Asian Movies Vs. Western Movies

I. Introduction - Asian vs. Western
We have all heard the joke - Asians have the strictest parents in the world, and are all excellent at Math. Stereotypical as it might be, the fact that so many American dramas or movies follow this trope shows the Western opinion of Asia - straight-headed and inflexible. In comparison, the Western society is usually much more liberal and relaxed, which manifests in their films, especially Hollywood. In an industry where sex sells, Hollywood has no qualms in giving the audience what they want, and they are experts at it. Hollywood movies are usually filled with sexual references, sexual jokes, or at the very least, innuendoes. On the other hand, disregarding Asian stereotypes, are Asian films really more tame

Genitals of the men and women are either strategically hidden behind props or surroundings, or blurred out by mosaic. This is due to the strict censorship laws in Japan, but rather than diminish the values of these films, the law forced filmmakers to be creative in other ways. When compared with Japanese pink films, the American pornographic films proved to be elemental - “showing all, it need do nothing else; Japanese eroductions have to do something else since they cannot show all” (Richie, 2011). With the artistic flair of new wave directors and an audience always hungry for more, pink films truly made its mark in Japanese cinema, and in the international

The desire for sex is never really eradicated - it is only suppressed. A combination of suppressed desires and inaccurate portrayals of how sex should be could potentially become dangerous, as we have learnt from the sexual assaults in India. Censorship laws in Singapore are extremely strict as well, and many films of sexual or controversial nature are cut or banned. While Singapore has its art schools and film institutions, “most of them focus on imparting technical production skills, rather than developing creative and critical skills derived from a deep understanding of humanities and even social sciences” (Lim & Yamamoto, 2012). There is little emphasis on education of the portrayal of sex in cinema, and that is deeply worrying. In my opinion, sex should be openly and bravely discussed, and should no longer be a taboo topic. The less people know about sex, the more susceptible they are to getting the wrong information from disreputable sources. Instead of simply censoring sexual scenes in movies, encourage discussion of what is right and what is wrong. This way, the artistic integrity of films can also be preserved with censorship kept to a minimum. People will also learn the difference between consensual sex and rape, learn what they like for themselves, and to respect the sexual preferences of others. Portrayal of sex in Asian cinema could potentially be healthy and productive - we just have