Noirsensei says:
Great essay, and it does a great job of highlighting what has upset Western-but-J-savvy fans about the Super Young Team.
I'm not sure I agree that those fans are right to be upset, though.
I kinda see the SYT unintended as very 'Japanese' heroes, but rather as Japanese heroes who are attempting to riff on Western heroes in the proud Japanese tradition of 'doing it wrong.'
What, exactly, is wrong with that? If that is the case, it's pretty refreshing. Let me rap a bit, here:
I live in Taiwan. Over here there's a great deal of cultural drip-down from Japan. I've visited Japan, too... but I'm not from there, despite my experience with the place... so no worries. I'm not going to claim I know what the Japanese would do. All the same, I'm knee deep in their influence and pop-culture.
Anyway, there are tons of things on this side of the globe that emblazon themselves proudly with Western logos or stylings over half-baked products or ideas. It's a new tradition in and of itself, practically. Let me think of a few things I've seen recently...
- BATMAN, the slot parlor. - A T-shirt with Hitler dressed as Ronald McDonald. - "American STYLE" sweet and sour chicken burger. - A computer company using one of Alex Ross' iconic superman paintings with their logo over the S. - A hip-hop clothing store called 'NIGGER KING' (They've since changed their name after a lawsuit, but they still sell the old merch. I have a Nigger King hat, and a nice chat with the owner, a young Taiwanese guy. He said that Taiwan didn't get the word until rap music, and to them, that's all it evokes. It's a "cool" word rappers say.)
Of course, there are a few well-known internet examples of this as well.
- Watchmen-tan - Bishi Bruce and Clark - And you touched upon that yourself with a mention of motorcycle riding, kaiju battling, Planet Supaidaa hailing Toho Spider-Man, then veered off in another direction.
I'm thinking the Super Young Team is less attempting to say "This is EXACTLY how Japan thinks superheroes should be." but more "This is probably how Japan thinks Western superheroes could be [sold] to the Japanese market."
I hear what you're saying, but I think we're holding different pieces of the puzzle, here.
Also -- it's Morrison. The guy doesn't craft ideas. He crafts vague suggestions that allow someone to reach an idea if they're on the same wavelength as he is. So I'll go out on a limb, a bit.