Japanese media commented on the chaos of copycats

In recent years, there has been a lot of discussion around "copycats", "tributes", "plagiarism", etc. Whether it's on TV, in newspapers or on the Internet, whenever something like this happens, it immediately causes an uproar. However, there is a very big difference between "tribute" and "plagiarism" in terms of meaning and impact, and there are even more ambiguous terms such as "style closeness". So what exactly is a tribute and how is plagiarism? Recently, there has been a special comment by the Japanese media, let's take a look!

■ One of the big differences between plagiarism and tribute is "whether or not to respect the original"

Generally speaking, the so-called "tribute" is when the producer is influenced by the original author and the work he respects to produce a work with a similar concept. Therefore, it is often used interchangeably with the word "respect". On the other hand, if it does not contain respect and respect for the original work, and does not have the creator's own unique ideas and expressions, but simply imitates and copys, then it will be called "plagiarism". The more well-known case is the movie "Seven in the Wilderness", which can be regarded as a tribute to Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai", and the manga "Dragon Ball" is also a tribute to "Journey to the West".

However, it is often said that "the foundation of creation lies in imitation", and many of Shakespeare's operas are also composed of "delicious" parts of previous works. Even in Japan, honkatori, which originated in the Heian period, is a way of putting one or two lines from the well-known ancient waka (honka) into one's work.

■ If it is a good imitation, it is a "tribute", and if it is not imitated well, it is "plagiarism"!?

Among the creators in the ACG field, Mr. K, who has close ties to the publishing industry, commented on the topic of plagiarism and tribute.

"Let's tell a classic story. In a very small town in the wilderness, a homeless man came. And he meets a woman who looks unlucky, and a cynical young man. The homeless man talks to the young man about 'what a man is?' and then the three of them embark on a journey together to find the woman that the homeless man once loved......"

"Isn't this "The Yellow Handkerchief of Happiness"?"

"I'm going to talk about 'Fist of the North Dipper' (laughs). That's it, the so-called plot may be similar in a certain way, and people don't all say that there are dozens of types of plots. I want to emphasize that more or less plagiarism or imitation is inevitable. To put it to an extreme, a big copy of articles in the world, if you copy it well, it is a 'tribute', otherwise isn't it 'plagiarism'? ”

K also added: If the author of a work can honestly say "my work is from NETA from XX place", then it can be regarded as a "tribute", otherwise it is plagiarism. And even if it is the same theme, as long as the creator can show it from different entry points and different angles, then it may be considered "original".

■ The result of not being able to create an original product surfaced in the name of "plagiarism".

On the other hand, what is the responsibility of the media, which constantly publishes such "plagiarized" and "reproduced" works?

"In a word, it's an act of 'contempt for guests'. Nowadays, people often say, 'Let's make a work like "Attack on Titan~", let's make something like something, let's make something that used to be popular. The work that the producer received was all these things. The media can't seriously spend time and money polishing the original product, which may also lead to the problem of 'plagiarism' to the surface. ”（K）

After listening to the above comments, we, as the media, can't help but feel harsh, and we need to re-correct our attitude. In the fast-growing network society, the concept of "information = free" has long been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Whether it is TV or magazines, these "free" information are copied and then recopied, and some misinformation that has long been distorted is slowly circulating...... Maybe it's a vicious circle.

As a result, we can't keep our feet on the ground and rely on our own efforts to find the material, but only rely on the "free" information that is easy to get hold of. Maybe this is also the reason for the problem of "plagiarism" and "tribute". That being said, it is undeniable that the distinction between the two is very vague. The content output by the media and creators will ultimately be evaluated by the audience and users. If it is praised, then the sales will increase, and the natural benefits will come. In this process, there will be a discussion on the question of "plagiarism" or "copycat", which in a sense can be regarded as a manifestation of a sound market function.

To exaggerate, most people accept "interesting things", on the contrary, reject "boring things", maybe this is the dividing point between "copycat" and "tribute". In addition, even as a media and producer, it is necessary to always keep in mind that you are being judged by the public, and to export and produce your works on this basis.