Dirty Little Secret

Guilty pleasures. We all have them, activities we partake in that we are embarrassed about. Not because they are sordid, but because it isn’t normal in society's eye for us to enjoy them. I thought I would take the time to admit to some of my own.

I’ve tried to think of ones that are very different from each other, one for music, film, food, TV show, video game and book. This wasn’t as easy as it sounds either; I am a rather open person and not easily shamed.

Music

See, it's official!

This one is easy, and I came up with the idea for this post whilst I listened. Taylor Swift is my guilty music pleasure. There was a time when I scoffed at those who liked her music, to me she sounded cheesy, girly and a bit too country. But now, thanks in part to a certain person, (you know who you are) I can’t help but smile when I hear her songs.

Yes, most of her songs are along the same theme, either amazing relationship or tragic break-up, but for the most part they are feel good. A big reason for the joy I get from them is due to the memories I have associated to them. So yeah, I’m a Swiftie and proud.

Film

This one was difficult; I wanted a film that I would only watch alone. At first, I thought of the Saw films as I am rather ashamed that I have seen them. But the problem is I don’t really like them, so aren’t really a pleasure.

However, I think that the Resident evil films fit the bill, specifically Resident Evil:Afterlife.  The films have terrible plots, too much gore and tear apart the rich lore that the games set down. As both a gamer and a writer, I should hate these films. Yet, I can’t help but get a little excited at the nods to the game series. The climatic fight against Wesker in Afterlife is lifted straight from the game. My love of the film is due to reminiscing the times I enjoyed playing; which means I should probably just play the games again instead.

TV Series

Some people would be embarrassed if they watched as much children’s TV shows as I do. But I’m not, I love shows like Digimon. Despite their cheesy plots and clichés, it’s nice to have something mind numbing you can just switch off and take in.

But my guilty pleasure is an anime, Welcome To The NHK. This is a show about a man who hates leaving his house. He is obsessed with video games, TV and perhaps, most embarrassingly, dating simulator games. He then meets a mysterious girl who attempts to help him.

You're classic tale of shut-in boy meets insane girl.

What I find most unsettling about the show is how much of my younger self I see in the main character. I sympathised with him throughout, and that’s why it is one of the only animes I have watched until the end. It helps that the plot stays funny and interesting, whilst dealing with complex issues such as sexuality and depression. It is compelling to watch.

Food

This one is short and sweet, quite literally. It’s baby biscuits. It started with a single innocent looking Rusk. But now it’s escalated, and I always keep a packet of baby biscotti at hand. I love them, and they come in different flavours, chocolate, banana, apple and plain. I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I am besotted with biscotti.

Books

This one is pretty easy and is a combination of books. Last year I went through a phase of reading a lot of horror fiction, centred on zombies. Typically these are gore filled; and involve a lot of smashing deceased humanoids skulls in. This is why I often feel uneasy about admitting to liking zombies. It’s because it can quite easily be seen as a way of fantasising about killing our fellow man.

Zombies provide us with a motive for killing each other, they aren’t human anymore. Whilst this is true, it is a thinly disguised excuse for mass murder. For this reason, I always feel a little guilty for enjoying Max Brook’s Zombie Survival Guide. A book that at times takes itself so seriously that I fear for the author’s sanity (even if he is the great Mel Brook’s son, so insanity runs through his genes).

Video Games

At this point it is probably about time that I feel slightly guilty about something that is clearly aimed at children. Viva Piñata is a game which tasks you with keeping an allotment, that’s it, pretty simple. The nicer your patch is, the more piñata animals you attract. It’s sickly sweet, and much like shows such as Digimon it doesn’t take much thought.

Good job too, if you do delve deeper into the game you actually see some rather dark undertones. To attract certain piñatas you must offer some of your residents as food. Basically sacrificing them; quite often I have bred a friendly critter from birth just so that I can feed him to an unfriendly fox. I do feel bad about it, honest. I won’t even talk about the animal husbandry mini-game, that’s just weird.

So there you have it, my secret shames on show for all to see. Although, as someone who is quite proud to be bizarre, it was a hard list to compile. Maybe next I’ll do a list of proud moments to compensate.

But for now, I challenge you to think of your own dirty little secrets. I want to hear them, so why not do a post like mine and I’ll link you in. we can start a chain post and the world can absolve itself. If you’re not a blogger then leave them in the comments below.

Hey Mr. Fudgehog you look happy,
just wait till the Mallowolf comes for ya.

Swift ID created on big huge labs, Wesker image from Comic vine, biscotti image from Tesco, NHK image from alphacoders, Brooks photo from Washingtonlife, Fudgehog image from Spong.

What Turned Me Japanese-y!

As mental preparation for my imminent trip to Tokyo, something that both excites and terrifies me, I thought it would be good to reflect upon my current view of Japanese culture.

Our personalities are shaped by the interests that we have, many of mine are often what many in a Western culture to be obscure. Things like anime, video games and popular internet images (known as memes) are often dissmissed as being geeky. Often in order to partake in these interests I need to actively seek out this subculture as it isn't prevelant in everyday life. I have been to London Comic Con in the past and will be attending this year's Hyper Japan; two examples of events that allow me to express my passions and meet others with similar interests. Many of these geeky franchises seem to originate from Japan, which has built a keen interest within me to experience the culture.

