History Sandbox / ValuesDissonance

* In the Golden Age of Hollywood, Chinese-American star Creator/AnnaMayWong was heavily exoticised in the fan magazines - “Anna May Wong symbolizes the eternal paradox of her ancient race,” wrote one fan magazine. “She reminds us of cruel and intricate intrigues, and, at the same time, of crooned Chinese lullabies. She brings to the screen the rare comprehension and the mysterious colors of her ivory-skinned race.” - and could never play a romantic lead because UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode would not allow her to kiss a white man on screen. In another example of this trope, she took her career to the UK and took advantage of their lenient censorship laws to play less stereotypical roles.

** North America and Europe (Particularly Western Europe) tend to push "successor" systems as hard as they can. With the exception of UsefulNotes/TheSeventhGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames (Where one could still find sixth generation software and hardware on store shelves well into 2008[[note]]Mostly due to the success of the UsefulNotes/Playstation2, combined with the Wii's similar specs making porting games between the two consoles easy. Think of the 2008 game ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'', which had one version for the [=PS3=] and Xbox 360 and another for the [=PS2=] and Wii.[[/note]]), whenever a new generation is released, it quickly starts to take over the store shelves. The hardware and software for the previous system is usually rotated out. This wouldn't be an issue, were it not for the fact that Japan tends to "hold on" to systems much longer and that some games released at the end (or even after the "end") of the previous system's lifespan sometimes get [[NoExportForYou kept in Japan]]. If they do get a release, they often become quite rare due to its limited run and [[AcclaimedFlop despite sometimes getting good review scores, don't sell well]] since people are busy playing the next generation system. Some games like ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar'' are a notable example of this. For reference? The Famicom and Super Famicom were discontinued in 2003 in Japan. In North America? The SNES was discontinued in 1999, and the NES was discontinued in 199'''5'''. The Sega Saturn was discontinued in Japan in 2000, whereas it was discontinued in 1998 everywhere else. Japan's not quick to abandon "outdated" systems.

* America's ESRB is ''much'' harsher on sexual content than most other countries, and many games that get M ratings for sexual content in America get lower ratings overseas (such as ''VideoGame/AkibasTrip'', which is rated the equivalent of T in Australia). "Partial Nudity", which even extends to exposed breasts on monster enemies not intended as sexual, is grounds for an automatic M rating in the ESRB's system, while other countries allow it in lower ratings and only give high ratings for full-frontal, explicitly sexual nudity. And the gap between the ESRB's M and AO ratings is only sexual content in most cases, leading to ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas'' getting pulled from shelves and re-rated due to the "Hot Coffee" mod (there was little fanfare in Europe since the game was already rated 18+ for violence anyway). Skimpy outfits on characters is sometimes enough for an ESRB M rating, which often results in outfits being censored in US releases (for example, Tharja's swimsuit scene in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'''s DLC was censored in the US version, but not in the European version). It may be getting better, if one does wanna take a look at the ''Shantae'' series. For having a lot of cute girls in skimpy outfits and braless mermaids, it does go pretty well in the E10+/T rating. On the other hand, it's almost impossible for a game to get an AO rating in the US for violence alone, while most other countries will give 18+ ratings for violent content: In America, ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' and ''VideoGame/LollipopChainsaw'' both received the Mature 17+ rating, whereas Europe gave both of them the 18+ rating due to having lots of gore and sexual content/dialogue.

** One other notable feature about Australia's videogame classifications is that they take GameplayAndStoryIntegration into account. If a player is given "incentives or rewards" for sexual acts or inflicting violence, it's treated a lot more harshly than, say, if the act was performed by [=NPCs=] in a cutscene. This might be why ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies'' got only a PG rating while the US rated it M: it features a lot of bloody murders and at one point a bombing, but none of it is interactive and it's all done by the villains in cutscenes. Interactive drug use as a buff is a ''huge'' BerserkButton for the ratings board and isn't allowed even in R18+ games, something that's incredibly contentious among Australian gamers.

* Nudity of young characters in cartoons. In many European and Asian countries, like in the United Kingdom for example, it is treated in a nonchalant manner as long as it is innocent. In America and Canada, it is treated with much more controversy due to being seen as inherently sexual. Cartoons from the 1980s, like ''WesternAnimation/AlvinAndTheChipmunks'', and the 1990s (even the early 2000s), like ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998'' and ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'', got away with casual bathing scenes or NakedPeopleAreFunny, and still do when shown in Europe and Asia. But from circa 2005 onward, such scenes in USA-produced cartoons have become much rarer, mostly as an excuse to be "edgy".

* The aversion of FamilyFriendlyFirearms is quite notable in kids cartoons made in Europe and other countries outside of the US, which is ironic, considering how liberal America's gun laws are in contrast to Europe's. European casualness with animated depictions of realistic firearms is likely a consequence of their relative exoticism. In Europe, where very few citizens own guns, they are chiefly understood as a [[RuleOfFunny comic prop]] that no child would have any more access to than they would a CartoonBomb or sci-fi ray gun, whereas in the States, gun ownership is higher than any other wealthy country on Earth and [[RecklessGunUsage playing with a firearm]] is not something you want television influencing your children to do with the revolver you keep upstairs.

* The treatment of same gender couples in kid's cartoons, especially American ones, has had this occur. In the 2000s, series such as ''WesternAnimation/PostcardsFromBuster'' often came under fire for featuring characters with [[HasTwoMommies two parents of the same sex]].[[note]]The specific episode, "Sugartime", was skipped by some PBS affiliates, and a few others decided to air the episode in a prime-time slot with a locally-produced panel discussion afterward[[/note]] In the early 2010s with rising acceptance of LGBT people, cartoons began being more explicit about them, while cartoons not even six years prior went [[HideYourLesbians out of their way]] to hide characters between [[AmbiguouslyGay sub]][[AmbiguouslyBi text]]. Many characters wouldn't even be revealed to be gay until WordOfGay (sometimes decades after the cartoon ended). To show this trope in action, the 2011 episode "What Was Missing?" from ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' received a lot of publicity for heavily implying feelings between Princess Bubblegum and Marceline. One official online show was outright canceled because they implied it. Come 7 years later and shows like ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Clarence}}'', ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'', ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'', and even ''Adventure Time'' itself with [[spoiler:Marceline and Bubblegum's RelationshipUpgrade in the 2018 finale]] casually featured gay and bi characters. Values Dissonance still occurs depending on the country. For example, ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' has been censored in the UK and Russia for some of its female/female ShipTease.

** One other notable feature about Australia's videogame classifications is that they take GameplayAndStoryIntegration into account. If a player is given "incentives or rewards" for sexual acts or inflicting violence, it's treated a lot more harshly than, say, if the act was performed by [=NPCs=] in a cutscene. This might be why ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies'' got only a PG rating while the US rated it M: it features a lot of bloody murders and at one point a bombing, but none of it is interactive and it's all done by the villains in cutscenes. Interactive drug use as a buff is a ''huge'' BerserkButton for the ratings board and isn't allowed even in R18+ games, something that's [[Administrivia.RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment incredibly contentious among Australian gamers.]]

* The whole idea of the {{Cowboy Cop}}, omnipresent in cop movies of the 1970's and 1980's has come under fire since the late 90s and 2000's. Back in the 70's, rising crime rates and then the "tough on crime" rhetoric of the Reagan era in the 80's made actions like beating up suspects for information, executing helpless criminals if they were evil enough, disregard for warrants, and all around tons of violence seem not just acceptable for police officers and displays of their badassitude, but necessary for combating crime. This ended after a string of high-profile incidents of PoliceBrutality and shootings of unarmed suspects, most infamously the Rodney King beating and several notable instances in the mid-2010s, which also revealed these actions targeted racial minorities, especially African-Americans, disproportionately. As a result, characters like Film/DirtyHarry and Film/{{Cobra}} come across as a lot less sympathetic nowadays. Lower crime rates beginning in the mid-90's also led to the demise of the "[[VigilanteMan vigilante hero]]" and "future big city in ruins" subgenres extremely popular in the late 70's to early 90's. In a pretty good illustration of just how far this trope has fallen out of favor with modern audiences, when Creator/EliRoth attempted to [[Film/DeathWish2018 reboot]] the once-popular ''Film/DeathWish'' franchise in 2018, it flopped at the box office and was absolutely ''savaged'' by critics, many of whom called it a wildly irresponsible piece of filmmaking.

* Another major difference between Japanese and most other nationalities of gamers is that Japanese gamers are generally more tolerant of grinding, to the point that in some games its a feature. American gamers, for example, have far less patience for the concept, especially outside [=MMOs=] where it grants an advantage over other players.

** North America and Europe (Particularly Western Europe) tend to push "successor" systems as hard as they can. With the exception of UsefulNotes/TheSeventhGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames (Where one could still find sixth generation software and hardware on store shelves well into 2008[[note]]Mostly due to the success of the UsefulNotes/Playstation2, combined with the Wii's similar specs making porting games between the two consoles easy. Think of the 2008 game ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'', which had one version for the [=PS3=] and Xbox 360 and another for the [=PS2=] and Wii.[[/note]]), whenever a new generation is released, it quickly starts to take over the store shelves. The hardware and software for the previous system is usually rotated out. This wouldn't be an issue, were it not for the fact that Japan tends to "hold on" to systems much longer and that some games released at the end (or even after the "end") of the pervious system's lifespan sometimes get [[NoExportForYou kept in Japan]]. If they do get a release, they often become quite rare due to its limited run and [[AcclaimedFlop despite sometimes getting good review scores, don't sell well]] since people are busy playing the next generation system. Some games like ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar'' are a notable example of this. For reference? The Famicom and Super Famicom were discontinued in 2003 in Japan. In North America? The SNES was discontinued in 1999, and the NES was discontinued in 199'''5'''. The Sega Saturn was discontinued in Japan in 2000, whereas it was discontinued in 1998 everywhere else. Japan's not quick to abandon "outdated" systems.

** Each province in ''VideoGame/EuropaUniversalis III'' produces a particular trade good. In Africa, one of the possible trade goods are slaves. The game, however, gives the player no benefit for finding slaves other than the actual direct profit from the trade good... and even then, one prefers to find gold or ivory (Another resource that conjures values dissonance) in Africa. It's possible to abolish the slave trade, at which point all of a player's provinces that "produce" slaves start producing something else; this is usually beneficial, because it gives players another shot at finding gold in their provinces.

*** ''Civilization IV'' also have the Civic Slavery, which is derided by some players to be inherently evil. Yet in practice is both quite normal given the time period where it's most worthwhile in, which pretty much is everything pre-Renaissance/pre-industrial depending on your game-plan. And it's such a strong civic that deliberately not using it might put you back a couple of levels of play.

