May 20, 2024
To:Bubbles
The UK used to be such a big cultural exporter though. Talk about a decline.
"That, I believe is being more Japanese than the Japanese themselves."
That whole paragraph pretty much nails the reality of what I was trying to depict. Thank you for writing an entire essay in response to my story. That's not sarcastic. I'm glad the line stuck out in your mind, just as I'm glad the line "Spring hasn't just come to Japan, it's come to me as well" stuck out to SamSerakawa. Being able to leave an impression in your writing is important.
The idea of "what if we saw someone who was so entrenched in the tradition and pageantry of being Japanese that he alienated himself from what Japan was really supposed to be" is an interesting one, but I don't think I could have written it for two reasons.
1. I'm no expert on what Japan is "really supposed to be," if such a thing even exists at all.
2. I don't think it fits into the prompt. Unless I misunderstand the idea, that would requite someone living in Japan for some time. Even though the MC here declared himself to be more Japanese than some Japanese people, he doesn't think it applies universally. He'd have to work at it. Get a house with tatami mats, buy a bunch of katanas, wear traditional Japanese clothing everywhere, and see himself as really living in Japan instead of just visiting. And the prompt is about visiting Japan.
It would probably also be hard to fit in 3k words, though arguably, I cut too much to make this story work well in 3k words.
"The ironic tinge wore thin very quickly, so when the more serious moments came through I found myself barely able to engage with them."
I was actually talking to some people about a similar situation with Meipouchou. I think I really enjoy the schadenfreude that comes with witnessing overly cringe characters (or societies), but it doesn't make a story in itself. So I try to add a serious plot underneath the layer of cringe to keep readers turning the page.
But a lot of people apparently just find the cringe painful or hard to read. Humor is subjective and all that, and it might be a big part of the barrier between what I like writing and what people like reading.
