>>1811
Dat detailed background and scenery, fuck yeah.

Dat insipid cutesy character design, fuck no.

And what do you mean you don't know what the name is? Am I misunderstanding you or doesn't it state that it's called Ikoku Meiro no Croisee (La Croisée dans un labyrinthe étranger)

OH MY GOD WHERE'S THE PICTURE.

Why do Asians love Europoean classicalism so much? I doubt many of you follow the world news, but apparently with the economic rise of middle class Chinese, they're all starting to buy up expensive European wines, art and food.

>>1862
They have no culture so they're bound to copy/buy our superior one.

>>1862
I think your post might better belong in /ot/.

>>1864
>>1862
People like foreign cultures as it's new and there's stuff they can do in foreign cultures they can't do in their 'native' culture - e.g. lolicon from countries where lolicon or related things/concepts is considered 'taboo' or 'bad' or whatever.


Or it's just new and exciting, see black americans who have an elephant or some item from East Asia - or weeaboos from all US cultures.

It's not one-sided. Someone in Japan would probably say the same thing about Avatar and some things in the US and say they think the same about people from 'The West'

>>2360

Pretty much this. Even if someone is rather conservative curiosity is part of human nature. To Asians European culture is just as new, exciting and exotic as China, Japan or India to people born in country that's part of 'western culture'. Baroque and Victorian era seem to be their favorite time periods for the same reason. Japanese culture is usually rather minimalistic so again, it's natural for them to be interested in what's pretty much the exact opposite.

Also frilly dresses with crinoline.

This show sucks. I liked it better when it was called Victorian Romance Emma.

Japan has always had a thing with European culture, as do the Chinese (theirs stems from past ties with the British)

>>2387
Always? It's only been a couple centuries since they first had contact with Westerners and even then, it took a long time for them to warm up to such a foreign culture considering that they treated Westerners like shit during their long isolationist mode. Japan really only embraced westernization more of as a neccessity than as a free choice.

Although these posts (>>2360 and >>2365) sum up my feelings quite well on this matter, I also want to add a few points. If you're rich, you want to appear sophisticated/cosmopolitan. You want to display your high social status by buying brand name stuff that signifies an equally high social status. And so people buy Gucci bags or BMWs not because they have a hard-on for Italian or German culture, but because they want to have items of prestige that befit their social statuses.

I honestly have no idea if posters like >>1864 are serious or not, but some of you guys could really benefit from travelling abroad and seeing how different cultures view others. Personally, I think this whole thing is as ridiculous as when people claim that anime is clear proof that the Japanese secretly want to be white.

People always get the craziest misconceptions just from reading random shit from the media or internet (myself included, of course)...

>>2391
>>If you're rich, you want to appear sophisticated/cosmopolitan.

Ahhh, conspicous consumption.

Well, SOME rich - mainly nouveau-rich and in many cases it's in China where that mentality comed into place. but given chinese history they're splurging as they havent had the chance before.

>>2391

>I honestly have no idea if posters like >>1864 are serious or not

I'm not >>1864 but I'm sure it's safe to say he's just being sarcastic. That's what people tend to say about Japan and I think he's copying such opinions for comedic effect. However, I'm also fairly certain that partially he actually means it and there's a good reason for it. Japan is known for copying foreign culutres (particually Chinese) and pretty much all things Japan is famous for (origami, go, ramen and countless other things; there are also lots of things that were slightly changed, such as biwa or bonsai) are actually Chinese.

>Personally, I think this whole thing is as ridiculous as when people claim that anime is clear proof that the Japanese secretly want to be white.

... This is an awesome theory and whoever came up with it should feel awesome.

Wow, the first episode was really fucking good.

>>4688
It's freaking ADORABLE.
6 month wait did not disappoint me.

>>4705
Moé as fuck. And the random bits of French just make me laugh.
The setting is interesting too, but so far I think the story was pretty weak. It's not bad, but not really good either and not original at all - I just think they could do more with the setting. It's only the start though so who knows, it might take a different direction yet.

Next episode: Yune eats cheese.

>>2391
>It's only been a couple centuries since they first had contact with Westerners
Why are Americans so self centred. America =/= the west.
Japan had contact with Europe for centuries before Matthew Perry bullied his way in Japan.
Holland, Russia, Britain and Portugal all had trade relations with Japan.
Britain fucked up by stealing tea and maps of Japan so they were kicked out.
Portugal didn't do anything wrong but Christian morals and the awesomeness of the Pope were a thread to the bakufu so they were kicked out and their missionaries were all killed.
They still had contact with the the Dutch and Russians (and some British, Germans and Flemish who worked for the VOC).

>>2365
>>2391
If you were talking about any other country but Japan, I would agree with you guys but Japan as a whole has a serious inferiority complex with Europe that started with the Japanese Missions to Europe and America after the Meiji restoration.
Western artists actually had to beg Japanese artists so they wouldn't give up their traditional art styles for more western styles which they considered superior.

