Introduction

Recently, the "Sword Art Online" painful bus that appeared at JapanEXPO in Paris, France was once a hot topic, making the masses exclaim that the public display form of two-dimensional culture has become so high. In fact, not only JapanEXPO in Paris, but also during the previous Shanghai CCG, the hyped "Chain Wars" also showed up in the form of a venue shuttle. If the appearance of the two-dimensional culture on the derivatives of this kind of exhibition can be regarded as an ancillary product of the house culture activities, which can be classified as a kind of self-entertainment in a small circle, then the "Lovelive invasion incident of Shanghai Metro Line 2", which was also noisy a few days ago, can be said to have jumped out of the circle and completely brought the relatively core ACG subculture into the field of vision of the general public. Today, the two-dimensional culture is no longer a kind of self-exalted self-esteem in a small area, but has infiltrated into all aspects of ordinary daily life in various forms, consciously and unintentionally.

In fact, the current discussion about the two-dimensional culture entering the public eye has long been common, for this kind of cultural phenomenon, called "post-90s culture", called "ACG culture", and in the author's opinion, many popular titles are inevitably slightly biased, on the one hand, although the post-90s are undoubtedly the main force in spreading this kind of culture, but it does not mean that they are all, there are a large number of post-80s shadows among the bearers of the two-dimensional culture, as the first group of people in China to contact this kind of culture, Their role in this is categorically impossible to ignore; On the other hand, although the two-dimensional culture originated from ACG, it is not limited to this, and various derivative products are also an important part of the composition of this culture. Therefore, the author dares to summarize it as "two-dimensional culture" as a certification mark of this kind of culture.

There is no doubt that the early two-dimensional culture, like other more specialized cultural fields, belongs to the category of niche people entertaining themselves. However, in Japan, where the anime and game industry is extremely developed, for a long time, the two-dimensional culture and its audience have even been burdened with a relatively negative impression, which reached its peak after the Miyazaki incident in 1989, and anime and even otaku all had to bear strong social prejudices, which was tantamount to a devastating blow to the ACG industry at that time. It wasn't until four or five years later that this negative impression was gradually eliminated at a certain level, but in the public perception, there has always been a non-positive impression of the two-dimensional otaku and otaku culture as gloomy, non-mainstream, and unhealthy.

However, in recent years, with the improvement of social acceptance, cultural pluralism and more importantly, the successful commercial transformation of ACG culture as a cultural industry, this subculture, which has lived in a corner of society for a long time, has gradually entered the sun and re-entered the field of vision of the general public. So, how did this metamorphosis come about?

The original form of extension "expansionist aggression"

As a subculture, the most basic form of two-dimensional culture is to rely on the product itself to disseminate, if the mid-90s of the last century is a watershed, then this point in time is the time when the Japanese ACG industry is revitalized and a large number of excellent works are emerging. "Mobile Battleship", "Neon Genesis Evangelion", "Slam Dunk" ...... A series of works that are familiar to today's readers have appeared at this time, and for China, it is an era when Japanese animation, especially original soundtrack, has entered the field of vision of the Chinese people in a big way (regardless of the formality of the channel). Although the two-dimensional culture of this period was relatively niche, it accumulated a good "mass base" for the subsequent flourishing. In the future, most of the post-80s groups who have become powerful in the promotion of two-dimensional culture are as deep as the sea at this point in time.

There is no doubt that the development of the Internet is the key to the widespread penetration of two-dimensional culture into the mass society. Whether it is the novel, comics, and animation itself as the prototype of the product (of course, the copyright owner is not too happy about this), or the forums, message boards, and special websites derived from the original work, they all imperceptibly bring the appeal and brainwashing power of the Internet to the extreme.

Taking the most representative type of expression xiàn in the two-dimensional culture - Xinban as an example, due to the extreme development of the Internet, the spread and acquisition of animation Xinban has also "evolved" to the almost unimaginable Cheng dù one or two decades ago. Whether it is the raw distribution of Guòniconico or Sunflowers, or the direct capture of major P2P websites, the audience can get the latest animation works at a very low cost, no matter where they are on the planet. This reduction in the difficulty of obtaining is convenient for the existing houses at the same time, but also lowers the threshold for chasing fans, so that a large number of people who are on the edge of the second dimension, and even people who have nothing to do with the two-dimensional culture have joined in out of curiosity, or to try new things, or to soak in other houses (is this case really there). Although the retention rate of this situation is not high, once the base reaches a certain deposition, it will inevitably produce a large number of middle and shallow ACG enthusiasts, who may not be as professional & die-hard as the core fans, but they will identify and accept the ACG culture at a certain level, which greatly expands the extension of the cultural audience.

