Question What's with the japanese tendencies toward beta MC

I have read a lot of novel for sometimes now, chinese korean and japanese. And a while ago i just realize each novel from different country has tedency on its own. Im not saying all of it, just a bigger part of it. While chinese tend to make an MC with proud, intelligent, and arrogant character . Korean tend to make an MC with their own ideal and belief toward certain goal. But japanese (especially the isekai one), why a lot of them (like too damn much) make a novel with their overpowered yet lazy or super beta MC without much thought and ambition , or an overpowered edgelord MC.
I mean just why..
Please enlighten me

And correct me if my points are wrong?

 

Hehe

 

Otaku culture, they passed the phase where they want to be heroes and accepted that they are fatasses who aspire to nothing, just think that in the 90 the typical mc was goku

 

Baka.

 

I laughed at the 'intelligent' part of CN mcs...

 

pg 13

 

I think it's because Japanese in reality always worked hard and didn't have time to be lazy. They usually are ant workers that didn't have any power. So in the novel they want to be someone that have power so they can be lazy. Just my opinion but I think this correct

 

"While chinese tend to make an MC with proud, intelligent, and arrogant character"
They definitely try to make them intelligent, and they call them intelligent no matter what the truth it.
I think in this scenario it's the thought that counts.

 

You forgot to add "shameless hypocritical nationalistic psychopaths plagiarists with double standards prone to fall from cliffs" to CN MCs, and "ex-bullyed lolicon harem fanatics lucky perverts and obessive japanese food experts with pro-cook skills (and mayo otaku)" for JP MCs

 

Because majority of people in Japan who are reading novels are exactly these spineless sleazabags, so authors are trying theire best to satisfy the market.

 

Hmm yeah the point is they tend to make MC intelegent from who knows point of view. But for me, as a reader sometime think the rest of characters just not very bright..

 

It's likely the only way they have to 'vent', by having their captive audience (read readers) play to their sadistic desires. The reader = M, the author = S. They get their jollies off torturing their readers. Imho.

 

Haha yeah, the chinese novel especially the modern day one, their racism is very something to see

 

Simple enough... most of what you read is called bad writing.
There are a lot of stuff to cover on the presentation of a character and the world in which they live in, but yea... if the fictions you're reading make you wince, it's written badly.

However there is a difference between preferences and bad writing, so don't confuse the two.

If possible you could make a review on the said novels with honest criticism and stuff like that. Now if authors could read some of that much needed criticism it would be great, maybe some hope for improvement, but yea, wishful thinking.

Instead, write a review for other Nuffians~
Maybe a warning, or a recommendation, in both cases you can do something more than a simple 1 or 5 star review.

 

Spoiler

It has to due with otaku culture as well as the perception of otakus in japan. Otakus now are like the stigma geeks and nerds in the past in the west. Perception-wise there is a stigma against otakus as being lazy, perverted, freeloading hiki-neets. Although the japanese otaku entertainment industry is filled with people who have a passion for what they do and aren’t like these stereotypes, a lot of other people(general public) and the higher ups will think this and target these types of “otakus” (thinking this is the demographic/audience) because the industry is to make money and commercialize on this otaku culture.

Look at the US with how companies try to appeal to “millennials.” They think they’re all hipster tattooed vegan entitled figet-spinners. Hell, in both cultures (us and jp) they spend millions on trashy and completely cliche and unoriginal materials (like some bad web novels or young adult novels) and make it into animes or tv shows or movies just cause people don’t care about quality when they know it sells and is junk food.

It also has to due with japanese culture and it’s past and still current issues such as the spiral that is sexualization and objectification of women in otaku culture with all these harem genres in order to “appeal” to males due to the population issue. It might have started out as only as an attempt/bad method/experiment that they should have stopped when they realize it doesn’t work however it just caught on and negatively intigrated itself. If the sex sells mentailty is prevalent across the world. Just that because otaku culture is considered niche or outsider or not mainstream it is looked upon badly by the public but not mainstream enough for people to listen to the criticism since it sells and companies aren’t pressured enough.

