The Off Topic Topic

[Ideologue]

Not a job yet. Just studying in a college over the summer in Fukuoka for a little over a month. I'll come back for a job after I graduate, which is in the spring.

Except probably not, with the way you carry on.

[Lettow77]

 I have an IJA hat with endearing flaps. I was on the fence about bringing it, but you're right. I absolutely must! It will help me make friends, i'm sure

[Ideologue]

The IJA sucked.

[Lettow77]

 You should like the IJA- it was the populist voice of poor farmers. The IJA was a hotbed of dissent from people who wanted to better the common man's lot, and was probably Japan's greatest meritocracy.

Their arguments of spirit over materiel were completely wrong, and even considering that, they fought war in ways that were more about displaying that spirit than any useful military result. Suicidal bravery is one thing, but privately offing yourself in a cave or a charge you know won't have any positive effect is another. The Japanese repeatedly revealed a dedication to gestures and offered their lives more as a obedience to spiritual/cultural values than a desperate attempt to win at any cost.

Their long isolation and xenophobia also poorly equipped them to be the liberator of the asiatics, as well. But even so, such elan! Could a poor young boy born to Tottori and the Taisho era aspire to anything better?

[Syt]

You should watch the Japanese movie Men behind the Sun to revise some of your preconceptions.

[Lettow77]

 A preconception of yours is that I haven't seen it. I am aware of Japan's atrocities and regret them.

To be fair though, when not even China values the human life of the Chinese, its easy to see how others might not as well.

Edit: isn't "Yeah but what if you knew about..UNIT 731! *dun dun dun* a little condescending to a Japanophile history major anyway? I'm quite sure everyone here on languish already knows about it, chinese propaganda piece or not.

[Josquius]

Yes, yes he could.
Things were going great in the Taisho era, then up pops the depression and the never-ending war with China and Japan loses its sprit. A decade on constant war footing really messed up the country even before it attacked the US.

[Lettow77]

 Things were going great in the Taisho era, but our hypothetical lad was only -born- in it. If that was enough, Americans of the same age as him could take comfort as they huddled in Guadalcanal that they were at least born during the roaring twenties.

I agree the boy could've asked for better- like running a tea shop or onsen, which sounds like the good stuff to me. But when there's a draft, you don't really have that kind of luxury.  I don't agree that the decade of war footing caused Japan to lose its spirit- rather, I think they had an overabundance of it.

The militarists embarked on a pretty quixotic conflict. But the colonization and addition of Manchuria to the co-prosperity sphere was highly desirable and beneficial, so it's hard to call that part a bad move. Japan lost control of its armies (Hotbeds of dissent in any case, like I said, and rife with factions..) and agreed to a war with China they woke up to, rather than planned to initiate. The attempts to keep the war of a limited scope were unrealistic and unsuccessful. The IJA furthermore was a two-fisted brute incapable of properly negotiating, which poisoned attempts to scale back the matter (Although, to be fair to them, America declared unnegotiated surrender as the only end for the Axis in the same conflict.)

[Josquius]

I've just stumbled across this website:

http://www.sonichu.com/cwcki

Wow.
its....
Wow.
Just some big long well documented campaign of cyber bullying against some arse hole.

[Lettow77]

 Fascination with that man is disgustingly popular with some people i've known. It's akin to the hatedom the folks of jersey shore accumulated nationally, I suppose.

It isn't good to focus on negative things like that, or belittling someone else's life, even if they are..that guy.

[11B4V]

I'm not. Prior to this, I had seen a good deal of lesbian and heterosexual romances; it seemed a gap that was hard to justify except for squeamishness. Love is love, right?

It helps that most yuri shows are extremely indirect and bland; I assumed this was subtext-based as well, but was rudely mistaken. I admit it disturbed my prudish sensibilities.

The story itself was why I was interested, though: It is set in the Boshin war, and has a man from Chosa defying his clan to secretly learn english from a man who is from a Tokugawa retainer family. It's a historical setting I really enjoy, and I'd even say the first episode was a good one. The second episode has been pleasant as well, when it hasn't actively been busy being indecent.

Edit: What it has done is reaffirm my deep esteem and affection for Saraiya Goyou, which is a superior work this feels reminiscent of.

A'int nothing wrong with lesbos getting it on.

So, you watched a show about two jap homos?

[Caliga]

If they had cast Samuel L. Jackson instead of James Earl Jones as the voice of Vader:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_n8FRILoYE
I DONT REMEMBER ASKING YOU A GOD DAMN THING *whooooh paaaaah* *whooooooh paaaaaah*

[Eddie Teach]

I'm not.

There's none so blind as those who will not see. Even if they do have a cane. 

[Liep]

hear nice things of Fukuoka.

I didn't like it too much, but there's excellent ramen and really good street food at night.

[Liep]

So apparently a Danish journalist got arrested for putting up posters with critical statements about China at the route the Chinese president is taking in Denmark. Left is crying for freedom of speech and the right is screaming back: "don't ruin our export chances to China".