There are many more similar examples, but the conclusions are similar. The difficulty of obtaining resources is reduced, and the threshold for entry is also lowered. When an individual who is originally insensitive to two-dimensional culture sees the overwhelming information such as "One Piece" and "Naruto", he may try these works out of a certain psychology, which is why the so-called "migrant manga" can have such a large readership. Many of these readers may not develop into core otaku, but as long as they are more or less exposed to the extension of the two-dimensional culture, then they will be assimilated by a certain amount of thinking and action mode, and they will be tainted with a little shadow of "anime style".

In addition to the product itself, the vigorous development of ACG derivatives has also played a significant role in the promotion of ACG culture. Once upon a time, comic conventions were just strange gatherings of "demons dancing" in the eyes of the public, but in recent years, large and small comic conventions have sprung up like mushrooms after a rain, and began to sweep away the early concealment, and appeared on the advertising columns of various mainstream media in a dignified manner, which is undoubtedly a psychological suggestion for many ordinary people who have no chance to participate in activities such as comic con, so comic con is no longer just a stage for cosers and houses to gather, more "ordinary people" have been attracted, And once they get used to these shiny and bizarre things, a kind of subcultural brainwashing is achieved. Of course, being too down-to-earth may also lead to the occurrence of some unpleasant incidents, such as the recent conflict between a boys fan and the otaku in Guangzhou AniJoy, but this should be blamed more on the inconsiderate consideration of the exhibitor. In any case, as a relatively inexpensive platform for the display of ACG culture, Comic Con also plays a pivotal role in the promotion of ACG culture among the general public, although the growth of quantity will bring about the negative effect of homogenization.

"Infiltration aggression" in everyday life

The reason why ACG culture has been able to gradually get rid of the negative image that has always been and enter the public eye in a dignified manner, in addition to the expansion of the existing form, is also a very important point is its "penetration" into all aspects of the existing culture of the public. This kind of infiltration is less subtle than the "expansion" mentioned above, but the effect is just as outstanding, so let's take a few typical examples.

☆ The two-dimensional image is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people

In fact, when it comes to two-dimensional images, even for the general public, it is not a strange thing. All kinds of X Games and city images will bring out a lot of "cartoon images", but whether it is a certain hope, a treasure or a baby, it can basically be regarded as an extension of the traditional design pattern, and it should be said that the first thing to do is to attribute the success of anthropomorphism to the public eye.

APH is not the first to create a story on the theme of anthropomorphism, but it is undoubtedly the most successful example in the field. In addition to showing readers that "the original cold country can be so cute after anthropomorphism", the popularity of this work also provides a rather distinct idea. Since then, various anthropomorphic projects have emerged one after another, and almost all railways, cities, and provinces have been included. It should be noted that this kind of anthropomorphism often has a strong "cute" component, even for people who are not in the house world, the fresh and lovely two-dimensional image is definitely more eye-catching than the dry reality object, which is impressive. If the early stage of anthropomorphism was more of a folk act of self-entertainment, the subsequent emergence of various "Kanban Niang" images is the official recognition of this cultural trend. All kinds of entertainment channels、Websites (especially institutions closely related to ACG) have launched their own exclusive Nianghua image,Bathed in this wind of waste and cuteness,Even non-otaku users are gradually accustomed to this,So much so that a certain degree that has not officially announced the two-dimensional image also has a catchy "Du Niang" this nickname.

The popularity of the two-dimensional image, especially the budding two-dimensional image, is one of the most intuitive examples of the invasion of the two-dimensional culture into the lives of ordinary people.

☆ The popularity of otaku language

Any group will have its own exclusive terminology, and for the otaku, which was still relatively "autistic" in the early days, a large number of otaku terms were once a benchmark for identifying whether a person was enough to be a house.

However, in recent years, with the enhancement of the external radiation of the two-dimensional culture, and with the improvement of the society's acceptance of non-mainstream culture (not killing Matt, please do not misunderstand), otaku terms have gradually begun to be mixed with other Internet popular terms, dancing on the tip of the tongue of the masses. To give the most typical example, the word "cute" was only an exclusive word used by the otaku to express their feelings a few years ago, and it belonged to the unscrupulous otaku language, but I don't know when it started, it broke through the towering barriers of the two-dimensional and three-dimensional direct, and appeared busier than Du Fu in the major media, news and other suitable occasions. When a person who has nothing to do with the second dimension can also say words like "cute girl" very naturally, although some otaku will have a kind of unhappiness that their inner sanctuary has been violated, but from the factual level, the two-dimensional cultural invasion in the form of words has been quietly underway.

In fact, language will always change,With the development of the Internet,The house language in the two-dimensional culture has also entered the house along with other Internet terms,It's hard to distinguish from each other,Otaku people are constantly inventing words such as "Lori (let's not talk about Nabokov's copyright issue)", "pseudo-mother", "royal sister" and other words affect the masses who don't know the truth,It's also constantly affected by the "new vocabulary" that has nothing to do with the second dimension itself, such as "power" and "pit daddy".

