Japanese and their behavior in jdoramas

Talk about the culture and entertainment from Nihon.
Post Reply
RetroHelix
Posts: 503
Joined: Mar 14th, '09, 16:47
Location: Germany
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 2 times
Germany

Japanese and their behavior in jdoramas

Post by RetroHelix » Mar 15th, '15, 10:58

Hi,

I saw the first episode of Tokyo Elevator Girls yesterday and there was a scene that really bothered me. The elevator girl got her shoe stuck in the elevator (like this: click me) and could not get free. Nobody bothered to help her. There was even a woman complaining about the accident. I saw similar scenes in other dramas too thinking they were just over-subscribed to make the scene more meaningful.

I convinced myself to believe this was just a stylistic device of a show but now I have to ask about how realistic such behavior really is in the Japanese society. Can someone say a few words about this? I know you can't generalize people but such scenes aren't even imaginable were I come from.

Thanks and best regards.

forweg
Posts: 317
Joined: May 28th, '12, 04:41

Re: Japanese and their behavior in jdoramas

Post by forweg » Mar 15th, '15, 13:15

This has to be the most absurd and ludicrous thing I've ever seen posted here. Sorry, but it is.

Do you understand what fictional scenarios and comedic set-ups are?

RetroHelix
Posts: 503
Joined: Mar 14th, '09, 16:47
Location: Germany
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 2 times
Germany

Re: Japanese and their behavior in jdoramas

Post by RetroHelix » Mar 15th, '15, 13:38

I watched dozens of shows playing in a totally different country with another culture than most and wonder now how realistic some scenes really are. Whats the problem with asking this? (<--Rhetorical question. Don't answer please).

forweg
Posts: 317
Joined: May 28th, '12, 04:41

Re: Japanese and their behavior in jdoramas

Post by forweg » Mar 15th, '15, 15:26

Sorry if my response was overly harsh or sarcastic.

I feel that attempting to extract flaws or ascribe negative characteristics to an entire culture or society from pieces of art or entertainment is dangerous, especially when your example is really such a stretch.

lullabye
Posts: 347
Joined: May 2nd, '09, 22:01

Re: Japanese and their behavior in jdoramas

Post by lullabye » Apr 1st, '15, 02:52

I think it probably reflects Japanese worries more than Japanese actions. In big cities anywhere, people can have a tendency to ignore the problems of other people. Portrayals of extreme examples of something like that happening may be appealing to people who feel like they maybe aren't seen as an individual person in a crowded urban environment. But in my limited experience of Japan, people are very conscientious of what goes on around them and will offer help right away if they think you need it. If they don't offer, it's because they think you don't need help.

I think TV is an interesting medium for getting an idea of what concerns people have, and some of how society is structured. But it doesn't really show how most people live. To go just by TV shows, Japan is overrun with gangsters, most people in the US live in big houses with swimming pools, and the only time the English aren't drinking tea is when they are drinking beer.

ahtito
Posts: 3
Joined: Dec 19th, '14, 15:04

Re: Japanese and their behavior in jdoramas

Post by ahtito » Jul 29th, '15, 00:56

I grew up watching American TV shows. Now I'm learning Japanese I have been watching JDramas and have found striking differences from American TV. For starters, I'm surprised how much is food showcased in dramas. What do you guys think?

GaussAlgorithmus
Posts: 937
Joined: Jun 12th, '05, 19:56

Re: Japanese and their behavior in jdoramas

Post by GaussAlgorithmus » Aug 27th, '15, 09:31

Food is just a much bigger part of Japans Culture in comparison to how important it is in the west. If you watch Korean dramas and variety shows, I'd say it's even worse there.

Also, eating somewhere is sometimes simply a choise of narration I believe. In western TV-shows the cops for example talk about stuff whilst driving around in a car. You will see MUCH less driving in Japanese TV dramas, even in detective ones. So they have to chose another location for them to talk...restaurants.

manera
Posts: 58
Joined: Jan 20th, '15, 20:25

Re: Japanese and their behavior in jdoramas

Post by manera » Jan 1st, '16, 19:32

Well, food is expensive in Japan that's why it's more common to talk or show-off. There's no other deeper meaning.

Itadakimasu
Posts: 47
Joined: Dec 5th, '13, 21:49

Re: Japanese and their behavior in jdoramas

Post by Itadakimasu » Jan 12th, '16, 10:41

Food is the number one reason my family and I go to Japan. All our trips to Japan revolve around food, the cities/towns we go to and stay at are planned on what we want to eat or buy to bring back home. There is no better place in the world (imho) to chow down than Japan. In fact there is so many things we want to eat we can't because we would need more stomachs to take it all in. Hence, we keep going back to Japan because of 'food regret': so many things we want to eat but are to full to eat them so we have to keep going back to catch up (but never do!) :P

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests