Forum - View topicAnime Crossplay plus Mix Martial Art, only in Japan.
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DomFortress
 Posts: 751 Location: Richmond BC, Canada |
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The name: Yuichiro "Jienotsu" Nagashima/長島☆自演乙☆雄一郎.
The crime:Taking the Japanese K-1 Mix Martial Art sport franchise to new hype/low with his anime crossplay subculture. Now that we got the facts out of our ways, I would like to open the discussion with a few words of my own: I'm rather disgusted by his shameless self-display of publicity stunt, because that's just not what mix martial art is all about. However, this is exactly what any Japanese professional sport franchise tend to do now: generate media hypes with publicity stunts performed by the so-called "professional" athletes, and transform the sport itself into some sort of mass media entertainment industry with consumerism. As a fitness trainer with mix martial art training background and an 2nd generation otaku, I would like to hear from all of you just what are your thoughts on the Japanese professional sport franchise transforming sport like mix martial art, into another mass media entertainment industry, while using anime crossplay subculture as some sort of publicity stunts to generate media hypes. Can the mix martial art sport and anime crossplay subculture fandom both benefit from this venture entertainment in the future? |
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_Earthwyrm_
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A sport as a mass media entertainment industry with consumerism? Why, such as thing is virtually unheard of!
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DomFortress
Posts: 751 Location: Richmond BC, Canada |
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watchdog210
 Posts: 114 Location: North West Florida |
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This is not completely unheard of. Just look at the American WWF, WWE, TNA, and another wrestling franchise. What else are they but a form of Cosplay? How long before the concept migraites to MMA here in the States? With this it may have already started.
And just for the record I am not a fan of wrestling or MMA. |
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DomFortress
Posts: 751 Location: Richmond BC, Canada |
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However, such was not the case for mix martial art. Because it shares its principle with the late Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do; a philosophy of simplicity, the essentials of fighting without styles nor forms, thereby freeing the fighting spirit from the inessentials: a mind hindered by styles and forms. Therefore anime crossplay is such an inessential style, that it's got nothing to do with one's fighting spirit. But now the Japanese consumerism culture is desecrating the mix martial art, by forcing something inessential upon a sport, despise its principle. |
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BellosTheMighty
 Posts: 767 |
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Hm. Well, I have a few things to say on the subject, but from the look of just the first five posts, this thread is on a non-stop express flight to flame-land. So... I think I'll just go stand around over there, instead. *footsteps*
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DomFortress
Posts: 751 Location: Richmond BC, Canada |
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DuelLadyS
 Posts: 1705 Location: WA state |
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Right- just like the US take on wrestling desecrated the original version of the sport by applying theatrics to it. It's pretty simple- people want to make money. By making something flashy and showy, people can draw a paying crowd. If you look at the vast number of kung-fu movies out there, martial arts lends itself well to being made flashy and showy. This guy knows that- he also knows internationally, the folks watching said kung-fu movies are also watching anime cartoons. Cosplay/crossplay makes for a natural choice if you even have a passing interest in an international audience. If you don't like it, ingore it. A spectacle show isn't going to replace the pure form of the mixed martial arts tourney- fans like you are proof of that. If anything, it'll develop alongside as a tangent form of the sport... which does, I think, benefit both groups. The anime/cosplay side gets an infusion of new fans figuring out what the costumes are. The martial arts side gets an infusion of new fans looking for the 'true' version of this sport they've come to enjoy. Whether either side wants those new fans altering the fandom, we'll see... but it'll probably never come to that. While it's not a wholly illogical venture, I don't think it'll catch on. I suspect it'll either die off soon, or this guy'll just hover around in dresses being 'the weird one' of the mixed marital circuit. |
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dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor
 Posts: 9902 Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC |
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Two words: you lagged. 
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S.Canton
 Posts: 26 |
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At first glance this seems like such a strange combination, but honestly, I can't say I'm especially surprised. I guarantee this will generate a lot of interest, if it hasn't already.
