#1:If you couldn't tell from the beautifully immaculate walls and plentiful light placement, this photo was taken from a shopping mall in Japan. Oh, and the giant Godzilla (or, Gojira!) statue slathered in lights. The west, for whatever reason, rarely associates Christmas with the Japanese culture but here is evidence that most all cultures are still harassed by the bright lights and consumerist mind set of Christmas.
Godzilla seems like an odd choice, however. Where is the overweight man donning red hat and beard? Godzilla, more so than Santa Claus yields special importance to these people. Looking at this image from the denotative perspective yields little to talk about. The 1954 hit originated from Japanese director Ishirô Honda, pop culture references and a few decades of remakes signifies this beast as a Japanese staple. It's purpose is clear: most citizens who laid eyes on this probably cracked a smile or took a picture.
This humorous staging of such a menacing creature begins to brew the connotative reading of this image. Gojira, as some may know, is a visual conduit to the nuclear bomb tests that devastated the country more than 60 years ago. Weather american revisions of the film have clouded this original concept or not, I'm sure some look up to statue and recall the legitimate danger the creature once symbolized. But, look! Now he has bright lights on him! He's on a podium in a shopping mall. This contradictory staging not only adds to the humor but displays the immense recovery that the culture has seen since. A stretch? Perhaps, but certainly a concept that surpasses surface skimming.
#2:
Well, this certainly is irrational. We all know you don't look like that if you're a smoker. Obviously this is an ad for Lucky Strike cigarettes, popular among WWII allies due to their clandestine labeling. So, yes, we're told that they're good tasting, better than other brands. But let's look a little deeper, shall we?
Observe her calm, cool complexion. Her, "I couldn't possibly care if I wanted to" pose. If this ad was given dogmatic authority then smoking luckies will make us really cool. We'll be cool long, long before the lung cancer sets in. Looking at the image contextually (WWII) the simple naming of "Lucky Strikes" ensures that we'll be cool and have a reduced chance of taking a slug. Man, where's the downside?
Sources:
Here is the source for the first picture...
... and here is the second.
hey, I guess my first comment never posted... But here goes again. First off, I enjoyed reading your descriptive and funny writing in the posts. Also, I liked your analysis of the Lucky Strike ad. It was interesting to see a cigarette ad with a woman rather than the usual "cowboy"-type ad. You said it was from around the time of WWII and it's obvious she's dressed in some type of sailor outfit or something like that. I was wondering if you thought about what they might be trying to say about those enlisted during WWII. Is it promoting American pride and that cigarettes make "cool" enlisted people appear even cooler
ReplyDeleteI like your analysis of Godzilla. When I first saw the picture, I just thought, "It's funny. He is decorated with lights." But after I read the analysis, I was impressed by the idea from non-Japanese person.
ReplyDeleteAs a Japanese, I just look Godzilla as a toy of kids, so I found it interesting to know the different ideas toward the character.
I thought the Godzille picture was fascinating. It makes you wonder how they made it. You brought up some good points, like how we can tell that it is Christmas even though there is no Santa.
ReplyDelete@Chsmith
ReplyDeleteThat's definitely it. By surrounding the act of smoking with an attractive shell they really sell the whole thing. The pin-up sailor girl image was huge in glorifying the war through advertising. And thank you for appreciating the lol's. I'm trying to make a blog that's thoughtful and fun.
@Chihiro
Well I hope it all sounded justified! I tend to read into things far too much! Even if its not a symbol of cultural progression, it's still super funny.
@Briana
Thank you! I got it by Googling "Christmas in Japan." As for construction... it's probably made out of plastic. Plastic and christmas lights, and paint.