3 ms·

I'm not sure whether it's a language/culture thing but Poppy's voice seems really unpleasant to me. It reminds me of Japanese anime characters, more age-play th

by pluma 9y ago

I'm not sure whether it's a language/culture thing but Poppy's voice seems really unpleasant to me. It reminds me of Japanese anime characters, more age-play than feminine. The jarringly meditative background music aside, her videos also seem reminiscent of the naive child-like alien/clone/orphan trope often found in anime. It seems like she's more of a Western adaption of the Japanese idol/vocaloid trends than a genuinely novel phenomenon.

acobster 9y ago
Clearly there are elements that we're lifted from anime tropes, including the age-play suggestive voice and costume, but I think what's novel about this is the format of the presentation. Poppy's not just a character that exists in a fictional setting, she's more of a persona, interacting with the real world and gaining real followers. She's using her platform - not just social media but the platform of fame itself - to make her statement. I'm not entirely clear on what that statement is, but that's kind of what I love about it.
- pmlnr 9y ago
  > I'm not entirely clear on what that statement is, but that's kind of what I love about it. That summarises the current state of social media way too well. I miss meaningful manifestos, people actually standing up for a belief, instead of candy coloured mist of vague promises that can be retrofitted when needed.
  - narrator 9y ago
    People with meaningful manifestos get demonetized.
    - wozz 9y ago
      or fired!
- pluma 9y ago
  That's why I mentioned idols. Japanese girl bands especially, but there are also "models" who are real woman with entirely constructed personas. It's superficially similar to the regular "casting" celebrities in places like the US (e.g. the obsession about Britney Spears being a virgin when she was dating Justin Timberlake in real life) but it seems like the Western version is more built around a real person and their life to some degree whereas in the Japanese version the person is almost entirely reduced to an actress playing a role in an entirely fictional life. I'm guessing Poppy is an art project as she doesn't really seem to be selling anything (except maybe her songs?) but I too find it hard to discern any statement in her performance. But maybe that's the point.
Noos 9y ago
I'm not sure. All the anime stuff at least has some kind of warmth to it, but Poppy feels so robotic as to be eerie. Even Miku has personality to her, Poppy feels the exact opposite, to the point it grates and burns on your ears.

by pluma 9y ago

acobster 9y ago

Clearly there are elements that we're lifted from anime tropes, including the age-play suggestive voice and costume, but I think what's novel about this is the format of the presentation. Poppy's not just a character that exists in a fictional setting, she's more of a persona, interacting with the real world and gaining real followers. She's using her platform - not just social media but the platform of fame itself - to make her statement. I'm not entirely clear on what that statement is, but that's kind of what I love about it.

pmlnr 9y ago
> I'm not entirely clear on what that statement is, but that's kind of what I love about it. That summarises the current state of social media way too well. I miss meaningful manifestos, people actually standing up for a belief, instead of candy coloured mist of vague promises that can be retrofitted when needed.
- narrator 9y ago
  People with meaningful manifestos get demonetized.
  - wozz 9y ago
    or fired!
pluma 9y ago
That's why I mentioned idols. Japanese girl bands especially, but there are also "models" who are real woman with entirely constructed personas. It's superficially similar to the regular "casting" celebrities in places like the US (e.g. the obsession about Britney Spears being a virgin when she was dating Justin Timberlake in real life) but it seems like the Western version is more built around a real person and their life to some degree whereas in the Japanese version the person is almost entirely reduced to an actress playing a role in an entirely fictional life. I'm guessing Poppy is an art project as she doesn't really seem to be selling anything (except maybe her songs?) but I too find it hard to discern any statement in her performance. But maybe that's the point.

Noos 9y ago

I'm not sure. All the anime stuff at least has some kind of warmth to it, but Poppy feels so robotic as to be eerie. Even Miku has personality to her, Poppy feels the exact opposite, to the point it grates and burns on your ears.