* To some extent, most Western gamers have a dislike (if not outright hate) of [[MobilePhoneGame mobile gaming]] for having a bunch of UsefulNotes/{{Shovelware}}s designed for "casuals" with {{microtransactions}} that they consider to be [[MoneyDearBoy greedy cash-grabs]]. Most Eastern gamers (particularly in China and Japan) are particularly okay with mobile gaming, but most Japanese gamers hate PC games for being UsefulNotes/{{Shovelware}}s that are "[[AwesomeButImpractical too expensive]]" or "[[CoolButInefficient too complicated to set up]]" and would rather keep their gaming console and computer functions as separate. Most Chinese and South Korean gamers TakeAThirdOption and throw some soft spots for PC and mobile gaming, since console gaming faces difficulties in these countries. The increased smartphone adoption in many, especially Eastern, countries certainly don't help. The difference between American and Chinese reactions to pay-to-win gameplay models, in particular, is apparently so obvious that even mainstream media outlets [[https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/30/pay-to-win-video-games-differences-between-us-and-chinese-gamers.html feel the need to point it out]].

* One theory that has been made to explain why [=JRPGs=] are popular in Japan but not in the West is the fact that [=JRPG=] require a lot of level grinding[[note]]This has become less true as the years go on, as an increasingly large number of games don't require grinding of any sort if you play smart, though there are obviously [[VideoGame/{{Neptunia}} still games that have it essentially mandatory]] that keep the myth that all games require it going[[/note]]. Japanese gamers are perceived as being more patient than Western gamers and perceive the idea of level grinding in order to get some ultimate reward in the end. In the West most people do neither have that kind of patience nor the wanting for a reward, which is the reason why many Western gamers get frustrated with those games and give up on ever trying one, which results in low sales. This may be the same reason ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' is a best-selling series in Japan, but is a CultClassic at best in the United States. On a similar vein, RandomDrop and RareRandomDrop when it comes to items are seen as widely accepted in many Asian gaming circles since they don't mind potentially waiting a long time to finally get that InfinityPlusOneSword. Western players greatly despise those game mechanics for being too reliant on luck.

** This has seemed to be turned on its head that both are successful in the west while flipping the common perceived stereotype, what with the Western-made "JRPG" ''Videogame/{{Undertale}}'' and Japanese-made "WRPG" ''Videogame/DarkSouls''. Even the aforementioned ''Monster Hunter'' franchise proved the stereotype wrong when ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterWorld'' released globally, to critical acclaim.

* Australia didn't have an R18+ (i.e. adults only) rating for games until ''2013.'' The reason they didn't have one boils down to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Atkinson#Media_classification_and_censorship one politician]] believing [[AnimationAgeGhetto "... it will greatly increase the risk of children and vulnerable adults being exposed to damaging images and messages."]] (Video games are a relatively niche market in Australia compared to other countries) As film and videogame ratings are a government body with legal authority in Australia, this meant games could be banned for having content exceeding the [=MA15+=] rating. Even after a bill was passed allowing 18+ games, Australia's game classification system in general can be a case of this trope for other countries, as several games are rated higher or lower there than everywhere else. It seems that sex and violence are really the only things that can push a game into the two highest categories ([=MA15+=] and R18+), while countries like America can have games rated M due simply to mature themes (the [=MegaTen=] series being a prime example). Australia also views cartoon violence as less "harsh" than realistic violence, hence why games like ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'', ''Franchise/RatchetAndClank'', and ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' get lower ratings there than America. Meanwhile ''VideoGame/AtelierTotoriTheAdventurerOfArland'', rated T by the ESRB and 12 by PEGI, was classified R18+ in Australia simply for [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil "references to sexual violence"]], ''VideoGame/EarthBound'' is slapped with an M (13+) for crude humor and "sexual references", and ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' got a 15+ rating over there, but an E10+ rating in America and 12+ in Europe.

* Due to changing attitudes towards violence in media, what was acceptable for children in TheEighties and TheNineties (and even the early 2000s) gets very different treatment today. The TV ratings system did not exist in the 1980s, so a show like ''WesternAnimation/{{Thundercats}}'' generally would have been a TV-Y7 if it had. The show got bumped up to a TV-PG when it was rerun on Toonami. The [[WesternAnimation/Thundercats2011 2011]] reboot also got slapped with a TV-PG. Similarly, reruns of ''WesternAnimation/GIJoe'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'' on The Hub are now rated TV-PG. Meanwhile, ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'' gets off with a TV-Y7, and has just as much violence as the shows rated TV-PG.

* Nudity of young characters in cartoons. In many European and Asian countries, like in the United Kingdom for example, it is treated in a nonchalant manner as long as it is innocent. In America and Canada, it is treated with much more controversy due to being seen as inherently sexual. Cartoons from the 1980s, like ''WesternAnimation/AlvinAndTheChipmunks'', and the 1990s (even the early 2000s), like ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' and ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'', got away with casual bathing scenes or NakedPeopleAreFunny, and still do when shown in Europe and Asia. But from circa 2005 onward, such scenes in USA-produced cartoons have become much rarer, mostly as an excuse to be "edgy".

* In the TurnOfTheMillennium, Creator/{{Teletoon}} and Creator/{{YTV}} shows like ''WesternAnimation/{{Sixteen}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'' weren't afraid to show gay characters and/or couples,[[labelnote:note]]Canada legalized gay marriage in July 2005; the US didn't until nearly ''ten years later''.[[/labelnote]] [[AllPeriodsArePMS menstruation,]] [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and dirtier words]] to preteens while the States were a bit more sensitive to these sort of topics, and thus edited those certain episodes or downright omitted them from syndication. While the aforementioned examples are justified by the fact that they were more for teens and older tweens than younger kids, other more traditionally "kiddie" shows like ''WesternAnimation/{{Spliced}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/RocketMonkeys'' may sometimes use words like "crap" or "suck", since they aren't considered to be as dirty in Canada. However, series that are tailored for more international audiences tend to reduce this to make global distribution easier.

* While America's tolerance for strong language on network television has been increasing over the years, it still lags behind other western nations, which can use "shit" at noon with little complaining, while stronger words such as [[PrecisionFStrike "fuck"]] are often only permitted at night-time. Americans watching mid-day or early evening programming from across the pond might be surprised by a casual curse word thrown into an otherwise innocuous show (and that's not getting to the more liberal use of swearing outside the Anglosphere)

* A common joke in a lot of sitcoms from The '90s through to The New '10s was for germaphobic characters to be portrayed as neurotic and paranoid for comically overreacting to the common cold and flu with precautions like PPE and obsessive cleanliness. In a post COVID-19 world they come across as the Only Sane Man and the “normal” people around them look like reckless, dangerous idiots for not taking disease seriously.

* The treatment of same gender couples in kid's cartoons, especially American ones, has had this occur. In the early 2010s with rising acceptance of LGBT people, cartoons began being more explicit about them, while cartoons not even six years prior went [[HideYourLesbians out of their way]] to hide characters between [[AmbiguouslyGay sub]][[AmbiguouslyBi text]]. Many characters wouldn't even be revealed to be gay until WordOfGay (sometimes decades after the cartoon ended). To show this trope in action, the 2011 episode "What Was Missing?" from ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' received a lot of publicity for heavily implying feelings between Princess Bubblegum and Marceline. One official online show was outright canceled because they implied it. Come 7 years later and shows like ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Clarence}}'', ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'', ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'', and even ''Adventure Time'' itself with [[spoiler:Marceline and Bubblegum's RelationshipUpgrade in the 2018 finale]] casually featured gay and bi characters. Values Dissonance still occurs depending on the country. For example, ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' has been censored in the UK for some of its female/female ShipTease.

* French and Italian cartoons like ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Wakfu}}'', ''WesternAnimation/WinxClub'', and ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' are more into fanservice than cartoons from a lot of other Western countries. While nowhere near Japanese levels, many European cartoons aren't shy about making a few risqué jokes or having rather skimpy attire.

* French cartoons like ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Wakfu}}'', and ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' are more into fanservice than cartoons from a lot of other Western countries. While nowhere near Japanese levels, many French cartoons aren't shy about making a few risqué jokes or having rather skimpy attire.

* French cartoons like ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'' and ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' are more into fanservice than cartoons from a lot of other Western countries. While nowhere near Japanese levels, many French cartoons aren't shy about making a few risqué jokes or having rather skimpy attire.

** North America and Europe (Particularly Western Europe) tend to push "successor" systems as hard as they can. With the exception of UsefulNotes/TheSeventhGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames (Where one could still find sixth generation software and hardware on store shelves well into 2008[[note]]Mostly due to the success of the UsefulNotes/Playstation2, combined with the Wii's similar specs making porting games between the two consoles easy[[/note]]), whenever a new generation is released, it quickly starts to take over the store shelves. The hardware and software for the previous system is usually rotated out. This wouldn't be an issue, were it not for the fact that Japan tends to "hold on" to systems much longer and that some games released at the end (or even after the "end") of the pervious system's lifespan sometimes get [[NoExportForYou kept in Japan]]. If they do get a release, they often become quite rare due to its limited run and [[AcclaimedFlop despite sometimes getting good review scores, don't sell well]] since people are busy playing the next generation system. Some games like ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar'' are a notable example of this. For reference? The Famicom and Super Famicom were discontinued in 2003 in Japan. In North America? The SNES was discontinued in 1999, and the NES was discontinued in 199'''5'''. The Sega Saturn was discontinued in Japan in 2000, whereas it was discontinued in 1998 everywhere else. Japan's not quick to abandon "outdated" systems.