But this isn't the right place to discus this, let's continue talking about a cute Japanese girl doing cute things in 19th century Europe.

>>4725
Fromage. Come, say it Tohno-chan, it'll make you feel better. Frrrromaage.

Honestly now, I can't seem to be able imagine when they are supposed to be speaking french and when it is japanese.

>>4732
>Western artists actually had to beg Japanese artists so they wouldn't give up their traditional art styles for more western styles which they considered superior.

Yeah I'm sorry but they had a pretty good fucking point there

>>4737

Sure are opinions around here.

Personally, if I weren't as lazy as I am I'd find some place that would print me a huge HQ copy of some nice looking sumie and I'd frame and hang it. I think they look lovely.

>>4739
Picasso was a different time period. The only European art the Japanese saw during that time was probably something like Monalisa. Art is subjective, but if their aim was realism, then you can't really argue for in favor of the Japanese on that one.

>>4732
First off, my apologies for responding to your point because I don't really want to derail the thread but considering how there's only one episode out so far, I would like to say something. I'm not American nor was I thinking of America when I referred to Japan having couple centuries of contact. However, Japan's contact with a trade only really got started in the 16th/17th century so it's still only a few centuries. Not only that, I believe it was only the Dutch who were given permission to trade during Japan's 200 years of isolation and even then, the Dutch were all confined on to the tiny manmade island of Dejima and any Westerner found outside could be executed.

As for Japan adopting Western practices during the Meiji restoration period, it was really primarily fueled out of necessity, as I've previously mentioned, because they themselves realized how behind they were compared to the other Western nations and so they tried to modernize as fast as possible as to not become the victims in imperialism.

Post edited on 5th Jul 2011, 10:05am

I always find this picture funny.

>>4752

>>4752
yeah but thats comparing western and japanese art

>>4754
There's almost 500 years between those 2 paintings. You can't compare like that.
This is a painting by Bartolomé Bermejo, he finished it in 1485.
Japan had a stagnant culture, just like China and most other east asian countries.
This was caused by their Confucian culture, there was little room for innovation in art, science or technology.
This really should be in /mt/.

>>4754
>>4756
If you really wanted to make a point, you should have used the Van Gogh/Hiroshige paintings where Van Gogh just copied the paintings and scribbled some faux kanji on the side.
Fun Fact: Van Gogh destroyed several Japanese art pieces by pinning them on his wall instead of framing them.

>>4757
He also cut off his ear.

At which point do you want to consider him batshit insane?

>>4759
He was always insane.
When he was young his father tried to get him committed to a lunatic asylum.

To get back on the right topic.
What sub should I use for this show.

>>4762

I'm using IB, I liked their work in Reibai Sensei, they do a good job.

>>4762
IB are the best for this show

http://www.whiners.pro/2011/07/fansub-review-ib-ikoku-meiro-no-croisee-episode-01/

compare to Ayako's

http://www.whiners.pro/2011/07/fansub-review-ayako-ikoku-meiro-no-croisee-episode-01/

Ahodomo aren't even an option.

I liked it.

It's weird to see them talking about how the Japanese girl can't understand them speaking in French... while they're speaking in Japanese. I know they can't really do anything about that, but still.

>>4812

>I know they can't really do anything about that

That's fairly easy actually. Just make them speak French and sub what their saying. No rocket science.

>>4813
Yeah, but then the voice actors would have to be able to speak French. It seems like it would be a lot of trouble.

>>4812
That really bugged me also, there's both specking the same language, so of course it's gonna be kind of confusing, more so from them saying at first she knew a few french greetings and such.
When she spoke it was hard to guess if she was specking french or Japanese.
good thing they cleared that all up though, when it turned out she could speck french.

>>4725

Ugh... I'm with her on that one.
I can't stand the smell or the taste of cheese.

(USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST)

This is the cutest show so far this year to me

19th century Paris sure does have a lot of weeboos...

Anyone else notice all characters, both male and female have the same general type of eye style, but Yune being the only Japanese character is the only one with enormous eyes?
Are they trying to use this to better facilitate the difference in cultures, or are they just trying to make up for their real life perma squinted eyes and pretend in doing so it's the other way around for the people of the world?

>>5466
They're just trying to show that Yune is cuter than anyone else because big eyes = cuteness.

>are they just trying to make up for their real life perma squinted eyes

I don't know why people say this.

>>2365

>Also frilly dresses with crinoline.

I told you, Japs love them crinolines.



Even though spoiled ojou is an archetype I could never get enough of Alice is in a league of her own. She is unbearably cute. There needs to be a spin-off with her as the protagonist next. And I've got to admit, Yuuki Aoi sure is talented.

I hope the BD shorts will be good, there's some serious potential there.

For a second there, I thought she was mugi.