[peepopeep]

I asked my Japanese wife for her opinion on this matter and she thinks the reason Japanese in general are more content is because of the lack of drive created by class inequality. Generally speaking, Japanese people are fairly well taken care of by the social systems and there is not a lot of flaunted wealth unlike in the west. Most Japanese probably see no need to strive and work too hard because their life is okay by most standards. Food is great, healthcare won't make one go bankrupt, good service and there's that whole culture of fitting in "the nail that sticks out must be hammered in". With the lack of visual class divide, younger people just don't see the point of working their asses off. They do it at first because that's what they are taught but once introduced to the very rigid and stressful work environment, there is little hope of advancement. I think the depression and suicide is a result of being content - manifesting in frustration and ultimately being unable to deal with the mundane of every day life (combined with other factors like frustration with work and or lack of partners).

I tend to agree. I have lived here for a short time but you get a sense of this just by being around people.

[chrischen]

I think there's a huge misconception about the conformity in Japan. Yes there is obvious conformity on the surface from a cursory glance, but then how do you explain the innovation that comes out of there? They're super inventive when it comes to Anime, food, design, and technology and it all stands at stark odds with how foreigners perceive them as conformist.

[wavefunction]

>when it comes to Anime

I am a fan of anime but I think there's a lot of tepid, derivative or uncreative anime being created that Westerners aren't completely exposed to.

For example, there are six or seven anime released in the past few years where the protagonist went to sleep/died and then woke up in a video game world, either in a game they played IRL or simply somehow were transported to the world of a video game or a world that behaves as if it is a video game.

They range from inventive and interesting to tedious rip-offs.

[bazooka_penguin]

Isekai (parallel world?) of various sorts generally come from light novels, which, as I understand it, are amateur novellas aimed at teens and youths with interests in fantasy and subjects typically found in anime. The popular ones get picked up by production companies or pushed by the publisher to be adapted into manga or anime. Usually just the first few books in a series, as a promotional thing i guess.

I think publishers hold contests to find which writers will get their stories serialized and at least according to 4chan isekai stories are banned from those contests now for being too uncreative. So people just posted their stories online and some still got picked up by publishers to get light novelized!

[tokyodude]

Is that any different than the 10 of the last 15 marvel movies basically being basically exactly the same?

Heck let's take western indie games where a large percentage of all indie games are yet another smash brothers clone or a metroidvania clone. There's probably at most 3 more genres that make up the majority of titles

In other words that there is tons of derivative stuff is not even remotely unique to Japan.

There's tons of anime that doesn't make it out of Japan (or used to be) as well of tons of manga that's seriously creative. Walk through a Village Vanguard store for example.

[krapp]

No need to be defensive. There's a ton of interesting and creative anime that does make it out of Japan as well[0], but as with any mainstream media, the anime industry is optimized for commerce and not art, so Sturgeon's Law tends to apply. Anyone with a Crunchyroll account, for instance, notices pretty quickly how much breadth and how little depth there is to anime.

[0]recommended: Stein's Gate, Psycho Pass, FLCL, Serial Experiments Lain, Tatami Galaxy, Pop Team Epic, Cowboy Bebop, Akame Ga Kill, Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt

[tokyodude]

I don't see it as defensive. I see it rather as "other bashing". Claiming Japanese anime has this quality of much of it being clones of other stuff can only be interpreted 2 ways

1. This quality is unique or more common in Japanese anime

2. This is a feature of all media of which Japanese anime is one

If the answer is #2 then there was no reason to say it. It would be like saying "water is wet in Japan". Of course water is wet everywhere so no point in even bringing it up.

If it's #1 then we need proof that Japanese anime has more clones than other media from other countries. I think that proof will be hard to find. Crunchyroll is not Japan.

[wavefunction]

My point was not that various anime is ripping off plots or themes from other bodies of art outside of anime and is thus derivative, but rather that a fair amount of anime is ripping off its themes from the superior examples of the genre.

There is a lot of anime I would rate much higher than pretty much any other narratives presented in other media formats including my native Hollywood.

[watwut]

Unlike holywood that tends to produce ... never mind the same thriller over and over and over. Or game industry that moves like herd.

Or fantasy genre that is repeating Tolkien tropes over and over and again.

Superhero again and again and again. Detective stories one like another. All vampire stories that kinda copy each other.

Existence of repetition does not cancel out creative inventions.

[wavefunction]

I probably consume more anime than western media product if I'm unflinchingly honest.

And I enjoy anime because it more frequently challenges or presents me with a significant and interesting ethical or philosophical problem.

[specialist]

Most everything is crap.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturgeon%27s_law

Just find what you like and revel in it.

[chrischen]

Maybe that's a side effect from the sheer number and low production cost of Anime.

In my opinion when the Japanese are inventive they have some really out-ther stuff, which is a sign they are really extending themselves in creativity.

[wavefunction]

The reason I still enjoy anime as an adult is that I find the stand-out productions to go far beyond the intellectual and physical boundaries of western productions so I definitely agree with you.

One of the aspects of non-American narratives I enjoy is the greater likelihood of a tragic or bitter-sweet ending.

[freetime2]

I agree that functioning social systems and reduced inequality seem to have a huge positive impact on quality of life compared to the US. In addition to health care (which you mentioned), the quality of public schools also seems to be much better on average than in the US. And unlike in the US, where the quality of schools can vary dramatically by the neighborhood you live in (i.e. Palo Alto vs. East Palo Alto in the Bay Area), the quality is fairly consistent between richer areas and poorer areas.

Houses are also much more affordable to own in Japan. Interest rates are around 1%. Tokyo is doing a good job of keeping up with demand, and a single family home in Tokyo can be purchased for under $500k compared to millions of dollars in SF or NY.

These things matter when it comes to contentment. I may not be rich, but I can own my own home, my kids can get a good education, crime is very low, we don't have to worry about going bankrupt if we have a medical emergency, there are amazing public parks nearby that I can visit, good service wherever I ago, etc.

[pnw_hazor]

They were pretty content back in their medieval eras too.

Go along get along, and such.

[enqk]

That's not really consistent with the rebellions that were quite frequent in japanese villages during the medieval period

[samirm]

Can you and/or your wife share your opinions on mental health in japanese society? Are people with mental illnesses looked down upon like in most of the world? Are psychologists/therapists a thing? etc.

[eeZah7Ux]

> there is not a lot of flaunted wealth unlike in the west

Let's not generalize "the west". There's a huge difference in this regard between US and central/southern europe.

[ForRealsies]

So we should expect less technological inventions, less creative solutions from this generation of the Japanese? I believe high Conscientiousness combined with high levels of Neuroticism is a common/promoted personality type over there.