Discussion
On March 22, 2022, SNU-IJS hosted No. 261 Japan Specialist Seminar via Webinar. With approximately 50 participants, Professor Sadakane Hideyuki, Professor in the Department of Contemporary Culture and Society, Rikkyo University made a presentation about “The End and Reorganization of Japanese Subculture – 100 years of Consumption Society”. The below is the summary.
In contemporary Japan, subcultures such as manga or animation have been excluded from the labor. Subculture has a close co-relation with minor group, who are excluded from both labor and consumption. Pre-war minor group not only lacked the allowance, a.k.a the purchasing power, and they were categorized by class. Motion picture, or the movie, was the first industrial entertainment given to the minor group. In 1930, because of the theatrical advancement and the censorship, the visiting of the minors reduced. Simultaneously, minor group`s culture have divided to paper-theater, Disney, manga adapted from other resources.
In Post-war Japan, the purchasing ability of minor group have been expanded and recognized by laws. Many children started to get the allowance on a flat rate (a weekly or a monthly basis) instead of getting it when necessary. With the financial autonomy, and the minor groups were able to resist the elderly. Autobiographical manga, which centers the accomplishment of minor groups who are rebellious against the elderly, gained popularity by the minor groups. On the other hand, while the autobiographical manga was consumed by the male members in minor group, girl manga started to take shape. Especially, ballet manga drew attention from the female members of minor groups.
Similar to Ballet Manga, the manga is resistant against the elderly who is represented as “family”. Growth of Japanese subculture corresponded with the formation of purchasing power of minor group. It is the repulsion of consumer society, or Post-war Nation and Family, constructed by elderly.
The culture of minor group has disbanded from 1970. As their purchasing ability has been generalized, the minor-targeted subculture has been colonized and rearranged by elders. It is going toward the direction of following of elder`s authority without defying them. Current consumer society is enlarging by absorbing the minor groups, and we can observe the authority of consumer society from this point.
There was a Q/A after the presentation. There was a question about the definition of minor group. Professor Sadakane answered that the definition is relative; it refers to the weaker group with less purchasing ability, when measuring the power dynamic based on the age groups. He emphasized the exclusion from the labor as the core condition of the minor group.
A deep discussion joined by multiple experts in subculture field was followed. The session was ended with the discussion including the connection between the pre-war children`s culture and subculture; possibility of connection pre-war manga and virtual biography; opinions on recent minor who are utilizing the social media and OTT ; the possibility of invasion from senior otaku, who is consuming the manga or animation.
