abcnovels
Chapter 157: [The Origin Of Emojis]
Chapter 157: [The Origin Of Emojis]
Chapter 157: [The Origin Of Emojis]
<<It's quite unbalanced when you think about it.>>
<<Just a little while ago, it was all about cash and felt like a cash-only world. ‘I want to pay with my card,' but you couldn't.>>
Even though cashless payments have become more common recently, there are still many places like that.
Amidst the growing number of restaurants where robots serve meals, it's hard to argue against the fact that things are a bit chaotic.
>Once you live here, you start to see not only the good side but also the bad side, huh? (U.S.)
>So, do you feel like you want to go back to America already? (U.S.)
>Well, there's no need to force yourself to stay in Japan, right? (U.S.)
<<No, I want to say that every country has good and bad sides. It's more about suitability, you know? Didn't I say that Japan is like heaven for VTubers?>>
Suitability, huh?
That isn't limited to just countries. It's the same with work and relationships.
There's no such thing as everything being entirely good or entirely bad. There will always be both good and bad aspects.
It's important to figure out what appeals to you in that mix or what kind of hardship you can ‘tolerate'.
That assessment of suitability becomes a crucial factor when making choices.
It's difficult to change others.
But there are surprisingly many situations where you can choose your counterpart.
<<In Japan, mangas are really cheap and easy to get!>>
<<Speaking of which, Ogu was an otaku.>>
<<Hey, Iroha. This is a genuine concern! In America, Japanese comics or manga can cost $12 per volume! In Japanese yen, that's around 1,600 yen!>>
<<Ugh!? That's really expensive! In Japan, you could buy 3 volumes for that price.>>
<<Maybe it's because of translation and licensing costs, but that's too high! Plus, they often release them six months later, or sometimes you can't even get them!>>
<<I see.>>
<<In that case, it's way more cost-effective to learn Japanese. Then buy the original at the fastest speed and original price. One of the reasons I learned Japanese includes that aspect.>>
It seems that overseas otaku face quite a bit of hardship. If the result is the current Angu Ogu, then their love… no, otaku power is incredible.
<<As for recent anime, subtitle and dubbed versions are broadcast at almost the same time as in Japan. By the way, I prefer subtitles.>>
>I also watch with subtitles (U.S.)
>I can't stand the lip-sync in dubbing (U.S.)
>In Japan, though, many people prefer dubbing
<<Yeah, it's interesting how even these preferences can reflect cultural differences, huh?>>
>The differences between Japan and America are quite interesting, aren't they? (U.S.)
>I'm looking forward to when Iroha comes to America (U.S.)
>By the way, what kind of food did you have? (U.S).
<<I had pudding! I bought it at the convenience store, and it was really delicious!>>
<<That's a dessert, isn't it?>>
<<W-Well, it's fine!>>
>Is American pudding different from that? (U.S.)
>It wobbles
>I've seen that in anime (U.S.)
<<Yeah, exactly! You flip it onto a plate to eat. American pudding is more like gooey, right? Japanese pudding is like wobbly jelly. It even became an emoji.>>
>In terms of appearance, it's closer to ‘flan', isn't it? (U.S.)
>So, that emoji was a pudding? (U.S.)
>Emojis originated in Japan, so it has many Japanese elements in them. (U.S.)
<<Oh, really? Ah, come to think of it, I bought and ate ‘rice crackers' from a convenience store recently, too. There's an emoji for that as well. I've always thought of it as a grilled ‘onigiri'.>>
>I always thought it was a fully roasted kamakura (U.S.)
>And with the white ones next to it, it looks even more like that wwww (U.S.)
>If you know a bit about Japan, you'd recognize it as ‘onigiri' (U.S.)
<<Hee~>>
I find it fascinating, to listen to discussions in Angu Ogu's chat's.
There really are significant differences in the interpretation of emojis between Japan and overseas.
There are things unique to Japan, as well as Japanese-specific gestures.
From what I've heard, there seem to be various misunderstandings.
Like, making a big circle with both hands can look like a ballerina.
Someone might see someone kneeling as doing push-ups.
Also, some anime-style expressions don't seem to translate well for some people.
Creating a nose lamp while sleeping can look like someone is crying.
The anger mark is just too mysterious.
I couldn't help but laugh at the comment about it being ‘the entrance to hell'.
<<On the flip side, there are emojis commonly used in Japan but might make some people feel uneasy when they see them.>>
<<Huh? What do you mean?>>
<<Oh, no!?>>
>Hey, what were you about to say!? (U.S.)
>Be careful. The other person is a minor! wwww (U.S.)
>??
<<The person who just made that emoji comment, I blocked them, okay!?>>
<<Hey, what was that just now?>>
<<Don't ask! It's something Iroha doesn't need to know!>>
Angu Ogu waved her hands in a fluster and tried to divert the conversation.