Never the twain shall meet
January 6th 2012 06:45
Those who know nothing of foreign languages know nothing of their own.
-- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
There are a number of things I’ll be interested to see regarding Planechase 2012. I’d like to see the new art and new cards promised. I’m hoping that Jund and Esper will get planes this time around. And I’m very curious about how well Night of the Ninja, one of the theme decks that goes with the new planes, will sell.
Why wouldn’t it sell well? After all, Japan is, in many ways, rehabilitated from the historical prejudices and stereotypes that Western cultures have held. The Nintendo Wii has sold more units than the other consoles of its generation. Even little things, like the popularity of karate as both a hobby and a cultural meme, suggest openness towards Asian culture.
Appearances can be deceiving. For every Otaku USA Magazine or superficially-researched book about Japanese management methods, there’s a sinister murmur about economic imperialism or ranting blog post referring to Champions of Kamigawa as the “ninja block.” Despite the rise of orientalist feelings in the 20th century, there remains significant distrust of outside cultural ideas and images, and affinity for Western ideas and images remains significantly higher among much of the population. (In addition to be a beautiful, engaging world-simulator, Skyrim also includes a modern-fantasy adaptation of the Norse myths of Ragnarok.)
There’s no reason, looking at the cards alone, that Champions of Kamigawa should have been unpopular (among forumites, at least; I have no data on how well it sold. If you do, please let me know). In tournament play, the five legendary dragons were powerhouses, as were Gifts Ungiven, Sensei’s Divining Top, Heartbeat of Spring, various of the green Spirits, various Samurai cards, Umezawa’s Stupid Goddamn Jitte, and a surprising number of Ninjas. In any other block, these (and probably some I missed) would have been recognized – the only difference here was that they used weird curved swords and some people had trouble pronouncing “Umezawa’s Jitte.”
This lack of recognition (and its possible repeat in Planechase 2012) is unfortunate. Even if you think people should be interested in their own culture (and I generally do), it can be interesting once in a while to try something that references a different set of myths, or, in the case of the Kamigawa block, is a hybrid or adaptation of another culture to Western fantasy. We’ll probably never get a better one in Magic than Champions of Kamigawa. I wonder when we’ll realize that.
Follow me on Twitter for condensed insight, rhetorical questions, and "WOTC Y U NO READ LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW" spam.
-- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
There are a number of things I’ll be interested to see regarding Planechase 2012. I’d like to see the new art and new cards promised. I’m hoping that Jund and Esper will get planes this time around. And I’m very curious about how well Night of the Ninja, one of the theme decks that goes with the new planes, will sell.
Why wouldn’t it sell well? After all, Japan is, in many ways, rehabilitated from the historical prejudices and stereotypes that Western cultures have held. The Nintendo Wii has sold more units than the other consoles of its generation. Even little things, like the popularity of karate as both a hobby and a cultural meme, suggest openness towards Asian culture.
Appearances can be deceiving. For every Otaku USA Magazine or superficially-researched book about Japanese management methods, there’s a sinister murmur about economic imperialism or ranting blog post referring to Champions of Kamigawa as the “ninja block.” Despite the rise of orientalist feelings in the 20th century, there remains significant distrust of outside cultural ideas and images, and affinity for Western ideas and images remains significantly higher among much of the population. (In addition to be a beautiful, engaging world-simulator, Skyrim also includes a modern-fantasy adaptation of the Norse myths of Ragnarok.)
There’s no reason, looking at the cards alone, that Champions of Kamigawa should have been unpopular (among forumites, at least; I have no data on how well it sold. If you do, please let me know). In tournament play, the five legendary dragons were powerhouses, as were Gifts Ungiven, Sensei’s Divining Top, Heartbeat of Spring, various of the green Spirits, various Samurai cards, Umezawa’s Stupid Goddamn Jitte, and a surprising number of Ninjas. In any other block, these (and probably some I missed) would have been recognized – the only difference here was that they used weird curved swords and some people had trouble pronouncing “Umezawa’s Jitte.”
The word Rat still looks weird on a type line without Ninja following it.
This lack of recognition (and its possible repeat in Planechase 2012) is unfortunate. Even if you think people should be interested in their own culture (and I generally do), it can be interesting once in a while to try something that references a different set of myths, or, in the case of the Kamigawa block, is a hybrid or adaptation of another culture to Western fantasy. We’ll probably never get a better one in Magic than Champions of Kamigawa. I wonder when we’ll realize that.
Follow me on Twitter for condensed insight, rhetorical questions, and "WOTC Y U NO READ LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW" spam.
| 17 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
