Why Japan?

Junko · Post by **Junko** » Fri Aug 15, 2003 5:27 pm

Ok, this has been bugging me for a long time. If Harold's code was used worldwide for all versions of Fragment and The World, then why don't these strange happenings occur anywhere besides the Japanese servers and in Japan. I mean, shouldn't it be happening worldwide? Does someone here have an answer?

And, speculation is nice, but if you don't know a cannonical answer and *are* gonna speculate, can you please make that clear? Thanks! ^_^

Xeno · Post by **Xeno** » Fri Aug 15, 2003 5:54 pm

Two reasons....

1. Its a Japanese movie...and in Japanese movies things tend to take place IN JAPAN.

2. Whoever said things weren't happening anywhere else? I believe in //LIMINALITY 1 Mr. Tokuoka says that 7 or 8 people have been hospitalized in JAPAN ALONE (could be wrong about that).

Anyway...thats my two cents...

Invisible Egg! · Post by **Invisible Egg!** » Fri Aug 15, 2003 7:35 pm

<SPECULATION> The Japanese don't care about the rest of the world. They're quite introverted as a society, and therefor tend to focus on things happening within their own country. </SPECULATION>

Hiro · Post by **Hiro** » Fri Aug 15, 2003 10:08 pm

Yea Invisible Egg is right,you won't see like an American place in a JP movie.Only time I have seen ther places in a JP anime movie,was the first DVD for DotHack nfection.In th beginning it shows like Cali and Germany.I think that's it.

Cobweb · Post by **Cobweb** » Fri Aug 15, 2003 10:33 pm

Um. Hello? How often do you see places outside of America in mainstream American movies? No, I'm NOT talking about all the foreign villians in action flicks (*coughJamesBondcough*). For that matter, how often do you see Australian movies that take place outside of Australia? People write about what they know, so it only makes sense for the Japanese people to make more stories about themselves than South American jai alai players.
If you really need to have your national identity bolstered even more, just go and watch the news for a while.

Invisible Egg! · Post by **Invisible Egg!** » Fri Aug 15, 2003 10:35 pm

Cobweb, seriously. Did I say that the rest of the world is less self-absorbed than Japan? No. I was just giving reasons in answer to the question. I wasn't trying to paint a picture of Japan being more self-righteous than America. Let's not go off on that, ok?

Guynietoren · Post by **Guynietoren** » Fri Aug 15, 2003 10:45 pm

I don't see a difference. Sure Japan used to be introverted for a while, like when fire arms where invented. As my professor at school would say, "when you're presenting something, your audience is most important". It's got to mean something to who your presenting it to.

Cobweb · Post by **Cobweb** » Sat Aug 16, 2003 1:10 am

I didn't mean to go off, sorry; just to give my own speculation. It seems to me that most people are self-absorbed, especially on the culutral level. Guynietoren said it better than I did ... the message has to be relevant to the viewer, that's all. The Japanese as a people have things in common that they want to see in their media. Coincidentally, a lot of us are also interested in what they have to say.

Junko · Post by **Junko** » Sat Aug 16, 2003 4:11 am

Ummm.. Well I know that anime taking place in Japan IS usually a rule, it's just .hack seems to try to make it a more international thing:
- The World is a foreign game sold worldwide, even in Swahili :p
- Didn't they come up with an awesome name for the future president of the US in their timeline?
- Altimit, WNC, and CCsha are NOT Japanese organizations, they make that very clear (they have branches, but that's it).
- HOTARU and Sanjyuurou are both Americans.
- Harold and Emma are German.

And yes, I know that they can do all this and then just for psychological reasons focus the story on Japan. I just thought that SOOO much material is out with random pieces of information, that maybe they came up with some explaination somewhere... But thanks for the speculations ^^

Xebexz · Post by **Xebexz** » Sat Aug 16, 2003 5:21 am

American movies and TV shows, things happen to Americans. The Japanese have the right to do the same. It may be fluke too. ^^

Brad_Evans · Post by **Brad_Evans** » Sat Aug 16, 2003 6:34 pm

doesn't it have anything to do with Kyoko's home.... um... I forgot the name, but I think that place has something to do with the existence of the Epitaph, and that place is in Japan, no?

Spike Spiegal · Post by **Spike Spiegal** » Sat Aug 16, 2003 10:15 pm

Ever heard of DIGIMON?! well digimon takes place everywhere! well, atleast the first couple of seasons. oh and cowboy bebop takes place all over the place, AND it has tons of different languages on billboards and movies during the show.

FireDraconian · Post by **FireDraconian** » Sun Aug 17, 2003 1:34 am

That might be because Cowboy Bebop takes place in outer space... *cough*

But seriously. It's a Japanese anime. It's gonna take place in Japan. Have random flickers to other places would really only serve to distract from the main plot, but that's just my opinion. Of course, a few references to how crazy likes are happening worldwide wouldn't hurt, but you can't have everything.

SA-kun · Post by **SA-kun** » Sun Aug 17, 2003 8:33 pm

Spike Spiegal wrote:Ever heard of DIGIMON?! well digimon takes place everywhere! well, atleast the first couple of seasons.

You're partially right on that one. Digimon only got super international during the latter part of 02.

Other than that, they didn't really go into the international aspect hinted at the end of 01. They never really explored the international aspect shown in Bokura no War Game. They never went in-depth into the Chinese background of Lee and Shiuchon in Tamers. Neither did they go quite in-depth into Izumi's Italian life in Frontier.

FireDraconian wrote:Of course, a few references to how crazy likes are happening worldwide wouldn't hurt, but you can't have everything.

Agreed. I didn't like how they seemed to focus solely on the coma issue in Japan. They should've at least mentioned a coma case in the UK or Cairo or Brazil.

Junko · Post by **Junko** » Sun Aug 17, 2003 10:16 pm

SA-kun wrote:
Spike Spiegal wrote:Ever heard of DIGIMON?! well digimon takes place everywhere! well, atleast the first couple of seasons.
You're partially right on that one. Digimon only got super international during the latter part of 02.

Other than that, they didn't really go into the international aspect hinted at the end of 01. They never really explored the international aspect shown in Bokura no War Game. They never went in-depth into the Chinese background of Lee and Shiuchon in Tamers. Neither did they go quite in-depth into Izumi's Italian life in Frontier.

FireDraconian wrote:Of course, a few references to how crazy likes are happening worldwide wouldn't hurt, but you can't have everything.
Agreed. I didn't like how they seemed to focus solely on the coma issue in Japan. They should've at least mentioned a coma case in the UK or Cairo or Brazil.

Though I think it might have been possible that Japan WAS the only place where comas occured. I mean, you don't see German and American Auras springing up. Though, this all assumes that it's NOT a cultural oversight or rather that it is but it's one with some sort of rationalization. I like the idea that Kyo's home might have something to do with it, but at the same time, I find it hard to believe that Harold or Emma had a connection with it. If only this was explained somewhere in all the untranslated stuff...

It is possible to "Ask Piroshi", but as most of you have pointed out, it's quite possible that the Japanese don't even see this as a question... ^^;