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Post by mazfan on Apr 1, 2005 18:11:35 GMT -5
Are the SOC's more popular outside of Japan? I am noticing that most posts here are from the U.S., Philippines, Taiwan, Spanish-speaking countries, Hong Kong, etc... And never Japan. Hmmm.. With that in mind, were the shows associated with our beloved SOC's also more popular outside of Japan? What's up with that?
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Post by Mazinkaiser on Apr 1, 2005 18:43:18 GMT -5
Might have more to do with spoken language. That is my guess. I know the Filipinos speaks lots of english. I think most educated Chinese are the same. I am not sure about Korean, ask Sasha would be the best authority on Korea.
Anyway, that is my guess.
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Post by jwm on Apr 2, 2005 1:03:00 GMT -5
Here's some speculative hot air. (It's Friday night; the wife is at a concert, and I've gone and got myself all being-er-like, speculative, ya' know..) As I understand it, most Japanese kids are required to take at least some English in school. I wonder that none of them has stumbled onto this board, or TbDX, and joined in the chatter just to practice English.
If I were studying, Spanish, or Japanese I'd look for somewhere to talk about stuff I'm interested in, and I'd want to do it in a friendly environment- not some place where you worry about getting flamed. A board like this would be a natural.
Same as if you were in to bike riding, mountain climbing, sky diving, tow in surfing, or anything else that's roughly on a par with toy robot collecting for a source of sheer terror induced adrenaline intoxication. You'd want to read and write about it , exchage ideas etc. You're far more prone to practice a language if you're having fun doing it.
On the other hand-- what if a board started getting hundreds of posts asking,
"Is this post written in the correct English?"
(next post)
We wouldn't say "the correct English." We say, "correct English."
(next post)
Why is "the English" not correct?"
(Next post)
"The English" actually is correct, it's just that we wouldn't say it."
(next post)
Why would you not say it if "the English" is correct?
I can see the next five SOC issues going unnoticed while everyone is sidetracked going totally OT talking about gerunds, determiners, conditional modifiers, subjunctive tenses of irregular verbs, and the all-important blue-nosed participle.
Actually, I'm totally OT, Huh? Nevermind.
JWM.
(And don't go rushing to your grammar books for conditional modifiers, or blue-nosed participles.)
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Post by roboto on Apr 2, 2005 11:16:32 GMT -5
I visited Okinawa in January of this year. Other than sightseeing, I was hoping to purchase some SOCs there. I scoured Naha City looking for toy shops selling SOCs. The only decent place I found was in Omoromachi's Toys"R"Us, which carried some SOCs (GX-02R, GX-23, and MA).
On my last day there, I was shopping on Kokusai-dori Street and spotted another toyshop. I was dissapointed when I saw only U.S. toys on sale. However, I was happy to meet the shop's proprietor who spoke some English. With my broken Japanese and his limited English, we talked a bit about toys. He said that Okinawa doesn't have much Japanese toystores. In his opinion, the Japanese prefer U.S. toys. He recommended that I visit Osaka or Tokyo which are major places to see and buy Japanese super robot toys.
Anyway, I enjoy talking to toyshop owners in the cities that I happen to visit. I get a sense of what's going on in the business. I kind of wish to open my own toy shop, but most who are in the business say it's tough.
As for what I saw in Japan, Star Wars collectibles, Marvel figures and comics and Toy Story figures are really popular. Some Japanese would probably readily trade some vintage Chogokin for one Star Wars or G.I. Joe action figure.
As for Filipinos, the whole country still remembers the late 70's when Japanese Super Robots were in the rage. Those were the good ol' days.
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Post by Kidchuckle on Apr 2, 2005 20:19:03 GMT -5
Are the SOC's more popular outside of Japan? I am noticing that most posts here are from the U.S., Philippines, Taiwan, Spanish-speaking countries, Hong Kong, etc... And never Japan. Hmmm.. With that in mind, were the shows associated with our beloved SOC's also more popular outside of Japan? What's up with that? oh and Canada... theres a few here and there... like Chen! (he's my hero!) another story I'd like to share. A friend of a friend who was over seas teaching English.. she(a cannuck, who can speak fleunt japanese, I don't know her very well but was impressed with the ease she was speaking it) had a bf who was Japanese. Well they came to canada to visit. I was talking to her BF while we were in Pacific Mall (chinese mall just outside of Toronto) and well they have a hobby store.. and I was showing him the dvd I got Shin getter robo 2004.. and I was shocked... thats thats old stuff. (I knew he meant the series is old and updated). But i was kind of shock that he didn't care for the classics. He just liked the new Gundman series.. anda few other things. I'm not sure if he represents all of his generation Japan (I think he was like 22, and I'm 29). But then again I have a theory on this... probably in the other countries other then Japan. These shows were shown a lot later then the actual release date. I know getter robo was released in 75 in Japan. and my first exposure of it was in the 80's (I was only 5). Popularity of super robots would have dropped down in japan a lot faster then other countries. Plus I have to say there were probably a lot less cartoons that broke borders internationally. And I can imagine a lot of the info about these shows were probably limited as soon as these shows became off air. I mean thanks to the internet I've been to gather all this info! So the rarity of it makes it special when we were kids. I remember in highschool geeking out with my buddies talking about the super robot shows.. and well we didn't know much about them other then our fantastic memories about it. well thats my thoughts maybe why....
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Post by REX-203 on Apr 2, 2005 21:21:53 GMT -5
I've wondered about this too. Even on just about all of the Transformers BBS's I visit, there are hardly any Japanese members posting. Maybe they're all on some site out here on the web called "Toy-America".
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