This is the type of merchandise I hope to find in Tokyo,
although my wallet hopes I don't

 Despite this, I am aware that what I have experienced so far as Japanese culture goes is only a snippet. Indeed, even my trip is limited to a ten day burst in Tokyo. I will not presume to have experienced all of the culture when I return - merely a brief glimpse of city life in Japan's capital. This will surely be an eye opener to me nevertheless, and my image of what Japanese life is like will change. Right now, my view is of a city not too dissimilar from London - filled with bright lights and loud traffic. Only with an abundance of all things 'kawaii' and geeky. My mind paints a picture of brightly painted anime characters dancing outside vast stores devoted to technology. Whilst I know that these places do exist, in reality they will only be in certain districts (such as Akihabara) and not scattered everywhere.

An example of Tokyo's bright city life.

Like many modern childhoods, my Saturdays began with sugar-coated cereal and morning television. Growing up, my favourite shows to watch were Pokémon, Cubix and Digimon (all of which I still have a slight obsession with). They all depicted the lives of Japanese children, which struck a chord with me. The towns they lived in seemed much simpler and yet more exciting than my own. Cubix especially, as this displayed an image of a robot-obsessed world where it was possible to have your own robot friend. How could my town compare? All it could offer was a musty library and a park that got burnt down every few months.

When these shows weren’t on I indulged in video games and, once again, often my preferences were  brightly coloured offerings from the East. Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog games were my first introductions to the gaming world. Many weekends were spent playing Mario Kart with my brother on our N64, and these are some of my fondest memories. It's little wonder then that I embraced an idealistic view of the land they originated from.

This sums up my childhood.

Due to my enjoyment of crafting, I also developed a keen interest in origami, the Japanese art of paper folding to make objects. I am quite proud of my origami skills; there is something about watching the precise folds turn into amazing creations. I find it calming, and that it creates a sense of real accomplishment.   

Even circumstance seem eager to encourage my ever-growing obsession with Japan. In Primary school, we started to learn Japanese in year three. Now, it seems odd to me for our school to expect young children to be able to take on and understand a language that is so alien to our own. Yet, reflecting on this, I can remember really enjoying learning the language and displaying a certain aptitude for it. One which weirdly I haven’t been able to replicate, demonstrated by how I am currently struggling to learn little bits that will enable me to get by during my trip. I recall learning numbers from one to ten, how to write my name and memorising the alphabet (I am unsure if what we were taught at the time was Kanji, Katakana or Hiragana, Japan's three main alphabets).

Some of my origami creations

The highlight of these lessons came when we took a visit to Canterbury University, where the students had put on some form of Japanese experience day. I remember walking round their campus revelling in the examples of culture around me. Getting to try katsu chicken kebabs, making delicate kites small enough to fly using a desk fan, being introduced to haiku and painting our names onto thin parchment using  a brush called a fude. It appeared I had a certain knack for the latter, as my attempt won me a book of haikus. I felt so proud of myself and treasured both the book and the poetic form of haiku. To this day, despite a certain lack of enthusiasm to all things poetic (especially non-rhyming ones) I still love haiku. I enjoy reading these for their seemingly simple structure, and the contrasts they create.

More recently in life, I have continued to be drawn to Japanese culture. I have recently developed a passion for amigurumi (a form of crochet to create soft toys, often game or anime characters), which I hope to be able to sell on Etsy. I was also very fortunate that I have found a like-minded partner - my amazing girlfriend, Amy. I don't doubt that anyone else would deem me too insane to give the time of day to. But not her, oh no. Instead, she showed an equal obsession and introduced me to all things ‘kawaii,’ and taught me what the word actually means and how to spell it. I in turn have taught her some origami and together we rediscovered haiku. We also enjoy exploring Japanese cuisine together. Whilst we are both hesitant towards sushi, we never shy away from a good yakisoba (pan fried noodles) and I fear that an argument over the last mochi or dorayaki (traditional Japanese sweet treats) could be the thing that may eventually separate us!

Some examples of my amigurumi projects.

Overall, my life seems to naturally deviate towards certain aspects, probably the ‘geekier,’ ones of Japanese culture. I realise in reality that anime, video games and cute critters isn’t what Japan is about. There is also a rich, spiritual culture, evident in the many festivals and shrines they have. I hope to immerse myself in these during my stay. In highlighting my presumptions in this post, I will hopefully be more inclinded not to focus too much on what I want to experience in Tokyo, but instead seek out new experiences as well. Indeed, whilst I am there people will be celebrating Obon, a summer festival devoted to remembering ancestors.

I hope my trip will be eye-opening. and allow my love for Japanese culture to flourish. I also want it to enrich the knowledge I have of the culture in a way that will give me a greater understanding of it and my own interests.


Merchandise image from illustrators lounge, Tokyo image from The Telegraph, Nintendo image from Theology Gaming