly feature these kinds of “American cars.” I imagine that’s why a lot of people develop a love for them in the first place.

8. American Football (アメリカンフットボール, アメフト)

Kevin: “This is definitely ‘American’!”

Kake: “Oooh!”

Kevin: “There’s nothing weird about calling it that. Even Americans say ‘American football.’”

Kake: “So that’s what it’s called even in the U.S.?”

Kevin: “Well, technically, a lot of people just say ‘football.’ But then again, there’s also the idea that football means soccer, right?”

Yama: “That’s not just an idea — that’s a fact.”

Kevin: LOL “There are definitely people like you in the U.S. too.”

Kake: “Ah, I see. The sports purists.”

Yama: “Think about it — it’s called foot and ball, right?”

Kake: “So there are people in the U.S. like Yama, huh?”

Yama: “I mean, it literally says foot and ball.”

Kevin: “...Yeah, and there are plenty of people in America who say that too.”

Yama: “It’s not that people like me exist — I’m the majority, aren’t I?”

Kevin: “...Which is why calling it ‘American football’ causes less conflict.”

Yama: “Exactly. That’s how the world should be.”

Kake: “Because of people like Yama.”

Kevin: “Exactly.”

Yama: “American football doesn’t even use feet that much!”

Kevin: “I get what you’re saying. The players mostly run around holding the ball.”

Yama: “I still can’t accept calling that ‘football’.”

Kake: “You're such a hardliner. LOL”

[Comment]

I really don’t know much about sports at all, but now that I think about it, I am starting to wonder why it’s even called that. …And wait, isn’t there another sport that’s similar to football? What was the difference again…?

By the way, in German, they do call soccer “Fußball,” which is basically the German version of “football.” And it’s kind of a classic moment for German learners when they first encounter that weird-looking letter “ß.” It’s like a rite of passage.

…Sorry, I don’t know nearly enough about sports to contribute anything more useful than that…

9. Ame-kaji (American Casual??)

(Examples of "Ame-kaji (アメカジ)" fashion)

Kake: “Does that mean ‘American casual’?”

Kevin: “It’s not American! Like... no one this fashionable exists in America!”

Kake & Yama: “LOL”

Yama: “Isn’t it just casual clothing in America?”

Kake: “Like wearing a leather jacket and all?”

Kevin: “American casual is more like this, right?”

Kake: “Don’t image search ‘Walmart customer‘! LOL”

Yama: “Stop that. Don’t look at Walmart customers like that.”

Kevin: “And the sizing is all wrong.”

Kake: “It looks like someone wearing a ridiculously long T-shirt and jeans... That’s the real ‘Ame-kaji.’”

Kevin: “There are some overlapping elements. Jeans with a T-shirt, or jeans with a hoodie—Americans wear those a lot... but Japanese ‘Ame-kaji’ as a genre is just too stylish.”

Kake: “So you're saying Japanese ‘Ame-kaji’ is holding onto some fantasy?”

Kevin: “Exactly. Way too fashionable.”

Yama: “Like rainbow-colored hoodies and bling.”

Kake: “And you have to wash them like 200 times before wearing them.”

Kevin & Yama: “LOL”

Kake: “Is the term ‘American casual’ even used in America?”

Kevin: “Nope. The phrase doesn’t even exist.”

Kake: “Then what is that stuff in Japan? What were people even looking at? Maybe fashion from old American magazines?”

Kevin: “It’s probably a genre based on something like, ‘This is what Hollywood stars would wear.’”

Yama: “There are stylish people in America, though, right?”

Kevin: “Yeah... a few.”

Yama: “LOL I guess the images of those people are what got imported to Japan.”

Kake: “So most people aren’t fashionable?”

Kevin: “They’re not fashionable!”

Kake: “So most people are Walmart customers.”

Kevin: “LOL Exactly. That’s the Walmart style.”

Kake: “Walmart casual.”

Yama & Kevin: “LOL”

[Comment]

Things like calling glasses “eyewear,” or introducing the concepts of “innerwear” and “outerwear”—the fashion world really has a tendency to invent new language constantly.

When I searched for the term “Ame-kaji,” I did find tons of images of Japanese people wearing clothes that do look like you might see them on the West Coast or East Coast of the U.S. LOL. Exactly—like wearing a jacket made of denim too, looking like they’re about to hop on a Harley-Davidson at any moment. That kind of fashion.

10. Sauce Américaine (アメリケーヌソース)

Kake: “What is sauce Américaine, anyway?”

Yama: “Apparently it’s that orange-colored sauce made from crushed shrimp shells and stuff.”

Kake: “And that’s what they call sauce Américaine?”

Yama: “Yeah, it seems like it’s a term from French cuisine.”

Kevin: “This is… uh, let’s just say they generously interpreted it as ‘American.’”

Kake: “‘Generously interpreted’?”

Kevin: “It’s a French word, right? As you can tell, America and Japan are fighting right now! ...Honestly, I don’t really get what’s going on with France.”

Yama: “LOL”

Kevin: “So even in France, there’s a flavor called ‘American’?”

Yama: “Apparently so.”

Kevin: “Technically, the phrase sauce Américaine exists in the U.S. too, so I guess calling it ‘American’ is okay... But the phrase ‘American Sauce’ doesn’t actually exist, which is kind of a problem.”

Kake: “So when you hear American Sauce, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?”

Kevin: “Barbecue sauce.”

Kake & Yama: “LOL”

Kake: “You’d never think it was this orange shrimp-shell sauce, right?”

Kevin: “Not at all. Also, ketchup and mustard—those might come to mind as ‘American sauce,’ too.”

Kake: “That makes sense.”

Kevin: “Honestly, this term feels like it could start a bar brawl, so I’d rather not comment on it too much.”

Kake: “LOL”

[Comment]

Oh! The classic combo of ketchup and mustard, perfect for an “American Dog” (or rather, corn dog), made its appearance! At least for Japanese people, that flavor pairing is deeply ingrained as the taste of “America.”

I'm originally from Kansai (western Japan), and the representative sauce of western Japan is Worcestershire sauce (yes... from England). If you order food in Osaka, chances are high that it’ll come slathered in this sauce—so if you’re planning a trip to Japan, you might want to prepare for that in advance.

There’s even this dish called omusoba (オムソバ)—noodles seasoned with Worcestershire sauce, wrapped in an omelet, then topped with ketchup and mustard. The result is a dish with no clear nationality, but to me, it’s the taste of home.

The sauces that represent different hometowns—now that would be a fun topic to research someday.

11. American Jokes (アメリカンジョーク)

Kake: “Japanese people might actually be the ones who use this the most.”

Yama: “You mean those jokes that aren’t really funny.”

Kake: “The kind that totally flop, but then someone goes, ‘That was an American joke,’ to cover it up.”

Kevin: “This is the least American of all!”

Kake & Yama: “LOL”

Kevin: “This is the one phrase I wish would go extinct!”

Kake & Yama: “LOL”

Kevin: “You heard it just now, right? Someone says something unfunny, then hides behind, ‘It was an American joke!’ The most frustrating thing is how that’s created this false belief that Americans have a culture of dodging with bad jokes like that.”

Kake: “So you’re saying there’s never been a time when a Japanese ‘American joke’ was actually an American joke?”

Kevin: “Never. Not even once. The comedy cultures are just completely different. In Japan, it’s all about setups and punchlines—‘boke and tsukkomi’—and storytelling with a twist at the end. In the U.S., the main style is stand-up comedy.”

Kake: “You mean the kind where they talk directly to the audience?”

Kevin: “Yeah, and there’s a lot of sarcastic back-and-forth. That’s what stand-up is. If people in Japan called that ‘American,’ I could understand. But they never use the term ‘American joke’ to describe that kind of humor.”

Kake: “Yeah, true. They really don’t.”

Kevin: “So, total rejection.”

Kake: “So ‘American joke’ never existed. What Japanese people are calling that is just ‘bad jokes,’ right?”

Kevin: “Exactly.”

Kake: “It’s like someone who’s obsessed with Western culture says something unfunny, and that’s it.”

Kevin: “And then they blame America for it! That’s the worst part!”

Kake: “Yeah, that’s kinda rough...”

Kevin: “Then people end up thinking, ‘American comedy must be super lame.’”

Kake: “Maybe that idea came from American comedy movies? Sometimes the translation makes things confusing.”

Kevin: “Like Full House and stuff.”

Kake: “Yeah, those shows don’t always come across well in translation. That might be part of it.”

Kevin: “And then there’s all that wordplay that only works in English.”

Kake: “So when it’s dubbed into Japanese, it ends up looking like people are laughing at moments that aren’t even funny.”

Yama: “There are also those riddle-style jokes, like, ‘Lincoln cut down a cherry tree, but his father forgave him. Why do you think that is?’”

Kevin: “Oh yeah, that kind of thing.”

Yama: “That might’ve shaped Japanese people’s image of ‘American jokes’ too, don’t you think?”

Kevin: “Stuff like knock-knock jokes—now those are definitely American.”

Kake: “But overall, it’s like the term got slapped onto jokes that don’t even deserve a name.”

Kevin: “And considering how it’s being used now, I say—rejected.”

[Comment]

One of the biggest side effects of learning English was that I lost the ability to purely enjoy content from that country. Whether it’s dubbed or subtitled, I start picking up on slightly off-sounding phrases and wonder what the original expression was, or what kind of linguistic acrobatics the translator had to perform to make it work. …And because of that, I’ve lost the innocent enjoyment I used to feel when English was still an unknown language to me.

Speaking of which—do you remember the joke Nick told the sloth in Zootopia? Did you find it funny? …Actually, never mind. Even as an English learner, I could understand almost 100% of what he said.

By the way, while they’re not quite at “American joke” level, I’ve always loved that quirky tone you find in American-authored textbooks. Like, in the Flight Simulator manual, there was a line that said:

“Now, the controller you’re talking to is hoping you’ll land your aircraft on the runway—not in the cornfield out front.”

I burst out laughing at that—and that style stuck with me. I feel like it’s influenced how I write articles like this now. That said, based on past experience… most people don’t really find my writing all that funny LOL Still, even if my sense of humor doesn’t land, I hope it at least comes across that I’m trying hard to entertain you.

And someday… I’d love to ask for a native writer who can craft “funny English” and create a brand new visual novel together.

12. Amerika-mura (A Shopping District in Osaka)

Kake: “Amerika-mura is basically the go-to hangout spot for Japanese people now.”

Kevin: “Rejected.”

Kake: “LOL”

Kevin: “On the contrary, could someone please explain to me what exactly is supposed to be ‘American’ about it? I came across this blog post recommending spots in the area, and the first thing it suggested was… takoyaki.”

Kake: “LOL”

Kevin: “Then came omelets. After that, katsu curry.”

Kake: “That’s all just yōshoku (Western-style food)!”

Kevin: “Next on the list—an ice dog?”

Kake: “Hey, see? There’s a ‘dog’ in there!”

Kevin: “There’s no such thing as an ice dog in America!! What even is an ice dog?!”

Kake & Yama: “LOL”

Kake: “Why is it called Amerika-mura in the first place?”

Yama: “Well, a lot of the vintage clothing shops there sell ‘Ame-kaji’ (American casual) wear, right?”

Kake: “Ahh, that’s probably it!”

Kevin: “Still rejected!”

Kake: “And sometimes you even see fake Mickeys walking around…”

Kevin: “At first glance, there’s absolutely nothing ‘American’ about it. Not a single thing about those pictures makes me feel even a hint of homesickness.”

Kake: “Well, it is a famous tourist spot. It’s definitely in the top five places to visit in Osaka.”

Kevin: “I mean, look—when we Americans make a Chinatown or a Little Tokyo, we try, right? We import real ingredients, we put in effort. Sure, it’s Americanized, but you were still able to get decent sushi in Little Tokyo, weren’t you?”

Kake: “Yeah… the sushi was pretty good.”

Kevin: “But Amerika-mura—like, what part of America is it based on? What inspiration did they even take from the U.S.? I seriously have no clue.”

Kake: “Honestly, if someone told me it was just a regular Japanese shopping street, I’d believe it.”

Yama: “I wonder how it ended up being called ‘Amerika’-mura in the first place…”

(A few minutes later)

Kake: “Apparently the clothes are actually imported from America… It says something about ‘West Coast culture.’ So I guess the theme is kind of the American West Coast?”

Kevin: “Maybe there’s a shop or two doing that?”

Kake: “You might be surprised—if you go, maybe it’ll feel nostalgic!”

Kevin: “...Yeah. I guess I can’t really say anything until I actually check it out for myself.”

Yama: “Let’s go buy a soft serve dog.”

Kevin: “I told you, we don’t sell stuff like that in America!”

[Comment]

I’ve never actually been to Amerika-mura myself. But the food definitely sounds appealing. And since it’s in Osaka, that probably means I’d get to enjoy that strange combo of flavors unique to the region—Worcestershire sauce (of British origin, no less) and demi-glace sauce, which has been rapidly gaining popularity recently.

I’m pretty sure that if you look for just five minutes, you’ll find omusoba, the aforementioned dish, and you’ll probably find “American dogs” (a.k.a. corn dogs). And after your meal, you can sit back and enjoy a nice cup of “American coffee”!

That concludes the content of this article. Thank you for reading all the way to the end. What did you think? In Japan, these kinds of things are recognized as “American Things.” I imagine there are people who share Kevin’s opinions on them, and others who feel the complete opposite.

When it comes to how Japanese people enjoy American culture by modifying it to suit Japanese tastes, there are some who feel a certain sense of guilt toward Americans. But at the same time, there’s also the recognition that this strange version of “America” that was born from such reinterpretations is, in a way, a distilled version of the America we admired since childhood—an idealized form of its charm, amplified (albeit somewhat misinterpreted) within Japanese cultural context. So even if it’s no longer “authentic,” the feeling remains that “this version of America is just so appealing—it can’t be helped.”

On the flip side, when we look at how Japan is portrayed in American works, there are plenty of expressions that remind us that, yes, America was once at war with Japan. But even with the weird depictions of “Japan” that show up in American movies, there’s a kind of affection—at least enough to be able to laugh at them as jokes.

Just like how I was shocked the first time I heard ZONE-tan’s “anime voice speaking English,” which inspired me to study English so much that I can now understand almost any English posted on Newgrounds, perhaps you too have a version of “Japan” you love most. And if that version has enriched your life in some way, then no one has the right to criticize you for it. I think the happiest path forward is to recognize that the opinions and critiques flying around in this video were all within the bounds of “American jokes,” and to continue living a rich and fulfilling life.

Some railway crossings in Japan are illuminated entirely in blue light, as shown in this photo. This is because recent studies suggest that blue light has a calming effect, and it has been introduced in certain crossings to discourage people from jumping onto the tracks. It is also said that crossings equipped with these lights often have a history of tragic incidents.

Just as the United States has creepypasta, Japan also has its own internet horror stories. Surprisingly, books have been published in Japan that analyze these stories from a folkloric perspective.

I recently read a book titled The Folklore of Internet Horror Stories, written by cultural anthropologist Ryūhei Hirota, and found it absolutely fascinating. The topics it covers—such as Slender Man, Jeff the Killer, and more recent phenomena like The Backrooms—are all horror stories I am quite familiar with, making the book an especially engaging read.

In this article, I will translate parts of the book to show how Japanese people interpret and analyze creepypasta and other Internet horror stories, and in addition, although I am neither very knowledgeable nor well-versed in folklore, I have a lot to say about creepypasta, so I would like to share my thoughts as well.

Also, if possible, I would also love to learn how creepypasta is academically analyzed in its home country, the United States, and what kind of research and publications exist on the subject. Please share any insights you may have!

Retroactive Ostension

 It is known where Slender Man was first posted. It was on the English-speaking image board SomethingAwful, in the thread titled "create paranormal images through Photoshop." On June 10, 2009, two black-and-white photos were posted in this thread, presented as if they were taken in the 1980s.

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As is clear from the thread title "create paranormal images," the two photos were composite images, and the participants understood this. However, these two "photos" seemed to resonate with many participants, quickly spreading across the English-speaking internet, pushing aside other posted images, and adding various settings and stories along the way.

