Why is Anime so Obsessed with German Culture?

WATCH THE SEQUEL TO THIS VID HERE: • Is Anime Obsessed with...
Sources
encyclopedia.1...
www.kcpinterna...
en.wikipedia.o...
en.wikipedia.o...
www.dw.com/en/...
www.jstor.org/...
www.businessin...
litten.de/fullt...
www.japantimes...
koki.o.oo7.jp/G...
www.gwpda.org/n...
www.nam.ac.uk/...
www.tandfonlin...
Credit to Kocho for the thumbnail: / le_kocho
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[@AeonofHorus]

If you enjoyed this then check out my latest vid about how historically accurate are WW2 anime: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pH-kq4yGo8Z2l5I Or the Sequel video to this one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qWisdHuFZc9rlac

[@colorpg152]

Aeon of Horus: Why is Anime so Obsessed with German Culture? Me: because they are stylish as fk?

[@gamerdrache6076]

@@colorpg152 No cause Axis

[@cadenhall3567]

Because... They have an honor system like Japan They always defend their homeland stereotypically aggressive on sensitive things like the Holocaust Started 2 wars switched sides The list goes on and I know it, I just can't think of anything else

[@gamerdrache6076]

@@cadenhall3567 we didn´t start ww1

[@cadenhall3567]

@@gamerdrache6076 All my history teachers say you did

[@jol1498]

As a person from the german speaking part of Switzerland I always find it funny how old german names that barley anyone gives to their child today like: Brunhilde, Adalbert, Wolfgang etc. sound cool and mysterious to non-german speakers while the first thing that pops up in my head are people inside a retirement home

[@Schnubi]

I was just thinking the same thing, I dont watch Attack on Titan, but its so funny to see people talk about their fav characters with names you'd hear at your good old local BIERZELT

[@marocat4749]

Wolfgang is still, i mean its way netter and not as oldfashioned as hermann, wolfgand deserves a comeback.

[@Schnubi]

@@marocat4749 plus you can always call the wolfgangs "wolfi" which is cute. Worst name is "Ernst" thats so intimidating

[@avengerulsasuke5814]

I don't speak a lick of german, but Wolfgang sounds cool as fuck.

[@CodeeXD]

I'm half German and my mom wanted to name me Wolfgang unfortunately my dad was an American soldier and said nah

[@ancientpeople3861]

As one of Japanese, the reason is simple : German pronunciation is the coolest in the world. When German words are written in Katakana(Japanese language), they look so cool and beautiful. This opinion seems personal, but most Japanese people agree that German pronunciation is cool.

[@ancientpeople3861]

@Trevor F さん こんにちは😊 例というのは、ドイツ語の例でしょうか？ 例えば、｢シュヴァルツ｣(Schwarz)でしょうか。ドイツ語は硬い音が続くので、カタカナで表してもかっこよく見えます。当然個人差はありますが、ネットの世論によると、ドイツ語をかっこいいと思う方は多いみたいです。 勿論、どの言語も美しいですよ😊 ここからは個人的な意見ですが、アメリカ英語の場合は、かっこいいというよりも楽しげで、イギリス英語の場合は上品な感じです。英語をカタカナで表したときに、｢R｣の音が消えてしまうので、アルファベットそのままで表した方が、英語の美しさが分かる気がします。 例えば、｢銅｣(copper)は、アルファベットだとかっこいいです。でもカタカナだと、｢コッパー｣で、｢R｣が消えます。さらにひらがなで表すと｢こっぱー｣となり、これはとても可愛く見えます。

[@ancientpeople3861]

@Trevor F さん 英語ネイティブの方だったんですね😊 日本語を勉強してくださってありがとうございます！勿論、英語も美しい言語ですよ。私も英語の勉強を頑張ります(๑و•̀ω•́)و

[@airwakkerre1861]

German always seemed like an ugly or unattractive language to me but of course as an Israeli my opinion is biased to the max..

[@googflax]

That is interesting. Thank you for this insight look. What is your favorite German word or term? :) I love Japan and I hope to visit and travel again to Japan as soon as possible in 2022 or 2023. Greetings from Germany / Gruß aus Deutschland 🇯🇵🇩🇪

[@ancientpeople3861]

Mr/Ms.@@googflax Thank you so much.💓 I especially like "Einzelgänger", "Edelstein", "Sprühregen", "Seelenwanderung", "Dunkelheit", "Flügel" and so on. Of course, I respect ALL languages, but german language is cool for me. Welcome to Japan !! 😍 I really hope that my government will open the gate soon. 💓💓💓🇩🇪

[@Osjey]

I'm from germany, 70-90s Cartoons like "Heidi, Biene Maja, Alfred J. Kwak, Pinocchio" and many more were produced in Japan. They had some sort of cultural Art deal. I was hoping you'd start mentioning that, but I believe some Animators got fascinated with german culture then. And I was talking to a Japanese person once, they told me the Japanese just respect German work ethic. They can identify with that.

[@Bifelin]

GENAU DAS :D

[@mattesch4545]

Heidi, Biene Maja and Pinocchio are the real big 3 of anime

[@jonson856]

But German work ethic is so different to Japanese. You have your 40 hours in Germany thatd it. In Japan every day is open end....

[@realtimestatic]

Japanese work ethic is way harder tho, but not really as effecting. They work so many hours a day but it also hinders productivity

[@misterx1342]

That Heidi anime was even very popular in South Africa, it was dubbed in both Afrikaans and South African English.

[@derspockster7614]

Fun fact: The creator of One Piece, Eiichiro Oda, stated in an interview that the German kids show “Vicky the Viking” (“Wickie und die starken Männer”) was the inspiration for his anime which would become a world wide phenomenon. My mind was blown when I heard that

[@Henning142]

Actually the original books from Vickie are from Sweden... It was only German co-invested money that Japanese studios should animate it + it was later distributed to Germany. Japan saw it's own dub and broadcast of Vickie. The same applies for Heidi. Or the World Masterpiece Theater series...

[@derspockster7614]

@@Henning142 That’s a very cool piece of information. Thanks for that

[@WalterBrunat]

It's always mind-blowing to think that some animations or comic art from Europe, which casually end up forgotten in it's original land, can be influential to someone on the other side of the globe. Same when I learned that the Akira manga was in part influenced by Enki Bilal's Exterminateur 17, which is an obscure sci-fi graphic novel in it's own country...

[@hansdampf640]

vicky the viking daughter was the greatest show for us kids back then,i can understand the inspiration :)

[@randomdude2026]

​@@hansdampf640Vicky is a boy though

[@yorp4161]

Diese Bild und Ton-Produktion wurde von den Beauftragten der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien als "sehr gut" und "pädagogisch wertvoll" eingestuft

[@TheItalianoAssassino]

Das mag sein. Aber würde auch der Kaiser dieser Beobachtung zustimmen? 🤔

[@mommaneganhobbystuff2409]

Leider wird sie von einem unqualifiziertem Angelsachsen vorgetragen, in dem gegebenen Kontext ist diese Tatsache unerhört, unerhört sage ich!

[@vHindenburg]

@@TheItalianoAssassino Welcher der Deutsche oder der Japanische Kaiser oder auch gegebenenfalls beide?

[@Lawinenmann]

@@TheItalianoAssassino als Kaiser Wilhelm höchstpersönlich statte ich diese Bewegbildproduktion mit dem kaiserlichen Qualitätssiegel aus

[@emilybung5890]

@@Lawinenmann Ey Wilhelm, komm ma wieder raus ausm Exil, hier stinkts langsam wieder.

[@24YOA]

I think because Japan sees Germany as the "Japan of the West," if you will. Germans are often viewed as hardworking, tidy, clean, organized, timely, etc. Their society generally reflects this. For the Japanese, it is a foreign place that isn't too dissimilar from their home, a place that's far off but somewhat relatable.

[@DioBrando_Sama]

Yeah... idk if you're german as well, but for the case you're not, I'll do this comment in English. I mean we're seen as a Country with a good social structure, everyone's happy etc, our society is very respectfull... Let me tell you one thing: Allot of us are like that, yes. But looking at my generation, we're all incompetent. Many quit school, they start to smoke and drink at the age of 10-12, allot also won't get a job because they think it's easier to live from the social money (Hartz IV), wich is available for every jobless person. And talking of respect... the people my age don't know what this word mean. Really. They absolutely don't.

[@24YOA]

@@DioBrando_Sama Times change. Perceptions take a while to catch up. I speak English and live in America, but this was just my best guess as to why Japan seems to like and relate to Germany so much.

[@alaskamark4562]

BoT-Kun. "But looking at my generation, we're all incompetent" Things aren't much different here across the pond. Booze and drugs are everywhere; half the country wants free government money taxed from the other half; schools are run by crazy political hacktivists who want to indoctrinate kids; many pander to minorities out of "collective guilt"; etc. Fortunately I live in a relatively laid-back state, but much of the country has gone totally insane and nihilistic.

[@youwasattheclub4104]

@@24YOA you could be right, maybe thats why they where interested in us in the first place, but germany has become a realy weird place, where hard workers have become rare...

[@ikka489]

@@DioBrando_Sama dame man, I am not German but people here (a third world country) always praise the Europeans especially the Germans as role models for society, and telling the youth how Germans are better than us because they are hardworking punctual respectful people. I wouldn't mind back then, but now as you say and I think it's pretty much all the world having this problem, the younger generation is just a disappointment in every part of the world. I can't stand the elders who try to compare us the other people who are just like us or probably even worse.

[@philip2009]

idk if anyone has noticed this, but when a traditional city appeares in anime 90% of the time it has german-bavarian architecture

[@Zestrayswede]

I'd argue "traditional" cities are far more likely to have traditional Japanese architecture, and on the rare occasion that it's set somewhere else it's german. In fact, the only fantasy anime that I can thing of off the top of my head that takes place outside japan and doesn't look vaguely german is Magi: the Labyrinth of Magic (obviously) and One Piece (though Foosha village, Syrup village and Impel Down do got that german vibe)

[@philip2009]

@@Zestrayswede attack on titan, fullmetal alchemist, goblin slayer, rising of the shield hero, re:zero, konosuba, seven deadly sins And those are just the one i know of.

[@ИмяФамилия-ф2д8ш]

Bc it's architecture is very beautiful

[@Narekz]

The architecture style you are referring to is not Bavarian but rather old German. In cities like Frankfurt , Freiburg, Erfurt this style can be seen aswell. And the reason why it is much more prevalent in south is that during the industrial revolution many traditional houses were destroyed in the west Germany to make space for "Kohlehäuser". Houses that could fit multiple families on a tiny property. Every city or region that prospered trough industrialisation moved on to a new style of architecture. Bavaria and Baden-Wüttemberg weren't influenced by the coal industry and thus didn't rebuild houses . They were focusing on craftsmanship and farming that complimented their traditional architecture. East Germany also lost its old architecture because the communist regime that introduced soviet architecture ( grey Beton block houses ) . Also an important factor is that south Germany wasn't as heavily bombed as the west and east from whom the allies forces invaded through

[@philip2009]

@@Narekz not really. I just thought it looks like the classic architecture you would find in Munich or so. There are traditional cities and beautiful towns elsewhere in germany too, but i just thought anime are more influenced by the classic "bavarian" architecture..idk

[@Filip_Agrippa]

I think that German and Japanese cultures are both very familiar and very exotic to each other at the same time. The similarity in discipline, ancient traditions, and of coarse what you said in your video, contribute to Japanese feeling closer to Germans, while them being a world apart, having a different history, and different looking people make it exotic.

