| Written by Thingfish,
on 21-10-2005 01:54
|
 |
The controversial cover that has not provoked media outrage
|
Akasi, a quarterly publication for the discerning Nipponophile, has
become the latest convert in Hong Kong’s love affair with Nazi Germany.
The October issue of the top-shelf glossy is dominated by pictures of
an attractive young lady partially dressed as a tank commander and
cavorting with wartime general Heinz Guderian.
But unlike every other local business that naively or cynically cashes
in on Nazi notoriety, Akasi has yet to generate a single raised
eyebrow.
Until this reporter spotted a copy on the top shelf in a Causeway Bay 7-11 last week.
In Hong Kong’s English language media, there are few subjects more
likely to generate an outraged print campaign than the use of Nazi
memorabilia as a marketing gimmick.
|
| There's nothing a Hong Kong girl loves more than a man in Hugo Boss with a handbag |
To many Hong Kongers, Nazis represent the epitome of desirability.
Their tanks were made by Mercedes and Porsche; their uniforms were
original Hugo Boss. Twenty years after the last British skinhead tired
of the joke, it’s still not unusual to see a Hong Kong teen in an
Adolph Hitler European Tour t-shirt.
And whether it be a karaoke den with photos of Germans executing
prisoners (a strange choice of decoration, admittedly), a fashion store
decorated with swastikas, a TV station describing its ad
breaks as “the final solution” or a coffee shop picking Hitler for its
daily quote, German wartime symbolism is never far from the editor’s
outrage button.
Yet somehow, Akasi’s efforts have slipped below the radar. It’s hard to
imagine how this could be, since Hong Kong 7-11’s are apparently full
of penniless gweilos looking for love these days, and from our
experience, at least some of them are likely to be journalists.
|
| With poses like this, it's hard to imagine Asak's publishers were not aiming to offend |
More
importantly, the magazine pulled out all the stops to ensure someone
would be offended: They’ve put the girl on the front and back covers,
dressed her in death’s heads, seig-heiling on a swastika backdrop. And
just in case anybody missed the connection between the uniform, the
tank the swastika and the jackbooted nipple tweaking love interest, the
magazine even has a centrespread article about Guderian’s life and
works.
Guderian is often credited as an architect of the Blitzkrieg and a
vocal proponent of the destruction of Warsaw. He rose to become
Hitler’s army chief of staff before conveniently falling out with him a
few days before the war ended.
As Guderian has been dead for fifty years, getting him to pose for
Akasi would have proved difficult. But the magazine found a cunning way
around that little difficulty: They popped down to the shops and bought
a plastic replica.
And they did the same thing with the tank.
 |
Moving on the Eastern Front - Yes, that plastic Panzer general is trying to cop a feel
|
But we’re digressing. If it was news notoriety Akasi was after,
something went badly awry. The directors of the Calvin Group, which
publishes Akasi, must be kicking themselves over the acres of
scandalised newsprint they’ve failed to inspire. This cynical attempt
at media manipulation should have generated a maelstrom of outraged
Sunday front pages and inside page follow-ups.
But it hasn’t. All they’ve managed to do so far is inspire this one
solitary Web report. How could they have so misjudged the media?
It could be that the strip is simply too silly to horrify anyone.
Anyone who can pose a topless babe alongside an Action Man with a
moustache must surely possess a sense of humour. And you’d have to be
either a satirist or a very disturbed tank nerd to think of
Photoshopping topless triplets into a Tamiya Tiger tank.
 |
Triplets in a tank - only a very dedicated tank nerd could take this stuff seriously
|
Or it could just be that the girl is just too cute to cause offence.
At the time of going to press, Netnewsasia had been too lazy to bother
contacting Akasi, so we have no informed opinion on the publisher’s
motives. All we can offer is speculation.
We also noted that the printer’s name is Flying Wind. If that's not significant, we don't know what is.
Pictures on this page have been reproduced in the public interest. As a
concession to those readers for whom the sight of an unclothed nipple
may cause distress, Netnewsasia would like to point out that we have
carefully avoided reproducing any display of muff in this report.
This is a great pity, because it’s an awfully nice one.
 Quote this article on your site
Powered by AkoComment Tweaked Special Edition v.1.4.3
AkoComment © Copyright 2004 by Arthur Konze - www.mamboportal.com
All right reserved
Last update : 02-11-2005 08:16
|
News 
have a nice day and year. thank u for being nice to people. michael johnson 870-931-6203 thank u.
have a nice day and year. thank u for being nice to people. michael johnson 870-931-6203 thank u. 