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Slender Man was posted as a creation that could not be attributed to a specific author, far from the Kisaragi Station, and could be considered a "meme" in Japanese. However, the author, Serge, did not control the direction of the creation from the beginning, and most of the information we now have was rather co-constructed by others. Serge was the person who brought it from 0 to 1, but it was countless people on the internet who brought it from 1 to 10.

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Similarly, among the impactful images circulating in creepy pasta, there is the white-faced murderer "Jeff the Killer." It is a severely distorted image of a round-faced woman (?). Perhaps her already overexposed face was further flattened, and her eyes seem to be widely exposed. Like the Smile Dog, the origin of this face is unknown.

(The next page contained the picture of Jeff the Killer, and Precip.24 interrupted reading here.)

Hirota interprets these two phenomena as examples of a concept unique to internet culture called "retroactive ostension."

Let’s first clarify the meanings of the terms "ostension" and "retroactive ostension."

In American folklore studies, it is discussed that there are other forms of expression for legends besides representations through audiovisual media. This is called ostension. Ostension is originally a term from semiotics, but in legend studies, it refers to the act of testing, reenacting, or simply demonstrating something that is already stated in a text through personal experience.

Ostension is a concept discussed as one of the ways in which "legend" is expressed in American folklore. The author provided Japan-specific examples, but an American example that I know of would be rituals such as using a Ouija board or calling out "Bloody Mary" in front of a mirror, as well as the act of visiting a haunted mansion.

Like Slender Man, a series of actions in which "evidence" such as photos is created despite there being no original legend, and then "personal experiences" and "rumors" are continuously added, making it seem as if the legend has existed for a long time, is called retroactive ostension. Many Japanese internet ghost stories and horror content can also be categorized as retroactive ostension.

In other words, Slender Man and Jeff the Killer can be understood as cases where eerie images initially existed, and then a large number of internet users added horror stories to them, forming a collective narrative. Hirota refers to this phenomenon as "collaborative construction" and points out that it is an essential process in the development of internet horror stories.

Incidentally, the photo at the beginning was taken near Kyoto Station, my hometown. At the time I took it, I was drawn to the exotic blue-lit scene and captured the image for that reason. In reality, it's unclear whether blue light has any scientifically proven relaxing effect. Moreover, in Japan, it is common for accident sites to have flowers, offerings, or other markers indicating that an incident occurred. Since I didn’t notice anything like that when I took the photo, it’s doubtful whether a suicide actually happened there.

If my understanding is correct, my act of "adding a frightening story to an otherwise ordinary image" at the beginning qualifies as "retroactive ostension," and through this act, I became one of the "collaborative constructors" of a (yet-to-exist) internet horror story.

From "Narrative" to "Database"

In the latter half of his book, Hirota discusses the uniqueness of The Backrooms as an internet horror story. However, before delving into that, it is necessary to touch on Lev Manovich’s discussion of "narrative and database." (And for some reason, before explaining that, it is also necessary to mention the culture of searching for strange places on Google Earth.)

While this book does not provide a specific definition of the terms "narrative" and "database," as a Japanese reader, I would like to note that "narrative" appears to be used in the sense of "story" or "horror tale."

In the final chapter of his 2016 book Net Lore, Ryuhei Itoh states, "When considering the 21st century of cryptid folklore, I believe that 'Google Earth' will become one of the places where future folklore will emerge." He introduces the story of the Ningen, a humanoid figure that was reportedly spotted on Google Earth.

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Even today, for example, the TikTok user "Google Earth", who introduces strange things appearing on Google Earth and Google Street View, has over 6.1 million followers.

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The videos posted are screen recordings where the user continuously operates Google Earth, traveling across the globe until they arrive at strange landscapes, and viewers can easily try this themselves. In this way, the ability to perform ostension on the spot is one of the advantages of Google Earth.

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The act of browsing Street View is difficult to capture with the previous folkloric concepts of ghost stories. It is not an ostensive act accompanied by physical trials of fear like a kagami-tameshi (a test of courage), nor is it the act of reading a story or watching a film.

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Here, we can observe what Lev Manovich pointed out in the 1990s regarding new media (various media made possible by digital and computer technologies)—that databases are superior to narratives. According to Manovich, "A database as a cultural form represents the world as a list of items and does not try to organize that list. In contrast, a narrative creates a causal trajectory between seemingly unordered items (events). Therefore, databases and narratives are natural enemies."

When we think of a "ghost story," we often understand it as a narrative in which, for example, a protagonist encounters supernatural phenomena that are eventually resolved or left unresolved, presented in a chronological sequence. However, in the case of Google Street View, such an orderly narrative does not originally exist. There is only a database of images taken from various locations, and the events within those images are not constructed as a narrative. The previously mentioned sudden appearance of a dark landscape is geographically continuous with surrounding images in the database, but it has no narrative. However, it is possible to weave a narrative, such as "the vehicle filming Street View accidentally entered another world for just a moment," in order to explain the dark landscape. The idea that databases and narratives are "natural enemies" is not an exaggeration, but rather this situation illustrates the point.

Furthermore, Manovich discusses how, in pre-new media cinema and literature, narratives existed first, whereas in new media, databases exist first, and users create narratives within them. For example, in Google Street View, there is a database first, and from those images, the viewer individually creates their own narrative (ghost story). In this way, one can imagine a situation in which users (participants) consume the content without ever deriving a narrative.

Traditionally, horror stories that have been passed down over time, even without the internet, required a narrative. With the rise of new media—particularly in internet horror stories—it has been common for narratives to develop and evolve through the process of "retroactive ostension," as seen with Slender Man and Jeff the Killer.

However, Hirota points out that a new form of internet horror is emerging—one based on databases rather than narratives. And at last, The Backrooms has appeared, serving as a symbolic example of this "database-style" internet horror.

On April 21, 2018, a thread titled cursed images was created on 4chan’s /x/ board, which deals with paranormal phenomena. On April 22 of the same month, a slightly tilted image of a yellow room was posted in this thread. The floor is covered with a slightly dark yellow carpet, and the door, along with the walls, is yellow, with the same color extending up to the ceiling. Fluorescent lights are lined up on the ceiling. However, there is nothing else in the room. There is no furniture, no fixtures, no windows, and no door. It is simply a yellow room with yellow walls.

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Although this image didn’t attract much attention in the cursed images thread, on May 12, 2019, it was reposted at the beginning of the unsetting images thread, with the description "post disquieting images that just feel 'off'." Unlike the cursed images thread, this new thread featured many images of empty scenes, similar to the yellow room image. In addition, some of the images were accompanied by comments like "I remember a strange building I saw in a dream." Among these, one comment stood out on May 13.

If you're not careful and you noclip out of reality in the wrong areas, you'll end up in the Backrooms, where it's nothing but the stink of old moist carpet, the madness of mono-yellow, the endless background noise of fluorescent lights at maximum hum-buzz, and approximately six hundred million square miles of randomly segmented empty rooms to be trapped in

God save you if you hear something wandering around nearby, because it sure as hell has heard you

It is important to note that while Hirota does, of course, mention The Backrooms (Found Footage)—a video many of you may have thought of—his primary focus is actually on the "database" of unsettling images originally posted on 4chan, which served as the foundation for The Backrooms.

Hirota also points out that after this thread, The Backrooms rapidly gained popularity, leading to the creation of games bearing the same name and the addition of various narratives. As a result, the unique atmosphere that The Backrooms initially possessed was ultimately lost.

Additionally, the book explains the concept of "liminal space" and discusses the term anemoia, which was used before "liminal space" became widely popular. However, since covering all of that would be too lengthy, I will omit those details here.

If it’s not a narrative, what would we build in a database? In this chapter, we have frequently used the term unsetting alongside fear and terror. These emotions may not be a direct reaction to the database itself, but rather to the lack of a narrative. The unsettingness of liminal spaces is said to stem from the feeling that something might have been there—yet we cannot know for sure, lingering in a repetitive, unanswered question. This can be rephrased as anxiety over the inability to construct a narrative. Many of the internet ghost stories and internet horror we’ve discussed in this chapter are centered around this very anxiety and unsettingness. Fear no longer requires a narrative. Instead of a narrative, what participants construct is a genre as an element of the database.

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As we saw in Chapter 1, Christiana Wilsey argued that what participants share in internet ghost stories is not beliefs but emotions, and liminal spaces, for instance, are extremely inclined toward this. What people collaboratively practice is not the creation of videos or images themselves, but rather the "subdivision of emotions" as metadata for those images and videos.

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To expand further, many of the paranormal phenomena that happen (or might happen) around us are not well-defined events with concrete details and causality to form a narrative. Strange sounds in one’s room, suddenly seeing something odd, feeling a vague sense of discomfort in the landscape, or experiencing chills, goosebumps, or cold sweat may occur, but we might easily forget them without paying much attention. This sensory, vague unsettingness is paradoxically constructed as a clear object for "collaborative creation" precisely in the internet structure where databases take precedence.

This is Hirota’s argument. According to him, The Backrooms can be interpreted as a "database-type" internet horror story, unique to the modern era, where fragmented, short videos on platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts have become major content. In this context, the narrative I added to the photo at the beginning of the article is actually unnecessary in today’s world. Simply posting "disquieting images that just feel 'off'" in a similar thread could function effectively as internet horror.

Precip.24's View on The Backrooms

I also really enjoy this internet horror, and even though it's part of an enormous collection of works, I have spent an entire day watching a significant number of videos. However, as Hirota points out, the game version of The Backrooms feels less like a horror game and more like a unique, immersive pool that I would want to visit—more of a "game for strolling through beautiful scenery."

The horror I experienced in The Backrooms (Found Footage), before the black monster appears, was unlike any other horror I’ve encountered. It was something distinctly different, and I wanted to thoroughly analyze why I found it scary.

I have come across a description of the horror in The Backrooms as "a kind of uncanny valley of place." The term uncanny valley is mainly used in robotics and refers to the idea that robots with features that are far from human, like Disney characters, are cute. However, as their appearance becomes closer to that of a human, even the slightest differences between the robot and a real person become more pronounced, causing people to experience a strong sense of discomfort. This phenomenon is described as a sharp dip on a graph when the horizontal axis represents the similarity of a robot to a human, and the vertical axis represents the human's sense of familiarity.

What’s important here is the part about "a slight deviation from something familiar causing a great sense of unease," and this is certainly a characteristic shared by works referred to as liminal spaces. However, personally, I believe the emotion people experience in the uncanny valley is more closely related to "disgust" rather than "fear." I have long thought that this explanation alone is insufficient to fully describe the fear evoked by The Backrooms.

Incidentally, when I thought about what other experiences might evoke a similar fear to what I felt in The Backrooms, I ended up recalling two personal experiences. For a long time, I couldn’t explain why these experiences made me feel the same type of fear, but nonetheless, both of them instilled in me a similar sense of dread.

The Missing Persons Database

Have you ever accessed an online database of missing persons? It contains photos of missing individuals along with brief descriptions of their disappearances (for example, "On X date in 20XX, XX left home in the morning to go to work, but never arrived and were later reported missing. Search was called off in X month of the same year.") The impersonal writing style and the tragic stories inherent in the descriptions deeply frightened me. I was also terrified by the sheer number of unresolved disappearances within Japan alone.

The Scene at a Food Factory

Are you familiar with the experiment The Message from Water? This urban legend claims that when a glass bottle of water is exposed to kind words or music, the shape of its crystals changes compared to when exposed to harsh words or unpleasant sounds. When this rumor spread, many people took it seriously, and one food manufacturer, which produced children’s food, attempted to "play" recordings of repeated "thank you" shouts from kindergarteners in the warehouse where the finished products were stored. This was supposed to "teach" the food with kindness. The scene was broadcast on television, but the sight of children’s recorded voices echoing repeatedly in an empty warehouse with almost no workers was nothing short of abnormal (contrary to the factory owner’s intentions). However, I also thought to myself that if I ever became a film director, I would definitely want to shoot a scene set in an impersonal space with the recorded voices of children echoing in the background.

What these examples have in common with The Backrooms is that they all share the feature of "not featuring scary monsters," and for a long time, I couldn’t figure out why they were scary. However, after consulting ChatGPT about these experiences, she replied, "Perhaps it’s because there are traces of humans, but no actual humans present."

In the case of The Backrooms, I certainly see walls that appear to have been created by human hands, illuminated by fluorescent lights that would likely be replaced by someone, but I felt a strong sense of discomfort because there is no actual human presence.

The "Missing Persons Database" is supposed to include rich backgrounds and narratives about each person, but because of its nature as a database, all those stories are stripped away, and only the necessary information about the missing person is provided, leaving a cold, impersonal text. In other words, one can perceive it as "lacking the humanity that should be present."

The final example, the "food factory scene," involves children's voices that should be endearing, but when they are recorded and repeated, only the traces of children are left, and the actual children are absent, creating an eerie space.

ChatGPT’s explanation of "the discomfort of humans not being where they should be" really resonated with me.

I Want to Create an Internet Horror Story Like The Backrooms!

In the first half, I introduced a book I recently read and discussed how "retroactive ostension" and "collaborative narrative construction" have been actively occurring in internet horror stories. I also argued that with The Backrooms, which does not require narrative, the trend is shifting towards "database-type" horror. In the second half, I reflected on my own feelings towards The Backrooms, incorporating my personal experiences.

So, based on these ideas, how can we create a story like The Backrooms? There are actually various approaches to this, and Hirota himself does not provide a clear answer. However, I’ve considered that perhaps it involves a "temporal and intuitive sense" that no longer takes the form of a traditional "narrative."

In conclusion, the very idea of "wanting to create a scary internet horror story" may soon be outdated. But if I had to suggest something, it might be that the sense of discomfort or fear you feel in your everyday life—something that others might not even notice—could surprisingly serve as the inspiration for an internet horror story that could go viral worldwide.

Question: You attended your husband's funeral and fell in love at first sight with a man present there. Later, you k-lled your son. Why?

This is one of the most famous questions in the genre of "Psychopath Test" or "Saikopasu Tesuto (サイコパステスト)" a type of game that is currently very popular in Japan. How would you answer this question? Or perhaps you already know the answer?

Most people typically respond with something like, "Because the son was in the way of a new romance," or a similar answer. However, on the internet, people who are often loosely and maliciously labeled as "psychopaths"—a term frequently used as a synonym for "emotionally detached individuals who might become serial killers, like Hannibal Lecter"—are said to answer, "Because they thought they could meet that person again." This is considered the well-known "correct" (?) answer.

Of course, this test has no scientific basis, and according to Kevin Dutton in his book The Wisdom of Psychopaths, when a similar test was actually given to real psychopaths, not a single one came up with the idea of a "second funeral" (or so it is said, but since it's an English book that I couldn't obtain, I haven't been able to verify this myself).

The test format known as the "Psychopath Test" or "Saikopasu Tesuto" is originally based on the Psychopathy Checklist (PCL) proposed by criminal psychology researcher Robert D. Hare. If you search for "Psychopath Test" in English, this is most likely what you will come across. However, in Japan, as the concept spread across the internet, it gradually changed. It merged with the then-popular "personality tests (性格診断テスト)" and "subconscious psychology tests (深層心理テスト)," eventually evolving into what is now known as the "Saikopasu Tesuto": a genre of quiz that is a bit eerie and where the goal is NOT to answer correctly.

A Creepy Psychology Test

Question: One day, Jane (A子) saw her boyfriend in town with an unfamiliar woman. That woman was sitting in the passenger seat of his car, a seat that Jane considered to be hers. Shocked, the next day Jane doused his car in gasoline and set it on fire. Strangely, however, she did not show any anger. Why was her expression calm?

• Because she got revenge on him.
• Because she felt relieved.
• Because she got rid of a car another woman had sat in.

 If you answered any of the above, you are normal.

The abnormal answer: "Because she was protecting her territory."

Explanation: Psychopaths have an excessively strong instinct to protect what they consider important, to the point where any action taken to defend it is rationalized. Jane succeeded in reclaiming her "territory"—the passenger seat—and likely intended to continue her relationship with him.

