ICYDK: Not everyone appreciates the bomb promotion (hehe) that people have been doing in support of the blockbuster films Barbie and Oppenheimer.
The Barbenheimer trend—a portmanteau of the two summer blockbuster films “Barbie,” a fantasy comedy by director Greta Gerwig about the famous doll, and “Oppenheimer,” the biographical thriller by Christoper Nolan about J. Robert Oppenheimer, has been met with much acclaim on the internet and has generated a culture never seen before.
While both movies were originally pitted against each other, the internet began endorsing it as a “double feature concept”. Celebrities and stars of both films have also reacted positively towards the “Barbenheimer” phenom, and “Oppenheimer” lead himself Cillian Murphy told La Vanguardia that his advice for people is to see both movies on the same day. “If they are good films, then that’s cinema’s gain.”
However, in stark contrast to the huge amount of love that the “Barbenheimer” trend is receiving in the West, the Japanese audience is less than pleased about the hype and the atomic bomb memes. On August 1, 2023, The Warner Bros. Film Group made a public apology for their “insensitive social media engagement” surrounding the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon, which has been a cause for great offense in Japan.
The Nolan-directed biographical film about the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the “father of the atomic bomb” has not been released in Japan. Usually, foreign films would be shown in Asian countries months or a year later than in the rest of the world, but experts in the country say otherwise. Local distributors are said to be “just waiting for the anniversary of the atomic bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to pass,” as it would be distasteful in the eyes of the public for the movie to be released prior to these dates.
“Japan, as a country that suffered atomic bombings, has the right to evaluate this work on the subject of the development of the atomic bomb,” said Akihiko Reizei in an opinion article for Newsweek magazine.
The atomic bombing of Hiroshima happened on August 6, 1945, while Nagasaki was bombed 3 days later. Following the bombings of the two Japanese cities, Japan surrendered to the Allied forces on August 15, 1945, and the war effectively ended (in Asia) on September 2, 1945. The bombings (including their aftereffects) were estimated to have killed 129,000-226,000 people, mostly civilians.
Being the only country where atomic bombs have been used on, Japan took severe offense to the Barbenheimer memes circulating on the internet. Images including mushroom clouds of an atomic bomb were deemed offensive in Japan and prompted the Japanese branch of Warner Bros. to condemn the actions and replies of the U.S. headquarters.
Thus leading to the Warner Bros. Film Group’s public apology.
Japanese Twitter users also tried giving Western Twitter a “taste of their own medicine,” or using 9/11 references in the Barbie memes to get the West to understand why the atomic bomb references were offensive to them.
In an attempt to get Americans to see why Japan finds Barbenheimer offensive, Japanese twitter has taken to making 9/11 jokes – completely misunderstanding that Americans love 9/11 jokes. pic.twitter.com/6F5FOf5aTR
— Nick | アラタ・ニコラス (@NickFromTokyo) August 1, 2023
At the heart of the Barbenheimer backlash is a fundamental cultural difference between Japan and America, the latter of which often takes horrific events and turns them into comedy for mainstream entertainment. Japan broadly speaking has no such culture. pic.twitter.com/7b2q4uK56n
— Nick | アラタ・ニコラス (@NickFromTokyo) August 1, 2023
As a bisexual individual born and living in Japan, I protest against the use of the internet meme 'Barbenheimer' to make light of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Please remember that there are still people suffering from the aftereffects of the atomic bombs.
Mr.… https://t.co/7iPVyspYmb— 村田しゅんいち🏳️🌈TGJP🏳️⚧社民党️🌹 (@Shunichi_Murata) July 30, 2023
Warner Bros Japan (via the official Barbie movie JP account) is calling out Warner Bros US for the social media marketing regarding Barbenheimer. The backlash in combing the two films, mostly aimed at Oppenheimer’s actions being subsequently parodied is causing outrage. https://t.co/aicacxFEWw
— Destiny Jackson (@DestinyDreadful) July 31, 2023
JP twitter finding out about the Barbenheimer meme and instantly responding with 9/11 parody edits is some golden shit im sorry bro
— Mrcheese: Arcade Edition (@Cheesetsujin28) August 1, 2023
not Japan getting mad about Barbenheimer when their eduction system still plays them as the victims in the Rape of Nanjing and Bataan Death March LMAO, fuck out of here https://t.co/ktVrh6YySj
— james (@g__james) August 1, 2023
Japanese Twitter discovered the “Barbenheimer” meme. As you might expect, some folks aren’t too happy with pictures of mushroom clouds that seem to make light of the roughly 140,000 deaths in Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II. pic.twitter.com/XstTTENB7A
— Unseen Japan (@UnseenJapanSite) July 31, 2023
Japan during Pearl Harbor vs Japan when Barbenheimer https://t.co/jhmmTM39XZ pic.twitter.com/FwjWjMWVAK
— James, Cult Leader (@MKUltraMoney) August 1, 2023
The #NoBarbenheimer controversy is a reminder of the perception gap between Japan and the US over the issue of nuclear weapons. Japanese grow up learning about the horrors of the a-bombs and every year's memorial ceremonies are treated as national news…pic.twitter.com/wBW8QTmHin
— Jeffrey J. Hall 🇯🇵🇺🇸 (@mrjeffu) August 1, 2023
①In Japan, every August is the summer to remember.
It's a summer to remember the evil of the Japanese military during WW2, the horrific civilian massacre in Okinawan warzones, the barbaric nuclear bombing in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
↓#Barbenheimer#NoBarbenheimer https://t.co/W1t1lifHym— じょせふ (@real_YJK) July 30, 2023
Around the world, the Barbenheimer meme has helped launch two Hollywood films into the stratosphere. But in Japan, the meme is generating a backlash – especially after the official US Barbie account engaged with one such meme. pic.twitter.com/L1AKFogPlB
— Unseen Japan (@UnseenJapanSite) July 31, 2023
‘Barbenheimer’ is big on social media – and Japan doesn’t like ithttps://t.co/ZLNAQU14c3
— South China Morning Post (@SCMPNews) August 1, 2023
honestly, when i watched Oppenheimer i kinda realized the Barbenheimer memes were in bad taste. like idk besties, the two nucleaur bombs the US dropped on Japan and killed at least 110,000 people is probably not *our* tragedy to make jokes about https://t.co/KrqWRUELo5
— Marz 🧬🌻🦁🌙 (@spaceyhiyyih) August 1, 2023
in response to the "Barbenheimer" meme's reception in Japan, which many found to be promoting culturally insensitive works, Japanese Internet Posters have taken practical measures to show americans what they view as a double standard, by doing another 9/11. they did 9/11 again
— omega-female jeep owner (@nightcorebanksy) August 3, 2023
As of writing, the #NoBarbenheimer tag is trending in Japan over the backlash against the biographical film “Oppenheimer.” Barbie” is set to be released in Japan on August 11, 2023.
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