Line #48 Main/Animeland


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2	%% Trope was declared Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease via crowner by the Real Life Maintenance thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/crowner.php?crowner_id=ywxqkehm
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4	%% The examples have been alphabetized. Please put any new example in its proper place in the folder rather than at the end.
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7	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/372f827b-90f0-44b-bf7f-f301009aa387_3673.png]]
8
9	->''"Far, far away, across the sea, there is a fabled land that people speak of as a place of enchantment and wonder, of magical beings of myriad shapes and sizes. A place where one can make their wildest dreams come true.''
10
11	->''And by that, we in America are of course referring to Japan. But [[Franchise/TouhouProject Gensokyo]] is kinda like that."''
12	-->-- ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12331780/1/Chronicles-of-Shattered-Border Chronicles of Shattered Border]]''
13
14	The country of Japan, but portrayed as a world that works like what exported Japanese media have taught us.
15
16	In Western works, it might serve as a parody of the anime fandom in general, or Western perceptions of Japan. In Japanese works, it might be a jab at OccidentalOtaku [[PoesLaw who seem to actually believe in this]], or lampshaded to emphasize that [[ThisIsReality this particular work is more realistic than that]]. In some cases, it's used as little more than a Japan-flavored FantasyKitchenSink, no commentary required.
17
18	The most common examples are:
19	* [[BishoujoSeries Extremely beautiful]], [[MsFanservice model-bodied]] {{Moe}} {{Magical Girl}}s in (sometimes {{stripperific}}) SailorFuku;
20	* [[{{Bishounen}} Princely hunks]] getting touchy-feely [[HoYay with each other]] and their [[OtomeGame dreamy-eyed admirers]];
21	* {{Kaiju}}, Kyodai Heroes and armies of HumongousMecha engaging in epic wars;
22	* Smaller robots and {{Toku}} heroes facing off against human-sized monsters, aliens and the occasional Kaiju as well;
23	* [[TokyoIsTheCenterOfTheUniverse Tokyo]], full of [[CoolTrain futuristic trains]], [[CoolCars tuned cars]], skyscrapers and bright lights, [[TheTokyoFireball often being]] [[ApocalypseWow spectacularly blown up every now and then]];
24	* [[MegaCorp Zaibatsu]] and their pitifully underpaid wage-slave [[{{Salaryman}} Salarymen]];
25	* [[AllAnimeIsNaughtyTentacles Tentacle Monsters]];
26	* And various others...
27
28	Due to the LowestCommonDenominator, it might also include other Japanese pop cultural references that are not really anime-specific, such as {{Ninja}}s, {{Kaiju}}, the {{Yakuza}}, or the Zaibatsu (particularly in early CyberPunk literature).
29
30	This is a part of the HollywoodAtlas, like {{Eagleland}}, EskimoLand, YodelLand and the LandOfDragons. ThirtySecondsOverTokyo is similar, but unfiltered (or at least less so) through the lens of anime.
31
32	[[JustForFun/IThoughtThatWas Not be confused with]] the French magazine ''[[http://www.animeland.com/ Animeland]]''
33
34	----
35	!!Examples:
36
37	[[foldercontrol]]
38
39	[[folder:Advertising]]
40	* Advertising for the Japanese-made Uni-ball ball-point pens in the US invokes this trope by using a HumongousMecha [[http://www.uniball-na.com/main.taf?p=9 to promote their gel ink.]]
41	[[/folder]]
42
43	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
44	* ''Manga/ArcadeGamerFubuki'' portrays Japan as Animeland.
45	* ''Anime/ConcreteRevolutioChoujinGensou'' takes place in an oldschool Animeland version of Japan, though it fully embraces other aspects of Showa-era Japanese pop culture as well. [[spoiler:This turns out to actually be a plot point, as that ''is'' Showa-era Japan they're living in.]]
