On the 21st local time, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga stressed at a press conference that the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held as scheduled, and the International Olympic Committee believes that japan is properly carrying out countermeasures to prevent the spread of the epidemic and ensure that the Olympic Games are "not postponed and not easy". Commenting on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Suga said that "preparations will be made for a conference that is safe and secure for athletes and spectators." At the same time, Japanese Olympic Minister Seiko Hashimoto also said that the torch relay for the Tokyo Olympic Games, which begins on March 26, will also proceed as usual.
Recently, the two-dimensional image of the Olympic Games created by Japanese folk cartoonists has once again attracted people's attention. As acg power, the Japanese government saw an opportunity in anime and manga to promote it as a "soft tool". In the current haze of the new crown epidemic, anime has become an excellent means of healing people's hearts.
On the https://world-flags.org website, manga artists spontaneously designed corresponding anime images based on the colors and patterns of national flags around the world, combined with the costumes of traditional Japanese occupations such as samurai, firefighters, and monks. The representatives of the 27 countries are divided into 7 major types: Shiyingdu, Norse Five Gods, Dumb Sacred Temple, Asiatic Dragon and Tiger, Mei Chao Qiu Shou Li Wei, Eagle Vulture Lianhe, and Son of Miracles. The anthropomorphic image of the national flags of various countries is exquisite and delicate, and the characteristics are clear.
United States
The anthropomorphic image of the American Star-Spangled Banner is called justin, and his setting is that of a young samurai. He was inquisitive, loved to watch American football games, eat hamburgers, and inherited the title of world policeman.
Canada
Canada "although the character is as sweet as maple syrup, it will calm down when it comes to fighting". The anthropomorphic figure of Huang Ayun (keanu) wears a maple leaf battle robe, and the feathers pendant around his waist suggest his brave and warlike personality.
Germany
George is a power player. Tall, but delicate in mind. Of course, his favorite is the beer and sausages in his hometown.
Russia
The Fedor represents Russia. Unexpectedly, he was good at fighting, but he was actually a shy, kind, and often late person.
Japan
As the host, Kamamoto of Japan has a cheerful personality, often acting as a mediator in the quarrels of various countries.
United Kingdom
The elegant gentleman, William, from England, often sits between calm and enthusiastic, making objective judgments.
France
Alain, a French man who loves to watch movies, is set up as a broad-minded leader who can consult him for any trouble.
Italy
Giovanni, an Italian assistant, has a lively personality and believes that a happy life is the joy of life. For him, football and hook-ups are sources of happiness.
Norway
Munch was the second son of the Scandinavian brothers, with a free-spirited personality, from distant Norway.
Finland
Räikkönen (Räikkönen) has a strong sense of observation and a sharp mind. Favorite thing is "forest bathing".
Iceland
"Groundbreaking, personality, muscle man." These are a good summary of the Icelandic gudjohnsen, and don't forget, he is a descendant of the Vikings.
Denmark
Denmark's Christensen has a strong leadership temperament and command ability, and he hates full buses the most.
Sweden
Originally from Sweden, Ingvar loves to look up at the sky and his free-spirited personality is largely derived from this.
China
Aaron, who excelled in calligraphy and kung fu, was born into a family of martial arts elites and had twice as much self-esteem as others.
Korea
Chison, from South Korea, targets singing and dancing while fighting, so it's no wonder he eats fried chicken while playing electric.
Malaysia
Axamu, Malaysia, was a Romantic. "Do what you want to do" is his life credo. He loves to eat coconut rice and tour the ancient capital.
Thailand
The Thai buacao king has a gentle and smiling personality, who would have thought that he was the king of Muay Thai boxing.
Indonesia
Maharudika, a true spring in Indonesia, is upright and pure, and will be discovered by others when he lies.
Viet Nam
The gentle guyen is from Vietnam and looks like a good wanderer every day, but he is serious about divination.
Singapore
Singapore's gokensui is fluent in both Chinese and English, and as a pacifist, he is not very talkative, but he has become a hit without sounding.
Colombia
Colombian rodorigusi can sing and dance, and his sense of justice is explosive, and he often knocks out pirates.
Venezuela
Jose (穂瀬) has a cheerful personality, in Venezuela, where beautiful women are everywhere in South America, he is not close to women, and he probably has not come out of his love wounds.
