RE: Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Harem
Harem anime? Dating sims? Clearly there is a lot going on in Japanese culture that I know nothing about.
I wonder how much of this entertainment gets incorporated into day-to-day life. Do the Japanese really date this way? Do they look to dating sims as practice for how to conduct their real relationships? Are the unrealistic expectations about relationships contributing to the Hikikomori culture of shut-ins that we read about? And could the female on male abuse be "fair play" revenge for the misogynistic attitudes portrayed in hentai and "fan service?"
I know that as an old, American outsider I'm being particularly obtuse about this. But we see these exports of Japan's entertainment industry while never experiencing anything of its actual living culture, and I can't help but feel curious about how one influences the other.
Japanese culture is a strange wonderland filled with bizarre phenomena impenetrable to most outsiders. I really don't know how much Japanese dating sims mimic Japanese dating culture, beyond the emphasis on Japanese-style etiquette, confessions of feelings, and Japanese high school or university culture for sims set in those settings.
Female on male abuse seems to be fanservice and a staple of certain anime personality archetypes, though I don't know if it's fair play for portrayals elsewhere.
What I can say is, having visited Japan once, the anime and manga visual aesthetic seems to be everywhere. As to how far behaviours and ideas in anime and manga influence local culture and norms or vice versa, though... I can't say for sure.
It sounds like this would be a great topic for a masters or doctoral thesis! Thanks for taking the time to share your experience.
Thanks for dropping by!