Go Tokyo Your Experience
When an anime becomes hugely popular, often far beyond its original circle, a phenomenon frequently occurs: people tend to only understand a certain “situation” from the work, such as dialogues containing classic lines or scenes that can become memes, but know very little about the “story” of the work itself. Recently, Japanese netizens have discussed this issue, and they believe that this phenomenon seems to be increasingly common among today’s anime fans.
Rather than spending time appreciating the entire work, people seem to only need one sufficiently interesting image to feel the taste of viral fame. Next, let’s take a look at Japanese netizens’ opinions on this phenomenon.
Modern otaku seem to place more emphasis on ‘situational’ moments rather than a complete ‘story.’ ‘The Nonexistent Comic Strip’ is the best example of this trend.
A Japanese online illustrator named Hoshin Kōichi shared observations about the modern otaku culture on social platform X, quickly sparking enthusiastic discussions.
According to his view, modern anime enthusiasts pay more attention to the impactful moments rather than a complete story that focuses on intricately portraying character growth and inner thoughts. In other words, directly depicting a character making a shocking move is more likely to grab the audience’s attention than slowly unfolding their development journey.
The extreme example mentioned in the article is the “nonexistent comic strip.” This concept originates from an X account named “存在しない漫画の1コマbot,” which focuses on publishing illustrated works in the form of “comic strips.” Its uniqueness lies in the fact that the works are intentionally designed to appear as if they are frames taken from physical comics, but in reality, these comics do not exist at all.
Here are some examples of “non-existent comic panels”:
What are you drawing~~?
Write your name in the Death Note.
Eh~~?
All sounds can become music.
Does that include farting!?
Even farting counts.
(Huh… I forgot which cup is the urine…?)
These examples demonstrate how “nonexistent comic strips” have gained widespread attention and admiration by creating incomplete yet poignant situations.
However, does this mean that modern anime fans no longer value a complete “story”?
In this regard, Japanese netizens have varied reactions:
Indeed, that’s true ah ah ah!
Look at the recent popular isekai novels or villainous princess works, as well as mobile games with different settings but similar content. Nowadays, otaku really rely on ‘situational moe’ to survive, it’s truly embarrassing.
Can this really be called ‘otaku’?
Those who are addicted to internet memes do not deserve to be called ‘otaku.’
Isn’t it interesting because we can freely imagine the causes and consequences? Compared to looking at ready-made content, it’s much more interesting to use our imagination. Only such people can be called ‘otaku,’ right?
Although I do not intend to criticize ‘the non-existent comic strip’, I cannot deny that people’s values are shifting towards instant popularity. The world is becoming increasingly networked.
Just as modern people feel that a five-minute video is long, we are now in the era of short videos.
I don’t consider myself to be a ‘otaku’ either. I don’t watch comics, movies, or TV; I only communicate with people based on snippets or memes I find online. Life is like that too.
People who say such things should not be categorized as ‘otaku’. It’s like talking about a work solely based on its visual quality; if everyone talks only about the visual effects, the work ultimately should convey a story. Does this excessive pursuit of visual beauty really bring joy to the audience?
Modern comic works are the same. In the end, what people like is still the favored situation, rather than the ending set by the author.
Modern idol culture is hard for me to refute. But I still believe that what can move people is the story; the characters are ultimately just guides.
People who often say ‘modern…’ are generally not well-liked; should it be regarded as a symbol of aging?
23 years ago, in the book ‘Postmodern Animals: How Otaku Affect Japanese Society,’ Hiroki Azuma wrote: ‘Modern otaku do not consume stories, only character attributes and related materials!’ It can be seen that otaku are always complaining about newcomers.
Is it also part of this phenomenon for animated shows that became popular by relying on familiar theme songs?