** North America and Europe (Particularly Western Europe) tend to push "successor" systems as hard as they can. With the exception of UsefulNotes/TheSeventhGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames (Where one could still find sixth generation software and hardware on store shelves well into 2008[[note]]Mostly due to the success of the PS2, combined with the Wii's similar specs making porting games between the two consoles easy[[/note]]), whenever a new generation is released, it quickly starts to take over the store shelves. The hardware and software for the previous system is usually rotated out. This wouldn't be an issue, were it not for the fact that Japan tends to "hold on" to systems much longer and that some games released at the end (or even after the "end") of the pervious system's lifespan sometimes get [[NoExportForYou kept in Japan]]. If they do get a release, they often become quite rare due to its limited run and [[AcclaimedFlop despite sometimes getting good review scores, don't sell well]] since people are busy playing the next generation system. Some games like ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar'' are a notable example of this. For reference? The Famicom and Super Famicom were discontinued in 2003 in Japan. In North America? The SNES was discontinued in 1999, and the NES was discontinued in 199'''5'''. The Sega Saturn was discontinued in Japan in 2000, whereas it was discontinued in 1998 everywhere else. Japan's not quick to abandon "outdated" systems.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* The most obvious example is FamilyUnfriendlyViolence in {{shonen|Demographic}} series: what's acceptable for relatively young children in Japan, such as [[Anime/DragonBallZ Piccolo blowing a hole through Raditz and Goku's torsos]] or [[Manga/HunterXHunter the entire Chimera Ant arc]] or ''the entirety'' of ''{{Manga/Guyver}}'', is generally ''very much not so'' in the West. This has slightly leveled out in the age of globalization, however, as graphic violence has become slightly less acceptable in these works in Japan, and America has learned to target these works towards teenagers and up rather than attempting to [[{{Bowdlerise}} edit them]] for eight-year-olds. France is also very permissive of FamilyUnfriendlyViolence, to the point that they aired ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'' in a kids slot during the 80's (albeit as a heavily-censored GagDub). Though unlike Japan this attitude is met [[FrenchJerk with mockery]] rather than criticism. Attitudes are however changing there as well as a lot of French people, being a prime victim of UsefulNotes/TheJapaneseInvasion, have become very familiar with Japanese terminology and started accepting that sometimes Anime is [[{{Seinen}} meant for adults]], though it is still messy what they think about it.
* JapaneseSpirit and the PillarsOfMoralCharacter are cultural concepts that many people outside Japan simply do not understand but are nigh-omnipresent in Japanese media, leading to confusion and even outright disgust regarding the actions of characters who are motivated by these tenets. Similar concepts were once present in Western society prior to the Eighteenth Century, but have been replaced by a cult of individualism and the attitude that "chivalry is dead".
* Frankly, this trope could probably adequately explain a lot of what seems to be RelationshipWritingFumble in the eyes of Western fans. If you are more used to more open Western romances, don't realize that the Japanese are generally more shy about overt romantic affection, don't know what the mythological themes and symbolism mean, and don't pick up on a lot of subtle social cues, you're probably going to be pretty lost.
** Or, in some cases, it could just be a matter of extending the "will they - won't they" as long as possible. ''REC'' is a seinen manga where a young couple meet and have sex on the same night, and the plot follows their relationship afterwards. Their sexual encounter is treated as healthy and ordinary.
** A related issue is the Japanese attitude toward physical affection and public displays of affection. It should be noted that the Japanese are a touch-averse people (bowing instead of shaking hands, for instance), to the extent that the only people to whom they will generally show physical affection are immediate family members (especially little kids) and sex partners. (It doesn't help that the Japanese word for "hug" (daku) is more commonly understood as a euphemism for sex.) Therefore, it is the understanding in Japan that, by displaying your affection publicly, you are communicating not only that a lot more is going on behind closed doors, but that you are only too eager to boast about such activities to the entire world. Thus, anything more than hand-holding could be considered extremely provocative. (See SacredFirstKiss for some more discussion on the subject.)
** Another factor is the fact that, traditionally in East Asian cultures, the use of the word 愛 (ai, translated as "love") and its derivatives has been generally disfavored. In China, among older generations, its use in reference to people was considered creepy and disgusting. Even nowadays in Japan, the use of 愛, as in 愛してる (ai shiteru, I love you), is seen as over-the-top exaggeratedly romantic, and it will mostly be heard in soap operas. Most Japanese, when expressing affection, will say 好きです (suki desu) or 大好きです (daisuki desu), meaning "I like you" and "I really like you", respectively (although it is understood that the speaker doesn't just ''like'' whomever they're saying this to). Even these phrases are not said as often as "I love you" in the West, as Japanese culture emphasizes actions over words (along with quite a bit more subtlety) in communicating one's love.
** All of the above issues with how romance is represented are becoming increasingly fraught as both anime and Western media increase their representation of LGBTQ characters and relationships. Many Western (and especially American) fans are quick to accuse QueerRomance series like ''Anime/YuriOnIce'' or ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'' of "[[BaitAndSwitchLesbians queerbaiting]]" based on them failing to live up to the much more direct and verbal milestones of Western TV romances. But if they compared them to popular heterosexual anime romances, they'd find they hit a lot of the same beats. Many of the expectations Western fans have of what makes a couple "canon," like an explicit "I love you" declaration, just don't apply to a culture and media landscape that tends to prize subtlety and symbolism over having feelings and messages fully spelled out -- even aside from Japan's different attitudes about RealLife romantic affection. So the fact that Western fans can piece things together despite this for man/woman couples, but not for two men or two women, really just reveals their own DoubleStandard.
* As mentioned on the main page for StayInTheKitchen, a lot of Japanese gender attitudes come across as quite sexist to Western audiences.
** BastardBoyfriend characters in shoujo and yaoi manga are almost always significantly more popular among Japanese fans than Western ones, where they can be seen as glamorizing or excusing abusive or, at best, dependent behavior.
** To Western viewers, the QuittingToGetMarried trope can seem very strange that a female character would quit her job just because she was getting married, or that marriage would be seen as an alternative to a career instead of a separate issue. In the West, it's uncommon (but not unheard of) for a woman to quit her job due to getting married. Pregnancy or the husband's income is usually the more deciding factor as to why a woman would quit. In Japan and Eastern countries, a woman quitting her job once she gets married is so common, it's more or less expected to happen.
*** The West and East also have different opinions on this issue. In the West, a woman who did this would typically be seen as needy, spoiled, and overly reliant on her husband, or at worst, a gold digger. The East, on the other hand, would typically see this behaviour as someone devoted to their family and a strong pillar of support for the husband and community.
*** It's worth noting that this is something that has changed over time in the West, and likewise is also gradually changing in Japan as society becomes more comfortable with women in the workforce.Western works set in the past, such as ''Series/MadMen'', often feature a similar type of Values Dissonance in women quitting or being expected to quit their jobs upon marriage. (Though in the case of ''Mad Men'', [[DeliberateValuesDissonance it's on purpose]].)
** The treatment of sexual harassment is another issue that can raise more than a few eyebrows in Western audiences. In Japan, [[TheChikan "inappropriate touching" on trains]] is so widespread that some stations and trains have ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frotteurism signs warning women about perverts]]''. Yet, women are ''not'' supposed to raise a fuss about it should it actually happen to them; it's the emphasis on dignity coupled with an attitude of female subordination. The train stations offer women-only cars nowadays though to help alleviate the issue, but this in turn is seen as discrimination, since men-only cars have yet to be implemented. There is still great controversy in Japan over the legality of this, the lack of prosecution in all but the clearest of cases, and the lenient punishments of those who actually do get convicted.
*** It certainly doesn't help that one of the main reasons behind the creation of the separate train cars was an incident where it was found that 3 high school girls were essentially blackmailing a salaryman into getting money or saying that he tried to molest them. Cases like this are on the rise recently, as committed by savvy juniors who know they cannot be prosecuted.
*** In short, the AccidentalPervert trope simply wouldn't be a thing in any other culture; no other society has normalized sexual harassment to such a degree that a false accusation can be played for laughs, especially considering most other culture's ''de facto'' "guilty until proven innocent" policy. ([[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement Whether or not this is actually any better is a topic best discussed on another site.]]) More serious plots may feature outright, deliberate harassment, but very often the heroine will be scolded for fighting back or told not to make such a big deal out of it. Often it's not entirely clear whether the story is on the heroine's side ("sexual harassment is bad"), or backing up society's view ("the heroine needs to accept her lot in life as uncomplaining, submissive victim"). This could be due to the fact that MostWritersAreMale. In ''Manga/{{MARS}}'', for example, Kira, the heroine, is assaulted while at her work. Naturally, she retaliates. Her boss, however, forces her to apologize to her attacker, even though she is the victim. The story is just ambiguous enough to leave the reader wondering if the author takes the manager's side or the best friend's. If you were to look at a lot of shoujo manga, you will notice that the girl is considered "pure" and more "chaste" if she just quietly and tearfully takes the groping from the molester. It is generally up to her boyfriend to call the molester on it and protect her, because a woman should never protect herself. However, most shoujo manga that indulge in this are fantasies in the vein of romance novels and bodice-rippers, so they don't necessarily reflect society's actual opinions.
** This is changing somewhat; in the manga ''Manga/SgtFrog'', for instance, Aki Hinata, [[ActionGirl strong]] mother and aikido master, is groped on a train and responds by slamming her attacker to the ground. Several other writers have followed this trend, especially when dealing with strong female characters.
*** Also in the ''Manga/{{Parasyte}}'' manga, when one of the infected humans humiliates a groper, the other passengers cheer her on.
*** In one ''Manga/DetectiveSchoolQ'' anime {{filler}} episode, Megu and a rival DDS student are groped in a train. They actively track down and collar the groper, and proceed to demolish the carefully crafted alibi he presented to "prove" he wasn't guilty.
*** Something similar occurs in ''Manga/CheekyAngel''.
*** The BeachEpisode of ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub'' turned some heads among Western fans by having the heroine Haruhi be reprimanded by her male friends for confronting two thugs who were harassing some girls, but the source of the guys' complaint is that Haruhi is slight and short, knows no martial arts, and can't swim, but didn't even think of calling for help even though the guys were within earshot and the beach is swarming with ''armed private police.'' The lesson is thus less about any notions of "proper" behavior for a girl, and more about recognizing when a situation is dangerous to confront alone and being able to rely on her friends for help. At the end of the episode, it's also shown that the reason she didn't think of calling for help is that she's ''not used to having help to call on'', softening the impact of the reprimand somewhat. (This is also partly a consequence of another cultural disparity, as explained farther down the page, due to the much lower crime rate in Japan than many Western nations, Japanese people are much less inclined to call the cops in the first place because it's seen as an admission of failing your personal social responsibilities.)
*** ''Webcomic/{{Megatokyo}}'' sort of goes in between when someone [[MuggingTheMonster gropes Erika]] [[http://megatokyo.com/strip/125 on the train]]. She is at first freaked out with a 'Wtf?" expression on her face and then returns to the conversation she was having while slowly reaching behind her and painfully snapping something on the pervert. However, being written from a American's point of view on the issue, this is probably more of an exception.
*** Manga/{{Change 123}} uses this when a pervert begins molesting main-character Motoko. She quietly takes it until she transforms into [[BoisterousBruiser Hibiki]] of [[SplitPersonality HiFuMi]]. Then she proceeds to reach down, place her hand over his, and severely break his fingers. She walks off the train, leaving the pervert on his knees in agonizing pain, surrounded by confused bystanders.
** This is all but averted now, by the point of creating [[UnprovokedPervertPayback its own issue]].
** In ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', Sakura kicks in the face a man who grabs her butt. When the client she's watching over notes that girls in his town don't look after themselves that way, Sakura declares that they should.
* The YamatoNadeshiko trope, when exported to the West, seems a bit sexist... (despite the fact that their Western counterparts like ProperLady, EnglishRose or SouthernBelle exist as well)
** ...but the WellExcuseMePrincess and {{Tsundere}} types are, for some specific groups of fans, [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff far more popular overseas than they are back home]].
*** But not for others. Americans will accept Tsundere girls (due to their like of strong female characters), but only if they have a ''reason'' to snap. Otherwise, they will be seen as annoying and overly bratty. It's also easy for the girl to cross the line into DudeNotFunny if her actions are seen as unjustified, especially if she's not called out on it.
** An example of this, albeit with males rather than females, is Yuri's harem in ''LightNovel/KyoKaraMaoh''. Gentle, chivalrous Conrad seems to be the most favored candidate for Yuuri's affections in Japan. In the West, however, [[{{Tsundere}} Tsundere-esque]] Wolfram appears to have a bigger following. Mind you, this may be due to Conrad being interpreted as a father-figure by some Westerners.
** On the third hand, [[http://loserzcomic.comicgenesis.com/d/20010822.html presentation is everything...]]
** Likewise, in ''Manga/AiYoriAoshi'', Kaoru's preferred match is YamatoNadeshiko Sakuraba Aoi for Japanese fans; but western fans prefer hooking him up with LovableSexManiac and ManicPixieDreamGirl-wannabe Tina Foster.
** Another notable ValuesDissonance is the fact that pure {{Tomboy}}s, while well-liked in the west, are [[TomboyWithAGirlyStreak very, very hard to come across in Japanese works]], except in those deliberately aimed at a global audience or set in a western setting written by those who have ShownTheirWork and/or have actually grown up heavily exposed to western culture; this can even be seen in those who fit tomboy tropes like the {{Tsundere}}, UnkemptBeauty, PassionateSportsGirl, {{Bokukko}}, and sometimes even ''TheLadette''. [[TruthInTelevision Like in real life]], it is not uncommon to see masculine girls and women seeing said masculinity as a flaw, [[TomboyAngst wanting to be more feminine]], or becoming angry if someone doesn't think they're feminine, to the possible annoyance of western fans who are very much used to independent women who embrace their un-femininity. This is very much shown in the expression "Girl Power"; while in English it means purely ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin, the expression's closest translated equivalent in Japanese, "Joshiryoku", [[NoGuyWantsAnAmazon describes how well a girl cooks, how good she looks, and generally how attractive she is to men]].
*** That aside, Japanese viewers who watch a lot of American (and to a lesser extent, European) television will grow accustomed to the pure tomboy character. Some even find them more appealing than their own country's female character archetypes, as is evident in how ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'''s Rainbow Dash is actually pretty far up in the unofficial popularity polls for their PeripheryDemographic (though 4th in the Mane Six), going as far as gaining the nickname "Air Wife" as so many of them find her assertive and athletic personality so appealing.
** In Japan and several other Asian countries, it's common to see women cover their mouth with their hand while laughing, as showing your teeth and laughing out loud is considered unladylike and lacking in class. Many anime and manga set in places like America and Europe have female characters do this as well, even though those countries generally don't have this specific hangup.
* Anime often features underage or [[OlderThanSheLooks underage-looking]] girls in sexualized outfits and situations. While this is often blamed on Japan supposedly having a lower age of consent than the West, this is a misconception; Japanese sex laws are notoriously complicated, and the common generalization of "13+ is legal" has led to a number of stauatory rape cases caused by ephibophilic foreigners traveling to Japan specifically to diddle teenagers. While nationally, the minimum age of consent is 13, it's set at the prefecture level where it's always 16 or higher, making it comparable to most U.S. states. Additionally, what constitutes "legal" age is dependent on whether or not one is 18 or older: Japanese law expressly forbids sexual activity between 18+ individuals and people below the age of 18, but people who are younger than 18 and at or above their prefecture's minimum age of consent are permitted to engage in sexual activity with people up to one year older or younger than them (so long as they're also between the minimum legal age and 17). This has more to do with a culture that prizes innocence (particularly in women) higher than the West does in the first place; Japan fetishizes innocence in a way that would come off to Westerners as demeaning to women at best and borderline [[PaedoHunt pedophilic]] at worst. Even so, this is more ValuesDissonance with anime otaku culture in particular rather than Japanese culture as a whole, where those images are often used to condemn anime and its fandom in general as perverted.
