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Database consumption

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Database consumption (Template:Lang-ja) refers to a way of content consumption in which people do not consume a narrative itself, but rather consume the constituent elements of the narrative.[1]: 240  The concept was coined by the Japanese critic Hiroki Azuma in the early 2000s.

Overview

The background to Azuma's presentation of this theory is the concept of narrative consumption by the critic and writer Eiji Ōtsuka.

In his A Theory of Narrative Consumption, Ōtsuka cites franchises like Bikkuriman stickers and Sylvanian Families as examples, pointing out that people are not consuming the items but the "grand narratives" (Template:Lang-ja, worldviews and setting) behind them. He called the paradigm of consumption mainly found since the1980s "narrative consumption". It is also referred to as "worldview consumption" (世界観消費) to avoid the ambiguity of "narrative" which specifically means "grand narrative (worldview and setting)" in this theory.[2][note 1]

Based on Ōtsuka's work, Azuma replaces "grand narrative (worldview and setting)" in the theory of narrative consumption with "grand non-narrative (stacks of information)" (大きな非物語（情報の集積）) and use the term "database consumption" to describe the new paradigm of consuming a huge "database" shared within a community. This form of consumption is particularly prominent in Japanese otaku culture since the late 1990s .

The new consumption paradigm is closely related to the advent of postmodernism. In essence, otaku culture and the postmodern condition are thought to have the following points in common: 1) As stated by Jean Baudrillard, it is no longer possible to distinguish between the original and the simulated, and thereby the in-between simulacra prevail in hyperreality, which parallels the difficulty to distinguish derivative works and media mix from the original works in otaku culture; 2) Jean-François Lyotard defined postmodernism as the decline of grand narratives (norms shared by society as a whole) and the emergence of many localized, little narratives (norms shared only within small communities), which corresponds to otaku culture's unique value norm that the fictional world rather than the real world is paid more attention to.[4]: 40–47 

While narrative consumption could be seen as fabricating pseudo-"grand narratives" with worldviews behind works to compensate for the lost grand narrative (partial postmodernism), in database consumption, however, even fabrication is abandoned (full postmodernism).[4]: 131  Therefore, in (full) postmodern otaku culture, by accessing the database (stacks of information) that varies depending on personal interpretations, various settings are extracted by different people to create different original and derivative works (indistinguishable between originals and copies).

In Lacanian terminology, "grand narrative" could be seen as "the Symbolic", "little narrative" as "the Imaginary", and the "database" as "the Real".[5] However, psychiatrist Tamaki Saito, while acknowledging such correspondence is understandable as a metaphor, believes the equivalent to the database should be more appropriately the Symbolic, stating that it is the autonomous Symbolic that promotes the "genesis of characters".[6] The "database turn" of the world can be considered a manifestation of postmodernization in the cultural aspect (shift towards database consumption), globalization in the economic aspect, and the digitalization in the technological aspect.[7]

Azuma did not mention which type of database is involved in database consumption. Informatics engineering expert Naohiko Yamaguchi [8] and art critic Takemi Kuresawa[9] believe the concept corresponds to relational databases.

Examples

Otaku culture

The image of Wikipe-tan consists of visual signs (moe-elements) such as cat ears, a maid outfit and a tail.

As mentioned above, Azuma cites how Japanese otaku content are consumed since the late1990s as a major example of database consumption.

For example, the shift of fan consumption patterns from Mobile Suit Gundam (since 1979) to Neon Genesis Evangelion (since 1995) suggests a departure from narrative consumption.[4]: 58–62  In Gundam, different series were set in the same fictitious history (Universal Century, etc.), and fans enthusiastically scrutinized that fictitious history (grand narrative). Evangelion fans, however, tend not to immerse themselves in the world of the work, but rather to devote themselves to doujinshi (self-published derivative works) that feature the heroines and model figures of the mechanics in the series. Rather than the worldview, stacks of information (grand non-narrative) including characters and mechanics are demanded and consumed. According to Satoshi Maejima, a Japanese critic, despite many meaningful keywords (Human Instrumentality Project, S2 organization, etc.) that seem to be hints for the worldview of the work (which fits the concept of narrative consumption) in the first half of Evangelion, the work eventually came to an end without revealing the truth, and the audience was therefore forced to change their attitude of consuming the story.[10] This change in consumption patterns that began in 1995 (the shift to so-called "character moe") can be considered a shift from manufacturer-led to consumer-led, and the background was the consumer base shifted from otaku students of liberal arts (who prefer stories) to those of engineering (who prefers systems).[11]

