Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on September 2010

Text appeal

Illustration by Shane Busato

Regarding “Thwacking Good Sense” (The Last Word, September 3): Western expats often remark on how making casual eye contact with Japanese in public places is still something of a challenge. Cellphones and MP3 players to a lesser extent have made the Japanese sense of personal space all the more fortress-like and desensitized. But when did it become more socially acceptable in Japan to plow through a crowd, oblivious to all but the minuscule characters before your eyes, than it is to eat or drink while walking in public places?

As a male of a certain age, I have no use for text messaging and still treat my iPhone as a “necessary” tool. The cliché holds—there is a time and a place for everything. Texting or even (increasingly rare) talking on a cellphone while walking in public places is not only inappropriate, it’s unnecessary and rude. Nothing you are typing or saying is so important that you can’t stop in an unobtrusive spot to do this.

I think Japan is beyond the point where a “gentle” reminder from a Zen master would do the trick. Rather, let’s reintroduce the part of the samurai code that sanctioned beheadings for inappropriate public behavior.—jeffrey

Good article dude. I wish I hated my iPhone—I was ready to. I got it for free from my brother when he upgraded to the new one. I used to laugh at iPhoners. Now I have my head buried in it at every spare second, just like everyone else. But it’s just so goddamn handy.

Seriously, though, how annoying is not being able to text without looking?—outlawhorse

Big-screen “talent”

Regarding “Movie Meddlers” (The Last Word, September 10): I learned a lot from this article, thank you! I often wondered about these things—how actors are chosen for parts, for example. I just put it down to my lack of understanding of the subtleties of Japanese, but you confirmed my worst fears!

Another thing I’ve guessed at is the poor choice of music in most Japanese films, possibly due to the movie studios favoring songs from music labels the stars are associated with, or that they want to promote for some backhanded reason. Watch any Japanese movie (or even just a trailer), and out of nowhere some J-pop song will come blasting in, completely out of context and tone—very jarring (for me at least). Compare and contrast with a Western movie, where most songs are chosen for the themes or melodies that complement the movie. If Mr. Brown could confirm or deny my suspicions, it would be greatly appreciated!—Charltzy

The author says that when TV broadcasters make movies for theatrical release, the result is “low production values.” I totally agree. What bugs me the most is the lighting: they have about five light reflections bouncing off someone’s forehead in those gleaming indoor shots. It seems the lighting designer’s job is to show off the talent’s face like it was a gold watch in a glass cabinet—there is no regard for realism.

As for the “talent”—what talent? The acting is mostly terrible. Well, you can’t blame them, they are expected to be actors, models, singers, comedians and everything all rolled into one. So all we end up with is mediocrity in every field.—gilesdesign

Taken from the Metropolis online comment threads

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