46	* In ''Manga/LuckyStar'', OccidentalOtaku Patricia Martin has this worldview. Which the mangaka immediately {{lampshade\|Hanging}}s as "the wrong idea on Japanese culture." Given that nearly half of the main cast happens to be some flavour of otaku, this may be a bit of HypocriticalHumor.
47	[[/folder]]
48
49	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
50	* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansTroubleInTokyo'' is like this. It's definitely an AffectionateParody, though, since the series is {{Animesque}}.
51	* Japan in ''[[WesternAnimation/PixarShorts Tokyo Mater]]'', and as an extension, the Japan segment of ''WesternAnimation/Cars2''.
52	[[/folder]]
53
54	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
55	* ''Film/RoboGeisha'': There is not a Japanese stereotype in existence that this movie does not portray. {{Yakuza}}s, Geishas, Ninjas, Samurai, SailorFuku, {{Kaiju}}, {{Tokusatsu}}... you name it.
56	* In ''Film/TheToxicAvengerPartII'', Toxie's alleged [[LukeIAmYourFather father]] is Japanese. And a CorruptCorporateExecutive. And a sumo wrestler.
57	[[/folder]]
58
59	[[folder:Literature]]
60	* The section on Japan in ''Literature/AmericaTheBook'' [[PlayedForLaughs plays this for laughs]].
61	[[/folder]]
62
63	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
64	* In ''Series/ThirtyRock'', Tracy believes he is giving a speech over a live feed to a Japanese award show. He thanks all his Japanese fans, especially Franchise/{{Godzilla}}. The he laughs and says he's just kidding... he knows Godzilla doesn't care what humans do.
65	* In ''Series/{{Lexx}}'''s last season, [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever a giant plant person]] invades Japaneseland.
66	* Animeland and the fan culture surrounding it were the object of satire in the ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' skit "J-pop America Fun Time Now!"
67	[[/folder]]
68
69	[[folder:Roleplay]]
70	* ''Roleplay/NoMatterWhatHappensIStillWontBecomeAnAnimeCharacter'' is all about its main character living in Animeland, up to and including the protagonist's [[IJustWantToBeNormal constantly crushed desire]] to be an OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent.
71	[[/folder]]
72
73	[[folder:Video Games]]
74	* In ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert3'', the Empire of the Rising Sun faction's military units included psychic {{Magical Girl}}s in SailorFuku, and HumongousMecha, some of which transform, while one of their transformers is based on the iconic Zero Fighter. Their superweapon is a [[Manga/{{Akira}} Psychic]] [[TheTokyoFireball Explosion]], and the engineer is a {{Salaryman}}, standing next to Samurai soldiers and Ninja, as well as longbow-wielding Miko in the expansion. About the only thing missing are naughty tentacles. Oddly enough, The Soviets did have a giant squid in the previous game. ([[RuleThirtyFour You can bet you'll find some fan-art of it if you look hard enough.]]) The Emperor's video briefings help tick any other boxes in the Big Book of Japanese Clichés: his son wears a kind of samurai armour, he's seen practising sword forms, contemplating a bonsai tree, practising calligraphy, taking tea a lot, mentions a revival of Bushido, tells you to slice through the enemy "like the blade of a [[KatanasAreJustBetter katana]]" and finally declares you "Supreme Shogun".
75	* ''VideoGame/DestroyAllHumans 2'' parodies this. "Takoshima" is filled with salary men, schoolgirls and at one point a kaiju is running around.
76	* ''VideoGame/OsuTatakaeOuendan'' and its sequel, especially since it was designed with a manga feel. There are two levels featuring schoolgirls, two with {{Kaiju}} fighting against a {{Salaryman}} or a HumongousMecha depending on the game, and other HotBlooded shenanigans. However, there are no tentacle creatures, and a ninja only appears in the ''[[VideoGame/EliteBeatAgents American]]'' localization.