** Its most famous and well-talked about example is ''Anime/SailorMoon'' when it first aired in the West during the 90s. The show's emphasis on female sexuality and fanservices were particularly loved by male audiences. However, things went downhill when Western viewers learned that many of the female characters whom they have been jacking off to were in their teens. The main character, Sailor Moon, who was given so much visual focus, was 14(!). It caused an uproar in America at that time and made some frowned upon changes in its format as well.
** In another form of dissonance, America tends to react more harshly to this than other Western countries, as due to HollywoodProvincialism most media treats the age of consent over there as 18, while several other Western countries (and some other US states) have it at 16, and find it very strange that America reacts so objectionably to teenage sexual activity.
* Nudity in Japanese culture is viewed ''very'' differently. While it's used for plain old FanService, it's also used to convey innocence and purity. This ''really'' causes a problem with children -- a nude child or a panty shot is not intended to be sexual at all in Japanese culture and in fact, a nude child is often intended to emphasize their ''lack'' of sexuality. Consider, for example, the bathing scenes in ''Anime/MyNeighborTotoro'' ([[BathtubBonding in which the father is bathing with his preteen daughters]]) or the ''numerous'' panty shots in ''Anime/KikisDeliveryService''.[[note]]On Wiki/ThisVeryWiki, there was -– [[Administrivia/PermanentRedLinkClub once upon a time]] –- a page called "Innocent Panties", which were just that. It had to be cut because... um... [[Administrivia/TheGoogleIncident well]]...[[/note]] This does ''not'' translate well to a pedophile-wary West, in which any instance of this is thought of as child pornography. Parents bathing with children, even fathers and daughters, is not uncommon in Japan, up to a certain age. Girls taking baths together is considered more a relaxing social thing than anything else, especially if they happen to be visiting an [[HotSpringsEpisode onsen]], even (stereotypically) comparing bust sizes and curves and such while in the bath. Even mixed sex baths are OK, as it's not really a sexual thing, just a chance to relax and chat with friends. It should be noted however that this is mainly dissonant with American values. Many European countries share Japanese attitude about children appearing naked and parents bathing with their children. Northern Europe has a whole bathing tradition where mixed sex bathing is seen as a relaxing activity and sexualizing it is frowned upon.
** Interestingly, America did not used to be quite so uptight about this. Look at classic advertisements for [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coppertone_girl Coppertone sun block from 1953]].
** In some anime programs, ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'', any nudity or suggested nudity tends to be censored when ported to the Western viewers; in the ''Yu-Gi-Oh GX'' episode "It's all Relative", Bastion [[{{Streaking}} takes off his clothes completely before running]] after his moment of deep thought. In the Western Port, Bastion was still wearing his boxers, but in both ports the rest of the characters just simply watches on and no action in taken, unlike what would've happened in America, where such action was grounds for arrest.
** This lack of nudity taboo makes the prominent testicles on many Japanese depictions of tanuki highly problematic during localization. Same can be said for depictions of tomcats and male dogs, since the testicles will often be drawn and even joked about.
** Carrying over from cultural ideas about the NippleAndDimed trope, Japan has an odd way of balancing it out. Female breasts will be covered, but generally have the nipples present, albeit censored. Male chests will be left uncovered, but instead have [[BarbieDollAnatomy no nipples to speak of]] (or an areola-shaped mark ''resembling'' nipples, but no nipples themselves), unlike western works where they tend to be shown in full. The exceptions to the rule tend to be sparse, but when they can be found, it will be in female-targeted works. Fully uncensored male nipples, like female ones, will be mostly in 18+ series, and in their highest density if there [[YaoiGenre aren't any]] [[BaraGenre girls involved]] in the sexual acts within.
* Then there's the fact that in certain Western countries (like the USA, Australia, and Canada but not most of Europe), [[KissingCousins cousin intermarriage]] is treated as almost as bad as BrotherSisterIncest (both as a cultural taboo and, in some jurisdictions, a criminal offense), causing an aversion to cousin [[UnwantedHarem Unwanted Haremettes]] in DatingSim games and shows based upon them. Cousin marriage is fully legal in Japan and seen more as odd or quaint than [[{{Squick}} Squicky]]. It is still comparatively common in some social circles as a way to ensure an equitable match. The acceptability of KissingCousins varies from series to series. In many it's barely even like they're cousins, but in others it can be a big moral dilemma. For example in ''Manga/DailyLivesOfHighSchoolBoys'', one of the characters has a crush on a boy only to learn he's her cousin, prompting her to abandon said feelings.
* In many anime, a character will be reprimanded for laughing loudly, crying, or generally showing an "excess of emotion." While this may be universally understood in certain places (such as in an important meeting, in the cinema, or in a library), it can be confusing if the character is just sitting with friends or talking to their parents. It only makes sense once you realize the emphasis Japanese culture puts on Dignity, and [[ItCantBeHelped not bothering other people with your personal problems]]. It works both ways, of course. The stereotypical American's emotional and dramatic nature, as well as their infamous Constitutional right to own a gun, is absolutely shocking to the Japanese population. This resulted in "[[{{Eagleland}} half-crazy, gun-toting American]]" characters appearing in anime. Examples: Leon of ''Manga/PetShopOfHorrors'', K from ''{{Manga/Gravitation}}'', and most of the cast of ''{{Manga/FAKE}}'' (except Ryo, who's [[ButNotTooForeign half Japanese]]). Another example happens when laws allowing citizens to own guns are passed: ''Anime/BurstAngel'', for example, depicts Tokyo as slowly becoming a more rotten place than [[ViceCity the lowest]] ''[[ViceCity favelas]]'' [[ViceCity of Rio de Janeiro]] after one of these laws was enacted.
** France has a similar attitude toward private gun ownership, as has Britain, which introduced some of the tightest gun control laws in Europe after the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunblane_massacre Dunblane]] and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungerford_massacre Hungerford]] massacres.
** In ''LightNovel/{{Akikan}}'', the main character had to transfer to a new school after saving a friend from a kidnapper using the kidnapper's own gun. To a Japanese audience, this is apparently considered horrifying and scandalous, while in an American context, he would have been lauded as a hero for his actions.
*** Similarly, Shino Asada's story in ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline''. She and her mother were at the bank when an armed thief came in, and a series of events culminated in her getting a grip on the thief's gun and shooting him. Because of Japan's values towards guns and ChildrenAreInnocent, she sees herself as some kind of monster, until Kirito finds the woman and child she saved and introduces them to her.
** Perhaps this can be best illustrated by a story. In an unnamed show, the group consisting of two Texans, a Louisianan, a French-raised American, and a Brazilian. When the protagonist of the show pulled out his personal pistol and shot a guy about to cause somebody else harm, the Texans and Louisianan applauded the action as the act of a good Samaritan. In those states, citizens didn't have reliable police services at one time and had to protect themselves from Indian raiders and troublemakers. The French-raised American and the Brazilian were both horrified and thought they saw an act of barbarity, since the protagonist shot the guy rather than trying to talk him down.
* In Japan, the extended middle finger is seen as a harmless, petty gesture ([[DamnYouMuscleMemory for Japanese sign language, anyway]]), like sticking your tongue out. Hence, the reason Old Tom gives one to Star Saber in ''Anime/TransformersVictory'', a children's cartoon.
** Likewise with the tendencies to flip people exhibited in the main characters of the ''VideoGame/ViewtifulJoe'' anime and the ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' manga (though not the anime).
** In ''Manga/GreatTeacherOnizuka'', there are times when the titular character did the finger. Apparently, that one's a humorous case of {{Deliberate Values Dissonance}}; he's telling whoever it is "f*** you" in a "harmless" way.
** Subverted in ''Manga/LuckyStar'' when Akira flips off the camera and her finger is blurred. Likewise, at least one instance of a character flipping the bird was removed from the anime of ''Manga/OnePiece.''
** This sort of thing is also why ''[[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Gurren Lagann's]]'' [[FanNickname Bruce Ironstaunch]] is [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff loved in America]] for giving Rossiu a BicepPolishingGesture when he announces the arrest of Simon. In Japan, the reaction was approval. In America, it was more of a "Who the Hell do you think ''you'' are?"
** However, Japan ''does'' have its own equivalent of the middle finger, which is a clenched fist with the thumb sticking out between the index and middle fingers (it essentially means, "get fucked" in most contexts). In the West (well, most of the West), this is a harmless gesture. At least currently, since it DID carry that meaning until recently (it's called a fig). Similarly, pointing with the thumb down accomplishes a similar effect, which may confuse American audiences (as in America it mainly just means "no" or "not good").
** Lampshaded in ''Anime/TheLegendOfBlackHeaven'': deceased band member Joseph Watanabe doesn't understand what he's doing when he goes waving his middle finger around after getting pinched by a lobster. He was in the US on a solo tour at the time. As a result, a very large, angry man throws him through a billboard. It was clearly emphasized that he really didn't understand what was offensive about it.
** Subverted in the baseball episode of ''Anime/SamuraiChamploo'', where one of the Japanese characters was flipping off another in the episode and it was blurred. Of course, half the cast in that episode were Americans.
** [[http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Raising+middle+finger+is+insult+in+Japan+too,+judge+says.-a079021564 A Tokyo District Court judge]] in a 2001 assault case noted that while "the finger" may not be as common in Japan as in the U.S., it's a recognized symbol of insult and provocation. As a result, the person making the gesture bore some responsibility for the punch in the face he received.
* As some specific examples below can show you, Japan has a... ''different'' way of dealing with child abuse than the West. Child abuse is treated as something the family themselves should deal with, and that it's no one else's business. Several series where a teacher or fellow student tries to tell someone has the speaker shot back down, told to not get involved, or worse, which is pretty much exactly what happens to them in real life; [[NightmareFuel unfortunately for]] [[TearJerker many Japanese children]], [[AbusiveParents this real-life "tradition"]] [[http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/02/14/japan.child.abuse/index.html?hpt=C2 is putting tremendous strain on Japan's social services...]]
* Related to the child abuse are vastly differing ideas for what makes a good parent, which can presumably be traced back to ideals regarding filial piety. In manga, a parent that ignores or even commits what a Western audience would consider child abuse are more likely to be overlooked or even praised depending on the situation. A parent who is too busy working to pay any attention to their child may be considered hard-working and supportive despite their hurt and confused children and one who verbally or even physically attacks their child for what is considered improper behavior may be simply considered strict but well-meaning and possibly correct. When actual error is admitted in parenting, the child is also expected to forgive them easily. If they don't, the problem is assumed to be with the ''child'' and not the parent.
** For example, Tomoya in ''VisualNovel/{{Clannad}}'' was actually given a permanent injury that disabled full usage of his arm by his father, who after the fight began ignoring his child to the point where Tomoya felt like a stranger in his own home and nearly failed out of school as a result of not wanting to come home while his father is awake. However, in the true route, Tomoya is expected to forgive him because his father was trying to raise him on his own and was doing his best until he just gave up.
** In ''Manga/BinbougamiGa'', the main character is the victim of extreme neglect with her parents regularly breaking promises or failing to appear for any events in her life to the point that by the time she was a little girl she'd given up on them. When her father comes back to Japan for the first time in what is implied to be ''years'' after having fun as a musician in America, his daughter wants nothing to do with him, especially since his idea of an apology is 'Okay, now that I'm back for the first time in a decade, we can all be a family in a place you've never been apart from everyone you've ever known.' The next couple chapters are all devoted to trying to make ''Ichiko'' be more 'reasonable' and forgive her father, who is now considered the victim. Earlier, Ranmaru had been portrayed as noble for sticking up for a father that had beaten her and forced her to live a lifestyle she was not comfortable with because of his own desires.
* Related to that, it's much more common to see incidents of parents hitting their children being PlayedForLaughs in Japanese productions. In the west, modern day comedic portrayals of domestic violence towards children are generally limited to intentionally offensive or edgy productions like ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' and ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' (and even then, the latter show once got into hot water with the network over an episode where Butter got beaten by his parents), whereas in Japan, it's not uncommon to see incidents like that in various works regardless of genre or content level.
* The phrase [[DeclarationOfProtection "I'll protect you"]] in Japanese is often used in anime as a declaration of devotion and commitment -- especially when said to a woman by a man -- and not a petition to be her bodyguard (although that [[BodyguardCrush does come up now and again]]). It's often translated as just "I love you" in English. Because gender roles in Japanese culture are much more rigid than in other parts of the world, this is sometimes used to show a male character who has been less than macho to be stepping up as a man, and gives a tomboyish girl a chance to showcase her femininity by being protected like girls are supposed to. This can be weird for Western audiences, who are left to wonder why the hero is offering to ''protect'' his [[ActionGirl super-powered/magical/martial artist/psionic girlfriend]] if she's clearly capable of taking care of herself. Girls who want to be protected despite being capable are similarly confusing for Western audiences.
** In ''Manga/PrincessKnight'', Sapphire says this to a female knight who is helping her escape from a dungeon, as they are being attacked by enemy soldiers. The female knight is confused, and yells at Sapphire for talking "like a man".
* Japanese couples will often use the term ''Lover'' to innocently describe their relationship status. This is essentially telling others they are boyfriend/girlfriend in Western terms. However, with a Western context, this statement takes on a much deeper meaning, as the term ''Lover'' connotes a sexually active relationship, and often an inherently adulterous one - which can be somewhat shocking to Western audiences when high school couples use the term, what reads to Japanese audiences as a neutral statement that "I am in a relationship" [[MistakenForCheating reads to many]] English-speaking audiences as "I am not only being unfaithful to my significant other but most likely having actual sex on the side."