Due to its origins, I personally see "Saikopasu Tesuto" as nothing more than an entertainment piece with no psychiatric basis. However, it has become a highly enjoyable game among friends for two main reasons:

I. The bizarre scenarios presented in the questions

The test questions often describe disturbing situations that don't immediately make sense, almost like horror stories. A common reaction from participants is "I don't even want to think about that situation!", but since the game is in the form of a quiz, participants are forced to engage with the story whether they like it or not. This sometimes adds a new layer of depth to the horror story.

II. The occasional "error" where an ordinary person gives the "psychopath's answer"

Since the quiz has no scientific validity, there is no guarantee that answering "correctly" means someone is a psychopath. However, when someone happens to give the supposed "psychopath's answer," the game instantly becomes much more exciting. Though I personally dislike the culture of overhyping this, as it can resemble unhealthy labeling, it is part of the game’s appeal.

The Freud Connection?

Despite its notorious reputation, I recently came across a claim that the famous "Psychopath Test" question originated from a passage in Sigmund Freud’s book The Interpretation of Dreams (Die Traumdeutung).

This book, written by Austrian psychologist Sigmund Freud, argues that dreams express suppressed unconscious desires and can be analyzed to understand a person’s inner world. Despite its psychological complexity, I found it surprisingly accessible and enjoyable to read.

Freud recounts dreams from various patients, and one passage indeed appears to be the original inspiration for the "Psychopath Test."

Sigmund Freud, Die Traumdeutung, Franz Deuticke, Leipzig & Vienna, 1899, pp.106-107

Another dream of a more somber nature was likewise presented to me by a patient as an objection to the theory of wish-fulfillment in dreams. The patient, a young girl, began:

"You remember that my sister now has only one little boy, Karl; the older one, Otto, she lost while I was still living in her house. Otto was my favorite; I practically raised him. I am also fond of the little one, but of course not nearly as much as the deceased. Now, last night I dreamed that I saw Karl lying dead before me. He was lying in his little coffin, his hands folded, candles all around—just exactly as it was back then with little Otto, whose death shook me so deeply. Now tell me, what does this mean? You know me—am I such a bad person that I would wish my sister to lose the only child she still has? Or does the dream mean that I would rather Karl were dead instead of Otto, whom I loved so much more?"

I assured her that this latter interpretation was out of the question. After a brief reflection, I was able to provide her with the correct interpretation of the dream, which she then confirmed. I was able to do this because I was familiar with the entire history of the dreamer.

Orphaned at an early age, the girl had been raised in the home of her much older sister and, among the friends and visitors of the house, had met the man who left a lasting impression on her heart. For a while, it seemed as if this unspoken connection might lead to marriage, but this happy outcome was thwarted by the sister, whose motives were never fully clarified. After the break, the man whom our patient loved avoided the house; she herself became independent some time after the death of little Otto, to whom she had directed her affections in the meantime. However, she did not succeed in freeing herself from the emotional dependence she had developed due to her love for her sister's friend. Her pride forbade her from approaching him, yet she found it impossible to transfer her love to other suitors who later appeared. Whenever the beloved man, who belonged to the literary profession, was scheduled to give a lecture somewhere, she would invariably be among the audience, and she seized every opportunity to catch a distant glimpse of him in other settings as well.

I recalled that she had told me the day before that the professor was going to attend a particular concert, and she intended to go as well to enjoy the sight of him once more. This was the day before the dream; on the day she recounted the dream to me, the concert was set to take place. This made it easy for me to construct the correct interpretation, so I asked her whether she could recall any event that had occurred after the death of little Otto. She immediately replied:

"Of course—back then, after a long absence, the professor returned, and I saw him once again at little Otto's coffin."

It was just as I had expected. So I interpreted the dream in the following way:

"If the other boy were to die now, the same thing would happen again. You would spend the day with your sister, the professor would surely come to offer his condolences, and under the same circumstances as before, you would see him again. The dream is nothing more than an expression of your desire to see him again, a desire that you are struggling against internally. I know that you have the ticket for tonight's concert in your pocket. Your dream is a dream of impatience—it has merely brought forward by a few hours the reunion that is set to happen today."

In other words, does that mean the patient was a psychopath?!?! …Sorry. As you can see, there is no psychological basis for a "Saikopasu Tesuto." What he actually wanted to argue, based on this case, was the hypothesis that "dreams have the property of revealing a person's repressed unconscious desires."

Of course, I am not saying that "Saikopasu Tesuto" has any psychiatric validity, but this discovery made me think, "The strange theories or fake news that have spread in society may have actually originated from certain documents or events that gave rise to these rumors. And by investigating them, we may be able to make new discoveries," and that is the conclusion of this article. 

Exploring Variations

Incidentally, since "Psychopath Tests" have been a long-standing part of Japanese internet culture, multiple variations have emerged. If these are not well-known in English-speaking communities, I would love to write another article introducing them. Here is an example:

• Question: A burglar breaks into your home. You have no weapons and can only hide. If you were to hide, where in your house would you choose?
• Question: You step out onto the balcony of your apartment and witness a man stabbing a woman with a knife. The man makes eye contact with you. Then, he points at you and moves his hand in a certain motion. What do you think that movement means?
• Question: You are standing in front of a vending machine, but the drinks do not have any labels. You decide to buy and drink one. What color would you choose for the drink?
• Question: A businessman runs a company, but it fails, and he goes bankrupt. While working another job, he keeps the bankruptcy a secret from his wife and child. However, he later finds out that his family actually knew about the bankruptcy but pretended not to, out of concern for him. Upon learning this, he sets fire to his house and burns his wife and child to death. Why did he do this?

For those curious about the "correct" answer, I have included a Japanese link: https://karapaia.com/archives/52164935.html

However, I must emphasize once again that these quizzes have no psychiatric foundation, and answering with what is considered a "psychopath’s response" does not mean you are a psychopath.

How To Play "Saikopasu Tesuto"

Lastly, I had an interesting conversation (in Japanese) with ChatGPT about this topic, so I will include a record of that conversation at the end of this report.

Me:

Are you familiar with the game called "Psychopath Test," which is well-known in Japan’s online community?

ChatGPT:

Yes, the "Psychopath Test" is a common game in Japanese internet culture.

It’s a quiz-like game designed to identify people who think differently from the average person—those who exhibit "psychopathic thinking." In most cases, the test determines "psychopathic tendencies" based on answers that differ from logical thinking or typical emotional responses.

Me:

Thank you. Now, could you come up with an original Psychopath Test question? Of course, I have no intention of using it for any malicious purposes!

ChatGPT:

That sounds interesting! Here’s an original Psychopath Test question for you.

Question: A series of murders has occurred in a town. All the victims were killed after shopping at a specific supermarket. When the police reviewed the security camera footage, they discovered that every victim shared a particular characteristic while shopping. Upon learning this, the investigator immediately understood the killer’s motive.

What was this "particular characteristic"?

Me:

Perhaps the killer had a traumatic experience in the past where they wanted to buy something from that supermarket but couldn’t. This frustration left a deep psychological scar, so they targeted people who had purchased whatever item they had once desired.

ChatGPT:

That’s an interesting theory! It’s possible that the killer had a traumatic past and targeted those who bought a certain item. Thinking about the psychological motives behind a crime is one of the key aspects of the Psychopath Test.

Now, here’s the "model answer" from a psychopathic perspective.

Model Answer (Psychopathic Perspective): "They didn’t carry a shopping basket."

Explanation: The killer was searching for "someone who thinks like them." Normally, people pick up a basket when they enter a supermarket. However, those who shop without a basket either plan carefully and buy only the bare minimum or act impulsively. The killer fixated on "people who, like themselves, don’t conform to general rules" and murdered them for that reason.

This is a way of thinking that doesn’t typically come to mind for most people. But your reasoning also delved into the killer’s psychology, making for an intriguing interpretation!

This article is the content of Part 3. If you haven't read Parts 1 and 2, please read them first.

Part 1

https://precipitation24.newgrounds.com/news/post/1509632

Part2

https://precipitation24.newgrounds.com/news/post/1509633

#111 Anime Dance

Aoi: "Toca Toca."

Akane: "This is called Anime Dance or Toca Toca Dance. The song it's based on is Toca Toca by Fly Project."

Aoi: "This feels very TikTok-ish."

Akane: "Exactly. The one who made it go viral was dancer KOTARO IDE. In January 2023, he posted a dance video inspired by the unique movements seen in anime, and it absolutely blew up, making him an internet sensation."

Aoi: "I'm jealous."

Akane: "By the way, the anime scenes that inspired the dance moves in the video come from Carole and Tuesday, Kirin Mets x Dragon Ball Collab, Darling in the Franxx, Hinako Note, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Fairy Tail, My Bride Is a Mermaid, Chainsaw Man, and The Quintessential Quintuplets. Personally, my favorite heroine from these is Sun-chan from My Bride Is a Mermaid."

Aoi: "I didn't ask, but I'll list all the references in the comment section."

Akane: "Sun-chan is amazing."

Comment

A classic hit in both English and Spanish! This also seems to be another meme that originated from TikTok and gained popularity through dance videos. But... what exactly is a dance inspired by anime? Now I'm really curious. TikTok really is a rabbit hole.

By the way, since the Kotonoha sisters haven’t covered this topic, I didn’t include it in the article either, but my favorite TikTok dance trend is Loveit Dance. I especially love the later videos that use facial tracking to add a unique and dynamic movement style.

#106 Kira Cocoa

"So, you must be Cocoa-kun."

"My name is Yoshikage Kira."

Aoi: "I knew at first glance that it was no ordinary fluffball."

Akane: "This is a popular series on Nico Nico Douga where Kenko-kotsu dubbed Cocoa from Is the Order a Rabbit? with the voice of Yoshikage Kira from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 4."

Aoi: "Come to think of it, this is the first time we've covered a JoJo meme, huh?"

Akane: "I actually started watching the JoJo anime recently, and it's really fun. This series started as just a simple MAD video where the voices were swapped, but over time, viewers started to recognize Kira Cocoa—Cocoa with the personality of Yoshikage Kira—as a distinct character in her own right."

Aoi: "The mismatch is so extreme that it somehow stops feeling out of place."

Akane: "The editing, the choice of lines, and the timing in the videos are all brilliant. Like, take this part for example—

'Now then, let's carry this bag of coffee beans to the kitchen.'

'Th-this... it's heavy.'

'Huh? Ah, ahh! Yeah, it really is heavy. Uh-huh.'

'I have truly realized my own lack of physical strength.'

Aoi: "It almost feels like the voice actor redubbed the lines just for this!"

Akane: "The base story is still from Is the Order a Rabbit?, so if you want to experience Gochiusa in a new way, this is highly recommended."

Aoi: "I'll drop the link in the comments section!"

Comment

This is yet another “adorable middle-aged men” meme!

In Japan, there's been a long-standing idea that the ideal woman, from a man's perspective, is someone who has a feminine appearance but a masculine personality. This meme might just be one of the many ways that concept has been brought to life.

By the way, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure has been on my list of series I've wanted to watch for ages, but there are just so many installments that I keep hesitating. I'm currently torn between starting Dragon Ball or JoJo, and deciding which one to watch first is proving to be quite the dilemma.

#701 Kugimiya Disease

Aoi: "Kugyuuuuuuuuu!"

Akane: "Kugimiya Disease is a condition where one's brain gets completely taken over by the loli voice of voice actress Rie Kugimiya. It is considered an incurable disease, beyond even the expertise of the greatest psychiatrists."

Aoi: "Oh no!"

Akane: "In anime, she has voiced many lead roles in popular series, such as Louise, Nagi, Shana, Iorin, and Taiga. Especially when it comes to tsundere characters, even now, she is still the first name that comes to mind."

Aoi: "Kugimiya Disease is often thought to only affect men, but since Alphonse Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist also has Kugimiya’s voice, there should be plenty of female patients as well."

Akane: "While she is strongly associated with tsundere roles, her range as a voice actress is incredibly broad. However, in recent years, there has been a decline in anime featuring lead tsundere heroines, which has led to a decrease in Kugimiya Disease cases."

Aoi: "That's a relief—"

Akane: "—But in this season's anime, Chillin' in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers, she plays the heroine and sings the opening theme. With an opening song that's 120% Kugimiya-voice, cases of Kugimiya Disease have been making a comeback even in the Reiwa era."

Aoi: "Congratulations (?)"

Comment

Is this one of those isekai anime? The heroine looks really cute, so I’d love to check it out!

That said, I personally don’t have a deep understanding of the tsundere archetype, so I’ve never experienced Kugimiya Disease myself. However, I do have a clear case of what I’d call Tanaka Disease. This is a condition where one's brain is completely overtaken by the voice of voice actress Atsuko Tanaka.

Tanaka is the voice of Major Motoko Kusanagi in GHOST IN THE SHELL and also voices Lilly Rush in the Japanese dub of Cold Case. Because of this, just hearing Lilly Rush’s voice—or Tanaka Atsuko’s voice in general—makes my heart ache.

As for my favorite English-speaking voice actress, that would be Caxx-sama, the voice of ZONE-tan. I grew up hearing female characters in Disney movies speaking with calm, natural-sounding voices, so I had always assumed that was the standard for English-speaking voice acting. However, when I first heard ZONE-tan’s voice, I was shocked to realize that such a high-pitched, anime-style voice could actually exist in English as well.

Also, I’m not sure what kind of shift has happened in the U.S., but lately, the quality of English-speaking anime voice actors has skyrocketed. In fact, there have even been cases where I found the English dub’s acting to be so impressive that I opted to watch an anime movie in English dub with Japanese subtitles instead of the original Japanese audio.

Lastly, when it comes to my third language, German, my favorite voice actress is Selphius. Many non-German speakers might associate the language with a hard, intimidating sound, but listening to her voice would completely change that impression.

#44 I’m Curious!

Aoi: "Eru-taso!"

Akane: "This is the catchphrase of the heroine, Chitanda Eru, from the anime Hyouka. The story always develops as a mystery surrounding everyday events, and whenever that happens, she always says, 'I’m Curious!'"

Aoi: "Kind of like 'I swear by the name of my grandfather.' in Kindaichi Case Files?"

Akane: "Or like 'One truth prevails.' in Detective Conan?"

Aoi: "Do mystery stories have to include this kind of signature line or something?"

Akane: "Hyouka is a light, easy-to-enjoy mystery anime with high production quality, so I highly recommend it."

Comment

I was really curious about what this line is actually said as in English, so I did some research! In the original Japanese, Kindaichi says 『じっちゃんの名にかけて』 ('I swear by the name of my grandfather.'), and Detective Conan says 『真実はいつも一つ』 ('One truth prevails.'), so for those studying Japanese, these might be handy phrases to remember.

By the way, speaking of famous detective catchphrases, what’s the most well-known one from Sherlock Holmes? ...Oh, 'Elementary, my dear Watson.'!!

#63 I’m Gonna Do My Bestest Today!

Aoi: "Bestest?"

Akane: "This is a line from episode 4 of the anime NEW GAME!, spoken by the protagonist, Aoba Suzukaze. Even before the anime adaptation, this single panel was already trending online. Thanks to its popularity, the manga sold out rapidly and became hard to find."

Aoi: "Whoa."

Akane: "It’s been parodied in various works. Interestingly, one of those parodies, in Hacka Doll, was actually animated before the original NEW GAME! itself."

Aoi: "That’s some insane speed!"

Akane: "A heartwarming comedy full of cute working girls!"

Aoi: "There’s even a sleepover episode!"

Akane: "Everyone, go check it out!"

Comment

This might actually be my favorite meme among all the ones introduced so far.

I had heard this phrase being used by many people before, but I always dismissed it as just another internet in-joke. I’m glad I finally got to see a proper explanation.

Hearing such a cute girl say something like this makes me feel like I, too, can say these words and face my reluctant, stress-filled days in modern society with a more positive attitude.

That concludes this article. Thank you very much for reading until the end.

