The Trouble with J-pop: Revolutionizing the Western Community of Criticism (appears)

This piece is highly recommended for both blog readers and writers. While some may find it too lengthy or feel that it is elitist in tone, this is the rare sort of “blogging about blogging” commentary that I especially enjoy. Anna leads into this post by discussing first the possibility of intellectual criticism about Japanese music, but quickly concludes–like many others have–that this particular idea is easier said than done. She makes the point that it would be difficult to write (much less publish) any serious criticism without feeling a need to market to anime fans; mentioned is the now-dead record company Tofu Records, who sought to sell Western releases of Japanese music by marketing almost exclusively to anime watchers and manga readers. The question she asks here is a hefty one:

How do we make [Japanese music] accessible and appealing to those not completely taken with Japanophilia, who just enjoy music without the anime attachment that may give them reason to judge before even hearing something they probably weren’t even aware existed? How do we get serious students, listeners, writers, and critics of music to pay attention in a country not very open to musical imports?

The majority of this post focuses on the lack of Western criticism of Eastern music. Several specific blogs are mentioned (including IW), and Anna spends quite some time discussing what is both good and bad in the current Japanese music “blogosphere.” She believes that there are some good communities and singular websites out there, but also finds herself embarrassed by some blogs and fans. She has a point: there are blogs and bloggers that you couldn’t force me to like, either. While it’s surely fun to have fun while you write, and to never take yourself too seriously, as bloggers we are all part of a very new, quickly developing form of musical criticism that hasn’t existed–not even in Japan–until the mid-00s. So should we all be more self-aware of what we are doing? Should we spend more time being seriously critical, developing thesis statements and writing long-form essays on the topic of Japanese music as a whole… or should we simply just stop channeling so much of the 13-year-old-candy-fueled-excitement that sometimes comes through in our posts? To sum this up with a single question, as Anna puts it:

Shouldn’t our community strive to be defined by just as much maturity and experience as Western criticism?

What is being proposed here is something big. A lot of us blog for fun, but others have embarked on more ambitious adventures. So, if you are a blogger, this post may make you reconsider what your plans are. Or you may turn your nose up at it and say “that’s stupid, I’m just doing this because I feel like it.” What this post did for me, personally, is something I don’t have the space to write about. But even if you are not a blogger, you will take something away from this piece. Again, criticism of Japanese music–especially Western criticism–is a very new idea. Do you want to take part in it? Or are you unconcerned? Are you prepared to bear the heavy title of “critic,” or do you see yourself as someone who does this simply to have fun? It’s certainly something to think about… and maybe strive towards, in the future.