Chile
Chilean za-sa has strong self-esteem and is super cool. His hobbies are observing penguins and looking up at the stars.
Mexico
Guillermo, Mexico, is self-absorbed and individualistic, immersed in the production of cornflakes.
Republic of Côte d'Ivoire
Drogba of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire is a boy who loves the earth and sleeps on the ground, and he hates marine litter.
Cameroon
Mboma is from Cameroon, and he is an extroverted and enthusiastic B-blood, who loves fashion and loves divination and wishing.
Nigeria
Okocha is a first-class guitarist who also plays chess and rides horses in his spare time.
Anime: The Japanese Government's "Soft Tool"
Japan has always been a country that pays attention to visual representation and exquisite detail. During World War II, the Japanese military asked animators to produce propaganda films to mobilize the masses, and the anime genre was expanded. After Japan's defeat, the manga and anime industries took another turn. From Astro Boy to Pokémon, the Japanese government has gradually found opportunities in manga.
After the collapse of the Japanese economy in the 1990s, Japan was committed to creating new cultural products with new technologies, making it shift from a big country in product manufacturing to a big exporter of cultural industries. The focus of business propaganda in Japan has also changed: from mass marketing of high-tech products to promotion of products such as Hello Kitty and sushi.
In 1997, the Bureau of Culture of Japan began supporting exhibitions of manga, anime, video games, and media art. Every year, Japan has a Cultural Medal awarded to those who have contributed to Japanese culture, and many manga artists and animators have received this honor. Japanese anime and manga can be displayed in the National Museum of Art and Museums, and sometimes the official even pays for exhibitions overseas. For example, the Tokyo International Anime Festival and the comic market comic show provide opportunities for Japanese citizens and overseas anime culture lovers to exchange ideas.
Japanese television animation achieved good results in overseas markets in the 1990s, and the release of Hayao Miyazaki's "A Thousand Miles" in 2001 has successfully built the reputation of Japanese film animation. In 2002, the U.S. Foreign Policy magazine published a long article titled "Japan's Cool National Cool." Author Douglas McGray mimics gross national product (gnp) and proposes the concept of gross national cool. McRae describes it as "a country's projection of business trends, plans for the products it launches, and a country's ability to generate those trends and products that can serve political and economic purposes." McGregor keenly pointed out that although Japan's economy is in decline and its national strength is declining, the total value of the national cool as a soft power cannot be underestimated.
The Japanese government's embarkation on the path of manga promotion must start with former Prime Minister Taro Aso. He was passionate about comics and pushed for "comic diplomacy." Aso's car is often piled with comics, and he says he reads about 20 weekly manga weekly magazines a week. At that time, in order to keep up with Aso's pace, officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs read manga as a daily compulsory course. In 2007, Aso, then foreign minister, decided to print the popular manga character "Detective Conan" on the latest promotional brochure launched by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In a 16-page brochure, Conan and his friends travel to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to learn about the work being done here.
In the same year, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the establishment of the International Manga Award, which is open to manga fans around the world, and Aso Taro calls this award the "Nobel Prize of the manga industry", attracting more young overseas manga artists to Japan to study manga. The establishment of this award is seen as an important step in "comic diplomacy".
For the Japanese, manga seems to have become as inseparable as "air". Various departments of the Japanese government have also taken advantage of the common interests of the people to promote publicity through the grounded method of manga.
In 2016, Japan lowered its domestic voter age limit from 20 to 18. In order to attract these people to participate in the election, the Japanese government also used cartoons to promote the importance of elections to these young people. The LDP produced a series of girlish-style cartoons advocating for young people to actively vote for the general election.
The anime industry has become the third largest industry in Japan. Some people believe that the era of "acg" has now entered (animation animation, comnics comics, game games). Its trinity, pieced together is a sandbox of a whole new era. Japan is the frontrunner in the new era of "acg".
According to data from the Japan Animation Association, the overall size of Japan's animation content industry market in 2017, including the animation derivative product market, such as the licensing of the use of animated characters, the manufacture of toys for animated characters, etc. increased by 8% over the previous year to 2.15 trillion yen, an increase of 60% over 10 years ago, and the generalized animation industry accounted for more than 10 percentage points of Japan's GDP. The popularity of Japanese animation overseas is the driving force behind all this.
iweekly Weekend Pictorial exclusive manuscript, without permission, please do not reprint