Since I chose the topics based on my personal preferences, I feel like I ended up featuring a lot of anime clip-style memes. However, this channel also covers a wide range of memes, including scary ones like "Jeff the Killer" and "This Man," as well as others like "Dimitri Finds Out" and explanations of Japanese internet slang such as "Moe (萌え)". Of course, they also discuss "How to Make Sushi."

That said, despite introducing such an enormous number of memes, I noticed that some of the famous memes I mentioned in this article were not covered. This really made me realize once again just how vast the world of memes is.

I did a bit of research to see if anyone in the U.S. was doing something similar, but I couldn't find anything like it so far. It made me think there might be a business opportunity there. However, creating a meme book channel with that level of quality seems quite challenging. If anyone out there is brave enough, I encourage you to give it a try!

And as a personal wish, I’d love to create something that becomes a meme at least once in my life.

This article is the content of Part 2. If you haven't read Part 1 yet, please read it first.



Part 1

https://precipitation24.newgrounds.com/news/post/1509632

#441 Gambare Gambare Senpai

Aoi: “Gambare ♡ Gambare ♡”

Akane: “Adding a heart mark changes the meaning. This is a song that's trending in short videos and TikTok. It's especially popular overseas, often used for dancing and such.”

Aoi: “So it's more of an overseas meme, maybe?

Akane: “This song was made by someone called Bemax, using sampled voices from the anime ‘Don't Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro.’”

Aoi: “At first, I thought it was Marine-sencho (Captain Marine).”

Akane: “Well, some people probably think that. The number of videos using this song is insane—on YouTube alone, there are at least 690,000 videos featuring it.”

Aoi: “Shugoi (Amazing).”

Akane: “Anyway, that's my introduction to it, but what I really want to say is... Nagatoro-san is freaking adorable!”

Aoi: “Hoe~”

Akane: “Out of all the rom-coms I’ve watched in recent years, there hasn't been a character that got to me more than Nagatoro-san.”

Aoi: “Hoe~”

Akane: “Her blushing scenes are literally a national treasure.”

Aoi: “Hoe~”

Akane: “Some people might avoid it because she’s a gyaru-type character, but I swear, it’s top-tier!”

Aoi: “Hoe~”

Akane: “So yeah, everyone, go watch it!”

Aoi: “Hoe~”

Comment

Would the English translation be "Cheer up, cheer up, Senpai!"? This is my first time hearing this song, but it's super cute and cool! Since I'm an old-school person, I personally felt like it might have been inspired by Funkytown by Lipps Inc.

Also, the "Marine-sencho" mentioned in the video refers to the VTuber Houshou Marine, who is a popular VTuber loved for her boyish-sounding voice.

Additionally, the idea of "Geek-friendly gal (オタクにやさしいギャル)" was a popular genre in the Japanese anime market at one point, and this anime is likely one of the works that followed that trend.

By the way, I've seen a girl who looks very similar to this character but with slightly lighter skin. However, I can't remember who she was. If anyone knows, I'd be grateful for the information.

#718 I’m a Super Geek Too!

Aoi: “Oh, this is from ‘Dol:Men X,’ isn't it?”

Akane: “What? You knew about it?”

Aoi: “W-Well, yeah.”

Akane: “This is from Volume 1 of Yuna Takagi’s ‘Dol:Men X.’ It’s often interpreted as a scene where the protagonist looks down on casual geeks...”

Aoi: “...But if you own every volume of ‘One Piece,’ that’s pretty solid proof you’re a geek, right?”

Akane: “Yeah, especially now that it's over 100 volumes, and the anime’s quality has been insane in recent years. Anyway, on the internet, this panel has been edited a lot to create hardcore ‘geek gal’ characters. A lot of different hardcore geek gals have been created, but the most famous one is this image of a hardcore FromSoftware fan gal got especially popular.”

Aoi: “Playing all FromSoftware games is seriously over the top, isn’t it?”

Akane: “If a girl like that existed, I’d marry her on the spot.”

Aoi: “I’ll play all the FromSoftware games too!”

Akane: “That’s the spirit! Start with SEKIRO, then.”

Aoi: “Okay!”

Comment

This meme probably emerged as a reaction to the over-saturation of the "Geek-friendly gal" trend, serving as a warning against it. Since the characters are speaking to a Japanese audience, they don't explicitly explain the manga’s context, but I believe this scene shows a hardcore geek protagonist reacting to the recent trend of gals saying:

"I’m a super geek too! I own every volume of One Piece and totally love it!"

The protagonist then responds with something like:

"People like that make me not want to talk about geek stuff at all."

In other words, this gal doesn’t actually exist within the story—she's just a fictional construct of the protagonist’s imagination. Since she doesn’t exist anywhere, she only appears in this single scene.

However, I felt that the artist did an amazing job of capturing her facial expression, making her look like a sincere girl who is earnestly trying to understand something she doesn’t fully grasp. It’s a really appealing illustration.

#427 Aura, K-ll Yourself

"You are standing in front of a mage who has lived more than 1,000 years. Aura, k-ll yourself."

Aoi: "Because Himmel is long gone."

Akane: "This is one of the so-called 'Aura Syntax' phrases. It comes from Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, specifically Episode 10 of the anime or Volume 3 of the manga. Even before the anime adaptation, this line was popular on X (formerly Twitter), but once the scene aired, the meme exploded in popularity."

Aoi: "Since it's a 'syntax-type' internet slang, people on X have been holding ōgiri contests by modifying it."

Akane: "It’s become a template, like 'Aura, [do something],' completely turning Aura into a joke character."

Aoi: "Well, she is a 500-year-old m*sug*ki character, so it can’t be helped."

Akane: "Another line, 'Because Himmel is long gone.' has also been modified into different variations, making it another part of the 'Aura Syntax.' Right now, Aura memes are all the rage on X."

Aoi: "Actually, Frieren in general has been turned into a meme factory."

Akane: "There are still Frieren-related memes we haven’t covered yet, so maybe we’ll introduce more before the end of the year. Anyway, feel free to hold your own ōgiri contest in the comments!"

Aoi: "If he had been there, it's what Himmel the Hero would've done."

Comment

'Syntax-type (構文系) internet slang' is probably a concept unique to Japanese online culture. When a specific phrase like 'Aura, [do something]' becomes a meme, users create their own versions by filling in the blank with different commands and posting them online.

Another term that might be unfamiliar to English speakers is ōgiri. This refers to a joke format where participants respond to a well-known prompt with witty or creative answers. A comparable concept in Western comedy would be Knock Knock Jokes. In fact, in the context of Japanese humor, Knock Knock Jokes could be considered a form of ōgiri.

For example:

A: "Knock, knock!"

B: "Who’s there?"

A: "Goat."

B: "Goat who?"

A: "Goat to the door and find out."

With that said, everyone is welcome to try their hand at an “Aura Syntax ōgiri contest!“

#515 Puncchiki Payappa~ (゜∀゜)ノ♪

Aoi: "Eat the tomato!"

Akane: "That reference definitely won’t make sense to today’s kids. This is part of a so-called hand-drawn animation series that uses the song Caipirinha by Carinho. The original video, considered the main version, was posted in 2007, and even now, new videos in this series are still being made. The nickname comes from a part of the song that sounds like 'Puncchiki Payappa' in Japanese."

Aoi: "The character in the original video is Tomo Takino from Azumanga Daioh!"

Akane: "Azumanga Daioh is actually a legendary four-panel manga by Kiyohiko Azuma, who is still publishing Yotsuba&! today. This series is popular on NicoNico, but it actually seems to have originated overseas—the oldest known upload was on YouTube."

Aoi: "Apparently, some people outside Japan actually perform this dance and call it the Caipirinha Dance!"

Akane: "So this was actually a globally popular meme all along, huh?"

Comment

So there are memes like this besides Caramelldansen.

In Japan, there's a word for the playful act of fitting random phrases to foreign lyrics that sound like Japanese words—it's called soramimi (空耳; lit. misheard ears). Apparently, a similar concept exists in the U.S., where it’s called "misheard lyrics." A friend told me about it, and I couldn’t stop laughing when I read the actual English lyrics of this song. But when the original song is in Japanese and it gets misheard in another language, it just feels... weird. Maybe this is how Swedish or Korean people feel when Japanese speakers assign strange lyrics to their songs.

#600 Bad Apple!!

Aoi: “Celebrating our 600th episode with love from everyone!”

Akane: “Can you believe Bad Apple!! is turning 15 years old this year?”

Aoi: “Fern, that’s obviously a lie.”

Akane: “This is a video that was posted on NicoNico Douga in 2009 and became a massive hit. It holds the number one spot in total play count across all categories and, excluding any cheating, was the only video on NicoNico to surpass 30 million views last year.”

Aoi: “Congratulations!”

Akane: “The original song of the same name was the background music for Stage 3 of Touhou Gensokyo from the classic series.”

Aoi: “The classic series refers to the Touhou games that were released on PC-98 before the Windows era!”

Akane: “The vocal version of this song was distributed by the doujin circle Alstroemeria Records. Then, in 2008, someone posted a storyboard video titled 'I want to see a PV like this!', and just over a year later, a user named Anira created and uploaded the famous shadow art PV.”

Aoi: “The person who made that storyboard must feel really lucky.”

Akane: “This PV had an enormous cultural impact as a meme, inspiring countless parodies and remixes.”

Aoi: “Honestly, there’s still so much more I want to talk about…”

Akane: “…but there’s no way we can cover it all in just one minute. So why not take a nostalgic trip back and revisit this classic?”

Aoi: “I mean, let’s go!”

Comment

By the time I realized it, characters like Marisa, Reimu, and Cirno—commonly known as Touhou characters—had already become famous. I had heard that they originated from a certain shooting game of the same name, and apparently, this video showcases all those recognizable Touhou characters in one place. It’s incredible how such beautiful and captivating animation can be expressed using only silhouettes!

I won’t go into too much detail, but for me, Marisa and Reimu are strongly associated with the Yukkuri’s Explanation series—an educational video format where various knowledgeable creators use them to teach history, culture, mathematics, music, and so much more.

#636 Funabori Parody

Aoi: “Are you trying to bully her?!”

Akane: “This is a parody series based on an image of Funabori from D-Frag!, a manga serialized in Monthly Comic Alive. It’s from a scene where she gets overwhelmed with embarrassment after being excessively praised by her classmates.”

Aoi: “Funabori-chan’s modesty is seriously adorable.”

Akane: “This parody series has quite a bit of history—it’s been around since at least 2010 and is still being used in memes today. By the way, this image was even referenced as a joke in the official anime adaptation.”

Aoi: “It’s one of those images that any internet veteran has probably seen at least once, but not many people actually look up the original source.”

Akane: “A lot of internet meme culture is like that. Sometimes, just seeing an image doesn’t give you enough clues to even know what keywords to search for.”

Aoi: “True.”

Akane: “By the way, we accept requests even if you don’t know the exact name of what you’re looking for.”

Aoi: “Just describe it roughly, and we’ll try to figure it out!”

Comment

I’ve seen similar expressions in various places, but I never imagined there was an original source behind them!

To explain how this scene unfolds: first, the student council president, Chitose, tries to make the protagonist, Kenji, eat food that has fallen on the floor. Kenji refuses, exclaiming, “I can’t eat that filthy thing!” In response, Chitose introduces Funabori to the entire class, highlighting her profile and virtues. Upon hearing this, the entire class starts showering Funabori with praise—leading to the scene in the video.

#652 Are You Taking Your Lactic Acid Bacteria?

"Don’t get mad. Your blood pressure will rise. Are you taking your lactic acid bacteria?"

Aoi: “Wow, this is super nostalgic.”

Akane: “Most people probably haven’t thought about this in at least ten years. This is a famous quote from Suigintou in the Rozen Maiden anime. Believe it or not, this year marks the 20th anniversary of the anime.”

Aoi: “Back then, every anime fan knew this line.”

Akane: “Exactly. Suigintou, who’s dark, elegant, and cool, saying something so completely out of character made it really memorable. By the way, this line was completely original to the anime. It’s said to have been written by Mari Okada, the famous scriptwriter behind Anohana and other works.”

Aoi: “Her sense of language really shines here.”

Akane: “Honestly, younger people today might be like, ‘What’s that from?’ But for those from that generation, hearing this line again probably brings back a ton of excitement.”

Aoi: “I bet in 20 years, ‘Move it! I’m big bros!!’ will be treated the same way.”

Akane: “Also, the association between Suigintou and lactic acid bacteria became so strong that people often drew her together with Yakult in fan art.”

Aoi: “By the way, Rozen Maiden is available on dAnime Store, so if you’re interested, go check it out!”

Comment

I’ve occasionally heard characters in Japanese anime and dramas provoke someone by saying, “Are you not getting enough calcium?” when they’re irritated, but “Are you getting enough lactic acid bacteria?” is completely new to me.

Interestingly, lactic acid bacteria, commonly found in yogurt, play a crucial role in maintaining gut health, which is so significant that scientists sometimes refer to the gut as the “second brain.” Recent studies have even shown that improving gut function can help alleviate daily stress.

So, for a healthy life, let's eat yogurt every day!

#676 "S" stands for?

"Smile, sweet, sister, sadistic, surprise, service..."

"SASAGEYO! (DEVOTE (YOUR HEART)!)"

Aoi: "This again?"

Akane: "This is a MAD series that uses the opening of the anime Blend S. It plays on the 'S' in the opening by linking various clips together."

Aoi: "Seems pretty easy to make."

Akane: "The title literally means 'What does S mean?'. By the way, the video title of the Attack on Titan version you saw first was exactly that, and it just ended up becoming the meme's name. Since then, tons of MAD videos have been made."

Aoi: "As long as there's an 'S', anything goes. No risk of running out of ideas."

Akane: "A lot of different versions have been popular, but one that matched APEX's Spitfire had some serious energy."

Aoi: "Wasn't that using a song from Initial D?"

Akane: "Not Initial D, technically—it's from MF GHOST. Apparently, they used it because the weapon name matched, but since the song's sudden high-energy vibe really caught on, MADs using the same track have kind of become their own subgenre."

Aoi: "Guess everyone’s loved Eurobeat since the DAISUKE days!"

Comment

The version I saw was the one where a Russian guy yells "S-ka bl-at!", and the hilarious contrast between cute anime characters and gopniks wildly dancing made it even better.

Now that you mention it, "What's your favorite word that starts with S?" is actually a pretty fun question! For me, my favorite word is "survive".

#138 Revengeance Status

Aoi: "Apologize to Maria†Holic fans."

Akane: "Sorry to get your hopes up! This is a meme that became popular around May 2022. A muscular guy suddenly appearing in certain overseas scenes gained a lot of attention."

Aoi: "Completely unnecessary."

Akane: "Even in Japan, BB materials of him became popular."

Aoi: "This feels incredibly familiar."

Akane: "This macho guy is..."

Aoi: "Macho guy?!"

Akane: "...the final boss of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. After a lineup of super cool bosses, the last one turns out to be this guy, and when I played it back then, I was like, 'Eh?'"

Aoi: "I think it's great, though."

Akane: "On top of that, he’s ridiculously strong."

Aoi: "Wow."

Akane: "By the way, the game was released in 2013, and in the West, this character had already been a meme long before this particular trend."

Aoi: "So it actually has a pretty long history."

Comment

I tried looking for the Maria†Holic version of Revengeance Status, but I couldn’t find anything other than this video. And that makes sense—because this video was actually made by the creator just for introducing it!

That aside, are there a lot of these kinds of “Ecchi Jumpscares”? In videos where you experience such intense contrast in a short period of time, the ecchi part in the first half stands out even more and feels even ecchier.

#690 Nya Arigato Dance

Aoi: "Nya."

Akane: "This is Tokyo, a track released by Leat’eq in May 2018. Some people might know it from this MAD featuring Food Girls (食用系少女), a game by Simon Creative."

Aoi: "So cute."

Akane: "Besides this, the song also became popular in hand-drawn animations, but the most famous version is the TikTok dance trend."

Aoi: "I saw this on YouTube."

Akane: "In 2021, a TikToker named papadragun made a dance routine for it, and hot babes everywhere started copying it."

