[Info] Camping with the Japanese

     I know this isn't exactly fanfiction but it's a report on an opportunity to clear up a few
things that have been tossed about on this ML for a few weeks; what is and isn't canon.  In any
case, it was an Anime/manga opportunity not to be missed.
     As both my kids are into cheerleading (my son is an NCA instructor and member of six
time national champion coed team and my daughter is an all-American on her local high school
squad), I got roped into helping with a local cheerleading camp at the University of Kansas last
weekend.  As a chaperone, I was assigned a bunch of kids (girls mostly) who represented five
different high schools.  I also got the rare treat as my group included five Japanese cheerleaders
from Nihon University. How they got here would make an interesting story in itself. [Their
coach was a former KU cheerleader who now teaches English at Nihon.  Somehow, she
convinced the mega-university (Nihon is the largest university in Japan), to spring for her and
five of her cheerleaders to come to KU for some  Western' cheerleading instruction.]
     [FYI: School colors: Red and White / School Mascot: Phoenix / Considered the
undisputed collegiate sports champion in Japan.]
     Anyway, on Friday night I and two other chaperones gathered the kids in the common
area of the dorm for an  airing' session (you know: complain about how loud the girls in the next
room play their radio, slamming doors, loud voices, why the food sucks, that sort of thing.)  For
some reason, this group was a pretty mellow crowd and there were no complaints.  As usual, the
Japanese kids were hanging around the outside of the group,  just watching.  To get *some kind*
of discussion going, I threatened to let (pointing to the Japanese) Ranma and Akane lead the
discussion.  I got about 50 empty stares and five Japanese cheerleaders on the floor laughing.
(Actually, only two spoke any English but when they laughed the others followed along).  With
that, the ice was broken and a general Ranma/manga/Anime discussion got started.  Ranma
remained the favorite (I guess because these first and second year Japanese college students had
grown up on Ranma).  The debate concerning the Ranma ending was most interesting.  Mika, an
Economics major (and a damn kawaii one at that) insisted that it was all a ploy to milk the
whole Ranma thing for all it was worth, while Miyagi, a law student, argued that it was a major
mistake because everyone was ready for the big wedding scene and felt cheated when they didn't
tie the knot.  Considering the argument quickly degenerated into Japanese, everyone, including
myself, were left floundering.  In the mean time, I'm stuck trying to explain to this bunch of
American kids what Anime was all about.  Big mistake.  I tried  Akira',  Dirty Pair', and even
 Speed Racer' and got blank stares from the Americans.  When I said  Robotech' about half
smiled and nodded.  However,  Robotech' left the Japanese with blank stares (I guess Carl
Macek jokes don't translate well).  You have to understand, these were *Kansas* kids from
places like: Medicine Lodge and Pratt; not the most cosmopolitan bunch.  A few knew about the
Saturday Anime on their local cable Sci-Fi channel.  A few others recalled other things
( Lensman'(big surprise there),  Astro Boy'(yack-gag), etc).  Some clown insisted  The Jetsons'
was Anime and another thought the whole discussion was immoral because Anime was just
 dirty' cartoons from Japan. (Fortunately, she was set straight by the few Anime fans in the
crowd or I could have been in a lot of hot water, morality-wise).
     By now, most of the crowd figured out we weren't going to talk about loud stereos and
wandered off to play their stereos loudly.  What was left, about two dozen Americans, five
Japanese (still arguing the Ranma ending) and one crazy otaku sitting in the middle enjoying the
hell out of what he had done.  Miyagi tried to explain the Ranma story line to the American kids
but was having a bit of trouble.  You have to understand, while I thought his English was pretty
good, I got the feeling he would have trouble explaining the contents of a salt shaker (he was
going to be a lawyer, after all) [By the way, he told everyone he was going to become a lawyer
so he could move to America and sue someone.  He never did figure out why no one laughed.] 