It must be noted that the popularity of otaku terms is more external than the public's acceptance of the two-dimensional image, that is, the public is often unaware of the cultural characteristics behind the acceptance and use of such new words. As I just said,This may just be a recognition of "language flow",Open and close your mouth must be called "cute girl" and shout a few words of "power" if you have nothing to do,Replace it with "beautiful girl" and "amazing" can also express similar feelings, after all, vocabulary is different from images,The cultural suggestion effect will be relatively weak,For the popularity of two-dimensional culture,Otaku language can only play an auxiliary role on the surface。

☆ Blatant "coming out" of the public image

This title is a bit sensational, but in fact, it only refers to some public images that should have nothing to do with the two-dimensional culture openly express their preferences for the two-dimensional culture. In a way, thanks to the emergence of modern highly interactive social platforms such as Weibo.

The immediacy and convenience of micro-blog allow the general public to interact with previously high-minded or secretive objects very easily, so that they can also discover many unexpected "new faces" of the other party. The most typical,It's Brother Kun's sentence a few days ago"The second and third elements have never had a wall",In fact, it's a bit wronged to say "coming out",After all, Brother Kun just simply expressed his love for FZ,It doesn't reflect the heavy housework,But for the majority of Weibo users,The male god who is high up on weekdays suddenly declares that he has such a two-dimensional preference (at least a little more professional than the migrant worker),The pleasure gushing out from the depths of the dantian is absolutely impossible to hide, It's no wonder that after this, various cos photos of Brother Kun (of course, a product of PS) have sprung up. At this time, it doesn't matter whether Brother Kun himself is an otaku or not, the point is that such a well-known public figure openly expressed his identification with the two-dimensional culture, which is not less than an official affirmation of the two-dimensional culture, for their own preferences, the otaku will probably be able to be a little harder from now on.

If the Brother Kun incident has a bit of a coincidence, another public figure who has become the focus of attention because of the two-dimensional culture is undoubtedly "destined". Xu Jiao, who became famous because of "Yangtze River No. 7", originally took the normal path of a child star → actress, but as her massive cos photos were released on Weibo, Xu Jiao also became an excellent example of "two-dimensional and three-dimensional never have walls", and there were suddenly many otaku shadows in the fan base. From many aspects,This three-dimensional cute girl is indeed a person in the house.,Light novels and comics are all involved.,Even such a cute girl star who should enjoy a full life in the three-dimensional world has fallen into the endless virtual world of Sword Art Online.,The aggressiveness of this two-dimensional culture is really visible.。

In addition to many public figures who openly "come out", Weibo also provides an opportunity for some public accounts to reveal their true attributes. For example, the well-known Jiangning Public Security Online Weibo account, which takes selling cuteness as its own responsibility, and some public accounts that are often excavated to hide the attributes of the house, can be regarded as a kind of expression of two-dimensional cultural aggression. Inadvertently, two-dimensional culture has penetrated into all aspects of our lives - when you suddenly realize this, whether you are an otaku or not, I am afraid that you will be a little surprised.

The joys and sorrows of entering the house

Culture is never static, and it will have corresponding characteristics in different eras. The hurried and slightly impetuous pace of life in today's society determines that fast food culture is more easily accepted by the majority of people. As a typical subculture, it is undeniable that the two-dimensional culture has had the attribute of fast food since its birth. Because of this, its meteoric popularity in recent years is not accidental, and can be counted as the result of a social choice.

On the one hand, a wider social acceptance can enhance the positive image of the culture itself, so that it can have a better development environment, which is conducive to the continued expansion of the two-dimensional culture to achieve a broader and deeper "aggression" action; But on the other hand, this so-called entry into the house may be a negative event for many people in the house, which not only reduces the purity of the two-dimensional house culture, but also causes a lot of misinterpretation. For example, the term "otaku", which is widely used by many media, has jumped out of the referential meaning of the word itself, and has become a derogatory term that can almost be replaced with "X silk", and it is often taken out for entertainment. The endless "otaku gods and goddesses" make the real two-dimensional house feel inexplicable, and they lie down again and again.

In addition, even at a time when two-dimensional culture has entered the public eye, the phenomenon of traditional media making fun of otaku culture has not completely disappeared, especially in Japan, where otaku still play a disgraceful role in Japanese dramas and entertainment programs. It seems that the two-dimensional culture still has a long way to go before it can completely get rid of the original sin of being seen by people with colored glasses.

epilogue

In any case, the era of two-dimensional culture entering the house and invading the general society on a large scale has arrived. It is menacing, but there are still many hidden worries. This is a characteristic of the times, and it is also a social phenomenon that deserves deep consideration. However, for the vast number of otaku people, that is, the main readers of this article, enjoying this ubiquitous two-dimensional cultural environment is probably the most important thing. This is the best of times, I don't know if it's the worst era, in short, in the face of this kind of kind "cute aggression", let's face it with a smile.