77	* ''VideoGame/{{Warframe}}'': [[PlayerCharacter The Tenno]] is taken from stereotypical anime depictions of {{Ninja}}s and {{Samurai}}s. E.g. the way they sit, their swords, their motions, their name, their very designs... The anime influence is most shown in Styanax's trailer, which is a short anime.
78	[[/folder]]
79
80	[[folder:Web Comics]]
81	* ''Webcomic/ApricotCookies'' is treated as this, though it's just a little bit downplayed. The boys play children's card-games, every girl is a MagicalGirl and you get your daily Kaiju attacks, one of which is explicitly called out as a tentacle monster. No ninjas yet (if at all), though.
82	* The four ninja siblings in ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob'' exist largely as an excuse to play with anime tropes. Each of the four is an anime archetype: Shempu is a wild-haired [[{{shonen}} shōnen]] guy, Moé is a cute {{moe}} girl, Lari is a {{bishounen}} (surrounded by a cloud of sparkles), and Kurlijōh is explicitly a Creator/LeijiMatsumoto-style {{gonk}}.
83	* ''Webcomic/MegaTokyo'' is a complicated example. The Tokyo Police apparently got so annoyed with their city constantly being destroyed by monsters that they started ''scheduling'' such events, so they were easier to handle. Kaiju are available for rent, and the commander of the Cataclysm Division rides around in a mech.
84	* ''[[http://davegutteridge.com/wow_you_live_in_japan Wow - You Live in Japan]]'' by Dave Gutteridge juxtaposes that stereotypical pop-culture-based image of Japan with the reality of Japan as a country like any other.
85	[[/folder]]
86
87	[[folder:Web Videos]]
88	* Virtual vlogger WebVideo/AmiYamato, a Japanese person living in the UK, has [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKJKnrzjvzI a video]] where she addresses people who get their perceptions of her home country purely from pop culture. "There are definitely no giant robots," she tells the viewers -- [[RightBehindMe while walking past a giant]] Franchise/{{Gundam}} [[FailedASpotCheck in the background]].
89	* At the start of the Valentine's Day episode of ''WebVideo/JoueurDuGrenier'', we get a scene set in an "ordinary Japanese town". Which includes [[AllAnimeIsNaughtyTentacles a tentacle monster assaulting a girl behind a tree]], a Franchise/{{Pokemon}} trainer ordering a potato to make a "puree" attack, Franchise/{{Godzilla}} burning a building, [[Anime/DragonBallZ Son Goku]] teleporting away, and a Japanese schoolgirl sitting under [[CherryBlossoms sakura trees]] and playing a DatingSim.
90	[[/folder]]
91
92	[[folder:Western Animation]]
93	* ''WesternAnimation/CowAndChicken'': In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7Gyap0F0yM this]] Got Milk ad, Cow had to face a [[{{Notzilla}} Godzilla parody]] as Supercow while the characters were visiting Japan.
94	* The season two finale of ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'' starts off here with Dexter accidentally awakening a Kaiju, while trying to one-up two mecha pilots his age (who both look like Creator/GoNagai characters). The rest of the episode has him and his entire family fighting said Kaiju back home, with the help of a CombiningMecha, under the guidance of a KidSamurai.
95	* In ''WesternAnimation/KappaMikey'', everyone from Japan are portrayed as anime characters. In contrast, Mikey himself is portrayed in a [[ThickLineAnimation stereotypical American art style]] as he's from America.
96	* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'''s special "Summer Belongs to You" has [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkdylAg40wE this little sequence.]]
97	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "Thirty Minutes over Tokyo" has an announcement from the pilot as they're flying home:
98	-->'''Pilot:''' Uh, folks, we're experiencing some moderate Godzilla-related turbulence at this time, so I'm going to go ahead and ask you to put your seatbelts back on. When we get to 35,000 feet, he usually does let go, so from there on out, all we have to worry about is Mothra, and, uh, we do have reports he's tied up with Gamera and Rodan at the present time. Thank you very much.
99	[[/folder]]
100

Context Main / Animeland