[@Hello-sx1uk]

nah

[@idkatthispoint-s9s]

The japanese feel that more for the French than the Germans tbh. Japan is the peak of east Asian opulence for the French and France is the peak of European opulence for the Japanese.

[@Hello-sx1uk]

@@idkatthispoint-s9s Not to hate on all french ppl but I went to school abroad in france and the ppl are unfriendly and extremely lazy at work with no motivation. Idk why everyone thinks so highly of franche. A lot of homeless ppl too.

[@oldsaggyorcsacs1630]

It’s cause they were allies in ww2, they complimented each other in terms of fighting against degeneracy that being they were trying to prevent our modern day globohomo hellscape.

[@StarJes1]

​@@Hello-sx1uk true france is bad i live there, france is almost like a third world country compared to germany

[@DIVERSERNAME]

I think "Germany" has generally a very strong impact on modern culture, especially on Anime and Manga. Almost every middle age anime scene takes place in a romanticized version of the medieval "Germany".

[@sleepysera]

Which is funny, because Germany didn't even *exist* until pretty recently, lol.

[@AbuHajarAlBugatti]

@@sleepysera german tribes that became states and nations existed for 3000 years. Stop denying our history. What prussia did, the forced consolidation of the nationstates is not even something we asked for. It only helped destroy our people and culture

[@bennymuller3379]

​@@AbuHajarAlBugatti It seems Prussia failed to destroy bavarian(sadly), saxon and many other german cultures

[@ambatuBUHSURK]

@@AbuHajarAlBugatti 3000 just trust me bro years

[@OrdonWolf]

I mean, you can replace "Germany" with "England" in your comment and it would work just as well, if not better. It might be because of the appeal of the fantasy genre, which owes so much to Tolkien's English-inspired settings (I know Tolkien has German roots, but he explicitly wanted to make an English mythos)

[@Darkness251]

Now... If japanese trains could influence the germans, that would be great!

[@leonides4377]

Yes please

[@linibellini]

Please 🙏

[@Gravity_studioss]

One German train collects about 20 hours of missed schedules in a week. Thats as much as all trains in Japan collect per year

[@Korschtal]

Particularly the toilets: Japanese trains always have clean working toilets, whereas if our local trans manage one in a day it's seen as quite exciting.

[@xXValentineXx]

@@Gravity_studioss the german rail network is much more complex than that in japan, In addition, Deutsche Bahn is a semi-state company and a lot of savings money have been broken

[@HyperGamer14]

Small funfact: German culture had even a small influence on the japanese language since words like "arubaito" started to be used for part-time jobs, which is the japanese pronunciation of the german word "Arbeit", which literally means "work".

[@maimaihallo]

another funfact: the same word exists in korean as well (아르바이트)

[@graphemelucid8407]

Some German words used in Japanese are similar to English words like: アドレナリン（Adrenalin） アレルギー（Allergie） アンチテーゼ（Antithese） イデオロギー（Ideologie） エネルギー（Energie） ヒエラルキー（Hierarchie） But they are pronounced closer to German pronunciation. Some German words like: ガーゼ（Gaze） ギプス（Gips） ドッペルゲンガー（Doppelgänger） ワッペン（Wappen） メルクマール（Merkmal） デマ（Demagogie） リュックサック（Rucksack） Are used quite frequently depends on the situation. There're also some Dutch words like: カンフル（kamfer） ゴム（gom） ピンセット（pincet） ブリキ（blik） ランドセル（ransel） レッテル（letter） Are used quite frequently too. These are words that I remembered, which are still using here and there, there're a lot more but most of them can only be seen in like academic, medical, chemical books.

[@elisa.g1879]

Also reminds me of the Japanese's "mate" and German "warte", which have the same meaning (wait) and when pronounced almost sound the same.

[@medikativ4900]

​@@graphemelucid8407 Funnily enough, Adrenalin, the extract from the adrenal glands, was patented by a japanese chemist in the US. All those words which sound similiar to english do so because they are greek loanwords btw. nothing german about them besides the pronounciation. I guess those were just adapted like that by japanese doctors who studied medicine in germany during the Meiji period, thats why there also is fun stuff like ヘルペス, ジフィリス and インポ.

[@faith.W]

@@graphemelucid8407 schadenfreude is another word uised in Japan that originated in Germany

[@yournamehere100]

The German-Japenese fascination with each other's cultures is very much a two-way street. Yes, there is a certain solidarity over being the bad guys of WW2 (though the Japanese go about it very differently), but there's lots of other types of cultural exchange. Düsseldorf for example has an annual Japan Day, a celebration of Japanese culture showcasing Japanese art, traditional music and sports (and also anime and manga lol). Many of the bigger German cities have "Japanese Gardens" and stuff like that.

[@MrDennisWay]

Anyone with a 3 digit IQ understands that Japan and Germany were the good guys in World War 2

[@Getsumei8]

Celebration of Japanese culture is a worldwide thing tho. Japan made tons of people fall in love with it’s culture, for unknown reason.

[@peterc4082]

@@Getsumei8 L O L I C O Ns. And of course just b 00 bs.

[@nolibtard6023]

This bs needs to stop. The only people who deserve worship are blacks

[@Meowblivion]

@Getsumei8 because being a samurai sounds cool as fuck until you realize its over romanticized. there's a larger problem with the commodification of east asian culture but that's a whole different can of worms

[@Hackfruchtsalat]

"The germans built a bridge, and it's still there" another win for german engineering.

[@Zaexiixous_Skywalker]

SEKAI ICHI

[@quocviethoang8448]

BRAKA MONOGA!

[@rippspeck]

Can't say that about the Bridge on the River Kwai!

[@InkyBlitz]

@@rippspeck Allied POWs deliberately did a poor job on it.

[@champagnegascogne9755]

if german engineering = sekai ichi why is graf zeppelin left unfinished

[@JLP7220]

Fun fact: The civil code of Japan, the "Minpo", is also heavily influenced by the German civil code, the "Bürgerliche Gesetzbuch (BGB)". They copied the structure and many rules from the drafts of the BGB. But with over a 100 years of development of both codes and different influences (Japan with Japanese and American influence, Germany with European influence), they developed apart.

[@KorporalNoobs]

Makes sense. Japan (and China) have really old, very bureaucratic governments and a heavy militaristic past which forced them to organise that way. So Prussia, or it's legacy, is the obvious fit.

[@lucagerulat307]

when japan opened themself to the west they sent severel people throughout the western world to find an inspirstion for thair goverment. they didnt like the idea of ether an absolute monarchie nor a republic. instead they were interested by the prussian goverment (a german saing goes the following: normaly a country has an army, in prussia the army has a country). this in part led to japans extrem investment in its military and conquest of east asia and millions of people died because of extreme militarism. however military values such as timeliness, hard work and the strict following of rules are seem still very important in german and japanese culture. (the anime description of german culture is as acurate as german depiction of japanese culture though so i actually have to cringe at a lot of the german things in anime because its extremly exagerated)

[@randomdude2026]

Yeah, the Chinese civil code is also based on the German one. Greetings from a German law student ^^

[@Gidi66]

Wasn't it something like the military took heavy inspiration from Prussia while the law took heavy inspiration from France like most of the world's modern law does?

[@aniinnrchoque1861]

Ohhhh yeah a famous example being the bee protection laws and beekeeping stipulations afaik

[@eismond9910]

As a German I can say the pronounciation was actually very good.

[@tangystone7575]

ACTUALLY

[@yoreichenherz6847]

Warum Lügst du

[@eismond9910]

@@yoreichenherz6847 Warum ich fand die Aussprache jz nicht so schlecht

[@yoreichenherz6847]

@@eismond9910 eh, wie mans nimmt, nacht

[@eismond9910]

@@yoreichenherz6847 Es ist halt ne subjektive Wahrnehmung.

[@Kiannka]

I live near a city that holds an annual "Japanday" with thousands of thousands of people attending that focuses on japanese culture, food and of course anime. So I feel like the interest in cultures is mutual

[@melodi_bunniez]

Düsseldorf?

[@nolibtard6023]

Du meinst DUSSELdorf, dort leben schließlich nur Dussel

[@Dr.MSC.W.Krueger]

Japan-Tag in Düsseldorf? Wurde natürlich sofort von übergewichtigen Cosplayern gehijackt. 😂

[@Keiken0]

as a german before watching this video: - countries were friends for a long time, even during ww2 - there were a lot of Japanese people that stayed in Germany after ww2 and vice versa (at least for a few years until they could fly home) - german culture is pretty much what we see in western fantasy/mythology, something really popular in Japan for the last decade

[@Michael-bn1oi]

- They weren't really friends at all in WW2, especially considering how racist Imperial Japan and the Nazi party both were. They were even less friends in the years leading up to the war. - There really aren't a lot at all. Only 70,000 today and around 15,000 at the time. Compared to 1.5million in the US today and 120,000 pre-WW2 - English/French (the Arthurian myth) is absolutely the western fantasy standard

[@godricktheminecrafted3113]

ESPECIALLY during WW2

[@TheTriforcekeeper]

While your statements probably also played a role in this, this all actually started during WW1 where Japan took over Tsingtao and took german prisoners for 4 years. They apparently didn't have any reasons to mistreat them so after that, they kind of just let them go on their own. That's one of the earlier nstances where german culture was brought into japanese culture.

[@HastDuWasSuchen]

@@TheTriforcekeeper When the Japanese modernised prior to WWI, they brought in experts from whereever they could get them. I'd be surprised, if they didn't get people from Germany too. You're still right though, even though I'd add that the Japanese also took over German possessions in the Pacific namely Palau, Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and the Marianas (except Guam obviously).

[@Silverhawk100]

Also overlooked is how Japan modernized its military during the 1800s is they brought in German advisors. Practically their first exposure to Germany was their militarism. That association was strengthened during WWI and II, and continues today with anime's obsession with sharply dressed, but tonally sanitized Nazis. Only recently would I argue they have started to drift away from that association by dipping into Tolkien-style fantasy and mining its Germanic roots.

[@howardbaxter2514]

The Germans built a bridge. That is one of the most German thing I have ever heard. Even as prisoners they can’t help but showcase their engineering prowess.

[@chillmanchan3829]

THEYRE BUILDING A BRIDGE

[@tsrmmercy836]

HEINS WHY ARE WE CONSTRUCTING A 58 PANZERKAMPFWAGEN VIII MAUS

[@theodor.thegreat3911]

...painfully accurate

[@kaib6998]

A bridge that's still there. German quality work

[@imthecryptic]

@@tsrmmercy836 Oh god, Hans, I've done it again 😭

[@TheManFromWaco]

3:15 Japan originally hired French Army advisors to modernize its ground forces (see: Jules Brunet), but after the one-sided smackdown that was the Franco-Prussian War the French advisors were promptly sent home and German ones were hired. Say what you will about Japan, they were determined to learn from the best.

