J-Novel Club
    • Login
    • Search
    • Categories
    • Recent
    • Tags
    • Users

    Christams in Light Novels, Anime and Manga

    Other Discussion
    10
    14
    1772
    Loading More Posts
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as topic
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
    • lighthawk96
      lighthawk96 Premium Member last edited by

      Christmas in Light Novels, Manga and Anime.

      I’ve often wondered why a lot of Light Novels, Manga and Anime have a Christmas episode in them. While I know that the main religions in Japan are of the Buddhist and Shinto religions, Christmas is a Christian holiday that often works its way into these genres. I have asked my Japanese language professors and many Japanese people in general why this is but none can seem to give me an answer so since it’s the season I was wondering what some of your thoughts might be as to why this is. So, what do you think?

      Drone205 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • B
        BloodyGaikotsu last edited by BloodyGaikotsu

        Christmas is more of commercial event with no religous reason to celebrate—just like Valentine's.
        And tbh, in Japan, you don't have to be that religious to engage into these events.
        All these events that have religious background became social event more than anything else.

        Well, Joey—The Anime Man—talked about how Christman is celebrated in JP and how really different form.the west.

        All hail, Colonel!
        https://youtube.com/watch?v=gahy9hNdrkU

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
        • stardf29
          stardf29 Premium Member last edited by

          From my understanding, in Japan, Christmas has been taken from the West and turned into a commercial holiday, oftentimes framed as a day for lovers. As such it makes a good centerpiece for romantic stories. For shows without a romantic bend it still can provide some fun material thanks to things like gift exchanges, as well as giving an excuse for making pretty scenes with snow and Christmas lights and whatnot.

          Note that Christmas itself is not recognized as a national holiday in Japan, though the Emperor's birthday, December 23rd, is pretty close.

          MAL
          Beneath the Tangles (the blog I write for)

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
          • Terrence
            Terrence Premium Member last edited by Terrence

            Apparently, eating KFC is a Christmas tradition in Japan. Or so I've been told.

            Nico lighthawk96 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 1
            • Nico
              Nico @Terrence last edited by

              @terrence I've heard all these things too. I've also heard a character say Fried chicken (in relation to Christmas) in the Bang Dream game, and see it written as roast chicken.

              Avatar by Dae
              https://www.cardmaker.net/profile/337148-dae/

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
              • lighthawk96
                lighthawk96 Premium Member @Terrence last edited by

                @terrence I've also heard this and read it in numerous articles. I've read that Christmas is the biggest selling day for KFC in Japan.

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
                • Raitoiro
                  Raitoiro Premium Member last edited by

                  Because it's a good way to make people buy gifts, cake and other chrismas related things, company wouldn't ignore such a good thing. The same way that in Europe we now have black friday without any of the cultural meaning it can have.
                  Chrismas barely have any link with religion nowday, anyway.

                  Do you like death, war and misery ?
                  Do you like badass op loli who let nobody got in their way ?
                  Do you like vengeance story?
                  If so then then vote for The girl who ate a death god

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                  • unsynchedcheese
                    unsynchedcheese Premium Member last edited by

                    There was that little scene in Kiniro Mosaic where UK expat Alice was muttering about how Japan turned the birth of Christ into a commercial festival. (Played for comedy, of course.)

                    (Also yes, I'm aware of all the various technicalities and details about Christmas in general, from Yule logs to solstice feasts to Mithraism. It's just way too long to go into here.)

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                    • Drone205
                      Drone205 Premium Member @lighthawk96 last edited by Drone205

                      @lighthawk96 said in Christams in Light Novels, Anime and Manga:

                      Christmas is a Christian holiday

                      Christmas isn't really a Christian holiday anymore, it has become more of a commercial holiday.

                      Edit: Good Friday and Easter are the 2 really really important Christain holidays, much more important then Christmas in terms of the religion.

                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                      • Kevin S
                        Kevin S Translators last edited by

                        The responses so far have pretty well covered it. People in Japan celebrate Christmas regardless of religion, and they do so by eating KFC (honest – people reserve family meal buckets weeks in advance of the 25th) and Christmas Cake. As another poster also mentioned, it's also considered a day to be with your boyfriend or girlfriend. It's interesting to contrast this with new year's day (o-shougatsu), which is a much more solemn holiday and is considered a time to spend with family. (I remember someone pointing out to me once that the spirit of the observance of these two holidays is essentially opposite in Japan and the US.)

                        As a totally separate point, I disagree with @Drone205; Christmas is a profoundly important part of the Christian calendar (after all, without Christmas, how do you have Easter?), even if as a holiday it has perhaps been subsumed into the wider culture more thoroughly than Good Friday or Easter. As that suggests, though, I do think the religious and social observance of these holidays are different topics, and this thread is certainly more about the latter.

                        Drone205 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 4
                        • Jon Mitchell
                          Jon Mitchell Premium Member last edited by

                          another reason (IMHO) is that Christmas makes a convenient event that coincides with the ending of an anime broadcast season, and changing of a school term (just as april 1st/ blooming cherry trees mark the beginning of a school year)

                          from what I understand the 24th is a big "date night" like Valentine's day in the USA, and many families/groups have parties on the 25th.

                          I read banned books

                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                          • Drone205
                            Drone205 Premium Member @Kevin S last edited by

                            @kevin-s said in Christams in Light Novels, Anime and Manga:

                            Christmas is a profoundly important part of the Christian calendar (after all, without Christmas, how do you have Easter?)

                            There is one big difference between Christmas and, Good Friday & Easter. Good Friday and Easter originated as Christain and a provable, Christmas started out pagan and was adopted into Christain to convert followers (approxamitly the year 300 when being Christain was legal in Rome).

                            I think this is one of the reasons why Christmas has spread to outside of Christain circles. It does not matter what you believe in, you can celebrate Christmas, also al the marketing around Christmas helps spread he holiday.

                            Raitoiro 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                            • Raitoiro
                              Raitoiro Premium Member @Drone205 last edited by

                              @drone205 You could say the same about easter, nowday it's mostly about chocolate eggs and bunny. Personaly I only learn that it has some Christian origin when I was a teen.

                              Do you like death, war and misery ?
                              Do you like badass op loli who let nobody got in their way ?
                              Do you like vengeance story?
                              If so then then vote for The girl who ate a death god

                              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • Terrence
                                Terrence Premium Member last edited by

                                Dead Dead Demon' DeDeDeDestruction volume 2 has a Christmas scene thingie.

                                One of the girls mentions how Celebs lie on their Twitter about spending "quiet time with my family! *".

                                One of the adult male characters bluntly says "Yeah, sure. It's the day you have sex" in response to a question about what Christmas is (eating cake and exchanging presents is the girl's response).

                                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                • 1 / 1
                                • First post
                                  Last post