A friend e-mailed me this video about Jero, an American who successfully pursued his dream to become an enka singer. Enka is a Japanese style of singing with a tender and folksy feel, which was developed during the Showa Era. Jero’s grandmother was Japanese and imparted her love of the genre to him at an early age. He promised her he’d become an enka singer when he grew up and kept that promise:
It’s tough to become a singer, and tougher still to master another language enough to be talented to sing successfully with it. Jero’s kept the spirit of enka but has added his own voice and style to the music. He’s a great example of how hard work and dedication can lead to fulfillment where there may have never been hope of doing so before, i.e. American mangaka and anime producers. Bottom line: Keep going, never give up and someday, you may top the charts!
I was exposed to anime as a child while living in Germany after watching the Japanese version of Hans Christian Anderson’s the Little Mermaid. In high school, a classmate in art brought in Akira as an example of Japanese art. I wasn’t very impressed with anime at the time, but my re-exposure to it in 2000 thanks to Escaflowne had me hooked for life.After sorting out what I liked about anime (great stories, beautiful animation and epic battles) and disliked about anime (big boobs, angst-y 15 year-old kids, most mecha, sports stories and style-over-substance), I got into it with a vengeance.I do love almost all aspects of Japanese culture and try to be involved with it as much as possible. I have no problem admitting that I incorporate a lot of Japanese trends and traditions into my life as I modify them and make them my own. Anime is a big part of that, along with all the sub-cultures, past and present.
Very cool I like his singing he sounds really nice ^^