Somehow, between the two of us, we conveyed the essentials of the Ranma � world and
instantly had a bunch of converts.  (Wait till they rent the video and have to explain to their
parents all the naked people.  Hehehe. :-). ) 
     It was close to 9:30 before we started talking about something I thought was really
important; manga vs. TV vs. movies.  Mika made a strong case for the manga; after all, it was
the only thing actually written by Rumiko herself.  Miyagi, demonstrating why he will become a
dandy lawyer, noted that the TV and movies all clearly state that they were "based on" the
manga characters and, therefore, shouldn't be taken as seriously as the manga itself.  The general
agreement was that the manga was the gospel according to Rumiko Takahashi; the TV was done
only for laughs; and the movies were done only for the money.  Actually, they went further and
compared the Ranma movies to our Star Trek movies (Boy! Did I have to duck and cover on that
one as I am *not* a Trekkie.); visually nice but hardly within the story time line set down by the
original writer.
     We spent most of the rest of the evening talking Ranma and Anime in general.  We
shared our favorite episodes and stories; told which characters we liked best, and generally
socialized in ways we never would have without Anime.  Between their English and my apalling 
Japanese, we were quite able to carry on a reasonable conversation.  One caveat came out of this
discussion about manga.  They doubted that the English translations would be able to catch all
the subtle  inside' jokes that Rumiko is famous for.  It was described to me as being like a
Tokyo  subway   joke that would be great in Tokyo but leave everyone else blinking in
incomprehension.  Anyhow, when we Americans look to the manga for guidance, we should be
very careful about taking too literally the translated versions.
     By the way, I was told there really is a person named  Akane' attending Nihon University
and a member of the martial arts club to boot.  I enquired about other Ranma character names
and was told that  Akane' was all anyone had ever heard of and besides, the character names are
all inside jokes or play on word names strictly done for laughs.  No parent in their right mind
would name a child  Ranma' or  Ryouga' or even  Nabiki' (yuck! They all agreed.). [Another
side note: every time I used the name:  Nabiki' the girls would start giggling again.  Obviously,
there's more to this name in Japanese than we imagined.]
     Yes, there is a fanfiction network in Japan but most of it is too hentai to be of general
interest.  The Internet is found mostly through Ministry of Education facilities (colleges, high
schools, etc.) and is *very* monitored and regulated.  What we do here wouldn't even be
attempted in Japan.  Non-government Internet connections are rare and *very* expensive. 
However, companies can get some kind of government tax break for their Internet connections,
so personal connection to the Internet through the company has become one of the newest
corporate "fringe" benefits.
     Just a couple of final notes.  On Sunday, my daughter decided it would be funny to let
everyone (including the Japanese) know that my birthday was Monday.  Monday morning, I was
waiting at the dorm front door for the kids.  The Japanese, led by Mika and Miyagi, each bowed
as they passed and said: "Ohayo, ojiisan" (Good morning, grandpa).  Every American kid that
followed (had to have been over 200 - about a third of the total camp) each repeated the
greeting, bowing as they went.  My daughter was the last out carrying a birthday card made from
poster board that everyone in my group (plus a few others) had signed.  (Kinda got me, right
here. [sniff]).
     Finally, I sent Mika home with some of the fanfiction I have collected over the last few
months (nothing lemon, just the really good stories I personally liked).  As I recall, it included
the seasons series by Joseph Palmer and some of more rowdy and funny works by various
authors that I had in my folder.  I don't know if she will ever get around to translating any of
them, but if any of you get some strange Email from Japan, you'll at least know why.  (However,
if you get sued by Miyagi, remember: I don't know a thing.)
     Actually, the whole experience was better than an Anime Convention.  I got to practice
my Japanese and got to talk Anime and manga with Japanese kids who have experienced it first
hand (instead of sliced, diced, and Americanized).  To top it off, I've got some new pen-pals (or
Email pals if they ever get authorization).  
     Like I said; an opportunity not to be missed.