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Sophisticat
 Posts: 165 |
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All I'm seeing is Japanese culture applied to martial arts, as opposed to American culture shaping wrestling.
They still fight. Hype is good for business, and the ability to generate money allows the fighters to keep doing what they love to do. So long as fights don't become staged, it's fine. |
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DomFortress
Posts: 751 Location: Richmond BC, Canada |
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However, I would like to dive into the Kung-Fu movies that you've just mentioned. I have an ample collection of B-rated Kung-Fu movies that were made during and after Bruce Lee revolutionized the genre with his fight philosophy of Jeet Kune Do. And I have to admit, they were B-rated because they were all pretty weak in terms of story plots. But that's due to the fact that they were all made for the sole purpose of promoting martial arts using movie as a medium, not cinema photography nor story writing. What those people valued when making the Kung-Fu movies was to present the spirits of those martial artists, by capturing their powerful movements with films. So in essence, Kung-Fu movies were like documentary films about martial arts back then. Professional wrestling as an entertainment that promotes fighting, never ventured any further than being flashy and showy, because deep down in its very core it's still a traveling theatrical performance with live audiences, just like the old days of the carnivals in 1880, when wrestling was a part of its live performing programs. Mix martial arts OTOH was first started with the introduction of Gracie Jujitsu in the 20th century, by the masters of this martial art discipline challenging other schools of martial art discipline. And then live-matches were arranged when the phenomenon gain momentum throughout the US. However, due to this interactions between different martial artists among various schools of martial art discipline, a brand new form of martial art discipline that focuses on practicality, with non-conventional training techniques, had simply came to known as the mix martial art. Anime crossplay is a niche sub-branch within the also niche Japanese anime subculture. And to be frank, it's just a grow-up hobby of fantasy character dress-up, with amateur playacting for that flare of dramatics. In another word, an extreme form of anime character worship. I know this sounds harsh, because as a 2nd generation anime otaku, I personally know just how selfish cosplaying/crossplaying can be. It's not a form of self-discipline but an obsession, and at the end of every obsession isn't humbleness but selfishness. Those who finds cosplaying/crossplaying to be entertaining was only able to do so for their self-serving reasons. And as long as the purpose of an action was only self-centered at best, such act won't find itself infused to anything that's greater than only the sum of its parts. This is why anime still remain to be but a subculture, because the fandom themselves in general are just too selfish. |
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mrgetalife
 Posts: 60 |
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Professional Wrestling's the same all over the world.
However K-1's not Pro wrestling. Whatever this guy's gimmick is outside of the ring. Its his gimick for publicity outside of the ring. Like other MMA fighters in whatever promotion they're in. If they can't hack it inside the ring. they won't make it no matter what they promote themselves as. Even the K-1 promoters don't care. They must liking the fact it might bring the otaku hating people in Japan to watch the fight watching just so see this guy possibly get beat to a pulp. |
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DomFortress
Posts: 751 Location: Richmond BC, Canada |
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Furthermore, all fighters only need their bodies as their vessels, their minds for their principles, and their spirits as the driving force in order for them to do what they were born to do. This is why everyone can apply martial art discipline to just about any situation and strengthen themselves for whatever task at hands. Hype from fanfares, a business based on promoting itself, even money as an incentive, they don't make a better fighter
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Sophisticat
Posts: 165 |
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^ What I meant was, you'll see the theatricals played out differently as a result of different cultures. He appeals (or not) to Japanese culture by dressing up like that, the same way an American wrestler would try to show how much of a bad boy he is.
I also disagree with your assessment. Someone who wishes to promote what he loves will find any means to do so. If he makes a fool of himself outside the ring, but brings in the masses, and gives them a good show because he's also a great fighter, then I'd say he's damn good at what he does. One's style of promotion shouldn't diminish one's commitment to being a fighter. You, yourself, as a training instructor should know this more than anyone. If you aren't at least half as good a businessman as you are a fighter, you won't be good as either, if only because you're living off what you want to do. That's the reality of it. |
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