Saitou's
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The American drama 『HEROES』 could possibly be, to we Japanese, quite a ground-breaking one.
And this is because it's the story of Nakamura Hiro.
Of course, the Japan and Japanese depicted is pretty bad, and there are plenty of things I could pick at starting with just "Andou-kun" and "Hiro's Father" alone, but even forgetting for a moment that this is an American drama in board with the idea in Hollywood that they ought to offer equal representation to other races, the portrayal of Asians now compared with how they were portrayed in years past is definitely heading in a positive direction.
And of course, in this drama there are many elements to be considered, and depending on the story being focused on, each character becomes the "main character," but the fact that specifically a story with an Asian as the main character is exciting America this much, it makes me wonder if this isn't a small revolution of sorts.
"Japan = Samurai" -- This has long been the established image (apparently there was nothing better to Japan...), and they were bound to get tired of that sooner or later, but the feat of passing race and cultural borders makes you more aware of your own race from an outside point-of-view, and doesn't start until you can be proud of your own culture, I feel.
Right now we're passing from an old way of thinking something is "expected" to a new way of thinking something is "expected."
As for myself, I don't have any special reason, or that much confidence at all really, but for some reason I'm really really excited right now.
Yatta~!!
(If you've never seen
Heroes, "Yatta!!" ("I did it!!") is the phrase Hiro yells out in excitement the first time he is able to teleport from Japan to New York)
Man, this guy. I love him. He could be fugly as anything and I'd love him. But he's hot, too, and that just makes him one of the most amazing people ever--because really, how do you get this lucky?
" [...] passing race and cultural borders makes you more aware of your own race from an outside point-of-view, and doesn't start until you can be proud of your own culture [...]"This part right here--Saitou is possibly one of the most disenchanted-with-his-own-people Japanese people I've EVER heard of. He knows Japanese people are mostly a bigoted xenophobic people who really need to get over themselves (seriously--deep down on some level, almost every one has this) and learn how to play better with the world and take a better look at themselves, and talks about it on his blog from time to time.
He wants the Japanese to be proud of themselves, but to also be able to look at themselves from the way they're seen by other countries, and he feels Hiro is a good example of the rest of the world changing their views of Japan, and that he hopes Japanese people will take this as a chance to look at themselves differently.
Pedo the man may be, he's an awesome guy.