In 1998, Di Gi Charat characters were designed as Broccoli's image character (mascot) without a background story. Nonetheless, they surprisingly became a hit and was adapted into different media franchises, including anime and video games, ultimately ending up having a background story. Characters in Di Gi Charat charactrs were designed by assembling moe elements like ahoge and bells, making them a good example of "moe-element database" consumption (Other examples of combinations of moe elements can be seen in mainstream culture. For example, the same argument can be applied to the costumes of the idol group Mini-Moni.[12]) In this way, otaku have developed a spinal reflex reaction to symbols of their favorite moe elements as though they are drug addicts. (Or, more generally, they only have self-contained desire-fulfillment circuits without mediating the desires of the others.) Hiroki Azuma borrows the expression of Alexandre Kojève and calls this development "animalization".[note 2][4]: 126  In database consumption, characters like Di Gi Charat and Binchotan born without a story in the background may be given ones later on or become the subjects of derivative creations. Such human characters (typically young girls) designed as representations of non-humans can be called moe anthropomorphism.[16] Hatsune Miku, the image character of a speech synthesis and DTM software package released in 2007, despite lacking a narrative, gained high popularity due to its unique characteristics and has since been widely used in various derivative creations.[17] Hiroki Azuma describes this as the "exact form of database consumption".[18] While Hatsune Miku's success was mainly based on the video-sharing platform Niconico, the cyberspace of the website, which is filled with a plethora of MAD movies (videos made by splicing together anime clips; anime music video), is made possible as a result of the establishment of database consumption.

Bishōjo games that became popular in otaku culture after the late 1990s are also thought to reflect postmodern database consumption due to their structure.[4]: 113–116 [note 3]。

In Japanese manga and anime, as manga critic Kō Itō points out, there exists a phenomenon that characters maintain their identities even when removed from their original context and placed in a different environment (e.g., secondary creations). [19] He called the phenomenon "autonomization of characters" (キャラクターの自律化)[note 4]. In a way, a "character database", not the narrative, has become the object of consumption. Light novels, which have attracted attention since the early 2000s, encompass various genres including science fiction, fantasy, and detective fiction, and are often considered difficult to define; However, by focusing on their crucial element–character design–we can use the keyword "database consumption" to define them as "novels written within the environment of a character database''.[20]

In the latter half of the 2000s, works featuring "moe" characters with appealing charms and regressed narratives have gained increasing popularity, particularly triggered by the success of TV anime Lucky Star. These works, commonly referred to as "slice of life" (Template:Lang-ja), are media content that precisely fits into the database consumption model.[21]

Shūji Nomaguchi mentioned that what is being done in the creation of isekai works (Template:Lang-ja) that hit the same era of the 2010s corresponds to this. He believes the clichéd narō-kei story is part of what Azuma calls the "invisible database", and these works are created through accessing an intangible "narō-kei database" and selecting elements to be used in their settings.[22]

In the world of contemporary art, there are examples of incorporating elements of otaku culture into artworks such as those of Takashi Murakami and Chaos*Lounge. Murakami's works receive polarized responses: they are highly regarded in the contemporary art world, yet heavily criticized by otaku. This can be explained by how the database (substratum) and the simulacra (superstratum) are understood differently, according to Azuma.[4]: 92–94  Murakami employs the technique of purifying the designs (simulacra) that represent otaku culture and incorporates them into his works. But this is only appreciated in modern art criticism which sees the production of simulacra as "a weapon for constructing the avant-garde"; It cannot be understood by otaku whose consumption is based on a database of moe elements because that important database is missing. Chaos*Lounge, a contemporary art group, creates many works based on existing characters and also cites Azuma's theory of character moe and database consumption as their theoretical background to ensure criticality.[23]

Non-otaku culture

Counterexample

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Sonoko Azuma used the term "worldview consumption" to describe a specific type of narrative consumption that involves imaging a worldview as a "grand narrative".[3]
  2. ^ The concept "animalization" is frequently compared to George Ritzer's concept of McDonaldization (excessive emphasis on rationality and computability).[13][14] It is also sometimes compared to Zolaism.[15]
  3. ^ The Auto Diverge Mapping System in YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this World is considered an example of effectively utilizing postmodernist philosophy.
  4. ^ Since Itō himself distinguishes between "characters" (キャラクター) that have a presence within the story and "chara" (キャラ) that are removed from the work, it could be called "autonomization of charas" (キャラの自律化) in his words.