[@RenegadeSamurai]

japan was like..."eh, I mean you guys are nice and all but we would like to have a successful army. So if you won't mind, please leave and make space for the germans. Thank you" :D

[@AHappyCub]

If we go by overall victories I'm pretty sure France is at the top due to them being Europe'a premier land power for hundreds of years, just providing a POV

[@loraswolfrik]

@@AHappyCub Well yes, but actually no. The overall victories number mainly comes from the fact, that history outside of europe is underrepresented on Wikipedia and that many nations in europe weren't unified to that time (like Germany). And while France was the strongest military power for quity some time, Prussia defenetly had a better army since the Franco-Prussian war, which wasn't (only) won by luck.

[@dsan8742]

@@AHappyCub I mean there is a big plus for being one of Europe’s oldest united countries, France could win because she was one of the rare polities who could be the first to afford a good standing army without completely butchering their civilian economy, in recent history the French have been valiant but subpar militarily, being on the higher casualties side in WW1 despite outnumbering the Germans with the BEF and losing at WW2 and then Indochina.

[@gabrielbrunet7150]

well I'm sure that if they hired a good Brunet no germans would be needed /s

[@みなすけ-z6j]

ドイツは言葉とか色々な物のデザインセンスが固くかっこいいんだよね。

[@theforensics05]

Dieser Kommentarbereich ist nun Eigentum der Bundesrepublik Deutschland.

[@memesfact1552]

Muss immer wieder lachen wenn ich diesen kommi sehe lol

[@Bestnightcoreofalltime]

Ja Mann

[@dudhus7015]

Jawohl

[@____________838]

Wie es immer war.

[@NeonMrNoName]

Halt! Die DDR will auch ein Teil davon.

[@XpsyZ]

Japan has also had its influence on german culture! The city of Düsseldorf has one of the biggest japanese-speaking communities in Europe and celebrates Japan day every year. Bonn has a street plastered with cherry blossom trees and (used to) celebrate their bloom. There's also a Hiroshima-Nagasaki-Park in Cologne.

[@MrFox-xr9cc]

And cologne has a nice japanes culture museum worth visiting too. Along with Düsseldorf having the so called "EKO-Haus", including a buddhist temple and a traditional japanese gardenscape.

[@starlit-rain]

lol yeah, i'm from cologne and was at "Japantag" (japan day) recently. it's pretty cool to see the japanese culture around here, got to talk to a japanese woman at a booth too and she was impressed by my knowledge of their culture

[@lostgirl7476]

I’m from Bonn and we still celebrate the cherry blossom thing. It’s really annoying tbh. Hundreds of people clogging the streets and acting like they’ve never seen a tree before

[@Supermariocrosser]

Its the most culturally dominant japanese community ive ever so far seen in europe.

[@Buphido]

What I take from this comment is that Japan didn't have a large influence on german culture itself but rather on the culture of the county of NRW lol.

[@Cuberay1701]

I remember this one scene from Neon Genesis Evangelion where Asuka receives a phone call and speaks german with the other person. German is my native language so I was interested in Asukas pronunciation in the Japanese original. I had to watch the scene twice to understand what she said because her accent was so bad. 😂😂😂

[@ichbinmenschlich7936]

BAUMKUCHEN 🤣

[@rabinobabino9394]

Same with the Background Music from the new AoT season.

[@HyperGamer14]

Tbh all scenes that contain german in spoken or written form are exceptionally well done in NGE imo, especially for the 90s. You can basically understand everything as a native speaker, including the phone call which wasn't that bad imo.

[@CowboyGabebop]

Not in the ADV dub though, Tiffany Grant (Asuka's VA) actually speaks German.

[@tomemeornottomeme1864]

@@HyperGamer14 No, the original NGE Japanese VA had horrific pronunciation. It got better in the Rebuilds, but it's still not as good as the English dub pronunciations. I think English just sort of lends itself naturally to getting closer to real German than Japanese - not to say the ADV or modern dubs don't have their *moments...*

[@kitune55]

As a Japanese person, I respect that many people in the comment section have their own opinions and don't retreat into easy historical jokes.

[@Luflandebrigade31]

There are also similarities in the mindset. Just think about how "Made in Germany" became a sign of quality. Craftsmanship was viewed in a similar way. Trying to produce a high quality product. Besides that "discipline" was also highly valued in both cultures. Being obedient to your superior was very important in both cultures. Even something so trivial like the love for physical money in form of bank notes is shared. I could go on with a lot more examples but I think it was just the similarities that made this relationship click. Also: After WW2 who do you look up for as an example? Japanese had a good experience with what they learned from German scientist. The British went down after WW2 with losing a lot of colonies and their empire and the US bombed them in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Then as an underdog who needs to rebuild your own country and you see how Germany is doing well in rebuilding. There is a lot of reasons why this relationship continued.

[@Arcaryon]

When I as a German look for political ideas and interesting concepts, I always like to look at Japan because despite it being so far away, like you said, we share a lot of history and are culturally surprisingly similar in many aspects of our society.

[@zioqqr4262]

Exportware immer nur premium, Made in Germany ist nur ein gutes Siegel weil Deutschland viel produziert hat, und dementsprechend auch viel exportiert. Wenn du in Deutschland "Made in Germany" irgendwo siehst, ist es entweder ein Buch, Gemuese oder ein Werbegeschenk, weil andere Laender bessere Ware exportieren und die Amis unser Zeug fuer teuer Geld schluerfen obwohl sie selber genauso gutes Handwerk haben.

[@marocat4749]

I mean german scientists were populsr, so far they were given asyl for going to the us.after ww2. And yeah german quality really is something, and highly specialized a lot. I think there is also, if not that extreme a more collective responsibility of, well havin freaking good inferstructure, even if german trains can be weird. Through thank god better 4akes on immigration and mental heLth haha.

[@marocat4749]

@@zioqqr4262 Aber Deutschland ist auch bekannt für langlebiges sehr spezialisiert and und getestete Ware. Made in germany bedeuted auch, dass es wahrscheinlich langlebig ist und getestet wurde.

[@tofu666]

fun fact: "made in Germany" was actually introduced by Britain to mark inferior, foreign products coming from Germany that used to be cheep copies. Through time they optimised the manufacturing processes and it became a brand standing for quality, durability and reliability.

[@Bubim1]

Fun fact: Some of the most influential children's animation shows on German childrens TV are actually japanese productions or japanese-european/german co-productions. Not modern ones but productions from the 70s. They were based on european stories and books and animated in Japan. A fact not many people are aware of. Some still get reruns or they have heavily influenced later interpretations and remakes: Heidi (Heidi, Girl of the Alps), Wicki und die starken Männer (Vicky the Viking), Die Biene Maja (Maya the Bee), Wunderbare Reise des kleinen Nils Holgersson mit den Wildgänsen (The wonderful adventure of Nils), Mumins (Moomins)

[@Himolino]

Heidi is Swiss, Nils Holgersson is Swedish and The Mumins are Finish (according to wikipedia it's a dutch-finish-japanese production). I don't know if the first two were part german productions though.

[@derspockster7614]

It goes even further. The creator of One Piece, Eiichiro Oda, stated that “Wickie und die starken Männer” was the inspiration for his anime, a show that would become a world wide phenomenon. My mind was blown when I heard that

[@bremensims6086]

HEEEEIIIDIIII, HEEEEIIIDIIIIIIIII, DEINE WELT SIND DIE BERRRRGEEEEEEEEEEEE

[@amberg4131]

I loved strawberry shortcake as a kid; the cartoon. Thinking back I wonder if the animation was from Germany or another country

[@faervan4513]

Wicki und die starken Männer 💪

[@serioussamson]

You may also look up early works of "Zuiyo Eizo", now known as "Nippon Animation". They would collaborate with Germany and Austria in the 1970's and produce anime shows based on German, Swiss and other European stories like "Maya the Honey Bee", "Heidi, Girl of the Alps", "Vicky the Viking" and more

[@CaptainFalkorm]

and in turn Vicky the Viking inspired one small little Eiichiro Oda to create one of the best mangas ever, One Piece. Oh yeah, it all comes together.

[@edenjung9816]

@@CaptainFalkorm Really? Damn thats a cool fun fact.

[@basti2607]

I always thought that the show you talkt about where german until a few years ago xd

[@randomdude2026]

@@basti2607 They are German, but produced in Japan. Vicky the Viking (Wickie und die starken Männer) and Maya the Honey Bee (Biene Maja) were financed by the German public media. Vicky is based on a Swedish children's book and Maja on a German one. Heidi, although completely produced and financed by Japanese people, is based on a swiss-german story.

[@jol1498]

Swiss Person here, Heidi used to constantly rerun on swiss television when i was very young so i guess it’s the first anime i ever watched

[@XanderEwald]

I think many Japanese and Chinese have a fascination with the European Middle Ages and the „old west“, and Germany with its castles, cathedrals and medieval town centers is like a time travel to them. They live in hypermodern cities and have a romantic desire for the past.

[@ulrichbehnke9656]

I see some other connections that should be mentioned: 1. the german mystizism. German culture has a special way of appraising nature. Dark woods and mountains are very often topic in art and literature, beginning with the age of romantic around 1800. And german philosophers thinking about the „nature“ of mankind. I presumes that this fits to the japanese culture. I personally see it in the work of the ghibli-studio: a elevating of a (lost) nature. Can someone from Japan can fix this suggestion? 2. It‘s about Design. The drawers of Mangs does study art and design and that automatically leads to to german theories of Design and Architecture. Especially Bauhaus was enormous influental, and especially one Bauhaus-teacher: Kandinsky (russian-born). His theories of geometry are basis for the way modern advertising is working. German expressionism and the use for in film and theater hcould also had some impact. 3. The invention of a new typus of villain: the „Nazi“. In the real world the „thousand-years-Reich“ did last only a few years, but in Hollywood and in the american culture it will last forever. It’s simply so that a movie or a comic needs a perfect villain, someone who is so cruel that the hero can act brutal without having a bad conscience. So the „nazi“ became an icon of the modern pop-culture. 4. Germany and Japan has to reinvent their culture after WWII. Both countries shared the faith that the old traditions were shattered and the young people were fascinated by the „cool“ american culture. Both nation than found their new pride in the successful economy. That is a complete different narrativ than that of countries like USA, France and GB , still being proud of their history, their military and their imperial greatness. That makes Japan and Germany looking at each other.

[@realtimestatic]

This was a really interesting analysis! Thanks for that!

[@TheLtVoss]

Also the German and Japanese mentally isn't so fare apart compared with other nations both are more on the quiet side to not bother other people In public space soo outbursting mentallys ls like in the US leads often to cultural misunderstandings about Things that are normal for the people in the US but in Germany or Japan it is seen as rude behaviour

[@wolfsoldner9029]

Reinventing our culture after WW2 was a bad thing and we now know for sure that it leads into our downfall.

[@fritzfromsouth5935]

German mysticism was always a thing, mainly at the end of the 19th century with the expansion of mysticism and the creation of a heroic image of the Germanic people, it also happens in America.

[@Arcaryon]

That last point is why as a German, I always say that no one truly understands the impact of our modern history EXCEPT the Japanese.

[@artembannick8017]

Kinda late but this just showed up in my Feed. As a German I think also because our Fairy Tails and Medieval Landscapes with Castles and such are vastly different from Japanese culture that it fascinates them like the obsession with characters that wear full Metal Plate Armour. Because it's just so different from their own History. Most fantasy Shows have Medieval European architecture instead if Japanese because I think Fantasy for them is European

[@jasperlim8319]

Fantasy is largely European for the West too, considering stuff like LOTR was made by a European guy, plus the heavy prevalence of DnD and such tabletop hobbyism in nerd circles globally.

