Cultural differences...

[telophase]

A few days ago the Death Note artist, Takeshi Obata, was arrested for having a knife* in his glove compartment. The fact that it's news that the publisher will not withdraw his books is rather telling about how profitable his books are the differences between Japanese and American culture, I think.




* With a 3.5" blade, as another news report I can't find now said. He says it was for camping. At any rate, most of the people I know are considerably better armed than that on a daily basis, being in possession of Leathermans and other sorts of pocketknives, so it's rather amusing.




Mello would be significantly better armed than that, but then again Mello wouldn't get caught.

Comments

[wyrdness.livejournal.com]

I find it odd is that anyone would think to withdraw his work off the shelves in the first place, I doubt it would even be mentioned here in England. Then again though it's illegal to carry knives over here he'd probably only have received a warning and have been told not to do it again.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

I think the blade has to be five inches here for anyone to even care, but I'm not sure if that's true or just one of those things that Everybody Knows. I grew up in medium-sized-town Texas, where hunting and camping are just things you do, so unless you were being stupid and threatened the cop or something, they probably wouldn't care.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

* I suspect that if Obata weren't profitable, that his publisher might take the opportunity to boot him over this, but he's got two incredibly profitable popular series, so there's really no chance. His editor might give him a talking-to. XD

[wyrdness.livejournal.com]

Ah, now you mention it I think we have a certain limit on knife sizes too. So a pen-knife is fine, a giant carving knife is not. However unless you were actually waving it around I still doubt the police would care, they probably wouldn't have even searched the car. Though they may have asked if he was drunk for not having the lights on :)

I guess being profitable well-known has its perks.

[forvrin.livejournal.com]

Don't forget that the Japanese are very image concious; there was an idol who's profitable career was killed because paparazzi got pictures of her smoking underage (legal age for smoking is 20 in Japan, and she was like 17).

Just because of the Japanese's relaxed attitudes vis a vis sex and sexuality doesn't mean that it some sort of open society. In many ways, it can be hideously oppressive.

There was a mangaka who had her books pulled and was fired for plagerizing one or two scenes. I don't remember the name, but I do remember that I found it remarkable, given American comics love affair with swipers, plagerists, and tracers.

[wyrdness.livejournal.com]

Ahh, true. It is sometimes far too easy to forget about cultural differences amongst the similarities.

[mistressrenet.livejournal.com]

Man, Cassie Claire wouldn't last a New York minute.

[vom-marlowe.livejournal.com]

Wow, 3.5 inches? Here in Missouri, we consider that more of a keychain/beer can opener than a weapon. Every guy I know keeps one in his pocket, even the ones in suits. *boggles*

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Exactly! My dad always had a really nice, big folding knife on him. I'm not sure how long the blade was, but I think it was longer than 3.5". But I was smaller then, so it maybe seems bigger in my memory. :D

When I did SCA, I had a couple of small daggers in the 5-6" range, for eating and tools, and whatever else you needed a blade for. And they were pretty small, compared to the range of armament most people I knew carried.

[elfiepike.livejournal.com]

oh, japan. sometimes you're so silly. *coos*

(i'm using my icon of the girl that forvin mentioned--or at least, one girl that that's happened to. XD)

[unrelatedwaffle.livejournal.com]

A 3.5" knife? That's NOTHING. Some Americans have M-16-shaped indentations in their doorframes (and just in case, a handgun in the cup holder).

[telophase.livejournal.com]

But that's because we're all CRAZY VIOLENT BARBARIANS who have gunfights to solve our differences. I shot a guy just the other day because he tried to get on the elevator without letting the people on it get out first.

[unrelatedwaffle.livejournal.com]

Also, how apt of you to make a DN post, since I dreamed I read the ending. Keep in mind I've only read the first chapter of the manga. The ending in my dream was really gory and nasty. . .Light had a personal fairy and when he jumped off a skyscraper, she couldn't do a thing about it. GROSS!

[telophase.livejournal.com]

UNCANNY!!! That's EXACTLY the ending! XD

[thomasyan.livejournal.com]

Omigod, you have spoiled the ending for me: I "HATE" you!

(Sorry, I don't know how to do the little sparklies. But I should get points for throwing in the gratuitous quotes :)

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Without the sparklies, the only it could have been better is if you spelled it .

[koneko-desu.livejournal.com]

What the...I carry a dagger in my pocket when I go for my walks at night. What murderers and phsycopaths can carry guns and knives but we're not allowed to self-denfense in return? Ch'

[sub-divided.livejournal.com]

Is the news article you're forgetting the write up on anime news service (http://www.animenewsservice.com/)? 'Cause that's where I first heard about it.

Also news: Gainax remarking Evagelion again.