** Granted, this is sometimes a translation issue, as with situations where the gender of the potential partner should be ambiguous. Japanese has a gender-neutral term for "boyfriend"/"girlfriend" but English doesn't really have one that communicates the same meaning ("partner" tends to imply something more serious in a romantic context, and also can mean a totally platonic or professional relationship. The verb form "dating" is gender-neutral and quite common, but there is no one-word, gender-neutral term for "the one I date/am dating"). "Lover" is the closest equivalent. This became an issue with ''Anime/YuriOnIce'' when the official subs initially translated Victor as asking Yuri if he'd ever had a ''girlfriend'' and then talking about his "first girlfriend." The Japanese term, though, was gender-neutral and [[QueerRomance given the nature of the series]], it was kind of important to keep it that way. The official English dub changes the word to "lover" to avoid confusion.
* Teacher-student romantic relationships can be pretty common, even suggested as ideal or desirable, in fairly mainstream romance manga like ''Manga/MaisonIkkoku'' or ''Manga/MarmaladeBoy''. This can be pretty shocking in the U.S., where PaedoHunt worries have increasingly put the kibosh on media romanticizing those relationships ([[Series/PrettyLittleLiars though exceptions still exist]]). In RealLife, the stigma is so strong in the U.S. that even American ''colleges'' typically fire professors who sleep with their students (as it's seen as either the professor abusing his power or the student using sex as a bribe for a better grade). Japan in general is less uncomfortable with UnequalPairing in media and even, to a certain extent, real life, though of course teachers of high school level and below sleeping with students are still considered wrong and face severe consequences.
* Japanese media attitudes about homosexuality differ greatly from Western views. On the one hand, it's a lot more common in anime, and they usually make less of an issue out of them; you'll find a lot less {{Gayngst}} and [[ComingOutStory Coming-Out Stories]], for example. Japanese media is also more likely to emphasize the romance in these storylines, rather than the sex. On the other hand, the apparent acceptance is largely due to seeing homosexual relationships as a fancy of youth which provides "training" for "real" opposite-sex relationships later in life; this is why you see so many SchoolgirlLesbians but not so many older ones. As recently as 2013, a lesbian couple made headlines for having a wedding ceremony at Toyko Disneyland despite the fact that same-sex marriages are not legally recognized by the Japanese government. One of the brides even stated in interviews that she hoped the attention their ceremony garnered would help convince the government to stop marginalizing sexual minorities.
** This attitude is actually discussed in ''Manga/SweetBlueFlowers''. Hinako's mother tries to set her up with a male suitor despite the fact that she knows Hinako is in a live-in relationship with her longtime girlfriend Orie, and when Hinako scoffs at this, her mother dismisses their relationship since they aren't legally married. In the final chapter, the couple state that they'd be interested in getting married if they could find a way to do so, a rarity in Yuri manga. Indeed, the ending drew acclaim from some LGBT rights activists for showing [[spoiler: Fumi and Akira in a live-in relationship after they graduate, making it clear their relationship is legitimate and not just youthful experimentation or "a phase"]].
** Westerners' attitudes toward anime portrayals of homosexuality have evolved a great deal over the years as Western attitudes about the subject itself have evolved. As recently as the late 90's, worries about MoralGuardians led English localizers to often turn same-sex couples in anime into opposite-sex couples or HeterosexualLifePartners (the [[TheNineties 90s]] North American dub of ''Anime/SailorMoon'' infamously did both). The fact that anime has enough homosexuality to devote [[YuriGenre two whole]] [[YaoiGenre genres]] to it was seen as progressive, but as SocietyMarchesOn (and as more Westerners find out what Japanese attitudes toward homosexuality are really like), it gets more criticism from the West for relying on tropes like BaitAndSwitchLesbians and IfItsYouItsOkay. While there are some LGBTQ people in Japan who hold similar complaints, the {{Yuri}} and YaoiGenre tend to get flack from Westerners who assume that the authors are straight and AlwaysFemale, who write works geared towards a straight audience, when a good number of authors and readership are male and/or queer themselves.
** ''Manga/BloomIntoYou'' sometimes discusses this trope. It turns out that at Sayaka's previous (all-girls) school, she had been in a relationship with her senpai, until said senpai broke up with her, saying they were getting too old for the relationship. Later on, the senpai showed up and apologized for making Sayaka interested in girls, hoping she was back to normal by now. Sayaka, who's still a lesbian and in love with Touko, [[StealthInsult tells her senpai that she doesn't need to worry, since Sayaka doesn't know why she fell for the older girl in the first place]], then leaves arm-in-arm with Touko. While many characters don't take the prospect of a relationship between two girls seriously, two adults are in a committed, if [[SecretRelationship secret]], lesbian relationship.
* Characters such as Chocolove from ''Manga/ShamanKing'' would likely be considered highly offensive in America or any other country with a sizable black population. In fact, in the American airings of the show, his name was changed to "Joco", while the English translations of the manga were altered to give him a less offensive physical appearance. However, such depictions of black characters are not anything out of the ordinary for Japan, which has a complicated history when it comes to things like {{Blackface}}, with heroic and otherwise sympathetic black characters often being given minstrel characteristics. As Japan lacks the racial history and context, blackface humor is often not portrayed as offensive, and indeed, can even be considered positive, shocking as that sounds. Japan's lack of comparative racial sensitivity makes sense when you remember that Japan is an ''extremely'' ethnically homogenous nation, and it is very possible for a Japanese citizen who doesn't leave the nation to go their entire lives without actually meeting a black person.
** Another prominent example would be Cyborg 008 from ''Manga/{{Cyborg 009}}'', who despite being one of the protagonists and not a source of comic relief, was drawn as a blackface caricature in the manga and most of the original adaptations. He was finally given a normal-looking appearance in the 2001 anime adaptation and has thankfully been depicted as such in most subsequent appearances.
*** The original manga has other dissonant moments, such as [[TheAtoner Doctor Gilmore]] being much more of a {{Jerkass}} at times and Joe telling Francoise to StayInTheKitchen.
** A good example would be Episode 8 of ''Manga/LoveLab'', which contains an uncomfortable gag involving several Japanese schoolgirls in {{Blackface}}. While the scene was rightfully found offensive by a number of Western viewers, it's made clear that the girls aren't trying to be racist and actually meant to use the make-up ''[[ComplimentBackfire as a compliment]]''. They even state afterwards that they find black women to be strong and beautiful.
** Case in point: [[https://sistaintokyo.blogs.com/sista_in_tokyo/2006/05/sista_in_tokyo_.html in 2006, the Japanese government issued illustrated earthquake safety pamphlets to English-speaking tourists which, in an attempt to show diversity, included black/African-American characters.]] Unfortunately, these black characters were drawn in a manner which would be seen as embarrassingly outdated in Western society ''at best'', large pink lips and all. Complaints were made, assumptions were formed, and Japan was left wondering what the big deal was.
** This is a very common cause of CrossCulturalKerfuffle between Japan and Western nations, lack of exposure to other racial groups means that Japanese creators or citizens are on average less familiar with the negative stereotypes associated with them. Case in point, this UsefulNotes/BarackObama [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sockobama-thumb-400x505.jpg Sock Monkey]] plushie. Japanese viewers, who were less cognizant of the [[https://www.huffingtonpost.co.za/2018/01/15/comparing-black-people-to-monkeys-has-a-long-dark-simian-history_a_23333383/ long history]] of racist images comparing black people in the US to monkeys, just saw the cute stuffed toy celebrating an important politician, and without the important cultural context, were left wondering, how could it be a bad thing to have yourself represented as an adorable stuffed toy? Conversely, Americans were unsurprisingly outraged by what was perceived as a racist comparison denigrating the achievements of the first black president.
* Japan has a very odd view on humility when it comes to talking about family members within their vicinity. In places like America, we tend to agree when other people say "your child is so good at this-and-that." For Japan...when someone says your child is good at something, people respond like this, "Oh, no! She/He's such an embarrassment to the family!" This has been going on since ancient times, and this is considered the highest form of humbleness and humility, while Americans might construe it as either demeaning or even verbal abuse. The Japanese consider bragging about their child's talents to be impolite and rude. It's not restricted to children, either--when given a compliment in Japan, you are expected to deny it. Agreeing makes you sound extremely arrogant. This is even {{lampshade|Hanging}}d in a comedy manga called ''My Darling Is A Foreigner.''
* This leads to another point: HeroicSelfDeprecation is seen ''very'' differently between Japan and the West. In Japan, you are obliged to talk-down your own achievements when speaking to others, even to the point of outright calling yourself ''bad'' at the things you do. [[ThinkNothingOfIt This is seen as polite and humble]]. In the West, a character who does this is considered to have major self-esteem issues or [[TheCynic having cynical attitudes]] at best, and as an unsympathetic spineless wimp at worst. Conversely, being assertive and taking pride in your own accomplishments is seen as extremely egotistical in Japan.
* In general, Germany gets far better treatment in Japanese media than other Western countries, say France/Italy/UK/USA:
** For example, a Japanese audience would have huge difficulties understanding why the AllGermansAreNazis trope is '''bad'''/a portrayal as inherently ''evil'', as to them it's just "part of German history", thus it gets used more unironically (even positively!) in Japanese media than in European or American productions, even when talking about the questionable portions of German history (again, "it's just history"). There are three possible reasons for this; Germany played a large part in modernizing Japan economically and politically in the late 19th century, and the Japanese are grateful, Germany has no history as a colonial power in the Far East beyond a Chinese port and some pacific islands, and Germany and Japan were allies during the Second World War (Japan was an ally of Britain and fought against Germany during the first world war, but their part in the war was mostly taking ports and islands in the pacific and the fights were over quickly and without much loss on Japan's end. Due to this, German characters tend to be disciplined, straight-laced no-nonsense types and often have military backgrounds (like Asuka from ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'', Elise from ''Anime/SkyGirls'', Laura from ''LightNovel/InfiniteStratos'' (complete with SS style uniforms for the Schwarzer Hase special unit), Leo from ''LightNovel/TheIrregularAtMagicHighSchool'' etc, just to mention a few more recent examples). That said there are of course also the opposite types, special mention going to the Vampire Nazis of Millennium from ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}''.
*** Perhaps part of the reason for the different attitudes can also be tied into the respective outcomes for each country in the wake of UsefulNotes/WW2. Germany's international name was soiled, with the world-famous Nuremburg Trials and other, more informal acts -- like Allied units forcing German townspeople at gunpoint to march out to the concentration camps and see the human refuse left behind by the atrocities committed there -- cementing the "evil that Germany did" into the minds of the Allied countries. Even in the present day, the German government and media work tirelessly to keep that feeling of shame alive, to imprint into the social consciousness that "this must never happen again", even when the public's opinion is shifting to "Give it a rest already, we get it!" In contrast, ''Japan's'' war crimes, such as the Rape of Nanking and the horrific human experiments carried out at Unit 731, are comparatively obscure outside of China, so other countries don't forcibly remind Japanese people of them the way they do Germans of Nazis. Furthermore, the Japanese government has attempted to downplay, obscure or outright ''cover up'' these crimes, so most Japanese people have no idea that they acted as bad as the Nazis during [=WW2=]. It's easy to not feel ashamed when nobody tells you that you did anything to be ashamed ''of''.
** On a side note, this is also true in other countries with similar relationships that Japan has to Germany, like Mexico. ''Music/{{Rammstein}}'' had a concert there and a fan brought a t-shirt with a swastika and wanted it signed. Rammstein had to inform him that they, as Germans, are deeply ashamed of this part of history, which got a confused reaction along the lines of "Why is that? It's your history, you should be proud of your country's history." End line was that a local radio station send messages that no one please bring any stuff with Nazi iconography since modern Germans completely reject it and are ashamed that it ever even happened.
* Calling the police, especially in a domestic dispute. In the West, it's never something you want to do, but you do it if you must, and there's no shame in it if you're the victim. However, the Japanese pride themselves in being a civilized people, who can resolve conflicts in a socially acceptable manner. Calling the police is proof that one has failed at doing so, and is consequently seen as disgraceful. Japan also has both a very low crime rate and very low rates of gun ownership (see above), unlike the West (especially the United States), where the default assumption is that if you are calling the police it's an emergency and you or someone close to you is in immediate danger. Consequently, calling the cops in Japan is seen less as "officer, I fear for the safety of myself or a loved one or the personal private property of myself or a loved one" and "officer, I need you to take time out of your day to help me resolve this civil dispute I am incapable of dealing with on my own."
* A common Japanese phrase used at introductions or on New Year's Day is 宜しくお願いします [[note]]yoroshiku onegaishimasu[[/note]], or, more informally, どうぞ宜しく [[note]]douzo yoroshiku[[/note]]. Literally translated, they mean "Please take care of me," which, especially if said to a complete stranger, would sound comically needy in the West, and can seem rather odd to Western viewers of more literally translated Japanese media. However, in Japan, these phrases have the same purpose as "Nice to meet you" does in English, and [[{{Woolseyism}} many language courses and official anime dubs translate them as such]].
* Animal Cruelty is not considered to be okay at all in the West and everyone who takes part in it, whether or not it is in a fictional story or in real life, is considered to be a PsychopathicManchild at best, but works that portray it as being that humiliating are accessible there for everyone. In Japan it's considered taboo and works about it are there as hard to obtain as LoliconAndShotacon works are in the West. The anime ''[[Manga/MrArashisAmazingFreakShow Midori (Shojo Tsubaki)]]'' is a good example of this, because it has scene in which animal cruelty was shown to show how morally low the standards of the people in the circus have become. In Japan the anime was temporarily banned because of those scenes, with even the creator saying that he refuses to screen it unless the avenue is presented as a carnival highway. In the West it premiered to much acclaim in a few film festivals and got a French DVD release with multiple dubs for those Europeans interested enough to import it, with the main point of discussion for Western critics being how well it succeeded at being a DarkerAndEdgier take on ''Literature/{{Cinderella}}''. It is therefore often used in the same reviews as an example to show how much more tolerant Western culture is in comparison to the Japanese culture.
** Interestingly, the Westerners' reaction to ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' penchant to having animals, both good and bad, being brutally killed was really shocking. But apparently that's because Creator/HirohikoAraki has no qualms about showing how horrific his villains can be.
** It did however evoke the same feelings on both sides of the Pacific when it showed up in ''Manga/ElfenLied'', where a couple kids murder a defenseless puppy just to mess with one of the protagonists. Even though in return she retaliated and killed them all for it, there is almost nobody who thinks they didn't deserve it.
* A lot of discussions about feminist media in the West stumble when they try to apply the same standards to anime, where some of the fault lines and stereotypes are different. For example, UsefulNotes/TheBechdelTest, which requires that a work "has two named female characters who talk to each other about something other than a man," can be seen as reductive but as addressing a real problem with female character representation in Western media. Yet the results are strange when applied to Japanese media, where a lot of male-oriented {{Fanservice}} features all-female casts (who therefore, mostly don't talk about boys) who are, nevertheless, full of shallow and/or stereotypical characters. Another issue comes with interpretations of MagicalGirl shows, which Western viewers often see as positive for showing that feminine girls can be strong, too, and don't need to fit the traditional tomboyish ActionGirl. In Japan, however, being a tomboy is rarely portrayed as a positive trait (as mentioned above), and even ActionGirl characters tend to be realistically feminine. So the extreme girliness of the MagicalGirl aesthetic could be seen as just furthering traditional gender roles. That said, a lot of the more basic stuff, like female characters needing to be well-rounded, realistic, not overly-sexualized, and have lives outside of male characters, apply across cultural boundaries. It's worth noting Japan does have its own feminist movement that criticizes Japanese popular media like anime, too, even if not enough of their works have been translated into Western languages.
