Japan fascinated by the Third Reich?

Is it just me or are the Japanese extremely fascinated by the Third Reich?
While there obviously are people pretty much everywhere who are fascinated by this important time in the world’s history, I’ve noticed a great amount of Anime, Manga and J-Games which are strongly themed with the Third Reich, often showing it as not even that bad, or even having the good guys be obviously strongly inspired by, if not actually, German WH troops.
They also seem not to mention the Holocaust a lot, while mainly focusing on the soldiers.
Of course it is the good right of them to be fascinated by it, but I just thought it was weirder than with Americans, for example, because the Japanese had their own Imperial Army fighting on the same side, but I can’t remember those fellas being mentioned/appearing a lot.

Of course I’m not too knowledgeable about Animes/Manga/J-Games, I just stated what I noticed from looking at them on the side. Feel free to prove me wrong!!!:mrgreen:

This is what i found i thought it was hilarious

Well, i wouldn’t automatically assume that this is japanese. I’m talking about actual professional Anime and Games.

I think they just like the look of the costumes and such, some of the videogame developers et al.

It’s not all silliness though. If you want a really interesting and fresh look at World War 2, read ‘Adolf’ by Osamu Tezuka. Possibly my favourite Manga, and definitely my favourite writer in the field of ‘comic books’. Note ; it’s not all about WW2, it is a thriller as well, so don’t go in expecting a history lesson! But it is very interesting seeing a Japanese person’s look at the subect, especially one as clever and artistic as Tezuka, and a pacifist to boot. He looks more at the Nazis, as may be expected, but he does cover Japanese agression more than any of his countrymen normally do…

Take a look at these yay-hoos…

And now I’m wondering why I’ve never seen them wear Imperial Uniforms. Or are these Goths just attracted to the black uniforms with leather coats?

Oh dear. It’s worse than 1970’s Britain!

Japs (no offence) like to dress up, as anyone who buys Neo magazine (anime etc) could tell you. They don’t attach any significance to the rest of it…

I’m not even surprised they like to dress up - I mean the German WH uniform seems to be so popular, even British princes like to wear it ( :mrgreen: just had to bring that in there :mrgreen: ), but I’m actually talking about the way they portray Germans/Wehrmacht in their animes/mangas, too…

We need a japanese member to comment on this, because us non-Japanese obviously don’t have a clue… :neutral:

Well said.

Allied uniforms just aren’t that “glamorous/extreme” to appeal to the cosplayers or manga-publishers :wink:

_

Im japanese and I have no idea.
Im fascinated with them, but i can find no apparent reason for it.

Let’s just admit it. The Nazis did a lot of terrible things (to put it mildly), but whomever designed their uniforms had panache, flair. In the movies ‘bad guys’ always get the cooler outfits. These guys decided to follow that to the letter!

I think it’s the uniforms and the whole mystique/aura/pagan spin that makes people interested. Lets be fair those uniforms are SHARP! The German equipment was SHARP!and the fighting spirit of the Germans has become legend (probably exaggerated in cases but thats the perception anyway). But getting back to the Japanese chicks - WOW can I have a dozen to take home please.

Geoff

This made me actually laugh out loud:mrgreen::mrgreen:… in the middle of a lecture. :oops:

A major reason for the look of the uniforms was the militaristic culture Germany “enjoyed” since the 18th century. Uniforms were something you’d wear to parties, ball dances, weddings, funerals - everything fancy and public. So the designers didn’t only keep in mind that they should be useful, but also chic.

Believe it or not, but up until the 17th century, a military uniform would be nothing you’d want to be seen with in private, civil life. Accordingly, those uniforms/battle clothing were far from as fancy as they were later on/still are in some nations. It was looked upon the same way a plumber wouldn’t wear his Overall outside his job nowadays…

Ive heard/read somewhere that SS Allegmeine uniforms were designed by Hugo Hoss…

You probably mean Hugo Boss… and as far as I know, that’s actually true. He was also ordered to create a replacement for the Brown shirts of the SA, and created the Hitler Youth uniform…

Anime concerning Nazis:
My fav, Hellsing
{the nazis come out in OVA3 and start as a major player in OVA4}
OVA I and II
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Bmx1bT6ukE&feature=PlayList&p=E248FF563B6017C8&playnext=1&index=26
OVAIII
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zcvDDwJVeI
OVA IV
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfGmiLyN4Ps&feature=channel
OVAV
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oxo0JYoGInw
(to be cont, there are going to be 10 OVAs, I think)

Sorry Schmidt, but I really can’t bother myself to watch all these right now. Can you give us some kind of ‘plot-synopsis’? How are they portrayed?

OK, So, There is a British Anti-Vampire Organization called Hellsing, and I will use light letters so you have to highlight to read it, for the people who will have the time to watch the whole thing.

Hellsing, is an organization dedicated to Vampires that do bad things, for the queen, and the current head of Hellsing, Integra Fairbrooks Wingates Hellsing, is a direct descendant of Abrams Van Hellsing, from Bram Stalker’s Dracula. Unlike the book (it was later revealed the last part where Dracula dies is actually a veil to cover stuff up) Dracula, called “Alucard” in Hellsing, is under the employ of Hellsing to hunt other vampires.
…that was the backstory, sort of.
The main story starts with Seras Victoria, a female British Police officer who was part of a force investigating a mysterious priest who kept doing creepy things. And suprise! He is a Vampire (most of the cops arnt told that) so hellsing sends Alucard, and after lots of fighting, Seras is the only cop left alive, but takes hostage by the priest, who Alucard shoots through with his kickass gun, The .454 Casull automatic, but the bullet goes through Seras and Alucard bites Seras and makes her a vampire to save her. After that, they have some crap with Anderson, a “regenerater”, a human who can regenerate. Also happens to be the alucard of Section XVII Iscariot, which is the Vatican version of Hellsing.
Then, The nazis, named Millennium, sends 2 Lieutenants, Luke and Jan Valentine, (they arnt revealed to be nazis yet though), and attack Hellsing HQ, blow some stuff up, wipe out the paramilitary wing of hellsing, but Jan is killed by Walter, who is Integra’s butler and can use wires to cut ppl up. Seras, who by now joined hellsing (where else?) and killed a bunch of Ghouls (people who arnt virgin who got bitten, or bitten by the same sex vampire, kinda like zombies) and afterwards, while they speculate on who and what attacked them, hires “the wild geese”, a bunch of mercenaries. Jan reveals the name “Millennium” in this incident. After that, Hellsing gets screwed in Brasil when a nazy vampire with a spanish accent, Tubalcain Alhumbra who throws around sharp playing cards as his weapons, is crapped on by Alucard and Seras. They finally find out that the Nazis are doing crap, when Schroedinger, (no, not erwin) a cat-boy (a 10 year oldish looking kid with Hitler Youth Uniform and cat ears), who also happens to be anywhere and no where, and un killable, as long Schroedinger believes so. And then, in the middle of a meeting between Hellsing, Iscariot and the Queen, jump out and opens up a TV screen showing the Major, (Sturmbannfuhrer) who is in charge of the Millennium, and shows him ordering his vampirized SS troopers murdering a Oberbannfuhrer, and some other people, and later shows him telling what he is up to.
Seras, who by now has a 20mm sniper rifle with her, shoots the screen and Alucard shoots Schrodinger who’s brains explode.

I will cont. later, This is about up until OVA3, except for some of the last scenes, if

Wow, all that sounds extremely random… So Hellsing is good or evil? I can’t really get that out of the text.