I'm back and I'm writing about anime again (at least I included K-pop this time too!)
- Dec 10, 2021
- 6 min read
I'm back! Enjoy this one while it lasts because I'm going to go back into hibernation after this one post.
How many of you guys have watched some anime or listened to some K-pop in the last year or two? Maybe you’ve done both? If I had to take a guess, I’d assume at least 75 percent of everyone reading this has watched at least one episode of an anime series or listened to at least one song by a K-pop group within the last six months. Heck, some of you might have even listened to K-pop without knowing it. It’s a bit hard to distinguish that sound when you’re on your phone in the bubble tea line, after all.
Anyhow, the point of me saying all of this is that anime and K-pop are really, really popular and widespread. The fact that anime and K-pop are so widespread is especially notable considering that neither comes from a place where English is the first language. Lots of mainstream culture comes from nations where English is the primary language, making anime and K-pop somewhat of an anomaly in their global popularity. There are many reasons behind why K-pop and anime have become so widespread, and I figured that I’d talk about these reasons for a little bit. I’ll talk about some of the individual attributes that make K-pop and anime appealing, and then I’ll finish with the biggest common attribute that explains how these two parts of Asian culture have become global phenomena in recent times.
Cultural Odorlessness in Anime
The first thing I wanted to talk about was the concept of “cultural odorlessness” and how it has allowed anime to reach such a diverse audience. To have the element of being culturally odorless, something must appeal in some way to a universal audience. In the case of anime, it means not having the feeling of being exclusively Japanese; rather, it has the feeling of being relevant or relatable to each viewer regardless of their background. The most popular anime shows internationally all contain this element to some degree (or else I don’t think the market for anime would have expanded into areas like Europe and the US). I think all you anime lovers out there can agree that when you’re watching an anime show, you don’t feel like you’re watching a strictly Japanese product. Instead, you find yourself following what hopefully is a good story. The general rules of good plot writing are universal, and anime is not exempt from it. A great story is a great story, no matter what language is used to tell it.
Japanese production companies will also go out of their way to emphasize the elements of anime that appeal more to a wider audience. This is likely just due to common business sense (would you rather have $10 or $20?), but regardless it’s pretty clear that anime is not marketed as a specifically Japanese product. For example, both production and marketing companies of anime can try to make the show seem more culturally odorless in how they limit the number of specific references to Japanese culture when marketing their shows as they try to sell to a more broad audience. You can see this in how Pokémon is marketed. Obviously, as an anime show, it is Japanese, but an American viewer watching it in English might not be able to distinguish this without knowing beforehand. Ash and Pikachu are iconic across the world, but I think you would be quite hard-pressed to find anything about them that makes them specifically Japanese. Most of the scaling back of Japanese culture in anime is not done out of disdain for Japanese culture, but more out of a need to appeal to a more global audience.
The Sonic and Visual Aspects of K-Pop
Whilst anime is popular in part because of how it relates to a general audience, K-pop is popular internationally in part because it brings something different to the table. K-pop dance choreographies are incredibly popular around the world, and many fans watch K-pop music videos for the dance as well as the music. A K-pop dance choreography performance in a dance competition would probably be the least surprising thing to see nowadays.
However, there are also aspects of the lyrical content that appeals to a more diverse audience as well. An example would be in Latin America, where K-pop has blown up in popularity (I still remember trying to learn a BTS dance with some people in a church in Ecuador). People in Latin America have pointed to the appeal of lyrics (post-translation) about love that is pure and romantic in contrast to the oftentimes more sexual lyrics that they’re used to. While Latin music has its own appeal, K-pop offers these people something different. The difference in lyrics allows fans from Latin America to switch things up every now and then. Who doesn’t like the occasional change of pace?
The Virtual Phenomena
For K-pop and anime fans around the world, the existence of the Internet has to be the biggest blessing of all time. Not only can you listen to BTS and watch Attack on Titan with the click of a button, but you can also interact with other fans and ship your favorite K-pop stars and anime characters together (yes, this is a very common thing for those that are asking). Heck, with the Internet, you can even read a specific blog post by a dude named Justin Xiao on why anime and K-pop are so popular around the world. The availability of the Internet has allowed for easy access (and thus easy spreading) of both anime and K-pop. See something you like? A few taps later and entire group chats could be blowing up across the world as people converse about the most recent revelations in the K-pop and anime industry. There is little doubt that without the Internet, neither industry would be anywhere near as big as they are today.
Conclusion
Anime and K-pop have grown to be extremely popular across the world for many different reasons. The Internet, along with the unique sonic and visual appeals of K-pop and the cultural odorlessness of anime, has contributed to the sprawling audience of both. For me, there’s a reason why I can’t get enough of an anime series once I start it (Hunter x Hunter is so, so, so good), and there’s a reason why I can find myself listening to K-pop for hours on end without knowing it. People can’t get enough of either of these things, and as long as the Internet is around, both are probably here to stay. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go binge the rest of Hunter x Hunter. I’ve still got about a hundred episodes left.
Just sit back and enjoy this Attack on Titan masterpiece
References:
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