Japanese Literature Students Perspective on Weeaboo Who has an Imaginary Couple Waifu/Husbando
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21512/lc.v18i1.10434Keywords:
fictional relationship, anime enthusiast, societal perceptionAbstract
The phenomenon of waifu/husbando, originating from Japanese pop culture, permeated society and became a compelling subject of interest. This research delved into the perspectives of people who had a relationship with fictional characters. Data collection for this research was done through interviews with eight students in Japanese Literature across Java Island. The research drew upon insights and data to unravel the societal perceptions surrounding waifu/husbando enthusiasts. The research used a qualitative approach, so the analysis produced descriptive data in the form of words. The findings of this research highlight a nuanced form of discrimination and labeling. Contrary to common assumptions, the prejudice faced by those with waifu/husbando connections is not rooted in a mere appreciation for fictional characters but extends to a broader bias against anime enthusiasts. Individuals who proudly profess their love for anime by adopting waifu/husbando are often stigmatized with the label of weeaboo, illustrating a broader societal bias against this subculture. The distinction between these two categories sheds light on the complex interplay of societal attitudes towards fantasy relationships rooted in different cultural realms. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the intricate dynamics surrounding waifu/husbando culture and challenges prevailing stereotypes by emphasizing the role of broader societal biases against anime enthusiasts.
Plum Analytics
References
Adhitama, L. (2022). Identity construction of otaku and weeaboo through manga and anime. K@ta Kita, 9(3), 436-443. https://doi.org/10.9744/katakita.9.3.436-443.
Alshiban, A. S. (2018). Applying labelling theory to selected short stories by James T. Farrell. Advances in Language and Literary Studies, 9(5), 143-151. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.9n.5p.143.
BBC News. (2019). Why I ‘married’ a cartoon character. Retrieved October 27, 2023, from https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-49343280.
Bellyanto, B. (2020). J-pop sebagai budaya populer Jepang dan dampaknya di Indonesia. Thesis. Jakarta, Indonesia: Universitas Negeri Jakarta.
Ellsworth, A. (2018). I’m not your waifu: Sexual harassment and assault in cosplay, anime & comic conventions. Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2018. Orlando, USA: University of Central Florida.
Galbraith, P. W. (2018). ‘Idols’ in Japan, Asia, and the world. In A. Elliot (Ed.), Routledge Handbook of Celebrity Studies. London, UK: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315776774.
Galbraith, P. W. (2021). Idol economics: Television, affective and virtual models in Japan. In Hiroshi, A., Galbraith, P.W., Kovacic, M. (eds), Idology in Transcultural Perspective. London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-82677-2_4.
Garg, S. (2019). From pronoun to identity: Tracing the history of the word otaku. Journal of Arts, Culture, Philosophy, Religion, Language and Literature, 3(1), 21-23.
Gushiken, Y., & Hirata, T. (2014). Processes of cultural and media consumption: The image of ‘otaku’ from Japan to the world. Intercom: Revista Brasileira de Ciências Da Comunicação, 37(2), 133-152. https://doi.org/10.1590/1809-584420146.
Gusri, L., Arif, E., & Dewi, R. S. (2021). Konstruksi identitas gender pada budaya populer Jepang (Analisis etnografi virtual fenomena Fujoshi pada media sosial). Mediakita: Jurnal Komunikasi dan Penyiaran Islam , 5(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.30762/mediakita.v5i1.3584.
Hidayat, D., & Hidayat, Z. (2020). Anime as Japanese intercultural communication: A study of the weeaboo community of Indonesian generation Z and Y. Romanian Journal of Communication and Public Relations, 22(3), 85-103. https://doi.org/10.21018/RJCPR.2020.3.310.
Islamiyah, A. N., Priyanto, N. M., & Prabhandari, N. P. D. (2020). Diplomasi budaya Jepang dan Korea Selatan di Indonesia tahun 2020: Studi komparasi. Jurnal Hubungan Internasional, 13(2), 257-278. https://doi.org/10.20473/jhi.v13i2.21644.
Jenkins, H. (2018). Fandom, negotiation, and participatory culture. In P. Booth (Ed.), A Companion to Media Fandom and Fan Studies. New Jersey, USA: Wiley Onlien Library. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119237211.ch1.
Kidd, D. (2018). Pop culture: Freaks identity, mass media, and society. In Pop Culture Freaks: Identity, Mass Media, and Society. New York, USA: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429493287.
Lacuesta, J., & Fallon, K. (2020). The weeaboo subculture: Identification and performance. Tourism Research, 11(3), 343-352. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.32604.21125.
Lu, Z., Shen, C., Li, J., Shen, H., & Wigdor, D., (2021). More kawaii than a real-person live streamer: Understanding how the otaku community engages with and perceives virtual YouTubers. CHI 21: Proceedings of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. pp. 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1145/3411764.3445660.
Pratomo, A. W. A. (2013). Gaya hidup komunitas pencinta budaya Jepang di kalangan mahasiswa Unnes (Studi kasus pada komunitas Jaico). Solidarity: Journal of Education, Society and Culture, 2(1), 9-14.
Puspitasari, G., & Khasanah, U. (2019). Perception of female characters in 2D anime according to anime lovers in Indonesia. Mezurashii: Journal of Japanese Studies, 1(2), 59-66. https://doi.org/10.30996/mezurashii.v1i2.3238.
Rinata, A. R., & Dewi, S. I. (2019). Fanatisme penggemar kpop dalam bermedia sosial di instagram. Interaksi: Jurnal Ilmu Komunikasi, 8(2), 13-23. https://doi.org/10.14710/interaksi.8.2.13-21.
Sousa, A. M. (2016). Beauty is in the eye of the ‘producer’: Virtual idol Hatsune Miku, from software to network to the stage. Retrieved from chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://repositorio.ul.pt/bitstream/10451/27745/2/Postscreen_p117-128.pdf.
Tilton, S. (2016). The four temperaments of fandom. Conference: Origins Educator's Pass Workshop. Columbus, USA.
VanHaecke, P. J. (2020). Female idols in Japan: Desiring desire, fantastic consumption, and drive satisfaction. East Asian Journal of Popular Culture, 6(1), 77-92. https://doi.org/10.1386/eapc.00016_1.
Vo, A. (n.d.). Waifus and why they exist. Retrieved from https://www.scribd.com/document/487589436/Waifus-and-Why-they-Exist.
Weiss, R. (2014). Japan’s imaginary obsession: How the unreal engendered a subculture. Proceedings of the National Conference On Undergraduate Research. Lexington, USA. Pp 134-144.
Wing-Fai, L. (2014). Idols and celebrities in Japanese media culture, by Patrick W. Galbraith and Jason G. Karlin. Celebrity Studies, 5(3), 376-378. https://doi.org/10.1080/19392397.2014.935627.
Zeng, C. (2022). Living in a virtual reality: Anime and manga fandom. In I. Management Association (Ed.), Research Anthology on Fandoms, Online Social Communities, and Pop Culture (pp. 101-110). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-4515-0.ch007.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Daniel Hermawan, Rendi Marciu
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
a. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License - Share Alike that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
b. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
c. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
USER RIGHTS
All articles published Open Access will be immediately and permanently free for everyone to read and download. We are continuously working with our author communities to select the best choice of license options, currently being defined for this journal as follows: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike (CC BY-SA)
