Rupert, David Heyman, and Alfonso Cueron at the premier of "The Prisoner of Azkaban" in Japan

When I was lucky enough to meet Rupert Grint, it was at the Japanese premier of Prisoner of Azkaban. I was thirteen at the time, I was more than excited and ready to have my chance to meet him. When he walked over to our gate, I didn’t waste any time getting his attention. I gave him a bear that I had bought for him, he signed a picture for me, and I asked for a kiss. I was nervous but there was no way I couldn’t ask. He kindly obliged and when he pulled away from my cheek, I quickly kissed his cheek as well. It happened so fast that I was able to get the corner of his mouth in the kiss. After it happened, I was afraid he would be upset, but he was smiling and chuckling.
For me, it was just me being a lucky fan and getting the opportunity to meet him. But for some, I could understand it seemed  like the actions of an overzealous, wild Japanese fan.

While I think the love for the famous person is the same amongst different cultures, I think Japanese fans have a bit more guts and enthusiasm that is more obvious. In similar to other culture, in Japan, we are taught to respect the privacy and wishes of others, and we do believe in personal space.  In fact, privacy, respect, and personal space are huge themes all around Asia and Asian culture.  However, when it comes to celebrities, I think this is when the Japanese culture rather stems away from others. It’s almost blinded worship for us. We are very enthusiastic,  loud, and outspoken. We want to see and touch the person; we want to feel a connection deeper than just getting an autograph. We want to feel things on a spiritual and emotional level. There is this belief that Japanese fans are the most dedicated, and maybe it is me being biased, but I believe that is true.

 I know that fans from all around the world will do just about anything for their favorite celebrity.  However, I think that in sheer volumes of numbers, Japanese fans are more dedicated. I think the main reason for this is that we are less concerned about looking stupid or feeling guilty for indulging with the celebrity, if given the chance. I know in my case with Rupert, some might say that I took things too far; but I believe that I was given the opportunity and it would have been wrong to let it pass me by. There is this idea of keeping things “proper” and “censorship” that many other cultures are stricter about than in Japan. Our rules on censorship are more of a matter of personal choice than regulation, as it is elsewhere in the world.

However, there is one idea that I do get annoyed about and that’s the idea of the “crazy Asian fan”.  The idea that every Asian fan will just jump on the celebrity, lick, bite, scream and act out of order, almost animalistic. And why this may be true for some fans, it’s not an automatic stamp for all. While we can be overzealous, we do not intentionally want to annoy, hurt or scare the person. We do realize they are people too. and we do want to give them respect. I just think that we adore, love, and worship so whole-heartedly and so blindly that sometimes it can get out of hand. But it is always with the best intentions. We love and just want to show that love.  Over the top behavior can be seen in all cultures of fans. I just think once again it may seem like more in Japanese culture because of the volume of people and fans that we have and our beliefs of censorship.

Hinoe, from Japanese anime/manga show, "Harukanara Toki".

Rupert is very well loved in Japan.  One of the main reasons why Rupert is so loved and popular here is because of his looks. While gingers may be perceived as “weird” or “awkward” elsewhere, here it is celebrated and thought as unique and endearing. In anime, the strong, brave, aggressive hero is usually a redhead. Red heads are seen as powerful and born leaders here. There are very few true redheads in Japan. The pale skin, freckles, and red hair is not something common in Japanese biology so Rupert is a symbol of that uniqueness and sexiness.

As a Japanese fan, I am very proud of my culture and how we as fans can express our love for celebrities. I don’t think we’re over the top so much as just being very devoted and honest about our feelings. We tend to act on what we feel and that takes courage. Therefore, I would also say Japanese fans are the most daring, lol. If given the opportunity to meet Rupert again, I will certainly not hold back and I will sneak my kiss in again.

Other people may call it being a “crazy Japanese fan”, but I call it being the only way I know how to be.

Hinoe picture courtesy of The Yumeta Company