References

  1. ^ 東浩紀 (2007). ゲーム的リアリズムの誕生~動物化するポストモダン (in Japanese). 講談社. ISBN 978-4061498839.
  2. ^ 前島賢 (2010). セカイ系とは何か ポスト・エヴァのオタク史 (in Japanese). ソフトバンククリエイティブ. pp. 111–112. ISBN 978-4797357165.
  3. ^ 「妄想の共同体――「やおい」コミュニティにおける恋愛コードの機能」『思想地図〈vol.5〉特集・社会の批評』 252頁。
  4. ^ a b c d e f 東浩紀 (2001). 動物化するポストモダン オタクから見た日本社会 [Otaku: Japan's Database Animals] (in Japanese). 講談社. ISBN 9784061495753.
  5. ^ 東浩紀; 大澤真幸 (2007年). "虚構から動物へ". 批評の精神分析 東浩紀コレクションD. 講談社. p. 65. ISBN 978-4062836296.
  6. ^ 斎藤環 (2011年). キャラクター精神分析　マンガ・文学・日本人. 筑摩書房. pp. 214–215. ISBN 978-4480842954.
  7. ^ 「動物化するオタク系文化」『網状言論F改―ポストモダン・オタク・セクシュアリティ 』28頁。
  8. ^ 山口「情報工学とライトノベル」『ライトノベル研究序説』青弓社、2009年、207頁。ISBN 978-4787291882。
  9. ^ 暮沢剛巳 『キャラクター文化入門』 エヌ・ティ・ティ出版、2010年、18-19頁。ISBN 978-4757142565。
  10. ^ セカイ系とは何か ポスト・エヴァのオタク史 (in Japanese). pp. 106–107.
  11. ^ 東「立ちから萌えへ」『文学環境論集 東浩紀コレクションＬ』 講談社、2007年、222-223頁。ISBN 978-4062836210。
  12. ^ 東・大塚『リアルのゆくえ──おたく オタクはどう生きるか』講談社、2008年、63頁。ISBN 978-4062879576。
  13. ^ 樫村愛子『ネオリベラリズムの精神分析―なぜ伝統や文化が求められるのか』光文社、2007年、89頁。ISBN 978-4334034153。
  14. ^ 岩木秀夫 『ゆとり教育から個性浪費社会へ』 筑摩書房、2004年、10-11頁・200頁。ISBN 978-4480061515。
  15. ^ 『リアルのゆくえ──おたく オタクはどう生きるか』157頁。
  16. ^ 東園子「妄想の共同体――「やおい」コミュニティにおける恋愛コードの機能」『思想地図〈vol.5〉特集・社会の批評』 日本放送出版協会、2010年、253頁。ISBN 978-4140093481。
  17. ^ 濱野智史 『アーキテクチャの生態系――情報環境はいかに設計されてきたか』 エヌ・ティ・ティ出版、2008年、242-245頁。ISBN 978-4757102453。
  18. ^ 東浩紀・伊藤剛・谷口文和・DJ TECHNORCH・濱野智史「初音ミクと未来の音 同人音楽・ニコ動・ボーカロイドの交点にあるもの」『ユリイカ』2008年12月臨時増刊号、152頁。
  19. ^ 伊藤『テヅカ・イズ・デッド ひらかれたマンガ表現論へ』 NTT出版、2005年、54頁。ISBN 978-4757141292。
  20. ^ 『ゲーム的リアリズムの誕生』37-45頁。
  21. ^ キネマ旬報映画総合研究所編 『“日常系アニメ”ヒットの法則』 キネマ旬報社、2011年、90頁。ISBN 978-4873763590。
  22. ^ 野間口修二. "物語消費からデータベース消費へ". ウェブ表現研究講義用資料 (in Japanese). Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  23. ^ あらい ひろゆき「萌えアートを斬る!」週刊金曜日ニュース（2010年11月2日）

Bibliography

  • 大塚英志 『物語消費論』 新曜社、1989年。
  • 東浩紀 『動物化するポストモダン　オタクから見た日本社会』 講談社、2001年。ISBN 978-4061495753。
  • 東浩紀 『ゲーム的リアリズムの誕生』 講談社、2007年。ISBN 978-4061498839。
  • 東浩紀「動物化するオタク系文化」『網状言論F改―ポストモダン・オタク・セクシュアリティ 』青土社、2003年。ISBN 978-4791760091。
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