Image #1 (kaikai kiki): http://www.tokyoartgallery.com/kaikaikikinews.jpg
In browsing through the galleries of kaikai kiki images, I came across these two characters more than once. I'll begin with what's most obvious. Personally, I can completely understand why the character on our right is considered to be "cute." His fair, baby-like skin tone, small, shiny, beady black eyes, piglet-like nose, innocent smile, and monkey-like ears all combine to make this an adorable character. His large, floppy ears also make him cute in the same sense as a rabbit. I also see the cuteness in the flowers in the background. It is brought on by the entourage of bright, cheery colors, as well as their exagerrated, over-joyed smiles. But the figure on our left, on the other hand... oh boy. I don't find him to be cute at all. Instead, I think he is rather nightmarish. Unlike with the flowers, we can see the insides of his mouth, complete with tongue and... yes, fangs! He also has three eyes (which is not necessarily disturbing in and of itself) that are looking in all different directions, and come off to me as maniacal. I know that some of people may disagree with me, but I wouldn't want to be cuddling with that thing any time soon.
Image #2 ("non-art"): http://media.photobucket.com/image/cute%20japanese%20toys/failuresque/cute_japanese_toys.jpg
When I googled "cute Japanese toys," I obviously came up with a huge amount of images. I found this one to be of particular interest, however. Yes, these toys are complete with many of the "cute" aspects that we discussed in class. They've all got large, unintimidating eyes, innocent little childish smiles (save for the girl with the mask), big, round, beachball-shaped heads, and either have a small button nose or no nose at all. The guy on our left is also in a humorous cow costume. Of course, there is something about them that is rather less inviting. That guy in the cow costume is carrying a machine gun. The girl and the dog (?) on our right are dressed in pink zip-up costumes that are replete with some pretty menacing spikes. And yeah... the character on the bottom is, well, a bullet. Needless to say, I found these toys to be a paradox in every sense of the word. They are cute, yes, but are dangerous at the same time. They blatantly carry a reminder of violence with them. Would you want to cuddle with someone holding a big gun? I hope not. Or with someone covered in big spikes like those? Nope. But I find the bullet to be especially interesting. For all intensive purposes, he is adorable in much the same way that any "Hello Kitty" character is. He's got the proper facial expression, and he is small and harmless (at first glance, anyway). But again, he is a bullet, a symbol of death and violence. What was the creator going for here? Maybe a comment on the unlimited number of disguises that violence can take on? Also, if what we discussed in class on Tuesday is true, that the Japanese (along with the Europeans) censor violence much more than nudity, sex, etc., then why is something like this being marketed for children? Or is it? I think it is very possible that the designer could certainly have had another, more mature audience in mind here. Either way, I thought this one was worth looking at.
