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Curry Zawa Kaoru's Creative Counseling - “It's frustrating to me when people judge the past by today's standards.” Keep your eyes on your own paper.

Article by Curry Zawa Kaoru

It's frustrating to me when people judge the past by today's standards

Hello, Curry Zawa! I usually write BL fan fiction, and I'm coming to you for advice because there's a work I'm currently obsessed with, but... So, the work is set in early Showa Japan, shortly after the war, and I'm getting frustrated by the number of people who use modern-day thinking and values to criticize the behavior of certain characters... Additionally, perhaps because there are a lot of young people in the fandom, the number of people who incorrectly cite historical events in their works feels abnormally high, and it's been bothering me. I tell myself, "This is all just for fun! Don't take it all too seriously!" and yet I also think, "But they're getting historical facts wrong! Surely there should be some due diligence required?" Especially since the original story explores perspectives on social issues of the time and delves deeply into topics surrounding prejudice related to disabilities and illnesses! I can't help but question whether it is right to unilaterally condemn people living with the realities of the early Showa period or to critique them using the standards of today. Am I just being small-minded? Do you do any research when creating fanworks based on period pieces? Can you please share your perspective on this issue?

It's certainly uncomfortable for authors to have readers who get loudly upset because they don't agree with the way the work was written, insisting ridiculous things such as, "Who cares if it's set in 1600? Give them smartphones!!!"


However, most people write so that many people will read and enjoy their creations, though I suppose some creators might stick their nose up in the air and snootily say, "You should know what you're getting into." They're not necessarily wrong. Just like people shouldn't go to Starbucks if they want cheap coffee or play FF13 if they don't want to deal with Cocoon, Pulse, and the Purge talk (let alone all that fal'Cie and l'Cie nonsense), they shouldn't insist on anachronism in historical fiction if that's not what the creator wants to do.


Ultimately, there's not much you can do if there is a lot of criticism related to modern-day ethics and standards. You have to meet people where they're at, though you could maybe add a warning at the beginning. For example: "This work uses actual prejudices and discriminatory language that existed in this era. Also, smartphones haven't been invented yet."


If a work has already done such things and there are still people screaming, "Excuse me? But a smartphone is OBVIOUSLY the only option here," then they might be the kind of person who will walk into a minefield after ignoring the NO TRESPASSING signs. You're probably best served by avoiding them completely.


Either way, it's not your job to correct or criticize people for it. Even if you do, it's very unlikely that they will thank you for it. Leave it to the production team to deal with the screaming hordes and go off to live your own best life.

Even (especially?) if it's a hobby, who's got the time?

You touched on it a little already, but some things aren't a big deal. For example, debating the (non)existence of Wi-Fi in the Meiji era is a lot more cut and dry than, say, human rights. A misstep in the latter has higher stakes because it can lead to the spread of inaccurate information (fake news, anyone?) and even lead to a rise of discrimination and prejudice.


When it comes down to it, I don't think anyone's out here making fanworks expressly for the purpose of putting hate speech into their favorite series. It's likely that the majority of people who do put it in their fanworks are doing it without any malicious intent, so if you feel moved to do so, try reaching out to them in a safe or neutral space, like on Marshmallow, and kindly and discreetly let them know the weight of what they've done. Even if they're embarrassed, they'll likely be grateful that you said something.

If it turns out they are trying to spread hate speech using their OTP, abort mission!!! They're out for blood, and you need to look out for yourself! Report them and beat a strategic retreat.


For these more sensitive topics, your outrage is valid and people should do their research before writing about them... but you might be barking up the wrong tree.


Writing about topics like history and medicine is extremely difficult and a simple online search simply isn't enough to do such topics justice. You need to be an expert, or at least have an expert you can consult about it. Even professionals aren't perfect; you can have a whole team dedicated to making sure it's accurate and still publish a commercial product that contains mistakes. Not to mention, there are also fields where experts spend all their time telling each other they're wrong!


Considering all that, I think it's time for you to learn some tolerance for the mistakes of amateurs creating fanworks just for fun, if only for the sake of your blood pressure.

You're not small-minded

Commercial or not, publishing your work anywhere introduces the potential for it to have a wide reach. This fact alone ought to make people feel responsible for the information they share and push them to do their due diligence in fact-checking.


On the other hand, consumers are free to choose how they enjoy content. As a mangaka, I'm certainly happy when people say, "This is interesting and historically accurate," but I also don't mind being praised with something like, "I've never heard of this Sekigahara guy, but Ieyasu is hot af!!!"


That doesn't necessarily apply if you're creating fanwork, but remember this: as a fan, you can't police how other fans experience or interpret your favorite series. What are you going to do, tell them not to watch it if they can't watch it "correctly"? What would that even mean, and how would you even enforce it? Even if they've got the wildest take in the world, they still have a right to it (and, to be honest, that's a problem for the original creators to deal with, not you).


It's clear that you're a conscientious reader and creator, so I think you're not inherently narrow-minded. That said, it's a shame that you're now directing your energy toward criticizing other people's subpar works.


No matter how sound your argument, people who spend all of their time complaining about what other people make without creating anything themselves don't get any respect. Why are you letting these poorly written works take up so much of your mind and soul? Rather than letting them distract you, focus on creating what you feel is a well-constructed and properly researched work instead. Once you've put it out there, then your interpretation has the chance to become the gold standard for everyone else to emulate.


It's obviously easier as a creator to have readers who love your work unconditionally, but it's also a good thing to have critics who will discover all the bones you've buried in the garden. They keep you on your toes and make you better at what you do.


Keep doing what you do! You may even catch things that the original creator themselves didn't notice, and influence them to incorporate your thinking and methodology into what they do!

↑ Feel free to send your troubles in languages other than Japanese, too.

This column was made into a book!

The popular column Curry Zawa Kaoru’s Creative Counseling has been made into a book titled Otaku no Tanoshii Seisaku Ron (The Delightful Art of Otaku Creation, Bungeishunju).


In addition to fan-favorite episodes such as “Coping with fanwork taking a little too many liberties”, “When you can’t get feedback in an underdeveloped genre”, “Is 40 too old for doujin events?” and “Understanding the troubles and contradictions of killing off your favorite characters”, the book also includes brand new topics and advice!

To celebrate the release of the book, we had a chat with Curry Zawa and Tsuzuru Sanada (author of Doujin Onna no Kanjo). Give it a read!

Can’t get enough of Curry Zawa Kaoru? Check out the following articles!

Read more Curry Zawa Kaoru’s Creative Counseling articles here
Curry Zawa Kaoru
  • Curry Zawa Kaoru
  • Born in 1982. Unemployed. Her works include Kremlin (Kodansha), Makeru Gijutsu (Kodansha), and Busu no Honkai (Ohta Publishing). Her hobby is egosurfing.

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