[@idkagoodname7278]

Nah our architecture is just better. Theirs just look prettier

[@xaga8794]

@@jasperlim8319 Tolkien was African...

[@5naf6]

@@jasperlim8319 Tolkien actually based his "fantasy" elements on old European tropes, such as dwarves living in mines and stuff. Much of Tolkien's content predates him by over half a millennium. Tolkien being white has nothing to do with fantasy being interpreted as European, it's the tropes he picked that were always European to begin with.

[@Gxku99]

*Fairy Tales Fairy Tail is an anime bro :D

[@tioalra6746]

A Trend right now in japanese fantasy Anime and Manga, is to use German as magic language, which is quite funny to read sometimes, and other time just being streight up descriptions as names. It is similar to the Harry Potter Trend of Using Latin.

[@ADeeSHUPA]

ReALLY

[@nunyabiznes33]

LOL that's funny. The Latin trend has been around since like forever, nice to know the Japanese decided to go for something different.

[@MrFox-xr9cc]

I learned Latin and always thought it was weird in harry potter, because to me Latin was the language of Philosophy and Politics, as well as early fantasy novels, but not necessarily for magic incantations. To me it just feels too wide spread (after all, languages like spanish, french, italian,... are derived from latin), despite it being an antique and "dead" language... Something Norse or old Gaelic would have been so much cooler. Or actually really old german or something from eastern europe, because of the whole witch/wizard/sorcerer existing in those mythologies more closely related to harry potter than in roman/greek thing.

[@florianm9693]

@@MrFox-xr9cc almost no one outside europe can understand latin so it seems like a mysterious and ancient language

[@skeletonwar4445]

Props to Bleach for not picking German or Latin. They just said "lmao yeah spanish." And then they went with German anyway later for the Sternritter... whoops.

[@こうき-l6g]

あんまり意識した事無かったけど確かにフランスとかイギリスと比べても圧倒的にドイツの方が好きなの不思議過ぎる。

[@ねこねこ-z7s]

同じ敗戦国だから親近感あるんじゃね

[@kitune55]

@@ねこねこ-z7sイタリアに親近感湧くか？

[@paulamusik2509]

As a german: I am always happy about stories that appreciate german culture and the german language because so many (especially american media) make fun of us or think that our language is scary and agressive or only reduces us to the Nazis. I don't have a lot national pride (didn't end well for us lol) but there are good things we have, not just cars, and I do love our language there are fabulous things we can do with it there are reasons we had so many amazing writers.

[@nein236]

Ich finde wir sollten Nationalstolz haben. Hitler's Regime hat wenig mit Deutscher Geschichte zu tun, von Symbolen zur Herrschaftsform und so weiter. Wir sind auch wesentlich mehr als diese 13 Jahre, unsere Vorfahren kämpften erfolgreich gegen die Römer, und deshalb sprechen wir keine romanisierte Sprache. Ich persönlich habe Nationalstolz, und er hat nichts mit der NS-Zeit zu tun, leider aber auch genauso wenig mit der Bundesrepublik.

[@TimSlee1]

Many of Disney's movies were based on German stories albeit a bit more toned down.

[@MultiTwentyseven]

Gibt einen unterschied zwischen Nationalstolz und nazionalsozialistischer Gesinnung..

[@subartic]

​​@@MultiTwentyseven"Is there a difference between feeling good with who you are and being egocentric? " Yes, there is a difference between national pride and extreme patriotism, it's just that it's a kinda grey area so it's hard to understand exactly where one thing starts and other ends lol

[@niunia19991]

It's a good thing to be proud of your country, you know? I'm from Poland and we here have an issue with that mindset, we have many damn complexes, while we shouldn't. And I say it from polish side here - Germans should also have a pride in what the country represents nowadays, how it respects the human rights, how economically well it stands, how culturally diverse and interesting it is. Nothing to feel bad. The history is what it is, but the present is drastically different. Poland has a history of being constantly put down and humiliated and paradoxically we were more prideful back then in those times of abuse than now, when we're finally supposedly independent and relatively prosperous again. But Germany really changed it's course, thrived and became an oasis for those who are abused. Healthy patriotism is needed to be a contributing citizen. Because it's like being proud of your child, it doesn't mean you won't see when it acts up and does something wrong, it means that when it's achieving even something small, when it behaves notably and admirably, you feel proud. The border between nationalism and patriotism isn't that blurred. It's about being able to criticize your country and seeing what it can do better, while simultaneously respecting other countries with what they do better or worse. Your pride doesn't mean you disrespect others. Americans make fun of everyone, btw. You shouldn't really take it into account, because they think they're the greatest and always on the right side, so really, this isn't healthy.

[@BEN-eu6xq]

As a German speaking Austrian I can only say that I LOVE it when German culture is used in anime (especially German uniforms) because they manage to make something look German and at the same time it does NOT come off as negative!:D

[@kiana3901-o5s]

Seit wann solidarisiert ihr (Ö) euch mit uns? oO Also, nicht, dass es mich stört, im Gegenteil, wundert nur.

[@BEN-eu6xq]

@@kiana3901-o5s nun, alleine schon deshalb weil es deutsch nicht nur in deutschland gibt, es ist etwas was alle deustchsprachigen länder gemeinsam haben, und du wärst überrascht, wie oft ich in anmes uniformen sehe die an deutsch/österreichische angelehnt sind!:P

[@kiana3901-o5s]

@@BEN-eu6xq Ne, davon bin ich nicht überrascht, weil stell dir vor, du bist nicht der einzige im deutschsprachigen Raum, der Animes schaut. Leider hast du meine Frage "seit wann" nicht beantwortet, aber na gut, ich glaube die Antwort kann ich mir selbst geben nach deinem Kommentar. Hab mich wohl getäuscht, es ist alles beim Alten. 😂

[@perlasandoval7883]

i know google translate is quite inaccurate but it seems the reply section became a warzone

[@kiana3901-o5s]

@@perlasandoval7883 Don't worry, it's just quips and playful banter (I hope...we don't want another art school reject send over!!! HEAR THAT, Austria?! Not ever again, don't you dare!!!). Also, great pun there lol

[@T4EKs]

Wow, that Video was very informational. Great work! As a German, I really enjoyed listening to your pronunciation of German words xD It was way better than the pronunciations we normally hear. And thank you for naming it football/Fußball instead of soccer, that made me happy ;D

[@AeonofHorus]

Thanks a lot!

[@Saltkoenigin]

Bro du hasst die Hintergrundmusik vergesen hahaha

[@ryandavi8234]

Seu nazista

[@Flattithefish]

@@AeonofHorus you are not American they say soccer

[@thelazyone1881]

@@Flattithefish I find it funny that you say that considering that every former British colony calls football soccer and their own version of football well football .

[@god-sv4sw]

Germans are not swayed by emotions and act calmly and rationally in everything they do. They are good at making things.

[@MDonuT-of7px]

I wish it were so, but we kind of lost the claim of rational action when the AfD started winning elections.

[@peterc4082]

That's an urban myth. I'd say Germans are rigid in their thinking and that's it. You only do things one way. You load people onto that train one way and then you select them only one way. No exceptions.

[@TheHouseAlwaysWins20]

Germany 80 years ago:

[@francis7336]

I agree with the last sentence, but you should see the sh*t that goes down in German newspage comment sections 🥴

[@Dr.MSC.W.Krueger]

We were, but these times are long gone.

[@IKEMENOsakaman]

The Doitsu (German) cultures, such as punctuality, are very well respected in Japan.

[@idkagoodname7278]

Hopefully... But wait If I get to know someone in Japan and he doesent respect me for what reason soever how should he know that Im German if the Doitsu are so well respected? Should I show my ID or something?

[@kikikillian1208]

I can't but laugh at how "deutsche" (the feminine adjective for "something German") kinda turned into a "Doitsu", although I do see how pronunciation-wise that worked out. And yes, Germany and Japan have many common points, for example the fact they are the only two nations with their population shrinking each year (ok bad example) and their big sense of responsibility for their entire society (there we go). But as someone who grew up with a bunch of French culture as well (and other European cultures for that matter), I especially appreciate non-German references. Although to be fair there isn't much outside of French and British except maybe the occasional Norwegian viking stereotype.

[@kikikillian1208]

@@idkagoodname7278 I don't think that that's how it works. Germans are respected for what they do and how they behave, not their nationality. We just tend to behave a lot like Japanese society.

[@idkagoodname7278]

@@kikikillian1208 I dont get it. Sometimes we act like the biggest fools though were the best engineers

[@TheRealAquaz]

@@idkagoodname7278 Genie und Wahnsinn liegt nah beieinander 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@reptilejesus829]

As a German myself it feels like Japanese Media is just really good at grabbing on to stereotypes and aesthetics from different cultures and using them to fit with character archetypes The arrogant, overconfident, ocd discipline German stereotype just makes for a good generic character archetype in aninme

[@pierocolombo2643]

This a good answer for real, they can and have done so with german, italian, american culture in general and they pulled it off nicely

[@ADeeSHUPA]

@@pierocolombo2643 ないす

[@marocat4749]

Through to be fair anime does stereotype a lot in general, look at brits for example.

[@damoin77]

@@marocat4749 or kAHMEHAMEHA de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamehameha_I.

[@marocat4749]

@@damoin77 That was titerallyhis wife saying it would make a memorable name 😅. And he makes punsall the time. The indian man of the tournament is probablymore offensive.

[@Rinfiner]

During the Meiji expansion, another aspect of Germany that was adopted by the Japanese was medicine. Some Japanese Medicin words originate from the german terms, even nowadays. Like Plaster cast (in German: Gips, in Japanese: Gipusu) or allergies (German: Allergien, Japanese: arerugie). Just wanted to add that random piece of information that's been floating in my head haha

[@G31M1]

Hahaha as a German it's so funny to see how the pronounce our words. So cool that our culture has such an impact :)

[@Rinfiner]

@@G31M1 finde ich auch :D

[@thijs166]

I mean the dutch introduced those terms not the germans, the dutch brought western medicine to Japan because they were the only ones who were allowed to till 1853. That said they worked closely with the germans on this, and germans often joined these trading ventures.

[@Rinfiner]

@@thijs166 Hi, I am not sure that's entirely right. I know that the Dutch had compared to other countries good trading relations with Japan. They were the only one who were allowed to trade with Japan for some time before the meiji expansion because they were the only ones who didn't try to force Christianity on them and just wanted to trade. But during the meiji expansion japan send people across the globe to countrys which were experts in specific area, e.g. germans for military and medicine. It might be that they also went to the Netherlands, it's close by after all, but I can't say that for sure.

[@helloneighbour2408]

LOL you're so wrong. why is it german and not english or french that have the very same pronunciation of allergies who introduced it?

[@spiele_maus]

German here! I’ve recently read a manga about a Japanese photographer moving to Germany, and it was one of the best things I’ve read this year. Seeing the Berlin Skyline drawn in a manga truly gives it a different vibe. Also I love how in Anime everytime they use „German“ names, it’s some very old names no one gives their children anymore nowadays. Unfortunately I don’t really agree with your video. Yea, those things might have played a role but I think what really played a role is the general interest for Europe that started occurring during the 70s-90s in Japan. Similar as to European began developing a strong interested for American Culture aren’t the 80s. This wasn’t really because of any historical things, it rather happend due to the beginning of the globalisation, People started thinking more globally rather than only of their own country. Furthermore most of German Kids TV shows from the 70s-80s were produced by Japanese animation studios (shows every German knows like: Wiki, Heidi, Biene Maya etc.) Heidi was kinda the origin of Studio Ghibli. That has also played a massive role into it. A lot of Isekai nowadays are also set in a German/Europe-like world because the „traditional“ Europe is a very common setting for RPGs because well it’s just interesting? Similar as German RPGs are set in traditional Jspan or China

[@nolibtard6023]

Er soll zurück nach Japan gehen! Wir brauchen nur Zuzug aus dem nahen Osten und Afrika!

[@RayvenGuard]

The backstory in the beginning is probably the most important reason. During the modernization of Japan, sometimes even called the German modernization, many German scholars taught at the University of Tokyo and Japanese scholars also studied in Germany. My guess is that Germany kind of became the go-to country when it came to modernizing any part of Japanese society. I think there are mostly 2 reasons why Germany became their role model for a modern society. The first one would be that having an efficient, well-working society is extremely important to the Japanese, and Germany was known for efficiency and also quite far ahead in science at the time. These stereotypes still exist to this day. And in the west, German or rather Prussian culture was generally closest to Japanese culture, being highly militarized and based on discipline, respect and order. Therefore, it was probably also easiest to adopt parts of it in Japan. It would also explain why Anime is mostly obsessed with Prussian culture rather than modern German culture. This is just a very wild guess, but it may also have something to do with the Dutch, since with their colonies in Asia, they were one of the most important nations to trade with Japan, after it opened up to the west. They are also the reason why Japan is one of very few countries in the world to use the German name for Germany. They adopted the word ドイツ (Doitsu) from them.

[@Crosshill]

when u consider how fukkn quickly japan went from being ur average east asian backwaters to a world class military power, then it makes more sense that they literally looked at the west and copy pasted everything. it took em like 50 years or summn. they were literally copying homework

[@RayvenGuard]

@@Crosshill Well yes, that's what the modernization was all about. They adopted western standards to catch up with them. But they didn't just copy things, they copied them and perfected them. Therefore, you can find certain working standards from Germany also in Japan today. However, they are working even better in Japan than in Germany. It's not even been that long since Japan started to become an innovative country with own new ideas. Just like they modernized their country, they are doing it at an impressive speed, though.

[@apainintheaas]

Actually the Dutch influence was big before Japan opened up, since the Dutch had exclusive trade access through Dejima.

[@AeonofHorus]

Hope you guys don't mind this one off non Toaru video! Will be back to normal content now. But if this video does well I would love to do weird and interesting videos like this one! Lemme know what you think :)

[@lorddio2737]

Fun fact Japan Copied Our german BGB (bürgerliches Gesetzbuch) which is the most important book for civil law.

[@Soap.--]

so our army from 20th century is our culture now.... kinda sad u know that wors thing we have ever done is all we are recognized for

[@AeonofHorus]

@@Soap.-- Read the reply I sent to nicogoku in the comments. Idk why you guys are taking away that from the video when Nazism was hardly mentioned.

[@Soap.--]

@@AeonofHorus not mentioned by you. But by anime and World overall whenever someone hears word german first think that comes to his Mind are nazis and ww2 and in most of anime we all see what is it reffering to

[@dakotalange2858]

Hey the video isn’t working is there an issue with it or something?

[@Aries19974]

"Because German culture is the best in the world!" - Rudol Von Stroheim

[@thedemongirl663]

Except that 2% World War 2 and World War 3 if you're going to ask me why in World War 3 I feel like Germany and Russia our secret allies

[@Whacky_WooHoo_Pizza_Enthusiast]

SEKAI ICHI!!!!!!

[@itsTomedon]

with the power to withstand a god of fitness

[@PeyloBeauty]

while everyone in germany thinks germans have no culture lmao

[@alman8908]

@@PeyloBeauty as a german i dont think that

[@stellaomera8489]

ich als deutsche könnte mir halt vorstellen, das wir nach wie vor mit Japan noch ne starke Freundschaft haben ..... deswegen mögen sie unsere kultur und wir mögen ihre kultur ^^ und das zeigt sich bei ihnen vorallem in animes ...... was ich sehr cool finde ^^

[@Yasmin-jt1ux]

I'm Tunisian and I've Litterly chose German to learn at high school because of aot's German OSTs.... Cool af.. And the youth in here who are sick of the French culture influence (because of colonization) are more interested in German culture.... My uncle who learned German by himself and was once married to a German woman always praises their society til today

[@roni4138]

I can give you some “Nachhilfe” if you want 😉

[@infuriatedjurijcorn1346]

I´ve been to tunisia and they were extremly welcoming to me and my german friends. I have never seen anything like that anywhere else!

[@Chatxolotl]

You know that germans were also huge colonizers right ?

[@charmate661]

@@Chatxolotl Everyone knows that.

[@Watersiteplay]

@@Chatxolotl so were the Brittish, the French, the Americans, the Spanish, the Dutch, the Belgians and Portugese (I think?) among other things, it's not really hidden knowledge lol Also you do realize that most people who have actually partaken in these attrocities are probably all dead and maybe we shouldn't blame the nowaday German peeps on their misdeeds Edit: Just so you know I completly misinterpreted the other person's intentions, I'm actually with em on this

[@kortanioslastofhisname]

It's always fascinating that many in the Anglophone world regard the omnipresence of Anglophone (especially US) cultural references in other societies' media as a natural state of being, while any other cultural references are strange and something unusual to be pointed out and analysed... Anyways, great video!

[@suumcuique4530]

kind of funny yes. you could say: before wwII, german culture was for japan like what anglo-american culture is for the country today. lets say chinese culture takes over as main cultural influence in japan at some point in the next decades. then chinese people start wondering “why is there so much anglo-american culture in japanese animation?”

[@tonijelecevic9238]

No, bc a Jojo part is set in Italy, there are plenty Spanish words in bleach etc

[@underarmbowlingincidentof1981]

well yeah but it's ww2 german culture which is weird. if it was just germany then I'd be fine with it. But nope!! It is especially the 1933-1945 part of Germany history they take and use and thats just really weird? Especially for a nation which love to pretend that time in their history did nto happen / was not as bad as the chinese say.

[@Hideyoshi1991]

@@suumcuique4530 Japan's main influence is already chinese. Most words have chinese roots, the alphabet is chinese, and the architecture, societal structure, and religion are all heavily influenced by China.

[@cosmoframe3466]

I'm German, and when I was in Japan I had the feeling that some of the "love" for Germany is actually a bit of a stab against the Anglosaxon influence. I literally met people who were kind of reserved when they saw me, and after learning that I was not American were the opposite. Maybe it's because they feel like American culture is pushed on them. Or - more likely - it was just the small sample size.

[@HelloOnepiece]

I think other reason is the Holy Roman Empire= Europe during its existence. Or at least for the Japanese, and I dont fault them, it was a pretty big and long-lived empire, defining Europe history. Whenever they need a feudalistic empire in anime, especially in Sci-fi, its always modeled after the Holy Roman Empire

[@martinan22]

The European civilization began with the age of migration and was created by the German tribes taking over the Roman civilization and getting access to the accumulated knowledge of the Mediterranean.

[@DerEiserneBuerger]

Yes, but sci-fi empires from authors around the world are pretty much all inspired by the HRE, look at Star Wars, or Dune for example.

[@Ryan.2]

@@DerEiserneBuerger Don't quote me on this but I thought the Empire in Star Wars was modeled after the U.S. during the Vietnam War.

[@toledochristianmatthew9919]

@@DerEiserneBuerger to he honest, who wouldn't want to be based off the hre. It lasted for about a thousand years and was only obliterated to prevent Napoleon from claiming it. A fitting end. That it met its end because of a much powerful foe against an empire that has been on the brink of collapse anyway. So it was inevitable.

[@ozymandiasking8406]

Also axis allies during ww2

[@LuZo3110]

It is not only and Anime and so on. I have studied law and we had a japanese professor visiting us and giving a lecture. He told us about japanese law (espacially on criminal law) and there were so many parallels between those two branches we didn't even know about. It is really fascinating, how many connections are between such different (or not so different) countries

[@randomdude2026]

As a German sometimes that can be very funny. Spoiler for SAO: There is a character in SAO who kills people inside an online game tournament, but the protagionists only knew the nicknames of the participants and not who of them the murderer was. Well, for me, a German, it was quite obvious who the murderer was as there was one guy that was named "Sterben", which means "to die" in German. Yeah finding out who the murderer was was half the season xD. And they only got it right because they went to a hospital and one nurse told them the meaning of "sterben" as, apparently, Japan uses German vocabulary in their medicine and some other sciences.

[@kilianfirebolt]

Better translation of sterben is dying

[@randomdude2026]

@@kilianfirebolt No, because "sterben" is the infinitive. Dying is not the infinitive, but the present progressive form. That would be "sterbend". If you say "he is dying" it would be either "er ist sterbend" or "er stirbt (gerade)" in German.

[@kilianfirebolt]

@@randomdude2026 sorry ich hatte nur 5en in deutsch, dying klingt ähnlicher idk

[@ninototo1]

@@randomdude2026 korrekt

[@zioqqr4262]

@@kilianfirebolt In fast allen praktischen Anwendungen wuerdest du auch dying benutzen lol aber Grammatikaluebersetzungen sind eif cringe so

[@headhunter1945]

There was and still is also a lot of similarity in Japanese and German culture. They both tend to be hierarchical, reserved, respect order and discipline, are concerned with precision and doing things "correctly," punctual, extraordinarily well-mannered, and a bit hard to get to know on an intimate level. I suspect that to some degree this helped Japanese who interacted with Germans feel a kinship with German culture just a little more so than other European cultures.

[@Mohamedali-ot8yn]

Ah yes, don’t forget both were part of the axis powers in ww2 😊

[@Pike737]

​@@Mohamedali-ot8ynBoth Germans and Japanese did real cool stuff during WW2 😂, and other countries in the allies were jealous of it lmao

[@Mohamedali-ot8yn]

@@Pike737 yeah they ran fun camps and drove airplanes super fast and safe, wish I woulda been there fs

[@ahabgaddis7277]

the one thing they're super oppisite on is one is super blunt and the other is super not yet everything else they seem like the Japan of Europe / Germany of Asia

[@nullakjg767]

Bruh this is nonsense lol. They are just the europeans they had the most contact with in recent times. Stop looking for layers that dont exist. They barley know the difference between europeans at all.

[@SebastianSkadisson]

Your missing link to connect modern Anime of today with "Germanism" is the Japanese/Anime version of the Steampunk genre or style. As you will see, the moment you dive into Steampunk themed pop culture in Japan you will suddenly be surrounded by german sounding names, locations, characters and german looking machines, buildings and environments. Steampunk in the West is simply a cosmetic flair, in Japan it's an entire sub-genre for all sorts of media. And in my opinion the modern Steampunk primarily is stemming from german engineering and technology being used to this day in Japan, from literally german Steam Engines back in the day, over clockworks made in Germany all up to the "Maglev" technology developed by the massive german transport company "Die Deutsche Bahn" and used in modern Bullet-Trains in Japan and China today. Another very important, but rarely discussed, link between Germany and Japan through Anime is the Japanese Anime series "Heidi" from 1972. That series became super popular in germany for many decades and introduced a lot of now relatively old Germans to Anime for the very first time. That happened way before Weeaboos were a thing, most of us didn't even know that this interesting style of animation was called Anime, for us it was just another kind of "Zeichentrickserie" (word for word translation: "Series of drawn tickery"; or translated in context: "Animated Series"). Look it up: Heidi (アルプスの少女ハイジ, Arupusu no Shōjo Haiji, „Alpenmädchen Heidi“)

[@vice.nor.virtue]

I have no problem with your second point but as a British person I must insist that the basis of steampunk is in embedded in the aesthetics of the British Industrial Revolution. Among multiple kinds of mechanised automation we also had a fashion/style aesthetic (top-hats or ornate dresses) that were of British origin. I could concede that many of our taste at the time were essentially de riguer among most industrialised societies of the Western World, however, really the UK was very much a pioneering figure in the romantic content of the age, from literature to art, which all contributes to the fictional retroactive engineering of the steampunk landscape. I'm not discounting some German influence, but I am sceptical of it taking a majorative share.

[@FN-ek2wz]

@@vice.nor.virtue Japanese seem to think differently though.

[@dazerrazer3018]

@@vice.nor.virtue Japanese seem to think differently though.

[@G-Mastah-Fash]

They took our train technology and made them actually run on time. Unlike us.

[@squirlmy]

Firstly, I'm curious that you, like the narrator, identify as "British". While Scots had many inventions in the steampower period, why aren't you calling it "English culture"? I certainly don't think of Ireland or Wales with steam tech history, nor steampunk fantasy, just England, and maybe via colonies of Great Britain

[@smonge98]

It’s a nice idea, but probably only a minor reason. German public broadcasting stations commissioned a lot of animated children’s series to Japanese studios in the 70s and 80s. For example: Isao Takahata’s and Hayao Miyazaki’s (founders of studio ghibli) first big production was the anime „Heidi“ for German tv. They were brought to Germany to be able to correctly recreate the scenery in their animes. Since many of these animators who were working on these projects for German tv, became influential figures in Japanese animation, their experience in creating German landscapes, themes and stories spread in the industry.

[@peterc4082]

Because they were cheap. To produce these at home or in say France would have been more expensive. Remember Japanese undercut Western manufacturers of everything back then, your SONY was cheaper than your Blaupunkt or Philips.

[@itsciver]

A little bit late to the video, but here‘s a fun fact. Germans introduced school uniforms to Japan. A friend of mine (in Germany) even had to wear a sailor uniform in elementary school. It‘s not common anymore nowadays, his school was still very conservative, but it‘s funny that those school uniforms are mostly known because of animes

[@AbuHajarAlBugatti]

Most of our culture and traditions and even our language has and is being destroyed by american occupation since 1945 and the antigerman puppets they put into our government who think its more important to replace us with arabs

[@itsciver]

@@AbuHajarAlBugatti pls stop sharing right-wing-propaganda and conspiracy theories

[@DonDadda45]

Funny since school uniforms are illegal in Germany lmao. (for public schools, at least)

[@G31M1]

I thought school uniforms were a british thing, but I'm a not very well informed German in this matter.

[@nexor7809]

poland has school uniforms. School uniforms originate from prussia.

[@みつをだもの]

I live in Hiroshima and know how my hometown interacted with Germany. The German confectionery Baumkuchen was first made in Japan in 1919 at the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Center. Baumkuchen is currently eaten by Japan the most in the world. By the way, the building is now called the Atomic Bomb Dome.

[@Gnipahell1r]

Oh, that's awesome! Thank you for the insight. I hope to visit Hiroshima with my family soon, maybe next year when the restrictions are hopefully gone. Showing them Baumkuchen in Japan will be quite a surprise for them :)

[@XLightChanX]

as a german who has made Baumkuchen at her job i can attest that Baumkuchen is dying out here haha, it's just too expensive for people to buy i suppose and hardly gets produced anymore, i'm happy that japan seems to still appreciate real craftmanship though, hopefully coming back here too one day (because it really is one of the best Kuchen to exist)

[@green_hedger_68]

Bombed land?

[@AnimaNera1919]

Non è carino

[@peertube6067]

Atomic bomb land 💀

[@j.e.h.648]

Germany also was part of early development of anime. They made many german children tv series in japan as early as in the 70s. Those series are in the portfolio of many greats of the early anime scene like Hayao Miyazaki (known from spirited away and howls moving carstle) who started with the german swiss tv show heidi.

[@grandcanyon-fu9zt]

Japan and Manga stared in 1907

[@DatAsianGuy]

Sure, animation started around there, but the modern look and feel to anime didn't start until far later.@@grandcanyon-fu9zt

[@peterc4082]

It's because Japan was cheap back then.

[@kevinkrancic2690]

The Japanese are a bit obsessed when it comes to Germany, I'm German myself

[@oooshafiqooo]

How about you germans? Do you felt the same?

[@keiichitw]

@@oooshafiqooo It depends. I’ve noticed that more and more people are embracing and appreciating anime culture; it’s becoming widely popular among both young people and adults. Back when I was around 12 to 14 years old, it wasn’t as common to find people who genuinely liked anime, aside from the standard ones shown on TV, like Dragon Ball, Naruto, and One Piece. I also think Japan is well-known for its technology companies and gaming industry. However, beyond the whole "weeaboo" stuff and their big corporations, I’m not sure if the average person in Germany is that fascinated by Japan as a whole.

[@oooshafiqooo]

@@keiichitw interesting

[@user-gx9xf2zb6o]

Many manga artists are military otaku. They are known for their love of the old German army. Although they do not share the same ideology, they seem to like tanks and other weapons. If you go to Japanese comic markets, you will find many military-related comics and goods, but the most popular ones are related to Germany.

[@thewildcard600]

i guess this channel is not big enough yet to have its commentary section invaded by us xD

[@AeonofHorus]

One day I hope 😂

[@Kestix1234]

We need to expand this channel to gain more 'Lebensraum'.

[@TheoEvian]

I was surprised that this video did not contain people like Mori Ogai who did a lot of work to bring German literature to Japan. What Soseki did for English (many japanese renditions of English words that a native speaker of many English dialects might find strange such as howaito for white come directly from work of Fukuzawa Yukichi and Soseki) Ogai did for German. He and many of his peers spent a lot of time in Germany - Ogai himself famously had a lover there that he abandoned which became a topic of some of his works... God, I need to read more meiji literature.

[@ashaihimoto]

As a guy from Belgium who's frist launguage was german and I'm also an anime fan so this is the perfect combo for me

[@Rob17kLiebermann]

I was wondering exactly the same thing and I honestly did not expect to find a video that tried to explain why there is so much about German culture in anime. Thanks for the input ^^

[@plzleavemealone9660]

I'm both German and Japanese and it's pretty simple. It's a "friendship" that started during WW and has continued to this day. There are many partnership programs between Germany and Japan that were started during the war times and are still respected and continued to this day. And Japan especially embraced German culture during that time. Germans were seen as their equals at the time. This mindset is still present in many elderly people in Japan and while the younger generation doesn't carry those terrible believes anymore, the culture just stuck. It just became part of everyday life.

[@Eragon2679]

The bond between germany and japan goes back way longer than ww2 though! Look up the Meji-restauration, japan had german advisors when it rebuild it's military, they were inspired by the german school system and their first constitution was modeled after the german common law (which was introduced by the french during the napoleonic wars, fun fact). In ww1 they sided with the british due to treaties they had with them and took german soldiers as POW's, which is mentioned in this video. The alliance during the second world war was the product of this friendship (and of a shared animosity towards international communism of both governments), not the start of it!

[@ちるはる-u5x]

As a Japanese person, if I were to say something... Firstly, when creating stories or animations with some kind of 'battle' or 'war' imagery, the phrase 'empire' is often portrayed as a symbol of warfare. Let's say, for example, that a story is created about a battle between a country with enormous power and a weak country. Then that 'enormously powerful country' would tend to have a high 'military power'. And high military power also means "high military expenditure". In that case, as a work of art, it is easier to create a story by portraying the country with that enormous power as an 'empire', and a certain percentage of the story will capture the hearts of empire and military fans like me. Then, when it comes to 'high military spending', 'empires' and 'countries with enormous power', there have been several countries in our global history that came close to that. Yes, there have been. The former German Empire, the Soviet Union, Italy and other 'near-imperialist countries'. It is therefore inevitable to refer to these countries. Secondly, this is not a difficult question, simply because "many people like imperial states" and "it seems kind of cool". How should I put it, there are few Japanese who think that 'empires are inappropriate' for anime. This is because they think that "anime is just a creation, and if it is a creation, it has nothing to do with reality", also because there are relatively many Japanese who think so. "It's just a story." I'm sorry, it's a long story. I mean, I love anime.

[@MALICEM12]

It also seems that in order to avoid "self incrimination" with the whole militarism/imperialism it is easier to use the former German ally (or rather axis) than to bring up the Japanese Empire. It is tangential, but different enough and more subtle. The Japanese Empire is controversial, so using a related regime that is foreign goes smoother and doesn't create as strong of backlash.

[@styxrider1962]

as a german, i think that there is also a relation to the pronounciation of our languages. i cant speak for japanese speakers, but for germans (at least for me), the japanese language is by far the easiest asian language to pronounce.

[@charlesmcgill2974]

just glad you guys stopped preforming autopsies on live prisoners

[@Silvy2621]

@@MALICEM12 dude ... Of course not... Anime is a creation, a fantasy ... They like the pronunciation of the language that's all

[@MALICEM12]

@@Silvy2621 "it's a fantasy" yeah and if that fantasy uses 1940s Germans but never mentions the Japanese Empire, over and over again. That's what we call "convenient". Catch the meaning? Fantasy isn't always just fantasy, all media can be a tool, you not accepting that doesn't change that.

[@squirrelknight9768]

I was born in west germany in 1981. I think I can share at least one particular insight on this complicated topic. I travel a lot due to work. Quite a lot to asian countries as well. What I noticed is that the rest of asia sees japan quite the same way as the rest of europe sees germany. As you mentioned, there was not much of a cultural exchange back then, but what is percieved as core values for both cultures are (or where back then at least) quite similar. Nothing to do with "double ya double ya 11" It's just a consequence of two cultures developing kinda in a bubble and then getting unleashed to the wider world. At least in my mind.

[@mikethehero2]

As a German I always chuckle when I hear the "German" names like "Wilhelmina Braunschweig Ingenohl Friedeburg". Nobody would name their child like that (even in the past).

[@Helena-me6mp]

I think thats a warcrime

[@badbloodc8058]

Love how the entire time the guy is like "this has nothing to do with WW2!!! I will not talk about it!!!!!!!!!!!!!" and then the characters he presents as examples for Japan being obsessed with germany are like. mostly very ignorant depictions of nazis.

[@banana7475]

yeah the main answer is probably ww2 but admitting it wouldnt be very good for the algorithm i suppose

[@TalkingCheeseBurgerr]

Lol that's what I'm saying....how can there not be somewhat of a connection? Its not a secret that other cultures are fascinated by Nazi's and maybe that's taboo to say still but regardless of peoples emotions towards that time it doesn't change the fact that people are just weird about that part of German culture when there's other aspects to German culture.

[@valeriadiaz5585]

@@TalkingCheeseBurgerr lol FR,didn’t Japan had like a whole nazi fashion subculture going on

[@hertzwave8001]

@@valeriadiaz5585 has

[@saintnicole3209]

yeah seems like he's aware that there's a venn diagram with auth right weirdos and anime fans out there somewhere and doesn't want to piss those people off.

[@SenkoVT]

germany also had alot of influence on Hospitals ... not just because germany has a great health care system or fantastic doctors but because we defined and re-structured their entire system. so much so that even to this day most of the medical terms are german words, used and teached if u study medicine in japan. obviously those german doctors lived over there in japan and had alot of contact to japanese people, i mean ... alot of that medicine was from germans so it certainly had some influence on you right? especially back then when we brought medicine that helped ur family to survive

[@dipeptidase2774]

Lol are you a troll or just making things up? It‘s really difficult for foreign doctors to work in japan and as far as i know, only singapore the uk and us got treaties for foreign doctors in japan. So i doubt that 60% of japanese doctors are german. And about that great health care system with fantastic doctors. The german health care system in comparison to japan, the german healthcare system is seen as expensive and inefficient. And when did germany bring medicine to japan? Before the world wars, only the colonial powers had contact with japan and traded with them and after the war, japan was heavily influenced by the usa and maybe a bit by the uk, but germany? Idk about that

[@SenkoVT]

@@dipeptidase2774 the 60% were merely meant as a comparison as to why japanese people like germans, especially when it comes to medicine. im not saying that 60% of all countries doctors are german lmao i re-phrased that sentence for easier comprehension but the meaning and intention stays the same if u read about the history back in the war times ull figure out why germans were in japan and why they stayed, its too much for me to write in a comment but go ahead and read it yourself. but if u wanna make some sh!t up im stoked about ur story as to why german words are used in japan in a medical environment instead of the english one or own japanese version Arbeit / Beito = job - in japanese is a good example for german influence as well.

[@gerhardswihla1099]

@@dipeptidase2774 The Government of Japan decided in 1870 not only to go with the prussian art of war but also with the german art of modern medicine. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29332221/ Germany back then was a leading country in medicine and chemistry.

[@praisethesun.praisedeussol6051]

@@dipeptidase2774 forgetting that Germany was always a leading influencer in terms of medicine

[@frankzander6234]

@@dipeptidase2774 also used to be the language of science until you know the incident in the 1940s

[@fluffcake]

This video was very educational and interesting. Good job!’

[@AeonofHorus]

Thanks!

[@chainofenkidu9451]

I like this theory, but honestly, I tend to believe in more mundain explanations when it comes to ambiguous questions. Similar to western media portraying Japanese culture as mostly stereotypical generic ninja samurai land with Sengoku period clothing/architecture with Meiji government, so too does the Japanese portray the "west" as just a blob of various gothic churches, nobles, and modern j-rpg tropes mix together. I wouldn't specifically say that there was a fascination towards the German culture other than the notability during the second WW and military might, but overall "fantasy" as a category in japan usually just split into traditional Japanese/some Chinese, Europe, America, and some middle east just for stylistic consistency and convenience.

[@zioqqr4262]

Lol yeah the closest thing is when they use weirdass Nazifahrzeuge and try to pronounce their names. Or have a weirdass Nazi priest. Beyond that, all ive seen is "This dude is 'Aryan', but also evil, but also good!! Shocker!!"

[@JustAnniebody]

As a German that went on an exchange year in Japan (with host family and school) I have to tell you that a lot of japanese people do in fact have a weird obsession with German culture. e.g. Fußball (soccer league), bread, beer, Oktoberfest or christmas markets or Baumkuchen (that shit was everywhere let me tell you!!)

[@Smiuley]

Nah, there's definitely more explicit hints towards German culture than just European culture in general. Of course, lot is connected to war ethics and stuff, but it goes beyond that, and tons of non-war animes and mangas include some kind of Germany reference.

[@chickenmadness1732]

They definitely make it obvious when theres a character from a specific European country though.

[@kirastrophic]

@@JustAnniebody Hahaha yeah Baumkuchen is more part of Japanese culture than it is German culture at this point, it really is everywhere

[@125discipline2]

i think the friendship they shared throughout the 40s lived. that bond didnt end with betrayal. and now they had this good impression of each other maybe.

[@Eragon2679]

The bond between germany and japan goes back way longer than ww2 though! Look up the Meji-restauration, japan had german advisors when it rebuild it's military, they were inspired by the german school system and their first constitution was modeled after the german common law (which was introduced by the french during the napoleonic wars, fun fact). In ww1 they sided with the british due to treaties they had with them and took german soldiers as POW's, which is mentioned in this video. The alliance during the second world war was the product of this friendship (and of a shared animosity towards international communism of both governments), not the start of it!

[@droidigan]

I mean sure, but I think France (especially renaissance era) also is reoccurring in anime. if you can count the amount of blonde curly-haired men with blue/purple eyed stereotypes in anime you could lull yourself to sleep

[@toddhoward5749]

nice video. i’d love to see more history related stuff from you, this was super fun to watch and very informative!

[@AeonofHorus]

Thanks a lot!

[@αστρον]

it just works

[@egggge4752]

It also helps that germany and japan had a very similar culture. They both were late to the imperalism game They both valued craftmanship and work ethic very much They were both very militaristic

[@gamerdrache8741]

Germany colonized some Place in Afrika and China and Islands in Pazifik and Bismarck land

[@lordteewurst]

@@gamerdrache8741 yeah but pretty late which contributed in political dispute with Britain and france. And during that time, France was seeking for revenge because the former prussia gave them a fckng roundhouse kick during the franco-german war

[@maxiona714]

They were both based.

[@Eragon2679]

​@@lordteewurstwhich, funnily enough, led to japan sending home their french military advisors, and inviting prussians instead, because they wanted to learn from the winners.

[@SMGJohn]

German culture influences in Japan started quite early actually, already by end of 19th century and only increased afterwards, many Japanese students studied in Germany likewise with England hence why JPOP has roots in English pop music of the 70s etc. Its the same thing with Portugal which also influenced Japan quite a lot culturally, its just that people do not realise this until they start looking into it, a lot of modern Japanese "western" foods came from Portuguese trade. The modern obsession with German culture however today is an otaku thing exclusively, there is even an East German section of this otaku obsession which funny enough as roots in how East Germany aided the Communist guerrilla fighters in Japan.

[@spinnakerprospero6441]

The guerilla thing you were talking about is based in true story. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_Braun_(communist)

[@Magidornwill]

Ein großartiges Video! Es ist immer schön, zu sehen, wie Ideen zwischen den Ländern hin- und herschwappen, sich vermischen und weiterentwickeln 😄

[@wagnar]

My guess is they mainly likes the aesthetics of WW1, WW2 and Cold war Germany: the military uniforms, zeppelins, arquitecture, names, etc is really exotic from japanese perspective. It's like an extension of the steampunk subculture.

[@stefanomartello3786]

Yeah dude, I agree. I believe it's like a reverse-Orientalism thing. They just find it cool. This also explains why also Italy is taken as much in consideration as Germany (not at the same level but it happens also with France or even UK). Those are the countries, alongside USA, they had more cultural interest in and exchange with (for multiple historical reasons) therefore the ones that express their common view of what is exotic/foreign, since they had the chance to know them better trough time.

[@bigrchamma]

It's a genre into itself dieselpunk

[@stefanomartello3786]

@@bigrchamma Thanks for the info, I appreciate. I know there are many variations of steampunk but I didn't know the name of this one, even if it's pretty common, especially in videogames. Again, though, this genere of anime is only valid for a certain kind of "german styles" while we can see also other kind of german references from a temporal point of view in most anime. Now, while we can point out in part why german style is chosen, due to this specific genre you mentioned, still we need something else to figure out why the style of other european countries is often chosed. There are no specific genres, as far as I know, about every type of historic period of every country, therefore I was assuming that the fact they use to put european references in anime is itself a sort of pseudo-style, without any specific meaning behind most of the times. (Steampunk and variations are exceptions for example) As it was from Orientalism in Europe wher e the "asian" stuff was cool but people couldn't almost even differentiate between japan and china (some people can't do that even today :/). As an example I may cite Hideaki Anno (Neon Genesis Evangelion ideator) which admitted, when asked about the reason behind the choice of german words and biblical references in his work, that he did it "just because he tought they seemed really cool (and possibly something catchy for the japanese audience)".

[@stefanomartello3786]

@@bigrchamma Sorry man, I tought you were replying to my comment because the notification appeared on my page said specifically that *my* comment received a reply, but now I see there is no mention so... nevermind ignore my previous comment. 👍 Maybe it was a bug... Have a nice day.

[@maxmustermann9587]

There was a part of society where Germany had an even greater impact - Science, Technology and Medicine. At the time, when the US enforced the opening of Japan, Germany was becoming the worlds center of sciece, technology and medicine. Studying in Berlin, München, Freiberg or Heidelberg were a must have. Names like Robert Koch, Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, Justus von Liebig, Werner von Siemens, Max and Reinhard Mannesmann, Nicolaus August Otto, Rudolf Diesel, Karl Friedrich Benz etc. etc. are still well known today.

[@Ilogunde]

Little known fun fact: Robert Koch actually traveled to Japan in 1908. He stayed there for 74 days and visited different parts of the country. Ogawa Mariko wrote a nice little essay about "Robert Koch's 74 days in Japan" (published by the Mori-Ōgai-Memorial in Berlin). P.S. Mori Ōgai (1862-1922) was a Japanese Army Surgeon general officer, translator, novelist and poet. He obtained his medical license at a very young age and introduced translated German language literary works to the Japanese public. Mori Ōgai also was considered the first to successfully express the art of western poetry in Japanese. After his death, he was considered one of the leading writers who modernized Japanese literature. After he enlisted in the Imperial Japanese Army as a medical officer, Mori was sent to study in Germany (Leipzig, Dresden, Munich, and Berlin) from 1884 to 1888.

[@AmstradExin]

And a lot of Tourists to Switzerland trying to find the way to Interlaken.

[@fabsta02]

What a great video! Good job with pronounciation, you did surpisingly well. I am still cringing whenever I hear someone in anime try to speak german. It is not really how they pronounce it but the ACTUAL GOD DAMN WORDS THEY CHOOSE. I have no problems, if an anime chooses to have a character with a german name. BUT WHY is it some weird fuckin 20th century name in a SCI-FI SETTING? In addition to that are incantations (like Fate series), weapon names and similar stuff often in german, which in itself wouldn't be a problem, IF THEY WOULD CHOOSE LIKE AN ACTUAL GOOD NAME but no, it must be something that a 14yo edgelord would even find dumb. When I suddenly hear "Hans- Heinrich get ze Schwarzes Loch- Kanone mit Weltuntergangsstrahl" ( good luck with translating that lol), it really breakes my immersion. Greetings from Germany.

[@awakeneddio6012]

Have you watched Shield Hero? I wanted to hit the authors with the Duden for saying 'dreite' instead of 'dritte'.

