User blog:Morgane of the Mists/August 15th, History, and the MI event (Cultural exchange pt. 2)

Tl;dr: Please don't let spin affect your enjoyment of a game, your perception of historical events, and your search for historical truth. Play. Learn. Remember.

ヒトヒトマルマル. 提督の皆さん、おはようございます.

今日は金曜日. そして、特別な日. 数十年前の、あの戦いが終わった日です. それぞれの想いで、黙とうできればと思います. 今日も暑い夏日になりそうです. 体調に気をつけて、この夏も頑張ってまいりましょう.

This is the official tweet from KanColle staff. As many of you know, August 15th is either known as VJ-day or "Memorial Day For the End of the War" (depending on if you are Japan, or the rest of the world). To me, this marks a very significant divide between not only cultures, but the controversies that surround KanColle as we know it.

To be honest, not much has changed, though I will admit that the tone has taken a somewhat "militaristic" spin as of recent times. The Battle of Midway event, as I'm sure we are all experiencing right now, has riled up more than a few feathers. Ironically, a quick glance over the rightwingers in the Japanese community will reveal that they are just as upset as some of the more, ah, jingoistic Western/Chinese admirals at the portrayal of the abyssal fleet. There are those that wish Kadokawa would be more obvious in its criticism. I am pleased to comment that those are a very small (but vocal) minority.

"But Morgane, could they have made it any MORE obvious? The planes! The torpedos! The enemies the location the reference -"

Again, I think we're forgetting KanColle lore. Unlike Touhou, official works has been remarkably consistent in depicting the abyssal fleet as vengeful, alien spirits. While I'm now aware that there are many devs that do lean right and do wish to project their own interpretation on things, as a whole, details pertaining to the abyssal fleet has been uncomfortable but valid, given that this is a game that's based on the IJN fleet. Objectively speaking, if we're projecting KanColle onto history, we have now firmly crossed into fantasy territory with the conclusion of the MI event.

Until they actually publish an event that's say, for instance, attacking the American mainland or bombing China or something similar to that, I'd say: don't give the right-wing nuts any more fodder for their enjoyment. Let them see what they want to see.

That being said. I can understand why it makes things uncomfortable. I've spoken privately with many admirals of many backgrounds and ethnicity, and I think the addition of allied ships would make the game sit comfortably with a lot of players -

- all but the Japanese players, that is, which is their largest market. And this is why. Yes, there are quite a few active voices clamoring for the glorious old days of the navy and how the entire world is at fault. The vast majority of Japanese players, however, really don't care. For them, it happened so long ago that it barely even warrants a memory. Those that do know understand it only from the context of Japan - we are neither offered alternative viewpoints, nor really given access to the capacity to assess other viewpoints. I've commented on this in a previous post, but that is the unfortunate situation today. This apathy is arguably scarier than ignorance, and it is one that I believe all of us can address.

Japan has yet to take responsibility for its sins of the past. Yes, I recognize that the word sin is a very strong word choice, but the truth is there. Regardless of what your opinions may be regarding the justification of war - a righteous war of self-defense against western aggression (Japan's PoV) or an expansionist dehumanizing campaign meant to erase much of eastern culture (...Basically, everybody else's PoV), there are things that happened. Things that should not be forgotten.

In my opinion, it is inappropriate for Japanese conservative parties to mourn the three million dead Japanese soldiers and civilians in the war. But what about the millions and millions of Chinese and Koreans we've slaughtered? Those dead too, must be recognized and honored, and I would be the first to contend that we aren't doing enough. I think it is totally appropriate to think of Nagasaki and Hiroshima and remember the victims, but we must remember and know the atrocities that we've committed in history, so that it does not repeat itself.

Yes, it may be in the interests of the Chinese/Korean/Americans/whatevers to twist the story. Yes, some guy may have been out to make a quick buck. But no matter how one tries to bury history, history inevitably finds a way to present itself truthfully. Slight distortions doesn't make truth go away, and to try to explain otherwise is both folly and stupidity.

"Ok, Morgane, that's Japan's problem. What's this got to do with me?"

No matter what your opinion may ultimately be, I'd like to ask you, dear reader, to be responsible. What does that mean? It simply means that you have knowledge of what happened. Read up. Educate yourself. Know the past, so that we do not repeat it in the future. Americans (and other admirals). Unlike many others, your access to information is free. It is not censored, filtered, and reconstructed carefully to tell only one side of the tale. Please take advantage of it. Some of you younger than I may end up in politics or other places of decision-making in the future, and the world is far from a peaceful place today. A day may come where you are responsible for the lives of others. I hope that you'd do the right thing.

Yes, play, laugh, and cry with your ship-girls. Rage at the RNG goddess as she sends you to the wrong paths. But please do not forget, that on this day, real wars were fought. Real people died. And events - of great heroism and terrible inhumanity - were committed and brought to an end on today, sixty some years ago.

I conclude with a couple of statements from one of my favorite IJN admirals from this time period.

"I did my best on the frontlines, but unfortunately, the war was lost. I am responsible for this and what comes after. However, I am not responsible for the start of this war."

- Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa, former captain of Shimakaze & Haruna, last CiC of the Combined Fleet. the above statement is a personal translation from his autobiography by Yoshia Toshio.

Ozawa never spoke publicly regarding the war, preferring to keep things to himself. His distinctive lack of "enthusiasm" made him a somewhat unpopular individual with the post-war public. He was, however, instrumental in assisting Admiral Morrison, a "foreigner" at that, in the documentation of the pacific war. There were some that questioned his motives, of course, but did you know that Ozawa was one of the few admirals who expressively forbade suicide or self-harm in his troops in the wake of imminent Japanese defeat?

"None of you are allowed to commit suicide! It was irresponsible enough that Onishi committed seppuku and Ugaki flew headfirst into the seas of Okinawa. If all of you behave in such an irrational and stupid way, who remains to take responsibility for the events that we have caused?"

- Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa. This quote is a paraphrase of his statement to his men upon Japan's surrender based on recollections and works of Chiyaha Masakata, a fellow naval officer later turned historian.

We owe much of our first-hand sources regarding what [i]actually[/i] happened to Ozawa. Whatever his opinions may have been, or his perspectives were, I think we could learn from him. I am not here to make statements about the rightness or wrongness of war on Ozawa's behalf. I am not suggesting that Ozawa was apologetic or unapologetic adamant about the events of the war (though, of course, conjectures and interpretations can definitely be made - best saved for another post).

Let us keep the memories burning, so that one day we may be sharing flowers and perhaps a candle in honor of those lost in war, rather than harsh words and missiles. Knowledge (and history) is a part of humanity's inheritance, and is far more valuable than most of us give it credit for. If the land of my ancestry cannot work up the courage to face its past, maybe the rest of us can help step in and pick up her slack.