Aoi: "The way you say 'hot babes' makes you sound like an old man."

Akane: "Well, this dance is already three years old, so it had lost some popularity in recent years. But for some reason, it's now making a comeback—among middle-aged men."

Aoi: "Ohhh."

Akane: "If you want to see some adorable middle-aged men, go look it up!"

Comment

Adorable middle-aged men, LOL.

I don’t know much about this game, but since there’s a phrase like "You can eat the girl", I assume it's a kind of anthropomorphized concept where each character represents a different type of food. The second half of the video really feels like a TikTok-style dance, which I think is pretty cool. But at the same time, it's so cutting-edge that it makes me feel like I can’t keep up with the times.

To be continued in Part 3.

Part 3

https://precipitation24.newgrounds.com/news/post/1509635

“Where did card games like Pokémon or Yu-Gi-Oh originate?”

If you ask this question to most Japanese people, they might think of karuta (かるた), an ancient Japanese card game. However, I’m also aware that in the U.S., there is a strong culture of collecting baseball cards (and in Monsters University, even power company employees have collectible cards!). Personally, I think the direct origin of modern card games is more closely tied to that collecting culture.

That said, I’m not an expert on card games, and that’s not the main focus of this article. Instead, I’d like to introduce a Japanese YouTube channel called Kotonoha GGR Sisters (琴葉ggr姉妹). This channel presents internet memes in the form of karuta cards. Their content is updated almost daily, and their coverage of memes is so extensive that I personally use the channel like a dictionary—much like consulting a Pokémon Encyclopedia—to understand the memes I come across in my daily internet browsing.

In this article, I will translate and introduce some of their content. However, I should note that the channel covers well over a thousand memes, and even after narrowing it down, I still ended up selecting 25 to feature. This made the translation process quite demanding, especially for Japanese listening and accuracy checks (though I relied heavily on ChatGPT for translation). Because of this, I may have used different names for certain works or characters compared to common U.S. terminology, or there might be grammatical mistakes or awkward word choices. If you spot any errors, I’d greatly appreciate your feedback—it will help me improve my English in the future!

#257 Sad Cat Dance

Aoi: “Nya.”

Akane: “This is a meme of a woman with cat ears dancing. It’s going to be long, so I’ll just summarize the key points.”

Aoi: “Good Luck, nya.”

Akane: “First off, the very beginning is this scene from the manga Chainsaw Man.”

Aoi: “It’s included in volume 10 of Chainsaw Man, nya.”

Akane: “The scene where Kobeni-chan (who came on a date with Chainsaw Man [or so it seems]) dances while crying became a hot topic overseas, and that scene was turned into a video. Later, another meme that was popular at the time—called Ankha Zone—was merged with this to create an ultimate fusion video.”

Aoi: “Be careful, because the original source for Ankha Zone is something a bit ris---.”

Akane: “Then, in 2022, it was mixed with the song ‘gypsy in my mind’ by the Korean artist Dokun27. This video went viral worldwide and spawned various versions.”

Aoi: “By the way, this girl is named Warza. I couldn’t quite read the Korean, but she seems to be an original character of Dokun27.”

Akane: “According to Mossan (the operator of the channel), it’s all about ‘the irresistible tanned dark elf-tan!’”

Aoi: “F**k you!”

Comment:

It's no exaggeration to say that I wrote this article to introduce this. It refers to the Ankha Zone created by my beloved artist ZONE-SAMA. Unfortunately, this channel doesn't have any videos directly dealing with the Ankha Zone meme, but the reason is as implied in the video. Even though "Not Kobeni dance, but let's still make her dance" is famous, you rarely see anyone on YouTube - at least in Japan - discussing where the song used in it came from. Also, on Japanese meme explanation sites, almost no one ever mentions the name ZONE-SAMA. Almost every Japanese person knows the name, even though hardly anyone ever says it... It's kind of like the infamous person whose name is best left unsaid. But I love ZONE-SAMA so much!

#217 Ara Ara

Aoi: “Ara ara.”

Akane: “This is that popular Japanese interjection overseas—well, I guess you could call it that.”

Aoi: “Ara ara? You don’t even know that?”

Akane: “Shut up. Okay, I’ll explain anyway: it’s an interjection mainly used by older-sister type characters in anime when they speak with a kindly, affectionate expression.”

Aoi: “I imagine tsundere or lady-like characters use it as well.”

Akane: “Right. This phrase has become a meme overseas, and for some reason, it’s strongly associated with a sort of ‘ones---a’.”

Aoi: “Well, I suppose I get the idea—but still, it’s hard to pin down.”

Akane: “Then, there’s this illustration by the manga artist ‘Kemuri Haku’—known for works aimed at young men—featuring two older-sister figures flanking a young boy, which has been used as a template for images like ‘AraAa on a train’ and others. There are various other derivative memes too, so if you’re interested, look them up.”

Aoi: “Okay!”

Akane: “So, are there any boys (viewers) who want to get in between us?”

Aoi: “Not gonna let you in!”

Comment:

If I were to translate "あらあら" into English, would it best be rendered as "Oh/Ah" or "Uh-oh," or perhaps as the female version of "Well, well, well..." that rather Alastor of the Hazbin Hotel might say? Either way, if there's an expression in English that an older woman would use when surprised, and that would make a younger gentleman's heart skip a beat when he heard it, that would be the correct interpretation.

#395 Zemi Mama

Aoi: "Can you handle this all by yourself?"

Akane: "This is from a manga included in direct mail ads for Shinken Zemi. Apparently, it was distributed around January 2014."

Aoi: "And many men were captivated by this overwhelming maternal charm, huh?"

Akane: "Exactly. Especially, image edits that changed the dialogue from this scene became popular, and a lot of fan art was created. By the way, this mother looks like she has medium-short hair, but she actually has long hair."

Aoi: "I also thought she had short hair at first. Oh, and by the way, this manga was drawn by Shinichiro Nariie, and a special one-shot by the original author was even published on Nico Nico Seiga. And here’s how her hair length actually looks in that version."

Akane: "Maybe they made her hair this length on purpose because a lot of people mistakenly thought she had short hair."

Aoi: "That could be the case."

Akane: "Well, strictly speaking, this version isn’t Zemi Mama herself, but in this manga, there's actually a swimsuit version of Zemi Mama."

Aoi: "I'm not linking that in the description!"

Comment

She looks like the kind of mom who would say "Ara ara"!

This meme requires some explanation for English-speaking readers. In Japan, there is a type of service called "correspondence education," where educational companies send unique assignments by mail to students. The students complete them and send them back, after which professional instructors review and return the corrected work. Since this service places a strong emphasis on mail-based exchanges, the associated magazines are often well-developed.

Zemi Mama is a character from a promotional manga created by Shinken Zemi, one such correspondence education company. Well-known companies like this often hire professional manga artists for their promotional materials, and sometimes, these manga gain attention beyond their original purpose. Zemi Mama became a meme as part of this phenomenon.

#360 The Just Two of Us

Aoi: “What is this?”

Akane: “This might be the most sophisticated meme in the history of online meme karuta. It comes from a video posted on May 3, 2022, and the content is very simple. It features an image of Thomas Shelby from the popular drama Peaky Blinders standing next to Chika Fujiwara from Kaguya-sama: Love is War, and the song used is the classic R&B hit ‘Just The Two Of Us.’”

Aoi: “It’s a combination that makes absolutely no sense.”

Akane: “Right, but the two images share a faint connection—a ‘hat’ in common—with a sepia effect that brings them together, all tied together by music that seems as if it were meant to be there from the start. When three completely unrelated elements come together with a gentle sense of wonder and a soft, intriguing incongruity, it draws you in. Also, the fact that Secretary Fujiwara became popular overseas with the ‘Chika Dance’ likely played a part in boosting this meme.”

Aoi: “I think I kind of get it now!”

Akane: “Many similar videos have been uploaded, but the more popular ones tend to convey some sort of connection between the figures in each. That, I believe, is the essence of all the praise for this meme.”

Aoi: “Well, since sis is just saying random things, everyone, please go check out the videos for yourselves!”

Comment:

So this was a meme!

I only caught a glimpse of this meme on YouTube about two years ago, so I can't really go into too much detail - except to say things like "The impression of a song is surprisingly influenced by its cover or video images!" or "I really love this kind of culture that blends Western and Eastern elements!" However, if this is included in the Meme Karuta list, I wonder if memes related to "LOLI SHIGURE UI" might appear soon.

#115 Chikatto Chika Chika

Aoi: "Return to the forest."

Akane: "This is the ending of Episode 3 of the anime Kaguya-sama: Love Is War. It features a dance video of student council secretary Chika Fujiwara."

Aoi: "She moves so smoothly!"

Akane: "Yes, this incredibly smooth animation looks like CG, but it's actually all hand-drawn."

Aoi: "The animators really gave it their all!"

Akane: "Apparently, they had a real dancer perform the moves first and then used that video as a reference for the animation."

Aoi: "I heard that's called rotoscoping."

Akane: "By the way, this 'Chikatto Chika Chika' is said to be even more popular as a meme overseas."

Aoi: "Whoa!"

Akane: "Various parodies have been made worldwide under the name 'Chika Dance,' including '踊ってみた (I tried dancing)' videos and remixes with different music."

Aoi: "Secretary Fujiwara spreads her wings across the world!"

Akane: "I'll post a link to the original video in the comments, so let's all dance together!"

Comment

They're also talking about memes related to Chika Fujiwara!

Rotoscoping is a really fascinating technique. With just a little research, I found examples like CHAINSAW MAN #4 Ending and Telecaster B-Boy. It seems that this technique is more commonly used in music-related works rather than in anime episodes themselves. Perhaps this is because when movements need to be precisely timed to the strict rhythm of the music, rotoscoping proves to be particularly effective.

#405 Bowsette

Aoi: “There’s been a lot of Mario stuff lately.”

Akane: “That’s just a coincidence. This meme started from a manga posted in 2018 by the Malaysian-based illustrator haniwa (ayyk92). The manga depicts Bowser using an item called the Super Crown—which was introduced in the new Mario game just before the manga came out—that transforms the new Mario element ‘Toadette’ into ‘Peachette.’”

Aoi: “It’s a weird coincidence how these unrelated elements line up.”

Akane: “This gender-bending meme became wildly popular around the world, and illustrations and cosplay based on it really took off. In addition, other characters transformed by the Super Crown began to appear, so it seems that many people were "motivated" in various ways.”

Aoi: “What exactly is meant by "motivated" here?”

Akane: “Who knows?”

Comment

Sorry if the translation is inaccurate. But please listen: In America and Japan, the character names are completely different! クッパ (Kuppa) is called "Bowser" in English, and correspondingly, I've just learned that クッパ姫 (Kuppa-hime) is called "Bowsette". I can't even begin to imagine the origins of these names. Please forgive me - I'm only Japanese!

Come to think of it, I've seen a lot of art on Newgrounds, but I didn't really know who she was. I'm surprised to learn that there's such a complicated backstory. I don't know who Peachette is or what the Super Crown even is, but one thing I do know is that her black gorgeous dress is beautiful. I'd like to do some fan art in the future.

By the way, I translated the Japanese term "捗る" as "to be motivated," and I think this translation is not too far off the mark. But this word is what you might call "otaku jargon," and it's really hard to explain what it means. It's about as hard as trying to explain the meaning of the word "meme" to someone who has absolutely no idea what it means... In the future, I'd like to ask ZONE-SAMA how best to express this term in English.

#123 Don't stand up Sprigatito!!!

Aoi: "BBBBBBB!"

Akane: "This is an internet meme that became popular before the release of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet."

Aoi: "Why wasn’t he allowed to stand up?"

Akane: "Because people were worried that if Sprigatito evolved and stood up, he would lose his cuteness."

Aoi: "Well, but he would look cool, so that’s fine, right?"

Akane: "However, in Pokémon Sun and Moon, Litten—one of the adorable starter Pokémon—evolved into a buff pro-wrestler, Incineroar."

Aoi: "That’s awesome!"

Akane: "That’s just your personal preference. But that kind of 'trauma' lingered among Pokémon fans, so when this cute Sprigatito was revealed, people on social media were worried."

Aoi: "So, what happened when he actually evolved?"

Akane: "Well, since it's been a while since the game was released, I'll just say he stood up."

Aoi: "That’s disappointing."

Akane: "However, unexpectedly, its final evolution, Meowscarada, became super popular online."

Aoi: "Why?"

Akane: "Probably because it awakened the inner furry in everyone."

Aoi: "Huh, congratulations."

Akane: "Pokémon truly is the best."

Comment

This is another great example of a game where the character names are completely different in English and Japanese. I did my best to research the English names, but please let me know if I made any mistakes in translation.

I only played Pokémon when I was in elementary school, but my attachment to the characters still runs deep—maybe I, too, am a full-fledged furry. Personally, I find Sprigatito, Floragato, and Meowscarada all very appealing, and I imagine NSFW art of them is “motivated”.

#291 Gununu

Aoi: "Gununu."

Akane: "This is from a single frame in Episode 2 of the 2005 anime Ichigo Mashimaro. The girl here is Ana Coppola, who calls herself a girl from England."

Aoi: "She doesn't just 'call herself' that—she really is from England."

Akane: "It’s her frustrated expression when her name is being teased."

Aoi: "Ana Coppola-chan."

Akane: "This reaction image started spreading like crazy on Futaba Channel. In fact, the number of edited versions is honestly insane—possibly the most of any meme."

Aoi: "That many?"

Akane: "And now there's one more thanks to this video."

Aoi: "You didn't have to add to it… gununu."

Akane: "By the way, there was even a dedicated wiki cataloging this meme. Unfortunately, it stopped updating in 2014, but by that time, it had a total of 6,083 images."

Aoi: "Seriously?"

Akane: "Since it's been quite a while since updates stopped, there might be over 10,000 Gununu variations in existence by now."

Aoi: "Amazing… (gununu)."

#435 Ayaya

“Yuko, Shinobu, and...”

“Aya.”

“Ayaya?”

“One character too many. It’s Aya.”

“Ayaya!”

Aoi: "Ayaya two-ya!"

Akane: "That’s something else entirely. This is from Episode 3 of the 2013 anime Kin-iro Mosaic, where Kujo Karen gets the name of Kōji Aya wrong."

Aoi: "Karen-chan is adorable."

Akane: "Actually, this is more of an overseas meme than a Japanese one. Many parodies were made, mainly by international fans."

Aoi: "Moe is the center of the world."

Akane: "It’s also quite famous as a Twitch emote. A lot of people probably discovered it through that, meaning that overseas otaku also love Kin-iro Mosaic."

Aoi: "Moe will save the world."

Akane: "Sadly, Kinmoza has already ended its official content releases, but there are still plenty of unadapted episodes. I’d love to see a surprise third season."

Aoi: "Kinmoza is fully available on dAnime Store, so if you need some healing for your brain, check it out!"

Comment

For me, and many other Japanese people, when we think of "a British girl," the first image that comes to mind is someone like Ana Coppola or Karen. However, in today’s era of diversity, I’ve begun to imagine a broader range of women. That said, I still believe that the land of Ladies and Gentlemen—Britain—must surely have people like Lilly Rush from Cold Case. But interestingly, Cold Case is set in Philadelphia, and Lilly Rush was played by Kathryn Morris, an American actress from Philadelphia!

By the way, while Japanese anime is generally amazing, one of my few complaints is that they rarely cast voice actors who are native speakers of the nationality of the foreign characters (though I understand the practical difficulties). Karen, for example, is supposed to be from England, but her English is clearly not that of a native speaker. Similarly, scenes where Asuka Langley speaks German in Evangelion or the Russian dialogue in Roshidere always make me go, "Hmm..."

On the other hand, PUNCH PUNCH FOREVER! by speedoru uses real Japanese spoken by native speakers—everything from pronunciation to content is completely authentic! So when I watched this anime, I didn’t need English subtitles at all, and I truly enjoyed the series!

To be continued in Part 2.

Part2

https://precipitation24.newgrounds.com/news/post/1509633

I'm a Japanese person living in Japan, but I'm always interested in living in the United States (Before that, I have to make my own passport...).