* Dairy products are not part of the traditional Japanese diet. In particular, cheese, due the method of its making (curdled milk laced with stomach enzymes), is considered absolutely disgusting by some of the older population. It helps that in general, most of the Japanese population is lactose intolerant, as being able to process lactose is a trait that comes mostly from Europe in origin.
* The RealMenHateSugar trope comes off as this to certain audiences. It appears in a lot of Japanese works, but it tends to come across as overcompensating in many other countries (with the exception of alcoholic beverages and sometimes [[RealMenTakeItBlack coffee]]). If anything, the notion that hating sweets is "manly" comes off as immature.
* Ever wonder why you never see characters in Japanese works with braces, even in live action? Aside from the procedure being more expensive and not covered by insurance, straight teeth are not considered all that important in Japan, and [[UglyCute crooked teeth are even considered cute]]. There is also an attitude resulting from this where the Japanese assume that dentists are not only overly expensive, but also actively malicious and may intentionally slow down the procedure to get paid even more. Few professions, bar judges, have such a negative reputation.
* Speaking of, it is judges, not lawyers, that are distrusted (sometimes even hated) in Japan. This has historical reasons: a lawyer was generally a common person educated in law, while a judge would always be a noble, and Japanese nobles, just like any other, tended to be arrogant and malicious towards peasants. For this reason, the judge in ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney'' gets off a lot worse than a Western audience would normally expect and thus in the translations, the judge is portrayed as a Cloudcuckoolander to balance the original script and Western expectations.
* The SenpaiKohai and various related tropes are commonplace in many, many anime and manga (it would be easier to list those in which they don't appear) and are an accepted part of Japanese society. In the West, however, where respect is usually given equally on the basis of talent and seniority, rather than just the latter, the opinions of such a system can range from hopelessly quaint to downright insulting, especially if the kohai is more competent, few years of experience separate the two, or both.
* The [[UsefulNotes/MediaClassifications age ratings]] you'll find on anime and manga—specifically shonen and shoujo—outside of Japan will often not match the intended target demographic. For example, Creator/VIZMedia has a separate "Shonen Jump Advanced" line, which publishes more mature Shonen Jump titles such as ''Manga/DeathNote'' and ''Manga/FoodWars'' with at least an "Older Teen" rating and sometimes parental advisory labels. Despite this, these same titles are read by elementary and middle schoolers in Japan, and no one bats an eye with them being shelved/ran in the same magazine as tamer titles.
* Curly hair being portrayed as [[CurlyHairIsUgly inherently ugly or unappealing]] is a no-no in many places such as the Americas or UK and can even lead to accusations of racism. In Japan most people have straight hair, given how ethnically homogeneous the country is. Naturally wavy/curly hair is uncommon and often associated with JapaneseDelinquents. As a result, manga and anime are more likely to make fun of a character for having curly hair (and without the mockery being portrayed as negative in the narrative). {{Funny Afro}}s are also more common in Japanese media, as are characters whose [[DarkSkinnedBlonde ethnicity]] [[DarkSkinnedRedhead is]] [[AmbiguouslyBrown unclear]]. Since Japan is such an ethnically homogenous country, and most of its citizens have very little exposure to people of other races, so traits like dark skin, curly hair, or large lips are perceived by anime fans as just another "neutral", if exotic, characteristic regarding someone's appearance, no more ethnically significant than their haircut or the color of their eyes or hair ([[YouGottaHaveBlueHair especially the hair]]) without the racial connotations that they inherently carry in more diverse nations. As a consequence, most Japanese fans don't see those characters as actually ''representing'' any specific ethnicity at all, (and they usually aren't), compared to Western countries like North America or the UK where these characters are assumed to be representative of ''something'', even if it's just "mixed ethnicity."
* Similiar to the above, red hair and, to a lesser extent, blonde hair, while normal colors in the West, have different connations in the East.
* The HugeSchoolgirl trope often confuses non-Japanese fans. In many countries, the typical height measurement given for said girls would be average height if not a bit ''short'' for their age, but by Japanese standards, they're abnormally tall. This makes sense when you remember that Japan is, statistically speaking, a very short nation by height. [[note]]Wiki/ThatOtherWiki gives the height of the average Japanese man as being 170.7 cm (5 ft 7 in) in height and the average woman as 158.0 cm (5 ft 2 in). Most other countries in the West have a significantly taller population on average. The United States, for example, is on average a full 4cm taller (2 in) taller than Japan, with 175.7 cm (5 ft 9 in) being the norm for men and 162.9 cm (5 ft 4 in) for women.[[/note]] Above-average height for females is much more of a severe downside in a country where cuteness is a [[UsefulNotes/{{Kawaisa}} pervasive cultural force]] and the standards of beauty for females heavily prioritizes [[{{Moe}} petite cuteness]], often in a very young or childlike manner (there's a reason why the MagicalGirl genre is almost entirely represented by women and girls who are both A: very short or petite, and B: appear to be [[VagueAge somewhere between 12 and 17 years old]]) rather than "highly-developed and sexy", as is the standard of beauty in most Western cultures, and one to which being tall does not inherently interfere with. Even in cases where female characters or school-age girls ''are'' tall by Western standards, this is not usually seen as a bad thing, and sometimes even as a [[StatuesqueStunner bonus]] by many men both in fiction and in real life.
* ThirdPersonPerson characters are common in Japan, as it's usually viewed as either a sign of childishness (whether it's from actual children or older characters with childish personalities) or a sign of humility. Dubs and translations often remove this as it either comes off as either annoying in the language or it unintentionally sounds cocky. The dissonance is even worse in Spanish, especially Mexican Spanish, where talking in third-person is often associated with, and used to bully, people with intellectual disabilities. {{Verbal Tic}}s are often removed or downplayed for similar reasons.
* A character being PutOnABus by being sent to prison creates much more FridgeHorror in some Western countries than it does in Japan. Prisons in Japan are fairly safe and their conditions aren't even expected to be much of a punishment...it's the shame that being sent there causes that provides it. In America, the UK, and some other Western countries, readers are more likely to associate prisons with [[HellholePrison hell on earth]] and see the implications as being far less benign.
* Japan makes a much bigger deal in the 'purity' of female characters than the west, which is why IdolSinger contracts often have [[ContractualPurity restrictions]] against dating and other activities. Similarly this affects a character's ability to be considered attractive to an audience: Japan does not have the same level of interest in attractive mothers as the west does and having a child is considered a negative in a characters ability to be a 'waifu'.
* It might shock Westerners, especially Americans, how the police are portrayed as UnacceptableTargets in Japanese media. {{Corrupt Cop}}s are a dime a dozen in American {{Cop Show}}s, and American police have had a long history of dealing with corruption scandals, most notably in TheRoaringTwenties when practically every single police officer in every major city was on the payroll of TheMafia. In addition, there have been many notable cases of PoliceBrutality in America during the Civil Rights era and beyond, which led to a popular public perception that a lot of police are racist, thuggish criminals who just happen to be wearing a uniform. In contrast, Japan has never had major issues with corruption or brutality (the much lower rate of violent crime helps with this), and so police are looked upon as dutiful public servants who put themselves in danger in order to keep the streets safe. While a CorruptCop may occasionally show up in anime or manga, it's usually more common when the series is not set in Japan, and depictions of Japanese cops as anything other than morally upstanding are so rare you could probably count them on one hand.
* Some Japanese stereotypes of other countries, particularly those of other Asian countries, differ so much from Western stereotypes of those same groups that socially-conscious Western fans are often far more forgiving of these characterizations than their counterparts in Japan, who see these characters as something like an EthnicScrappy. This is particularly clear with Chinese characters, with the Japanese stereotype of Chinese people as loud, duplicitous, martial arts masters differing so much from the American stereotype of Chinese people as [[AsianAndNerdy high-achieving nerds]] with [[EducationMama strict Education Mamas]]. It's to the point where you'll find some pretty grossly stereotypical Chinese (or [[FantasyCounterpartCulture Chinese-coded]]) characters in anime such as ''[[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood]]'', ''Anime/BlackButler'', or ''Manga/BananaFish'' called ''progressive'' by clueless Western fans.
* Japan has stricter views on recreational drug use than a lot of other countries. This is especially noticeable with marijuana. In a lot of western media, StonersAreFunny and a lot of characters are implied to use drugs (or at least [[GRatedStoner riff off of stereotypes]]). In Japan, this is ''much'' less common.
* In Japan, the legal drinking age is 20. This causes dissonance with many European countries where the age is 18 (or even lower). This is the rare case where the cultural values of the United States align much closer with Japan than they do with Europe, in the United States, drinking alcohol is seen as an inherently "adult" activity (which, of course, makes it [[ForbiddenFruit that much more appealing to teenagers]]) and the last milestone to becoming a fully-fledged citizen (after being legally able to smoke, vote, drive a car, buy a gun, and engage in sexual intercourse with someone else above the age of consent) whereas many European children start drinking with their parents' moderation much younger and don't really see what the big deal is. Drinking culture in Europe is in many ways similar to the way some adults in parts of the United States treat teaching their children to shoot a gun - not something you ever want your kid doing without strict adult supervision, but perfectly acceptable as long as there's a responsible adult present who makes sure that the child follows all the appropriate rules.
* Anime and manga have many {{Wholesome Crossdresser}}s, {{Bifauxnen}}s, [[DudeLooksLikeALady androgynous men]], and [[LadyLooksLikeADude androgynous women]]. Many of these characters might dress or act a certain way but they're intended to be cisgender. There are comparatively far fewer explicitly {{transgender}} characters. Fans, especially western fans, often get confused on these characters gender identities due to a combination of Values Dissonance, mixed messages in the writing (including making the mistake that TransEqualsGay), and language barriers. This can lead to characters having an AmbiguousGenderIdentity. As a result of the popularity of crossdressing boys in anime, many western fans assume explictly transgender characters are crossdressers and it's only western fans who assume otherwise. After [[spoiler:Lily]] from ''Anime/ZombieLandSaga'' was revealed to be trans, there was a controversy about whether the episode meant to imply she was a trans girl or whether, similarly to Ryo from ''[=iDOLM@STER=]'', she was intended to be an effeminate cisgender boy.
* Many Japanese schools forbid students from making stops on the way home, out of concern for their getting in trouble and negatively affecting the school's reputation, not necessarily for anything they do while there, a rule many Western viewers find overly strict. For example, in ''Manga/{{Citrus}}'', after Yuzu gets home late, her stepsister [[StudentCouncilPresident Mei]] realizes that Yuzu and her friend Harumi went to karaoke on the way home, and assigns them cleaning duty as punishment. That said, many characters in various series flout this rule, and it's often only acknowledged by their hoping that they don't get caught.
* Somewhat similar to the above, many other Japanese schools forbid students from taking part time jobs, or won't let them take jobs under very specific circumstances.
** In ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'', one early episode involves [[SadistTeacher Mr. Akashi]] threatening to revoke one of Kuwabara's friends' permission to work unless the group stays out of trouble and does well enough on their exams. This seems fairly understandable, at least from a Japanese perspective... or at least it would be, if Akashi hadn't lowered Kuwabara's score [[BatmanGambit to make him hit Akashi and break the agreement]].
** In ''Manga/YuriIsMyJob'', the main character works at a salon in which she and her coworkers roleplay as students at the prestigious Liebe Girls' Academy. While her high school lets students have part-time jobs, she's understandably confused why the ElaborateUniversityHigh portrayed would let its students talk about how best to serve customers.
* Although Japanese media has no shortage of strong, assertive female characters, many of them tend to end up in situations where a male love interest, family member, or friend has to save or stick up for them, as if this weren't something they could do themselves (and most such characters will accept this without question). Japan has gotten more socially progressive over the years, but some attitudes on traditional gender roles still linger, and there's a nagging belief that women should know "when to let a man handle things"--female characters who are unafraid to stand up for themselves are viewed as overly pushy, rude, or even downright bossy, an attitude which rather evokes StayInTheKitchen to Western viewers.
* The Japanese have a rather apathetic view towards bullying. In Western areas, bullying is treated very seriously, and schools have been cracking down hard since TheNineties due to waves of suicides and school shootings brought on by bullying to the point of harshly punishing anyone they even suspect to be bullying others. Even before that, Western students were always taught to [[TheDogBitesBack fight back]], or [[AlwaysABiggerFish help others who couldn't]]. But in places like Japan, bullying is swept under the rug, and because of Japan's rigid, conformist views, kids who get bullied are often told that it's something they themselves have to deal with, or that they [[UsefulNotes/VictimBlaming somehow brought it on themselves, even if they're bullied over something that isn't their fault]] and should reach out to the classmates bullying them, regardless of whether they'd actually resolve things or get along. This is why tropes such as LonersAreFreaks or StockShoujoBullyingTactics are so prominent in Japanese media. Japanese society wants everyone to conform to the group ideology, and if someone stands out in any way or disrupts the status quo, from something as simple as having low or high grades, or [[TheComplainerIsAlwaysWrong disagreeing with the group]], to having a disability, they are ostracized for not meeting society's standards. Plus, bullies are rarely, if ever punished, and the victim is often told that they need to be the ones to change themselves in order for any bullying to cease.[[https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/answerman/2016-06-13/.103155 These two articles here]] [[https://thisjapaneselife.org/2013/06/12/japan-ijime-bullies can explain it in more detail.]]
* There's a difference in treatment between {{hikikomori}} in Japanese media and in some other countries. It's often treated as a quirk of being a socially awkward {{otaku}} similar to how American media portrays {{Basement Dweller}}s as lazy nerds. Even if it's not, it's treated as an easily treatable weakness. In other regions, such repression would be seen as a sign of severe social anxiety or another mental illness that needs medical attention. It's also not uncommon in Japanese fiction for even teenage students to suddenly quit school and stay home, with little issue. That'd quickly lead to Child Protection's Services appearing in places like America.
* Japanese high school is much harder than Western secondary education, which leads to much lower grades. Grade inflation never hit Japanese education like it did the West, so characters in Japanese fiction end up getting low grades that a Westerner may never see throughout their entire educational career, except in some college science or engineering classes:
** A common gag in many SliceOfLife anime is a dumb or airheaded character getting scores in the single digits on exams. In the West, you have to be deliberately trying to get such low scores, as most Western high school classes are a fair bit easier than their Japanese counterparts, and many use multiple choice exams where a fair amount of points can be earned just by guessing.
** In ''Manga/KurokosBasketball'', the main character shows his test scores, which are [=50s=] and [=60s=]. The others talk about how average those are, as part of a gag about him being [[RidiculouslyAverageGuy so average he goes unnoticed]]. In the West, those grades would ''not'' be average unless the majority of the class is failing.
** To pass an exam in ''Manga/TheQuintessentialQuintuplets'', students must score above 30 percent, which proves to be so challenging for the five sisters that they have to hire a tutor. In the West, for reasons mentioned above, it's difficult to imagine a student needing everyday tutoring just to get a score higher than a 30, and no student would be crying TearsOfJoy after scoring a 34 on an exam.
* [[AffectionateGestureToTheHead Headpatting]]. In Japan and other Asian countries the gesture is, while considered to be a bit patronizing, acceptable for men to do to their girlfriends, female friends, or younger siblings. In the West, doing it to anyone older than eleven is grounds for you to get smacked.
[[/folder]]