Light novel, manga, and anime are a form of entertainment. However, compared to western media, entertainment, ideals, etc, there is much more escapism. Look at the publication industry when it comes to books/novels. Amatuer web novelist are much more common and accepted in the professional inustry in Japan than in the US.

Being an novelist is less of a popular career in the US and more of a side job like how a scientist/talkshow host might write a book. Compared to Japan where it is more commercialized and the entry of amateur is much more encouraged, easier, and common compared to the US’s long history big business that look down upon amateurs and desire more “professional” “less escapism” and more “literary and meaningful” literature. Look at the level of mainstream or at least public awareness/attitude towards jp doujinshi vs western online fanfic.

I also feel these ideals of otakus and beta jp mcs is not just due to the stereotype of otakus but also japanese/asian culture where it is much more reserved, traditional, keep to yourself, be respectful and filia, and non confrontational mindset. Japan is also has a pacifist and the “agree/middle ground/nonexpressive/majority” mindset. This makes the MCs more culturally accepted, seem normal, more average, more relatable, more japanese/human, and more likable even if they come off as wimps to us westerners who are more aggressive, expression heavy, stand to your belief, defend your side, fight for it, antihero etc. mentality.

The industry also is like that due to its own fault in its constant spirals of trend and going with what sells and viewers want ideal. Look at the isekai phases or the kirito character phases. It cements these characters as the norm or what sells. Also otaku culture has fallen too much into escapism. Although I think the west has too little acceptance commercial leading to less mainstream/draw of newcomers/younger people like the problem with readers/novels in the west, japan embraces it too much and has fallen into escapism feeding itself to create these otaku hiki-neets as an audience, prey on them, feuling itself in a loop that preys more, etc.

There’s also japan culture in how reserved it is, how much worst stereotypes office life is. US office life is grey and boring and meh its irl while JP stereotype office life is black company slave waiting for truck-kun. There’s also the economy and industies/market. Also how along with Asia’s (Japan, Korea, China) economic boom and new start/thriving new industies since WW2, out of the old in new yet still traditions etc, life in Asian is more cutthroat, competive, restritive, mundane, less free, and less self/individual expression and more responsibility to family and society and pressures from expectation and tradition (look at idea of marriage and love in us vs asia). Everywhere, everyone has problems and stuff, etc etc. but Asian countries have it bad compared to the west since they are more bottled up and pressured by society than we are here in the US, so it isn’t surprising why people want to be a op lazy beta that can still get all the chicks and live a good life in another world.

 

You just didnt read enough Japanese novel then.. There's a lot of genres, yet most of translators and readers of NU somehow prefer isekai type first.. Well i love them too.. From my pov, i can't fathom why CN novels always end up their mc with being a godly being or something along that. I read Coiling Dragon and was able to accept it, but then when i tried to read other novel and realized they're just gonna be the same being, with different storyline or with different ways, i got disinterested. Korean novel on the other hand, are scarce here so i cant really judge them but some of them are really good.

Maybe this is the same case for you, except it is isekai genre for you instead of Wuxia/xianxia for me. I like the premise of op mc being lazy because i would do the same too, i hate to pick a fight, fighting a fight that can be ended fast, and i am too lazy to conquer countries or world. I guess Japanese are like that too?

 

Well, the simple answer is that it sells?

CN MCs are a bunch of psychos that murder entire sects because a good for nothing didn't give them face... This is kinda crazy, but it sells, so it works.

Same thing for the JP ones being "beta", it sells, so it goes like that~

 

tbh if i was in their shoes i would've done the same thing and i'm pretty sure 90% of person are the same.
i would just use my advantage to have a lazy life and chill with money, girls, family .
Exactly what i'm doing right now , i have a salary above average , happy with my girlfriend, decent relation with my family and in law.
I could work harder toward many thing, but i'm just fine with having a normal life .

Also intelligent chinese MC OMEGALUL

 

MC's are mostly High School Students aimed for High School kids or younger and for some reason it sells well in Japan.

 

Well everyone enjoys the underdog story, BUT no one really likes the underdog.

In very little or many senses, this is socially acceptable. Because you can see a market for these style of troupes.