One of my valuable sources of information about living in America is a Japanese YouTube channel called "Kay & ZooKatsu". This channel is run by a couple named Kay (a Japanese woman who was born and raised in the United States) and ZooKatsu (a Japanese man who was raised in Japan). They share insights about life in America on YouTube, covering topics that are hard for me to find in textbooks or news websites.

They usually upload normal videos on YouTube about the strange class system called "school caste" in Japan that exists among American students, for example, but in this article I would like to focus on KaZ's Shorts and translate and comment on them.

ZK: "Is there something that's not common in Japan but is normal in America?"

Kay: "There is!"

ZK: "What?"

Kay: "Picking up discarded things."

ZK: "Huh?"

Kay: "In America, people just leave stuff they don't need on the side of the road, and others pick it up and use it."

ZK: "Huh?! What are they doing?"

Kay: "In Japan, unless there's a sign saying 'Please feel free to take this,' people wouldn't take it. But in America, if someone doesn't need a sofa or a bed when they move, they just leave it somewhere. Then, if someone else thinks it's nice, they take it home and use it."

ZK: "Really?!"

Kay: "Yeah! My friend Caroline even said she picked up something like a bed frame and is using it."

ZK: "For real?!"

Kay: "Yeah, and when I went to America, one of my friends picked up a giant vase and said she was planning to grow flowers in it."

ZK: "Wait, wasn’t that vase the one we carried before?"

Kay: "Yeah, yeah! She wanted it, and I was like, 'You want that?!'"

ZK: "Someone’s using that!"

Kay: "All that effort carrying it was worth it!"

Comment:

The ultimate form of eco-friendliness! While the culture of reuse does exist in Japan, and I heard a rumor that it has even attracted global attention as the "mottainai (what a loss)" culture, nowadays mass consumption and waste disposal seem to be more prominent.

Although I'm not very familiar with Japanese law, according to people who engage in similar practices in Japan, there is an odd law where even if a sofa is discarded on the side of the road, unless it has a "cannot be collected" notice from a waste collection agency, taking it home can lead to penalties. Therefore, this practice is not encouraged in Japan.

ZK: "Is there anything Americans do that Japanese people just can’t understand?"

Kay: "There is!"

ZK: "What?"

Kay: "Regifting presents."

ZK: "What do you mean? Is that even okay?!"

Kay: "It’s not really a great thing to do, but especially with kids, they get invited to each other’s birthday parties a lot. So, if there’s a gift they didn’t like much, they might rewrap it and give it as a present at the next birthday party."

ZK: "What?! Seriously?"

Kay: "Yep. There are quite a few families who do that. Buying tons of gifts can be tough, and if it’s something you don’t like and won’t use, you might think, 'Maybe the next kid will actually play with it?'"

ZK: "Hmm?"

Kay: "So, I think it’s very, very eco-friendly."

ZK: "Eco-friendly? LOL"

Kay: "But there’s an important rule to this."

ZK: "There’s a rule?"

Kay: "You can’t give it back to the kid who gave it to you."

ZK: "Of course not! LOL"

Kay: "But there are quite a few people who end up doing it by mistake."

ZK: "Seriously?!"

Kay: "'Wait a second, isn’t this the one I gave you?'"

ZK: "LOL Have you ever done it?"

Kay: "I think my mom might have done it once."

Comment:

This is another form of eco-friendliness (if you don't mind the guilt that comes with it)! In Japan, this kind of practice is even called "tarai mawashi" (passing things around), so I believe there are people who do it here, since such a word exists in Japanese. However, I have yet to hear a first-hand account from someone who has actually done it.

Kay: "I found a recipe for a delicious-looking American breakfast, and I'm going to try to make it."

ZK: "Does it really look delicious?"

Kay: "Apparently it was a trend."

Kay: "Bacon!"

ZK: "Bacon first thing in the morning, huh?"

Kay: "It’s breakfast! Bacon is part of it."

Kay: "First, I’ll cook the bacon."

ZK: "Oui!"

Kay: "Bacon, done! Next up! Pancakes!"

ZK: "Ah, I see."

Kay: "Mix pancake mix, milk, and eggs. Mix, mix! Batter ready!"

Kay: "Bacon!"

ZK: "Uh-... (Kay dips the bacon in the batter) What?!"

Kay: "This recipe apparently became a bit of a trend because of an American animation. Hooo!"

ZK: "And you’re frying it in bacon grease. It’s like the American version of tempura LOL"

Kay: “American Tempura! (Hums the animation song) Done!”

ZK: "Wow, you’ve made something amazing!"

Kay: "Now, get some maple syrup and dip it in."

ZK: "Wow!"

Kay: "Delicious. The bacon flavor comes in gently afterward."

ZK: "This is tasty! LOL."

Comment:

Which animation featured this dish? Does bacon actually go well with maple syrup? I can’t imagine the flavor at all!

I've heard that dishes like "fried butter" and "fried ice cream" used to be popular in America. Americans are so scary... But since they both say it's delicious, maybe this is a chance for me to enter a world of flavors I've never experienced before.

ZK: "There’s an English pronunciation that Japanese people ABSOLUTELY can’t distinguish."

Kay: "Okay."

ZK: "The difference between the 'A' in 'wander' and the 'O' in 'wonder.' Can you explain the pronunciation difference?"

Kay: "'Wander' and 'wonder.'"

ZK: "But right now, they both sound the same to me."

Kay: "They’re completely different."

ZK: "How are they different?"

Kay: "First, the 'A' sound. From deep in your throat: WA-A-A, WA-A-A. Try it."

ZK: "WA."

Kay: "From deep in your throat."

ZK: "WA-A-A."

Kay: "Yes, that’s it. Now for 'wonder,' with the 'O.' Don’t stretch it out."

ZK: "Don’t stretch it. Got it."

Kay: "O-O-O."

ZK: "O-O-O."

Kay: "'Wonder.'"

ZK: "'Wonder.'"

Kay: "Exactly!"

ZK: "Wait, was there a difference just now? Can you freeze your face for the 'A' and 'O' sounds? Start with 'A.'"

Kay: "WAaaaa."

ZK: "And 'O'?"

Kay: "WOoooo."

ZK: "You’re making a funny face. I see, that was amusing. Thanks."

Kay: "No! It’s not about being funny! Say it again! 'Wander.'"

ZK: "And?"

Kay: "'Wonder.'"

ZK: "That was amusing."

Kay: "No, listen to what I’m saying!"

Comment:

It’s nice to see how well you two get along.

There are many English sounds that Japanese people find hard to distinguish, and 'wonder' versus 'wander' is definitely one of them. Fortunately, these words rarely appear in similar contexts, so not being able to tell them apart doesn’t cause too many problems.

The real issue is the difference between 'can' and 'can’t.' These words often appear in similar situations, are easy to confuse, and lead to significant misunderstandings if misheard. For English learners, this pair is one of the most feared in communication. To give you a clear example, if you said, "You can’t do that!" to me, there’s a good chance I wouldn’t understand what you meant right away.

ZK: "Is there any difference between how garbage is sorted in Japan and America?"

Kay: "There is!"

ZK: "Oh, there is?"

Kay: "Japan’s garbage sorting is way more detailed."

ZK: "It’s that detailed?"

Kay: "Yeah, super detailed. In America, it depends on the region, but for household garbage, it’s mostly divided into burnable trash and plastics. Like I showed in a previous video, you just put everything into a big bin and leave it by the road. But for stores, they just throw everything into a massive dumpster."

ZK: "No sorting at all?"

Kay: "None that I’ve seen. I’ve never seen sorting happening."

ZK: "I see."

Kay: "They throw it all into dumpsters big enough to fit several people."

ZK: "That big?"

Kay: "Huge. The trash bins for households are big, but the dumpsters at schools or other places are even bigger. They’re big enough to fit a person, and sometimes teachers would joke around and put me in one."

ZK: "Wait, you ended up in the dumpster?"

Kay: "Yeah, the teacher would be like, ‘Up you go, up you go,’ and then say, ‘Oh no, looks like you’re in!’"

ZK: "Isn’t that dirty?"

Kay: "It was fine. The inside was clean."

ZK: "Does such a thing even exist in this world?!"

Comment:

Japan’s garbage sorting is unbelievably detailed, so anyone planning to move to Japan should be prepared for this. However, there are certain life hacks to make it easier: when in doubt, you can usually throw something away as "burnable trash," and it won’t be refused for collection. In Japan, "burnable trash" must be placed in slightly expensive, government-specified bags, while other types of trash can be put into cheaper, transparent bags and classified as "non-burnable trash." That said, trash in transparent bags is strictly inspected by garbage collectors to ensure proper sorting—into categories like steel, aluminum, plastic, PET bottles, sharp objects, or hazardous materials. If sorting is inadequate, collection may be refused.

In other words, if you’re willing to pay a bit more, you can avoid the hassle of sorting. But if you want to save money, you’ll need to follow the detailed sorting rules. Doesn’t this sound like a fair system? Or have I just been brainwashed by the Japanese municipal government...

ZK: "Is there a cultural thing that exists in America but not in Japan?"

Kay: "There is! (clicks tongs)"

ZK: "What? Stop that LOL"

Kay: "Something like a pre-test stress relief day."

ZK: "What’s that? Sounds scary."

Kay: "It’s common at universities, but not necessarily at all of them. It depends on the university, and they might do different things. For example, they might gather local dogs so that students can come and pet them anytime."

ZK: "That sounds amazing!"

Kay: "Right? Super enviable, isn’t it? Other times, they’ll host disco parties at school, like, ‘Let’s dance and have fun to relieve stress!’"

ZK: "That sounds nice."

Kay: "Yeah, it sounds pretty fun, right?"

ZK: "Yeah."

Kay: "And then there’s the library. Usually, you have to be super quiet in the library, but on this day, people run around naked."

ZK: "What?! That’s insane LOL."

Kay: "It’s like doing something you’d normally never do, just for the sake of it."

ZK: "Do people actually do that?"

Kay: "Yeah, apparently quite a few do."

ZK: "Seriously?"

Kay: "I don’t think every school does it, but there are lots of ways to relieve stress, and since we don’t have anything like that in Japan, I thought it was really nice."

ZK: "No, no, the last one is totally unnecessary."

Comment:

I wish I could have petted a lot of dogs before my exams.

I've heard that the exams in American schools are much harder than those in Japan, and I was surprised that even the little children at Hogwarts (except for one girl) in the first volume of the Harry Potter series are afraid of them.

I'm not quite sure why there are such differences, and it also depends on the personality of the professors in charge of the courses, but in Japan many of their exams tend to be mainly fill-in-the-blank style questions based on the material covered in class. As long as you understand the content of the lectures, they're relatively easy to pass. Most of these exams are "memory contests" where nothing is allowed on your desk during the exam. However, there are also exams that allow full use of textbooks and calculators. These types of exams usually require a very advanced understanding of the subject to answer correctly, and I remember being quite terrified by the phrase "You can bring anything to this exam.

Kay: “Costco in America is in big trouble right now.”

ZK: “Why?”

Kay: “Butter.”

ZK: “Butter? What about it?”

Kay: “They’re recalling a huge amount of butter.”

ZK: “Eh?! Did they find something in it?”

Kay: “That’s what you’d think, right?”

ZK: “Yeah.”

Kay: “It’s because of a complaint.”

ZK: “What kind of complaint?”

Kay: “‘It doesn’t say it contains milk.’”

ZK: “LOL Isn’t that just what butter is?”

Kay: “Right, but the allergy labeling didn’t mention milk, so they got complaints. Now Costco is recalling tons of butter.”

ZK: “Wait, they have to recall it for that?”

Kay: “Yep.”

ZK: “But isn’t it obvious? Butter is made from milk!”

Kay: “In America, more and more people don't know what many processed foods are originally made from.”

ZK: “Seriously? That actually happens?”

Kay: “Yeah. That’s been happening more lately, but the butter incident was particularly shocking.”

ZK: “Really?”

Kay: “Poor Costco—it’s recalling a massive amount of butter, and it’s all over the news.”

Comment:

Please note that this video was released at the end of November last year, so the information may be outdated.

It seems that food labeling regulations have become stricter in America. One concern I have about living in the U.S. is whether the salt content is clearly listed on food packages. I'm trying to keep my daily salt intake under 6 grams, and the information on packaged foods is incredibly useful for tracking this.

I've also heard a rumor that there are tax incentives in America for "healthier" foods with less fat. I'd love to know more about this policy!

Kay: “It’s finally happening.”

ZK: “What’s with that face? What happened?”

Kay: “Tipping boycotts have finally started in America because of rising prices.”

ZK: “Seriously? It’s started?”

Kay: “Yeah, apparently. Not everyone is doing it, but more and more people are joining this boycott movement, saying, ‘I just can’t afford to tip anymore.’ For something like a coffee that costs just a few dollars, adding tips can more than double the price. People are thinking, ‘Honestly, I can’t justify paying that much just for someone to hand me a coffee.’”

ZK: “Umm...”

Kay: “With touch payment systems in the U.S., the tipping screen automatically comes up, and there’s this growing sentiment that, ‘Tipping was supposed to be a voluntary choice, but now that choice is being taken away from us!’ So, people are saying, ‘I just can’t do it anymore.’ In fact, more and more people are financially unable to tip. It’s unclear whether this will lead to the end of the tipping system in the future, but boycotts have definitely started. I wonder if this will really solve anything for the workers. It just feels like everyone’s struggling.”

Comment:

The tipping culture, which seems like a rational system in an individualistic society, works as a motivation for staff to provide good service. But it's also a complex issue.

Here's a reflection on the cultural differences between the U.S. and Japan: If America can be called a "country of individualism," then Japan could be described as a "country of social systems." This difference also affects how people react to service errors in places like coffee shops. For example, if the server made a mistake when taking an order, one customer in America might get angry and threaten to withhold a tip, while another might cheerfully say, "Don't worry about it! I was in the mood for coffee with milk," and take it with a smile. But as a Japanese person, I wouldn't touch the wrong item until the staff acknowledged their mistake and offered to correct the order, saying, "We're sorry, but please accept this product instead." That's because there's a deep awareness in Japan that every product is tied to customer data. Any noise or disruption caused by a staff error is likely to cause even a small disadvantage to the store.

When I shared this perspective with a Mexican friend, he found it a little strange, so I will refrain from discussing it further. However, I think this way of thinking could be useful in understanding Japanese behavioral principles.

This concludes this article. Thank you for reading to the end.

What I love about this channel is how much fun the two of them seem to be having. I’m not a particularly discriminatory person, but many of the Japanese people I’ve encountered, while outwardly kind, often keep their emotions and true thoughts guarded. In contrast, from my perspective, Kay, who grew up in American culture, appears incredibly energetic and full of humor.

When interacting with people on Newgrounds, including Americans (though I mostly exchange messages with people from countries other than the U.S.), I’ve come to realize that people everywhere get angry about similar things, are interested in similar things, and have similar dreams. However, differences in environment and culture undoubtedly influence human nature. Occasionally, I’m surprised to see how much someone’s upbringing in a different culture, like Kay’s, can make them seem so different.

If America is filled with people like her, and if that environment could (even through a tough-love approach) make me brighter and more sociable, then perhaps half of the struggles I feel living in Japan could be resolved. In my own way, this idea has become my version of the "American Dream."

Happy New Year! How have you been?

I hope this year will be another one in which I can observe the complex and beautiful things that exist on Newgrounds and in this world, and create "delicious" art that everyone can enjoy.

Also, thank you, @anymany, for buying me a year's subscription to Newgrounds Supporter! I really appreciate it.

For this very first article of the new year, I'd like to introduce a concept proposed by a sociologist I greatly respect, Toshio Okada.

[Reference] OTAKING explains 4-type (人生を楽にする「４タイプ」で理解するあなたと他人)

Toshio Okada once proposed a method for classifying personalities into four types. According to him, all human personalities can be classified into these four types, regardless of nationality, age, or gender. Furthermore, he claims that in any community you belong to, people of each type are generally evenly distributed. Toshio Okada is one of the founding members of GAINAX and has been involved in the anime industry. However, he is not an expert in psychology, and as far as I've been able to find, there are no academic papers based on his ideas. So I have my doubts about the credibility of this classification method. Nevertheless, I like this way of thinking.