** North America and Europe (Particularly Western Europe) tend to push "successor" systems as hard as they can. With the exception of UsefulNotes/TheSeventhGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames (Where one could still find sixth generation software and hardware on store shelves well into 2008), whenever a new generation is released, it quickly starts to take over the store shelves. The hardware and software for the previous system is usually rotated out. This wouldn't be an issue, were it not for the fact that Japan tends to "hold on" to systems much longer and that some games released at the end (or even after the "end") of the pervious system's lifespan sometimes get [[NoExportForYou kept in Japan]]. If they do get a release, they often become quite rare due to its limited run and [[AcclaimedFlop despite sometimes getting good review scores, don't sell well]] since people are busy playing the next generation system. Some games like ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar'' are a notable example of this. For reference? The Famicom and Super Famicom were discontinued in 2003 in Japan. In North America? The SNES was discontinued in 1999, and the NES was discontinued in 199'''5'''. The Sega Saturn was discontinued in Japan in 2000, whereas it was discontinued in 1998 everywhere else. Japan's not quick to abandon "outdated" systems.

* Creator/{{Teletoon}} and Creator/{{YTV}} shows like ''WesternAnimation/{{Sixteen}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'' often have different standards compared to American shows. Canada isn't afraid to show gay characters and/or couples,[[labelnote:note]]Canada legalized gay marriage in July 2005; the US didn't until nearly ''ten years later''.[[/labelnote]] [[AllPeriodsArePMS menstruation,]] [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and dirtier words]] to preteens while the States are bit more sensitive to these sort of topics, and thus edit those certain episodes or downright omit them from syndication. While the aforementioned examples are justified by the fact that they were more for teens and older tweens than younger kids, other more traditionally "kiddie" shows like ''WesternAnimation/{{Spliced}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/RocketMonkeys'' may sometimes use words like "crap" or "suck", since they aren't considered to be as dirty in Canada. However, series that are tailored for more international audiences tend to reduce this to make global distribution easier.

