Cool Japan

Pick two or three of the below questions, and answer in a ~400 word essay:

What surprised you most about the Cool Japan video?

Who do you think is the audience for this program? Why do you think K-pop was brought up?

What surprised me most about the Cool Japan video was the concept of PPH Pa- Pa — Pa — Ho. I found it interesting because the anime and J pop creators are making the song with the audience participation in mind. I think this is a conscientiousness that eludes most Western songwriters. I think it is safe to say that most Western songwriters typically explore their personal feelings through songs, or are interested sharing a life experience that happened to them. In contrast, I feel like there is a sense of communal experience that is shared, where Japanese ani song creators are trying to engineer a song with specific parameter — 89 seconds long, a catchy hook that grabs you in the first two seconds, and a song that conveys what the show is about. In this way, I would say ani-songs and CM songs are created very intentionally with an audience in mind, while Western music has less parameters in length of song, style of music and topic. I found it fascinating that in Japan, music is utilized as a tool to created a shared experience or memory, whether that be at school graduation, through commercials, or while watching anime. I would say in this way, music is institutionalized and commercialized in a way unique to Japan. In the states, usually music licensing companies will commission a roster of artist to create for a commercial, or reach out to a popular artist for song placement. There is a sense that companies enlist the services of artist who are cool or on trend to enhance their brand, while I feel like the trend in Japan is to create the song that will be influential specifically for the product or occasion.

I think there is an international audience for this Cool Japan special on NHK, which is why they had an international panel, but the viewers are probably Japanese Americans or international audiences interested in Japanese culture. I think K pop was brought up as a contrasting cultural influence from the East, a force of music that is taking the world by storm in a different type of way. City Pop was an interesting topic because Marty was describing the appeal as familiar RnB and jazz melodies combined with soft and sweet Japanese vocalist. It’s a style that easily resonates with Western ears because of its influence from popular 70s and 80s American artist, yet still provides something new and novel that feels nostalgic and fun. Overall, I felt the Cool Japan special was quite educational for those interested in Japan and music. Being able to hear from different international perspectives and having an expert explain broad sweeping trends helps audiences contextualize why Japanese music is popular worldwide.

Postscript:

I really liked hearing about the different perspectives on what cool is, and how people were defining cool — as something you were familiar with, or something that you grew up with. I feel like familiarity has a lot to do with something that you think is cool, that idea resonates strongly with me. Many of the things I think are cool are based on the fact that I was exposed to them.

I also agreed with the idea that cool comes from a respect or appreciation for something ( not always necessarily ) but it has to be aspirational or something you can point to and appreciate the merits of in some way. In a lot of ways, our ideas of cool come from what those around us think is cool, but it’s rooted in a trust and respect for the person telling you that something is cool.