A long time ago, I created a (silly) visual novel called Pat Pat Drama Club. At that time, I "designed" the characters to have as different personalities as possible to make the story more interesting. And after I finished the script, I realized something surprising: the four characters just happened to fit perfectly into Toshio Okada's classification of four personality types. If you ever get a chance to play my game, you'll easily be able to see which character from PPDC - Momoko, Sana, Yuki, or the protagonist - corresponds to each type in Okada's classification. Even if you are not interested in my game at all, it would be interesting to think about which type corresponds to which Hogwarts dormitory in the Harry Potter series, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. However, please keep in mind that Okada and probably J.K. Rowling-sama don't want to say that one type is superior to another, but probably want to say that each type has unique pros and cons.

Unlike Okada and J.K. Rowling-sama, I'm not a professional storyteller. However, this incident made me think that this classification of four types may have been derived from a somewhat rational idea. Whether it has psychological value or not, I personally think it is natural for someone like Okada who is deeply involved in storytelling to come up with this concept, and if you happen to be someone who is involved in story creation, this classification could provide insight such as "If you arrange your characters based on this concept, your story might become even more interesting."

Okada's Four Type Classification

Okada's four type classification uses a coordinate system as shown in the diagram.

The horizontal axis classifies whether you tend to think about things in a "specific" or "abstract" way. Okada explains this as follows: "Specific people think about things numerically, while abstract people think about things sensationally."

The vertical axis labeled "Extrovert" and "Introvert" has roughly the same meaning as defined in an English dictionary, but Okada goes on to explain that when an event occurs, extroverts look for external causes, while introverts look for internal causes.

Okada explains each type as follows:

Commander (specific, extrovert)

This type has leadership qualities and is caring and ambitious. However, they have one weakness: they firmly believe that if you're not successful, it's because you're not trying hard enough. They are convinced that with enough effort, anyone can become a Bill Gates or a Steve Jobs, and they tend to impose this belief on others indiscriminately.

In addition, Commanders often prefer fashions that emphasize their strengths. For example, if you are a muscular, burly man, you are likely to always wear clothes that accentuate your body contours.

Attention Seeker (abstract, extrovert)

This personality type gets along with everyone, is attention-seeking, and has a childlike need for affection. They place the highest value on maintaining good relationships within their community and will do anything to liven up a party. For example, during a card game with several people, Commanders will focus solely on winning, while Attention Seekers, upon noticing someone who keeps losing, may deliberately lose the next game to avoid hurting that person's feelings. However, they have one drawback: they are overly afraid of being excluded from the group and need constant reassurance that they are needed.

In addition, Attention Seekers tend to dress in bold and eccentric fashions.

Lawmaker (specific, introvert)

In this classification, the term "law" is not a political term, but a scientific term that refers to the similar meaning of "principle". This personality type finds the greatest joy in understanding, discovering, or hypothesizing the "laws" of things, which makes them a scientist-like figure. If Commanders say, "Any dream can come true with effort," Lawmakers would counter, "There are limits to what humanity can do. Why don't you understand that?" When a family member dies, others would mourn their loss, but Lawmakers think, "Everyone dies... And I will... First of all, what is 'life' as the counterpart of 'death'? ...Um, it's hard to think," and are unlikely to share their thoughts with others. As you can see, Lawmakers tend to appear cold, unemotional, and almost "alien" to others.

In addition, Lawmakers tend to dress in a way that blends in with their surroundings or have little interest in fashion at all.

Idealist (abstract, introvert)

This personality type has a strong and unwavering "ideal self image" and devotes all of their energy to achieving that ideal. When creating something, they obsess over even the smallest details that may not affect the quality of the work from the perspective of others. And if they want to become a "true American," they would adjust all aspects of their lifestyle to follow the American way and believe that deviating from it is unacceptable. As a result, an Idealist has the potential to become a highly skilled creator or performer, but their perfectionist nature, as mentioned earlier, can also lead to the loss of friends.

In addition, Idealists prefer unique fashions that reflect their own values. In this sense, they can truly be called "fashionable".

The Clockwise Law and the Diagonal Law

Now, based on the explanations so far, which type do you think you belong to? After reading this, some of you may feel that you clearly fit into one type, while others may feel that you belong to several types, or perhaps none at all. If you're not sure which type you are, try using the two rules, the Clockwise Law and the Diagonal Law, to classify yourself. Simply put, it's "who you like and who you tend to avoid.

Okada claims that the four personality types follow the Clockwise Law. Specifically, this law suggests that you tend to like the type of person who is adjacent to your own type in a clockwise direction, while you tend to dislike the type who is adjacent to your own type in a counterclockwise direction. Here's how it works:

• If you are a Commander, you probably admire Lawmakers who make cool, well-reasoned judgments and always give precise advice, while you tend to look down on Attention Seekers who seem only capable of ingratiating themselves with others.
• If you are a Lawmaker, you probably admire Idealists who have exceptional artistic talents and tend to look down on Commanders who lack their observational skills and impose their specific beliefs.
• If you are an Idealist, you may admire Attention Seekers who appear to have a fun and social life surrounded by friends, because you have probably lived a more solitary life. On the other hand, you may look down on Lawmakers who seem cold, unemotional, or even like robots or aliens.
• If you are an Attention Seeker, you are likely to admire Commanders who are strong and reliable, while you tend to look down on Idealists who are stubborn, lack social harmony, and seem uninterested in making friends.

Okada also mentions the "Diagonal Law," which suggests that you will struggle greatly to understand individuals who are positioned diagonally from you and tend to view them as entirely different beings:

• If you are a Commander, you cannot understand Idealists who put their own ideals first, even when it is clear that they will not be recognized by others.
• If you are an Idealist, you cannot understand Commanders whose actions are driven only by external validation, even at the expense of personal feelings.
• If you are a Lawmaker, you cannot understand Attention Seekers whose arguments are based on emotions rather than objective facts.
• If you are an Attention Seeker, you cannot understand Lawmakers who discuss everything as if it were someone else's problem.

Okada also states that although diagonal people are unlikely to understand each other's principles of behavior, if they can accept each other's differences and get along, their friendship can last a long time.

Is There a 4-Type Diagnostic Test?

In fact, Okada did create a test to determine which type you are, but the website where you could take the test is now closed, and it can only be confirmed through Okada's books (I bought the book about it, by the way).

Therefore, this article will not include the test itself, and moreover, I personally question the necessity of taking the test. One reason is that the characteristics and laws listed above are sufficient to determine which personality type you belong to. Another reason is that Okada himself admitted that there were flaws in the design of the test. When Okada administered the test to students at the university where he worked, he found that students who should have been classified as Commander were attracted to the Lawmaker type because of their "high" self-evaluation, while people who should have been classified as Idealist were attracted to the Lawmaker type because of their "low" self-evaluation. As a result, more people were classified as Lawmakers. Okada suggests that the best way to correct such mistakes is to share the Four Type Classification with your friends and ask them to objectively determine which type you belong to.

Application

There are practical benefits to keeping these laws in mind, other than creating an interesting story. For example, if you forget your girlfriend's (or boyfriend's, if you are a woman) birthday and make her very angry, the effective way to apologize will depend on which of the four types your lover belongs to.

• If your girlfriend is a Commander, it is important to show your submission and loyalty to her. Prepare an expensive gift as an apology.
• If your girlfriend is an Idealist, she is probably upset because she feels that her feelings are not understood and agreed with by you. Patiently listen to her anger and show that you are trying to empathize with her feelings as much as possible.
• If your girlfriend is an Attention Seeker, she probably lives in the world of "emotions". Apologize emotionally by saying something like, "How could I forget your important birthday? I can't believe I did that! I am so sorry! Please, please forgive me!"
• If your girlfriend is a Lawmaker, she probably lives in the world of "logic". Present a solution you've come up with to prevent the same mistake from happening in the future, just as you would when reporting a problem to your boss at work. She would offer some advice on your "plan" or accept it as reasonable enough. Either way, she would forget that she was angry, and the conversation would become constructive.

What About You, Precip. 24?

I actually took the 4-type diagnostic test created by Okada, but surprisingly, I found that I was right in the center of the coordinate, at the "origin". That is, the test refused to classify my personality! This is one of the reasons why I do not fully trust this classification system.

However, I personally love scientific and logical thinking. At the same time, I deeply respect Idealists who post artistically excellent artwork on Newgrounds. Or I would love to be an Idealist. Judging by this, I could be classified as a Lawmaker. I love to find a "law" in everything, and I believe that there is something like "universal creativity" that underlies all kinds of art, and this is one of the reasons why I post illustrations, music, and games of various genres on Newgrounds.

If you think, "Precip. 24 is a versatile creator who could be used to make the game I want," then you might be a Commander. If you think, "Precip. 24 handles many genres skillfully, but lacks true artistry," then you might be an Idealist. However, if an Idealist I respect said that to me, it would really hurt, so please keep such thoughts to yourself...

Lastly, I have no idea how an Attention Seeker might perceive me, and I would love to hear what they think. In that sense, I am probably a Lawmaker.

This concludes this article. Thank you for reading to the end.

Incidentally, perhaps because of my unique social circle, I haven't met anyone who fits any type other than "Lawmaker", so I would like to meet a "Commander", "Attention Seeker" or "Idealist". If you'd like, I'd love to hear your type and your thoughts on the subject.

[Warning] This article contains spoilers for Frozen, Star Wars, and Joker. [Warning]

About ten years ago, a revolutionary Disney movie was released.

I first encountered Let It Go through the uncut music video on Disney's official channel on YouTube. Compared to the elegant, classic Disney soundtracks (mostly composed by Alan Menken) up until Tangled, Let It Go had a modern, "piercing" quality that made a profound impression on me. I remember thinking at the time, "Disney may have created something monumental here."

Eventually, Frozen became a global phenomenon, breaking numerous records and becoming a legendary hit; its theme song, "Let It Go," alone broke records and even dominated the Far East, Japanese variety shows for almost a month.

However, the movie Frozen itself has received some criticism. For example, CinemaSins released a video titled "Everything Wrong With Frozen," highlighting the "oddities" in the story. Among viewers, opinions like "The songs are amazing, but I didn't like the story" were fairly common. This sentiment wasn't limited to English-speaking audiences; it was echoed in other cultural spheres as well.

However, Toshio Okada has praised Frozen as a masterpiece that influenced not only subsequent Disney movies but even other superhero films.

Okada is one of the founding members of the legendary Japanese animation studio GAINAX, known for the Evangelion series, and has long been involved in anime production, leaving a significant mark on the Japanese animation industry. On his channel, he noted that critics of Frozen often lack the perspective of an anime creator.

Okada also pointed out that the Japanese translation of Let It Go has led to many misunderstandings among Japanese audiences. However, he clarified that this is not due to poor translation quality but rather the substantial limitations imposed by the linguistic differences between English and Japanese in translating song lyrics.

In this article, I would like to translate and share with you some of the key points Okada discussed on his channel, focusing especially on Elsa's desperation and the inherent "difficulty" of translation.

[Reference] UG# 266: Examining Why Frozen Was Such a Hit on Friday Roadshow – January 27, 2019

(【UG# 266】金ロー『アナと雪の女王』ヒットの理由を考える 2019/1/27)

[Okada]

What's remarkable about Let It Go, which became a social phenomenon at the time of its release, is that it shows Elsa, the desperate protagonist, transforming into a villain akin to Darth Vader in the Star Wars series. The revolutionary aspect of this scene is that it presents Elsa's tragic and terrifying descent into monstrosity in a way that appears to be a positive transformation - Elsa liberates herself and embraces her humanity.

Since this work, the portrayal of villains in film has changed significantly. In Tim Burton's Joker, the character's revelation as a demonic being is presented as a very frightening event, but in Elsa's case, her villainous transformation is presented as an almost miraculous event, increasing the chilling effect of the scene. This complex expression is embodied in Let It Go.

In this video, I want to focus on and explain this particular aspect of the scene.

Let me add some background here:

Elsa, the princess of Arendelle, was born with magical powers to create snow and ice. When she was eight years old, she accidentally injured her younger sister, Anna, leaving her unconscious. Thanks to the efforts of the Trolls, Anna’s life was saved, but from that point on, Elsa shut herself away in isolation and ceased going outside except for official royal duties.

Ten years later, Elsa and Anna’s parents perished in a maritime accident, leaving Anna as Elsa’s only remaining family.

The pivotal incident occurs three years later on the night of Elsa’s coronation. Anna tells Elsa she wants to marry Hans, a prince from a neighboring kingdom whom she just met at the coronation events. Naturally, Elsa opposes the idea, leading to an argument with Anna. In the heat of the moment, Elsa accidentally reveals her dangerous magical powers in front of everyone.

At this point, Elsa experiences two profound setbacks:

1. Elsa had distanced herself from Anna after the childhood accident, fearing her powers might harm her again. Despite this, she continued to love her sister deeply as her only family. However, when Anna declares her intention to marry someone she just met, Elsa is devastated. Whether Elsa could see through Hans’s true nature or not remains unclear, but she was deeply disheartened by Anna’s lack of discernment in trusting people.
2. Elsa had been striving to endure the pressures of being a queen while trying to behave as a “normal, upright person.” Yet, at her coronation, her dangerous powers were exposed, and she was publicly branded a “monster” by the guests. This moment reaffirmed to Elsa that she was not an ordinary person, plunging her further into despair.

Having lost both her sense of family and her identity as a normal human being, Elsa retreats to the snowy mountains, carrying profound despair, leading to the iconic Let It Go scene.

[Okada]

The reason this movie is so highly praised is because of the song "Let It Go," but many Japanese audiences are familiar with the translated version. Unfortunately, the Japanese lyrics significantly alter the original intent, making it more of a "parody" than a "translation".

In the Japanese version, Elsa seems to sing only positive things, but the English version conveys a much more complex message. Elsa's desperation is subtly revealed in the nuances of the English lyrics, but due to linguistic limitations, it was impossible to fully incorporate this complexity into the Japanese translation.

Take the most important part, "Let it go, let it go. There's already a shift in nuance. In Japanese, it's rendered as "ari no mama no (Let it be)," but in the English version, Elsa's words convey a much more resigned attitude, something closer to "Enough is enough! I don't care anymore!” This reflects Elsa's sense of throwing everything away in frustration.

Let's take a closer look at the lyrics from the very beginning.

The snow glows white on the mountain tonight

Not a footprint to be seen

Elsa climbs the snowy mountain as the camera closes in on her.

This part serves as a metaphor for Elsa shedding all traces of her life in human society. She had worked tirelessly to become a "good queen," but this scene symbolizes how all her efforts have come to nothing. In addition, Elsa is dragging a heavy cloak behind her in this scene. Originally meant to protect her from the cold, the cloak now symbolizes a burdensome shackle. In other words, this cloak represents the overwhelming pressure Elsa felt living as a queen in human society.

Just from this visual composition, I can tell that this movie is a masterpiece. Critics of this movie often lack this kind of perspective. Unlike live-action films, where unforeseen events can occur, everything shown in animation is intentional and serves a specific expressive purpose. It is important for us as viewers to carefully interpret and appreciate these intentional expressions.

A kingdom of isolation

And it looks like I’m the queen

In this scene, Elsa begins to take off her coat. This means that she is gradually losing her sense of feeling the cold. Elsa, still human at the beginning, undoubtedly felt the chill of the snowy mountain. From that moment on, however, we glimpse her transformation into a creature no longer bound by human traits - a monster immune to the cold.

If this were Darth Vader from Star Wars, his descent into darkness would be revealed by his black transformation, symbolizing his corruption by evil. In contrast, this film conveys Elsa's "villainous transformation" by showing her becoming whiter and more beautiful, achieving the same thematic effect through an inverted visual approach.

