actually ☝️ orientalism is NOT about lumping all asian cultures together, it's specifically about the manufactured conceptualization of asia as an "other" in relation to the west. as palestinian-american writer edward saïd says in the book where he coined the term, "Orientalism can be discussed and analyzed as the corporate institution for dealing with the Orient — dealing with it by making statements about it, authorizing views of it, describing it, by teaching it, settling it, ruling over it: in short, Orientalism as a Western style for dominating, restructuring, and having authority over the Orient" (3).
and in my opinion, this is exactly what toby fox does in ch5. there is no concrete reason for him to invoke japanese imagery, fashion, music styles, architecture, etc etc that is actually tied to the plot. none of the main characters of this chapter are explicitly japanese or even asian-coded in general. ch5 both fetishizes japanese aesthetics and fails to meaningfully engage with them. & regardless of intention, this message is communicated to the fans as well, reinforcing ideas they may already hold of asia as the "other". i really liked other parts of the chapter, but this aspect is orientalist, plain and simple.
annaxmalina
kianamaiart
prguitarman
areudirty
baratheonpilled
tangentwithtanner
yousharknotpass
romaincrisis
pixelskylines
