I absolutely see your point. Maybe it's our fault because Brody and I didn't have enough of a collection to show a lot of innovation, and we didn't include enough of the older stuff to show how much actual "Japanese sound" is in their pop music.

I don't think it's ENTIRELY imitative of American pop music. There have been many years since our occupation ended, though one may say our pop culture occupation is still in existence. Japan has created a great deal of it's own popular culture and its nation's natural instinct to be culturally exclusive has led to their own innovations in style and genre that have begun to influence American's taste for pop music. Just like we've seen with Manga and anime.

Comics were HUGE in the states until the late 40s when cartoonists and comic artists began to introduce more adult themes into them. By the time the Cold War moral panic ensued, sci-fi and graphic novellas were being used as scapegoats for juvenile violence and communism. So while our artists were being oppressed by ignorant fears, Archie and superman's Japanese cousins were thriving in Japan (thanks to General MacArthur). They began to take the art form to new heights as their comic/cartoon style evolved exclusively in Japan. Now manga and anime inform the way Americans think of comic books and animated film. Couldn't that also be the case with their music?

So glad you listened to the WHOLE thing, you should listen to some other shows on this site, they're well done. See you soon,
Ashley's Dad's daughter