[@fabsta02]

@@awakeneddio6012 Yes. Yes I have. The Duden is a very sturdy book after all.

[@awakeneddio6012]

In der Tat.

[@AeonofHorus]

Yeahhhh anime VAs rarely pronounce foreign languages well... but tbh European languages are very different from Japanese and certainly the averages Westerner struggles to pronounce Japanese who has little practise

[@awakeneddio6012]

@@AeonofHorus I actually helped a Hawaiian American with bettering his german pronounciation and certain vocals are Quiet similar to some Japanese pronounciations. Helped me explain him how to use 'o' And even 'ü' and 'ä'(needed more languages). Don't remember the examples, but he got way better through that advise. Well I was also able to teach him a little Bit about the grammar since he said it was similar to Hebrew (He knows many languages).

[@gunren2052]

I am Japanese and found this video very interesting. However, I think the essence is much simpler. Well, I mean, the German culture, mainly military and language, looks very cool to a certain number of Japanese people. Of course, English has its cool points too, but it is so pervasive in Japan that it is sometimes not so cool to use it as the name of a technique or organization (but oddly enough, the actual proficiency of Japanese people in English conversation skills is inversely proportional to this XD). German, which has not penetrated Japan as much as English, but still has a western feel, may resonate with Japanese geeks.

[@TurKlack]

Lyn Okamoto, maker of Elfen Lied and Brynhilde in Darkness, also seems to be quite obsessed with some german sources. Not sure if all of his work has some german in it, but...

[@levoGAMES]

Let's be real, putting the dark aspects aside, which I assure you are not a regular occurrence, German culture and history is pretty damn epic, too epic in fact to ignore.

[@idkagoodname7278]

What do you mean in that point? If you mean History, yeah its epic But there are barely actual Germans here. I would guess 1 in 5 people are actually German. The rest of 4 are migrated or just moved in.

[@levoGAMES]

@@idkagoodname7278 I suppose this goes for pretty much every central European country. That said, if you do some research on phenotypes, you can clearly see there's a distinction in the area of Germany, parts of Poland, Austria and Czechia. German genes are definitely still well represented in central Europe.

[@nexor7809]

@@levoGAMES yeah. In the part of poland that im living we have a lot of german surnames and german ancestry. I myself also have german ancestry

[@adams1910p]

@@nexor7809 gorny śląsk?

[@nexor7809]

@@adams1910p yes, dolny slask*

[@quixity8541]

Not even going to lie, I have been wondering about this for a while now. It isn't even just a handful of anime there are so many influenced on German culture, old anime such as The legend of the Galactic Heroes (the empire being inspired by WW1 and the German Empire), and even new anime such as Spy x Family.

[@generalnawaki]

omg I love Tanya the evil. so good. edit: bit of brat with a bit of mustard hits the spot.

[@dorklymorkly3290]

Fairytales, music, art and (quite importantly) music. That's what cemented German(ic) culture in Japan. There's a lot of Jpop for example that might never have existed without marches and polkas brought to Japan, at least until the 90s or so. British electronic music has also influenced a lot, but then again, Brits (well Anglo Saxons and the like) are Germanic too. English is a Germanic language at its core, etc. So don't feel too bad. It's all family.

[@Apophis40K]

What do you exactly mean with British electronic music since modern electronic music started in germany

[@dorklymorkly3290]

@@Apophis40K Well, Brits are a Germanic people (as English is a Germanic language, especially old English) Dein Stier hat lange hörner. Thine Steer hath long horns. Stuff like that, but also, Britain had and still has a powerhouse of Electronic music, as have the Netherlands. (as does Italy but that stayed more apart) Germany kickstarted it quite a bit, but Britain and co didn't just sit around idly. In fact I would reckon that the Brits overall produced more, or produce more 'in current times'. Don't really have data for proof for that tho, it just 'seems' like that to me.

[@zioqqr4262]

Dachte immer Polka ist slavisch wtf. Anyway why did you mention music twice

[@dorklymorkly3290]

@@zioqqr4262 There's a lot of connection between Slavic people and Germanic people. Well, pre Christianity, anyway. As for mentioning music twice, I probably tripped myself up with the paranthesis, lol.

[@davidachorn]

Brits including England are not Germanic. They are a mix between Germanic peoples and Celtic peoples except Scottish Highlanders.

[@W33bJaeger]

Ein Volk,ein Reich,ein Kommentarbereich.

[@Zlatarier]

I'm glad I found your channel through this video, im always hungry for toaru content (greetings from germany)

[@AeonofHorus]

Ah sweet! This was one of the few non-Toaru videos I have made 😂

[@MrDennisWay]

There is a country where German and Japanese colonies live side by side in perfect harmony and friendship and amazingly that country is Brazil.

[@PoweredByFlow]

Cool, i had no idea! I knew there are german colonies in South America but not about japanese ones.

[@werbearjack]

Very interesting, I had never heard of that. From my own research I believe you were a bit too fast to stop looking at the Meiji restoration. Bismarck, the dude often credited with creating the modern German state, invested heavily into Japan during that time. And those military advisors had a big effect as well, for example the typical Japanese school uniforms are styled after German sailor uniforms from that time. In the end it was very likely a combination of all these things into a slow, constant drip of German influence that managed to take root in Japan over several decades.

[@lilithiaabendstern6303]

well that gives Sailor Moon a completely new ankle to look at, since the full title means 'beautiful girl in a sailor dress' and Usagi becomes the world's queen in the 30s century - no wonder Sailor Moon was such a hit here ^^ - nah just kidding, although ...😉

[@DesnestheDwarf]

So first of all it's the connection we have with japan back in history! And on top of that germany and japan is very similar when it comes to work policy and manners! The only difference is really in how we talk about things. Germans are mroe direct and say when they have ideas and problems while japanese people want to please everyone, avoiding discussions and have a feeling for the many ppl.

[@kennethferland5579]

The effect is clearly on all of Japan, not just anime. While it is correct that WW2 did not cause the interest is it more accurate to say that a set of circumstances prior to even WW1 brought the nations closer together. While the cultural exchanges following thouse POW's are important it's just just an accident that Germans were allowed to do that exchange while other European powers were not. Germany was very unique it was unified quite late in European history and missed out on most of the colonization period when other European powers took colonial possessions in Asia and along with the US forced open Japan, Germany due to mere lack of oportunity was thus the only European power that Japan did not have any anti-western-colonial grievances against. Without colonies Germany invested in industrial development in which it had to try to rapidly catch up with Britain militarily and industrially, Germany was a natural source of experts for the Meji governement effort because they had been done similar rapid industrialization and modernized. Later the WW2 alliances were natural and logical because Germany had become the main rival to Britain and lacked any asian colonies, which meant Japanese expansion in asia would present no threat to Germany, but inevitably threaten Britain and the US. Germany was really the only European power Japan ever had any hope of being allied with. The idea of 'ethno-nationalist expansionism' being the a common ideological thread that united them is exagerated, because ALL European nations were ethno-nationalist supremasits and expansionists, Britain being if anything the best at it. If mere ideological similarities had been the basis for WW2 alliances then Japan would have been with Britain as they were both monarchies and Sea-powers, but thouse similarities actually prevented alliance rather then promoted it.

[@MohamedRamadan-qi4hl]

Japan and Germany were extreme even by standards of there time don't sugar coat there crimes

[@lettuceman9439]

Germany had colonial rivalry with japan with 2/3 of the pacific islands belonging to germany

[@elviadarkgrape2859]

@@MohamedRamadan-qi4hl Dude Usa and England are the biggest criminals of History. Learn history pls.

[@MohamedRamadan-qi4hl]

@@elviadarkgrape2859 no that honor belongs to Japan and nazi Germany while Britain and America come second

[@ambatuBUHSURK]

@@MohamedRamadan-qi4hl yup, japan fans be like

[@akemiekudo949]

Your pronunciation of Ausstellung für Bildkunst und Handfertigkeiten was very good.

[@AeonofHorus]

A lot of other comments are saying it was terrible! But thanks!

[@Kraed3]

I believe that Japan itself was built off the government and technology of Germany during time the time Japan was modernizing so that’s why it’s so important to the Japanese (before I watched the video btw)

[@hdcreeperXD]

As a german I didnt even know half of what you said with the pow and so on. Otherwise let me tell you what feeling I got when I visited Japan as a tourist (I think it’s important to mention this). I don’t know how to best describe this feeling but it was almost like Japan and germany aren’t too different. Like I felt very similar to when I’m home. Most people don’t talk overly loudly and don’t just randomly start chatting with you and so on. Of course you notice differences in culture but those kinda seem fairly small compared to smth like the us or sometimes even other European countries. I’m really bad at explaining this so I hope you guys just got the main idea, because maybe that’s why Japan is also somewhat interested in germany P.S. I heard it from a Japanese friend, but apparently german is used by doctors in japan. When she tried to learn German people would ask her if she wants to be a doctor

[@becharac]

The reason is simple, you dont need to overcomplicate it. Whenever anime needs a strong and cool looking military dictatorship in its story, ww2 germany is the perfect example. Thats why almost every "german-linked" anime is also has ww2 references, cool uniforms, similar political views, weapons and tanks. Also they find german pronountiation very cool

[@AeonofHorus]

Tell me one example of German-Japanese cultural exchange that affected regular civilians during WW2 then. State meetings about the war would not have a significant cultural impact. Plus Japan has always glossed over the events of WW2, always focusing on the nuclear side of it rather than their relationship with Germany in schools. And WW2 Germany doesn't always feature when representing Germanic militarism: LOTGH is inspired by 1800s Prussia and Tanya is set in WW1.

[@becharac]

Guys, most of our cultures have nothing to do with japanese culture, but we still love anime, the most logical reason is always the simplest one.

[@liad0x]

yes. thats basically it. kinda sad considering the current state germany is in but........... i feel honoured :))

[@whathell6t]

@@AeonofHorus You’re also forgetting the other Japanese mainstream entertainment, the Tokusatsu medium. And that one has a fair share of German influence. Sadly, anime weebs don’t believe since they hate tokusatsu from being too Western, meaning too much influence from Hollywood and not from Europe.

[@kidpond3555]

Cool uniforms? Like cool nazis? 😅

[@kainslair]

German Weeb here! Video approved LMAO And your pronunciation was fine :D I have noticed how long you practiced, haha

[@Ron-yr8eu]

@AeonofHorus 7:52 actually the pronunciation was ok. I personally just find it odd that English speakers use a hand full of German words on a daily basis like: Wanderlust, Kindergarten, Zeitgeist etc. without breaking in sweat, but overthink when it comes to useing other German words. Most of the time us Germans can understand English-German speakers quite well. Just next time if you want to say something in German, try not to stretch the words out so long, 'cause than you're pretty much all good :)

[@philippp8340]

I wuld say thats the best German i Heard from a not german speaker on youtube

[@Chloe-bn8so]

why has german culture influenced anime so much? *cuz its cool*

[@trinityfan9923]

WOW, this is a really great video!!! Maybe you can dig deeper of American culture’ s involvement in anime, a good start would be Tezuka’s influence from the Disney and Fleisher studios.

[@aoihono2569]

At Japanese universities, you learn a second foreign language. Many people learn German because it is similar to English and the pronunciation is easy to understand. Many people who become manga artists either graduated from art universities or joined manga clubs at regular universities.