Won't Miss #50 - anime-style advertising (reflection)

I have to admit that I have an enormous personal bias when it comes to the sort of animation that is all over the otaku (geek/nerd) parts of Japan like Akihabara. The infantilized and sexualized imagery really irritates me. It's not only freaky, but creepy. If real people looked like the women in that artwork, they'd look like hideous alien creatures. It's so distorted that I view it not as art, but as a form of advertising/recruiting for body dysmorphic disorder. The fact that girls in Japan will do cosplay to look like such characters including freaky contact lenses to make their eyes look enormous only supports my sense that this is so. That Ukranian "living Barbie" woman only strengthens my sense that there is a toxic nature underlying what appears to be innocent "art".

This is my issue. Maybe I'm an old fuddy-duddy. Maybe I just don't "get it" (though I can say that my brain is open-minded enough to "get" most modern art). However, I still don't miss anime-style advertising and dislike seeing it in the U.S. when it sneaks up on me on occasion.

Will Miss #445 - Ultraman

Ultraman soft drinks being sold in a vending machine in Tokyo.

When I was a kid, there were two Japanese things which I saw on television on a regular basis. One was the Saturday afternoon Godzilla movies which set the stage for hundreds of jokes about Japanese people's mouths moving out of sync with their words. The other was "Ultraman", who had no mouth so we didn't know if his words matched his lip movements. Ultraman used to air in the after school time slot (around 4:00 p.m.) when I was growing up and, though I am absolutely not a fan girl, I have a very nostalgic sense connected to this particular character. Seeing him reminds me of a time when Japan wasn't a place to me so much as a concept. It wasn't cool or creepy, but just the origin of a very different kind of entertainment that had verisimilitude for all kids worldwide.

Ultraman was part of my earliest exposure to Japanese culture and marked a time when I regarded it with purity and innocence rather than analysis or judgment. I will miss seeing Ultraman peppered throughout pop cultural life on a regular basis and the sense of warm nostalgia that the character brought on.

Won't Miss #402 - cosplay

A rack of costumes that young women can borrow for activities in a gaming center. 

The Wikipedia entry for cosplay ("costume play") claims it is a type "performance art". This has to be one of the most pretentious and inaccurate explanations I have ever heard of the tendency of some people to put on costumes resembling anime (cartoon) characters. In the U.S., I think cosplay tends to be a part of special events such as conventions. In Tokyo, you can see women putting on costumes at game arcades so that they can cram into photo booths and take their picture dressed in some ridiculous get-up. The costumes are not about the women adopting a different persona for their own enjoyment, but about some tiny little thing which they squeeze into so that men can be turned on by how they look in them.

I won't miss seeing this type of cosplay and how it reflects the fact that young women unwittingly embrace and support their own objectification. 

Will Miss #124 - Anpanman

I should be clear that I'm not referring to Anpanman goods or collectibles. I have no interest in the multitude of items marketed with his round, happy face on them. The thing I like about Anpanman is the story that goes along with the character. The idea of a superhero who weakens when he gets dirty or wet really tickles my fancy. It seems like a sneaky way of getting kids, who the character is designed to appeal to, to stay clean lest they also weaken.

I'll miss remembering the back story of this character, and smiling, every time I happen across his image.

Won't Miss #50 - anime-style advertising

I've never been a big fan of anime style artwork and I have more than had my fill of giant-eyed, absurdly-proportioned art from living in Japan. Personally, I find the style a bit creepy because it seems to be depicting people in an infantile fashion (big eyes, big heads) while also sexualizing them.

I won't miss seeing this style in advertising on a daily basis.