* In the United States, the average running time of a blockbuster is slightly more than two hours, movies that run for longer than two and a half or up to three hours are usually either [[OscarBait gunning for an Oscar]] or get criticized for being overly long and [[{{Padding}} self-indulgent]] (and sometimes even the ones that ''do'' win Oscars still get criticized for this.) Indian audiences very strongly believe in getting your money's worth of movie for a ticket, so three hours is about the ''average'' runtime of a summer blockbuster over there. The United States usually produces about one or two [[EpicMovie epics]] a year, in Bollywood it's the rule and not the exception.

* Japanese couples will often use the term ''Lover'' to innocently describe their relationship status. This is essentially telling others they are boyfriend/girlfriend in Western terms. However, with a Western context, this statement takes on a much deeper meaning, as the term ''Lover'' connotes a sexually active relationship, and often an inherently adulterous one - which can be somewhat shocking to Western audiences when high school couples use the term, what reads to Japanese audiences as a neutral statement that "I am in a relationship" [[MistakenForCheating reads to many]] English-speaking audiences as "I am not only [[YourCheatingHeart being unfaithful to my significant other]] but most likely having actual sex on the side."

** Likewise, in ''Manga/AiYoriAoshi'', Kaoru's preferred match is YamatoNadeshiko Sakuraba Aoi for Japanese fans; but western fans prefer hooking him up with LoveableSexManiac and ManicPixieDreamGirl-wannabe Tina Foster.

** In ''Manga/KurokoNoBasuke'', the main character shows his test scores, which are [=50s=] and [=60s=]. The others talk about how average those are, as part of a gag about him being [[RidiculouslyAverageGuy so average he goes unnoticed]]. In the West, those grades would ''not'' be average unless the majority of the class is failing.

** In another form of dissonance, America tends to react more harshly to this than other Western countries, as due to SoCalization most media treats the age of consent over there as 18, while several other Western countries (and some other US states) have it at 16, and find it very strange that America reacts so objectionably to teenage sexual activity.

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* The [[UsefulNotes/MediaClassifications age ratings]] you'll find on anime and manga—specifically shonen and shoujo—outside of Japan will often not match the intended target demographic. For example, Creator/VIZMedia has a separate "Shonen Jump Advanced" line, which publishes more mature Shonen Jump titles such as ''Manga/DeathNote'' and ''Manga/ShokugekiNoSoma'' with at least an "Older Teen" rating and sometimes parental advisory labels. Despite this, these same titles are read by elementary and middle schoolers in Japan, and no one bats an eye with them being shelved/ran in the same magazine as tamer titles.

* Music/FiftyCent once mentioned he played [[VideoGame/FiftyCentBloodOnTheSand the games he starred in]] with his kid, saying that violence wasn't an issue as long as he was around to explain it but that he would turn the sound off because of the swearwords. Some people in Germany, where people no longer give a shit about swearing but violence remains the MoralGuardians' BerserkButton, burst into laughter at his priorities.