Comments on: Ouendan – where a foreigner can learn about Japanese manliness

By: Kuda Mutenda

Kuda Mutenda — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 14:44:31 +0000

Why is it that some people always look for the most negative and discouraging area to focus their energies on, often these areas which are centers of criticism are of the most insignificant relevance.
Please assist with answers!!!

By: Kuda Mutenda

Kuda Mutenda — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 14:38:54 +0000

I did not quite get you, can you please rephrase your comment. It sounds like something profound though. Looking forward to your post.

By: ponta

ponta — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 14:31:13 +0000

クダさん、頑張ってね！

By: Kuda Mutenda

Kuda Mutenda — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 14:28:55 +0000

I have been doing martial arts for more than 10yrs, ever since I was 6years old. I have a black belt in Kyokushin Karate. There was just no more challenge for in Karate. By the way I did not join the cheerleading club to toughen up, I already bench press 150kg.

I joined the club because I wanted to do something that I could only do in Japan. OUENDAN is something that you can only do in Japan.

By: Kuda Mutenda

Kuda Mutenda — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 14:23:41 +0000

I tend to disagree with the last part,
“To be a rude about it, the rugger men know they are men; the chickenhawks jumping up and down on the sidelines need to prove it.”
Because I am not a “Chickenhawk”, I could have played and been a star player on the rugby team, Karate or even Judo squad. I chose the “sidelines” because that is where there was the greatest challenge for me as a foreign student in Japan.

By: Kuda Mutenda

Kuda Mutenda — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 14:15:00 +0000

Actually it is, in the Cheerleading squad we train thrice as hard as any other sports team and work more than twice as any other squad, be it rugby, judo or anything else.

By: Ido

Ido — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 23:39:09 +0000

Hey I would’ve done that before had I been in Japan, Ouendan is really impressive and full of tamashii! （^ω^） Plus they get an awesome long gakuran!

By: Penz

Penz — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:43:25 +0000

A puckered and chafed one sir!

By: The Overthinker

The Overthinker — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:11:52 +0000

Whose arse did this list come from?

By: tokyojesusfist

tokyojesusfist — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:17:18 +0000

Western countries are cutting off their balls too. Manly behavior, even something like self-defense, is seen as barbaric and morally wrong.

By: oro_the_dog

oro_the_dog — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:31:27 +0000

whatever manliness is, it doesn’t include being a lemming in my book.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 22:19:25 +0000

Might have something to do with the manly men being the most likely to get killed off in several generations of wars, especially given Japan’s ‘no surrender’ policy. So what sort of men survive to continue their bloodline?

By: Rob A

Rob A — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 22:07:43 +0000

Yes, cheerleading is so manly…

Most of the Ouendan squads I’ve seen look like Gackt backup singers.

By: TW

TW — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:45:57 +0000

PACIFIST CONSTITUTION – what the hell do they expect?

By: Adamu

Adamu — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:47:04 +0000

Those ouendan are quasi-cults and the training sessions are borderline hazing rituals.

By: hoihoi

hoihoi — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:55:43 +0000

ouendan respects even enemy

By: Obtuse

Obtuse — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:48:31 +0000

Metrosexuality is the new AIDS. That’s what’s killing ‘Men’ off.

By: Penz

Penz — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:08:54 +0000

Being a man is being fearless in the face of adversity, being capable of looking after and providing for yourself, maintaining a certain level of strength and fitness, showing respect and grace to those around you, being balanced in your judgements, being graceful in defeat, never giving up, seeking constant self-improvement, protecting those you love from harm, and providing to those in need.

It isn’t encouraging a poor African chap to sign up to a military-esque shoutathon.

Japan, as ever = MASSIVE FAIL.

By: William George

William George — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:08:48 +0000

“…and panelists talked about how much cooler Japanese men were back in the old days”

That Hideki Tōjō sure was a sexy fucker alright…

By: Ron

Ron — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:23:42 +0000

I think he should have just joined a good martial arts dojo. That would have toughened him up.

By: hoihoi

hoihoi — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 10:29:06 +0000

Bankara ouendan
mizusawa high, Iwate
http://images.google.co.jp/images?hl=ja&q=%E3%83%90%E3%83%B3%E3%82%AB%E3%83%A9%E5%BF%9C%E6%8F%B4%E5%9B%A3%E3%80%80%E5%B2%A9%E6%89%8B%E3%80%80%E6%B0%B4%E6%B2%A2%E9%AB%98%E6%A0%A1&lr=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

Morioka high
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C8JuwjAsXU&feature=related

Fukuoka high
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JR7n1oegUKE&feature=related

By: Garrett

Garrett — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 08:13:20 +0000

Even more than “proving it,” cheering squads tend to be much more traditional and regimented than sports teams, in some cases carrying on traditions from over a century ago, when, for example Waseda and Keio’s baseball cheering squads were brawl-leaders as much as cheerleaders.

By: Kitty

Kitty — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 06:29:18 +0000

That sound at 7:25 was a man taking a manly poop!

By: The Overthinker

The Overthinker — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 05:24:24 +0000

You wouldn’t think so, but it is – perhaps in the same way being a cheerleader in the West is more girly than playing netball or something. To be a rude about it, the rugger men know they are men; the chickenhawks jumping up and down on the sidelines need to prove it.

By: gilgamesh

gilgamesh — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 04:28:57 +0000

That guy is awesome.

By: sukeroku

sukeroku — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 03:58:52 +0000

So, is becoming cheerleader more manly than joining the rugby team, judo team…or even the baseball team?

By: radical pikachu

radical pikachu — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 03:50:04 +0000

There is interesting sound at 7:25.

By: Skeletor

Skeletor — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 02:27:51 +0000

Hmm, Great segment, makes me want to get out of this castle and go dance with Daikon!