I found it interesting that it was pretty easy finding material for the bad examples and much harder gleaning good examples. Even more interesting is that the good examples pulled from Hollywood were almost always controversial. Take Han from Tokyo Drift. I selected him for the good examples not because I agree with the movie's take on Japan but for the character specifically. In my studying for this project I read over and over again the sad state of Japanese male actors in Hollywood. They rarely appear in big hit movies, and if they do it is for a small, insignificant, or villainous role. Sung Kang, who plays the role of Han, breaks that barrier and plays not only a significant role, but is even sexualized, which is extremely rare in Hollywood cinema. Sung is only a recent example, but perhaps the best example would be Sessue Hayakawa. For the same reasons Sessue was a poineer in early Hollywood as a sexualized Japanese male actor.
Another main theme i found in my research was the "odorless and tasteless" Japanese media. This concept revolves around media that originated in Japan but that has either intended for a western audience or was altered to better fit a western audience. Anime is often a victim of this. Dragon Ball Z and Naruto are good examples of this. They have been a part of mainstream American media for so long they have almost lost their "Japanese taste." Voices are professionally dubbed, and thus have American voices, marketing ploys are tailored to our American audience. In an article I read a man was asking young people dressed up as Japanese anime characters at a Comic Con if they were interested in Japanese culture. He figured since they were so into anime that they was love the culture or at least want to learn. The shocking response was no from many of them. This is because it is no longer Japanese media, it has lost its taste.
Other times Hollywood attempts to portray Japanese culture, but misses the mark. This is my the reaction my dad has kicks in. The Last Samurai fits this description. It is a wonderful story immersed in the Japanese culture and yet, who is the main character? Is it the last samurai, as the title might suggest? No! It is a side character that doesn't even exist in the historical event! It is Tom Cruise hogging the screen. Good intentions are wasted as yet again Hollywood imposes on an otherwise charitable portrayal of Japanese history and culture.
Yet there are plenty of good examples out there and that is why I made a second collage that takes into account the good media revolving around Japanese culture. I already mentioned the example of male actors, but lets look at the anime. Pretty much all the works of Ghibli Studios (Hayao Miyazaki) are great examples of Japanese media that maintains its "taste." Interestingly Disney has bought the distribution rights of those films in America. For the time being I still think they do a great job. They do provide professionally dubbed versions but the DVDs always include the original Japanese audio with subtitles (that is ALWAYS the better way to go in my opinion). The Karate Kid is another great example of honest and charitable depictions of Japanese culture. Because of the character Mr. Miyagi so many people in America have at least a respect for Japanese culture and may even be interested in learning Karate.
In the end the conclusion I came to is that if you want an honest view, you must go to the source. Perhaps the best example of an honest and charitable depiction of Japan I could come up with was Train Man. I guess it makes sense though because it is made by Japanese, in Japan, for a Japanese audience. Don't ask Hollywood for their view on Japan, because their outsider view will inevitably be skewed. Go out, be adventurous, and find some truly Japanese media. After this project I feel that my experience in Japan can help me in my endeavors to make more appropriate media about Japan. I can make a change.
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