Ask John: What is J-Rock?

Question:
What does j-rock have to do with anime/what is j-rock? I’ve seen a lot of j-rock style cosplayers in anime cons, and almost every con I’ve gone to has some sort of mini-j rock panel or event. I just want to know cause it seems like j-rock is just music, so therefore it would have nothing to do with anime (right?).

Answer:
As it’s name implies, “J-rock” is simply a western abbreviation for “Japanese rock & roll” music. (The “J” should always be capitalized because it’s short for the proper name “Japan.”) Some people prefer to use the term “J-rock” in opposition to the more common term “J-pop” (short for “Japanese popular music”) to distinguish the difference between guitar driven musical acts like B”z, Luna Sea, X-Japan, Wands, and Pierrot and dance music or “pop” music performers like Ayumi Hamasaki, Hikaru Utada, Masami Okui, Smap, and Morning Musume.

The relationship between Japanese pop music and anime is relatively close. Five songs from the late X-Japan were been used in the Double X music video and X theatrical movie. Songs from best selling Japanese pop acts including Ayumi Hamasaki, BoA, Move, Dream, Globe, and TM Revolution have been used as theme songs to anime series including Inuyasha, Cyborg 009, One Piece, Initial D, and Gundam Seed. But even if we separate contemporary Japanese pop music from anime, Japanese pop music is still a valid interest for many anime fans. For especially serious, devoted anime fans, anime itself is not just cool animation. Anime is one aspect of a fascinating contemporary foreign culture. Many fans that are interested in anime find themselves interested in Japanese culture itself- its music, food, sports, arts, language, history, and society, including anime, video games, J-pop, sushi, sumo, kabuki, taiko, samurai, dorama, sentai, kaiju, and so on. There are many, many Westerners who find themselves interested primarily in anime, but are also countless anime fans whose devotion to anime is a foundation for an interest in Japanese society and culture itself.