Don’t let them in, don’t let them see

Be the good girl you always have to be

This part can be a bit unclear due to differences in the Japanese translation, but it can be interpreted that Elsa is imitating her parents. In this scene, Elsa remembers the things she was told over and over again throughout her childhood.

Well, now they know

In this scene, Elsa takes off her gloves. These gloves had served as a device to suppress her magic, but here she breaks the seal on her powers and begins to test the full extent of her magical abilities.

Let it go, let it go

Can’t hold it back anymore

In the Japanese translation, this part is similar to "Let it be," but the original phrase is actually one used to encourage someone who is upset-such as a friend who has been rejected or lost a job-to say, "Don't dwell on what's already over. Just forget about it!"

Elsa utters these remarkably "negative" words with a beaming smile. This must have left English-speaking viewers with a chilling sense of unease.

Immediately thereafter, Elsa breathes life into a snowman. Although this snowman later becomes the adorable character Olaf, it's worth noting that in Christian cultural contexts, the act of breathing life into inanimate objects is associated with witches or demons. In this sense, this scene represents Elsa's further descent into the dark side.

Let it go, let it go

Turn away and slam the door

For English-speaking audiences, the act of "slamming the door" conveys a very negative and strong message, symbolizing a complete rejection of someone and a total severing of the relationship. However, Elsa's expression when she sings this phrase is still full of a smile.

To make this scene more relatable to Japanese viewers, we can compare it to an anime. The atmosphere is similar to a scene in the anime Kakegurui where a character points a gun at someone and yells, "If everyone d*es, everything will be solved! Everybody just d*e! HAHAHA!!" In Japanese anime, such scenes often include another character trembling in fear of her insanity. This setup clearly conveys her deranged state of mind. In Frozen, however, there is no character to fill this role, making it harder for the audience to recognize Elsa's descent into madness.

In a way, this scene is reminiscent of the famous dance scene in the recent Joker movie after he kills the businessmen. In that scene, the Joker, intoxicated by the pleasure of violence, comes to terms with and reveals his true nature. Similarly, in this scene from Frozen, Elsa - who once aspired to be a self-controlled, "good person" - denies her past self. Depending on your perspective, this can be interpreted as a deeply sad moment. Some viewers, especially women, recognized and resonated with it as a representation of "her demonic nature unleashed." However, the beautiful visuals and music make it difficult for this sad nuance to come across.

Unbeknownst to Elsa at the time, the release of her powers will lead to a great catastrophe in the kingdom. Through this storyline, the film subtly conveys a disturbing message that seems far from child-friendly: "To be truly free, you must not be afraid to be antisocial. This message is cleverly hidden within the narrative. In this sense, Frozen is actually much more provocative in its themes than Japanese anime.

I don’t care what the’re going to say

Let the storm rage on

The cold never bothered me anyway

By this point, Elsa has already turned into a monster and lost the ability to consider how her powers cause suffering for the people of the kingdom. While Disney films rarely depict death in an overt way, the reality is that very few Disney films are entirely devoid of death. Snow-covered Arendelle was experiencing one of its rare summers, but Elsa's sudden transformation plunged it back into freezing cold. Naturally, this change in climate would have resulted in some deaths, but the movie completely omits such consequences.

Also, a skilled translator would probably notice the incongruity in the last word of her song - "anyway" instead of "anymore". At the beginning of the song, Elsa was indeed shivering with cold. However, she declares, "The cold never bothered me anyway," suggesting that she never felt cold to begin with. In this scene, having abandoned her place in human society, Elsa has completely lost her humanity and is beginning to forget even her memories of being human.

Earlier in the story, Elsa was portrayed as a woman with a strong sense of justice, striving to be a good queen for the people of Arendelle. But in this moment, she becomes a monster, indifferent to the potential deaths of her subjects, trading her humanity for overwhelming magical power.

This concludes the content of this article. Thank you for reading to the end.

At one point, I aspired to become a professional translator, but even so, I didn’t realize that “anyway” wasn’t “anymore.” In fact, when I sang this song at karaoke, I sometimes got the lyrics wrong and thought, “Oh, I messed that up,” but that was about the extent of my reflection.

Even before hearing Okada's insights, I was aware that there had been some criticism of the Japanese translators for interpreting "Let It Go" as something like "Let It Be" or "Show me as I am," and I personally felt that "Let It Go" probably meant something like "Leave it as it is," but I wasn't able to articulate that sense as well as Okada.

When asked if the translators were unaware of this nuance, I believe that this is not the case for many reasons. Personally, I feel that, aside from this aspect, the translation of Let It Go was handled with professional accuracy, even under the severe constraints of translating from English to Japanese. Clearly, the anonymous translators must have understood the layered meanings hidden in Let It Go. Knowing this, they deliberately adapted the lyrics with a positive interpretation appropriate for a children's film, resulting in the nearly original Japanese version we know as "Ari no Mama de (As I Am)."

And that, it seems to me, now implies the struggle of the translator, who is forced to work dishonestly with the meaning of the source text, the more familiar the translator is with the language. The difficulty of conveying not only linguistic differences, but also the nuances created by cultural and value differences, with minimal explanation to a general audience is now glaringly obvious to me. This realization has shocked me as a "translationfag" to my core, and it feels like there's no immediate solution to this problem. This is a very negative conclusion, but I believe that if I listen to "Let It Go" and consult many interpretations like Okada's, I could grasp a lot of its true meaning, so I feel optimistic in that sense.

The United States is famous for many things, and one of them is its slang. Some phrases have become so popular and versatile that they've even been imported into Japanese. For example, the term "incel" is widely known, even among Japanese who don't speak English fluently. When the term first started trending, I guessed its meaning based on its usage, but later learning its origin left me in awe of the creativity (and violence) of word creation in the online world.

On the other hand, there are words that many Japanese believe were imported from the U.S. but were actually coined locally in Japan. "School caste" (スクールカースト) is a prime example.

Since you're probably unfamiliar with this term, let me explain: it refers to the "social hierarchy that naturally forms among students within a school," likened to India's rigid caste system. Many Japanese people believe that American high schools have a strict social hierarchy among students, with a group consisting of "jocks" (members of the football team) and cheerleaders at the top. This perception is reinforced by American movies and TV dramas.

In addition, I must mention that Wikipedia says that the word "clique" is more commonly used in the U.S. to refer to the similar concept. For English speakers, "clique" may be more familiar, but I didn't know the word "clique" myself, so I'm not entirely sure if the two terms are completely synonymous. The reason I didn't know "clique" is that I mistakenly believed that the term "school caste" had already been invented in the U.S. and was the more common term there.

I think many other Japanese people also use "school caste" as a term similar to "clique." So if you ever find yourself discussing school life with a Japanese person, don't be surprised if they use this term without explanation - they may even appreciate it if you share its meaning and history with other Americans.

Conversely, some words I thought were uniquely Japanese turned out to be imported from the U.S.. A good example is "Generation Z". This term, which is widely used in Japanese generational discussions (along with terms such as 氷河期世代 (Ice Age Generation) and ゆとり世代 (Pressure-Free Generation)), appears in Japanese in a semi-translated form as "ゼット世代 (Zetto sedai)", making it less obvious that it comes from the American term "Generation Z".

Also, I was surprised when an American friend used the term "ADHD." In Japan, this term is widely known and used to describe personality traits. However, I subconsciously assumed that "ADHD" was a kind of Japanese English. About a year ago, I learned that it's also commonly used in the U.S., which came as a surprise.

However, I have a question for you English speakers: are you familiar with the term "ASD"? In Japan, it is used similarly to "ADHD" to refer to individuals with autism spectrum disorder or Asperger's traits. However, I've never met an English speaker who uses "ASD" in this way. I'm curious as to why there seems to be a difference in the way the two terms are used.

Lastly, a term that I only learned about thanks to my time on Newgrounds is "Rule 34 (and 63)." I won't explain its meaning in this article, but discovering this phrase was both shocking and fascinating - it reaffirmed why I can't leave Newgrounds!

These are just a few examples that come to mind, but if I've missed any important slang terms or imported words, please let me know in the comments.

Incidentally, as the title suggests, I also want to delve into Japanese Internet slang. Just as English-speaking countries have their own slang, Japan boasts a rich array of Internet expressions. Some of these phrases rival "incel" in their ability to reveal the darker corners of online culture. Here, I'd like to provide an update on the definitions of some of these terms.

Like slang in the English-speaking world, Japanese slang can range from words that are used moderately in real life to those that are best avoided in everyday conversation - and even terms that could get you arrested if used inappropriately. For the purposes of this article, I'm going to classify them according to their level of "danger".

If you know of any Japanese slang that I've overlooked, feel free to share it with me. As long as it's not overtly sexual or discriminatory, I'll be happy to add it to the list.

Relatively Safe Words to Use in Real-Life Conversations

1.   Oshi (推し)

This word literally means "support" in English. However, its current usage has evolved to convey a meaning closer to "favorite". The term "oshi" is also commonly used in its verb form, "osu (推す; to support)", which refers to the act of passionately supporting someone, often by spending large amounts of money on them.

Prior to the 2000s, this word was mainly taught in schools as a term related to politics or business, and had limited meaning. However, in recent years, thanks in part to the popularity of an anime series that uses the term in its title, oshi has become a widely recognized and commonly used word.

For example, when used in its noun form, it would be phrased as "今推しのアーティストは？" (Who is your favorite artist right now? ), and when used in its verb form, it would be "〇〇を推したい" (I want to support XX!), which are the most natural ways to use it.

2.   XX Gacha (〇〇ガチャ)

The term gacha may sound similar to the English word "gotcha," but it is completely unrelated. Its origin lies in a uniquely Japanese onomatopoeia. Initially, it referred specifically to capsule toys, but over time, its meaning evolved to resemble that of a "lottery" or "drawing." Today it has become a symbol of social inequality. The term "gacha" is used metaphorically to describe circumstances beyond one's control, likening them to a game of chance.

Gacha is often combined with other words to describe specific situations. For example:

• Oya-gacha (親ガチャ; parents): Refers to one's parents or family environment.
• Kuni-gacha (国ガチャ; country): Refers to one's nationality.
• Kao-gacha (顔ガチャ; face): Refers to one's physical appearance.

These combinations show how the term is used to describe various aspects of life that are determined by luck.

However, it is rare to see this term used in contexts such as shigoto-gacha (仕事ガチャ, "job gacha"). This is because the general perception is that one's job is something one can choose for oneself. The term gacha is primarily used to lament aspects of life that are completely out of one's control.

3.   Kusa (草)

This word is equivalent to "LOL" or "LMAO" in English. You may recall seeing "www" in the past - it was shorthand for the Japanese word "warai (笑い)," meaning "laugh," created by stringing together the initial letter "w" several times.

Over time, the shape of "www" came to resemble a field of grass when viewed sideways, inspiring the cultural phrase "growing grass" (草を生やす) to describe typing "www" online. Eventually, this evolved into the independent use of "kusa" (grass), which is now widely used to mean something like "laugh(-able)".

Both "www" and "kusa" are examples of words that have undergone remarkable changes in a short period of time.

An example of how Internet users use kusa is the phrase "zenzen daiji de kusa" (全然大事で草), which can confuse beginners learning Japanese because of its grammatically unusual structure. However, when run through Google Translate, it accurately renders as "It's important LOL," which perfectly captures the intended nuance.

4.   Majiresu (マジレス)

This term is a combination of the slang maji (マジ), meaning "serious," and resu (レス), meaning "response." Literally translated, it means "serious response."

For example, imagine someone tells a joke. "Majiresu" refers to the act of responding seriously to it without realizing it's a joke. In Japan’s online culture, such actions are generally disliked, which led to the creation of this term to describe them.

When used alongside kusa (草), it can form phrases like "majiresu de kusa" (マジレスで草), which means "Serious response LOL."

Words That Shouldn't Be Used in the Real World

1.   -tan (～たん/タン)

This is a suffix used as a term of endearment often attached to the names of cute characters. Grammatically, it can be categorized as a suffix similar to “-sama” or “-san.” For example, if it were attached to my name, it would become something like "Purecipi-tan," wouldn’t it?

The origin of this term is thought to be derived from the way young children, with their underdeveloped pronunciation, call their parents. Over time, it evolved and became established as a term of endearment used primarily by anime-obsessed otaku. Because of this, people who use this word in real-world settings are highly likely to be avoided by others.

That’s right—the “tan” in “ZONE-tan” is actually this kind of term! Of course, ZONE-sama, being a creator well-versed in Japanese, has even produced the educational video series ECCHIcation, which is a fascinating resource for learning Japanese, even from my perspective as a native speaker. I believe they understand the nuances and context behind this term and have chosen to use it deliberately. However, caution is advised when using it in the real world.

2.   Jirai-kei Joshi (地雷系女子)

The term "jirai" means "landmine," an explosive device, but in this context, "landmine girls" are girls who, while seemingly attractive, are very likely to cause emotional distress or "inflict serious wounds" (especially on men) if you get involved with them.

What I find curious is that while this definition seems broad and could apply to a wide variety of girls, if you search the term on Google, you'll find that it almost always refers to a very specific type of girl. Somehow the term has become synonymous with women who dress in a certain style of pink gothic fashion. The term "Jirai-kei" (地雷系) has become increasingly narrow in meaning, to the point where it is now commonly associated with phrases such as "landmine fashion" (地雷系ファッション) or "mass-produced fashion" (量産型ファッション), a term used derisively to describe similar styles often worn by "landmine girls".

I'm not very familiar with their behavior or how the meaning of the term has evolved over time. However, as someone who enjoys gothic fashion, I find jirai-kei fashion equally fascinating. Someday I'd like to make illustrations of them.

3.   Menhera (メンヘラ)

In English, I'm not sure there's a specific term for people who inhabit spaces like 4chan or Reddit, much like you might use "New Yorker" to describe someone from New York. In Japan, however, people who frequented a section of Internet forums called the "Mental Health Board (メンヘラ板)" were referred to as "menhera." Many of the users on this board struggled with some form of mental distress, and thus the term "menhera" was born to describe such individuals. Today, it has become a general term used to describe people with a tendency toward emotional instability.

Interestingly, although "menhera" is a gender-neutral term, it is overwhelmingly used to describe emotionally unstable women. This trend isn't necessarily due to the stereotype that women are more prone to hysteria, but rather, in my opinion, has more to do with the fact that women have embraced the label of menhera and built a certain level of social identity around it. Meanwhile, male menhera tend to be treated as if they don't exist in society....

4.   Riajuu (リア充)

This term often refers to people who lead a fulfilling life in the real world. It is frequently used in contrast to individuals in the following subcultures or social groups, and as a result, it is commonly associated with the implication of "having a romantic partner."

5.   Cheese Gyudon (/Chi-Gyu; チーズ牛丼/チー牛)

This term is one of the Japanese equivalents of the English term "incel. Interestingly, there are a surprisingly large number of Japanese terms equivalent to "incel," and I can think of at least four more off the top of my head. However, the one I'd like to explain here is the one that might seem the most nonsensical at first glance.

Originally, cheese gyudon was simply the name of a dish - a bowl of beef topped with cheese. However, after a particular illustration associated with the dish went viral, the term "cheese gyudon" (or its abbreviation, chi-gyu) began to be used to describe men who resembled the appearance depicted in the illustration.

That concludes this article. Thank you very much for reading to the end.

As someone who travels between the English and Japanese Internet worlds, I notice that no matter where you go in the world, the Internet is full of different perspectives. While some online discussions are overly emotional and oversimplified, I firmly believe that nothing in life is so simple that it can be packaged into a neat, documentary-style narrative.

Basically, I don't believe that there is such a thing as absolute good or evil in this world. Rather, I believe that there are only "situations that some people, for a period of time, consider to be 'good' or 'bad' from their perspective. Furthermore, when discussing the "simple and easy to understand facts" that are often presented in discussions of social issues, it's important to consider the people who stand to benefit from convincing the majority to believe them.

This world is complex, filled with challenges so intricate that a single day of Internet browsing can hardly unravel them. I hope to remain the kind of person who has the emotional bandwidth to enjoy exploring the meanings of Internet slang and the hidden contexts behind it as I encounter them in the course of this complexity.