Oka Shūki

Oka Shūki or Okataian Cycle is the increase in global popularity of Okataian culture since the 1990s. First driven by the spread of TV dshows and music across East, South and Southeast Asia during its initial stages, Oka Shūki evolved from a regional development into a global phenomenon, carried by the Internet and social media and the proliferation of Okapop music videos on YouTube.

Fuelled by the large amounts of Okataians living abroad, the agenda for the export of Okataian Culture is cruclial for Okataian identity and has prompted the okataian government to support its creative industries through subsidies and funding for start-ups, as a form of soft power and in its aim of becoming one of the world's leading exporters of culture along with Japanese and British culture. Since the turn of the 21st century, Oka has emerged as a major exporter of popular culture and tourism, aspects which have become a significant part of its burgeoning economy.

Analysts note that the Okataian Cycle is more high brow than the Korean wave, it includes art and cinema meaning it is more exclusive, though Music is an exception. Nowadays the phenomenon exists through four distinct vectors : art, fashion, music and cinema

=Concept=

Oka Shūki or Okataian Cycle is a cultural concept and phenomenon that polarizes large parts of Okataian culture into themes, according to scholar Tom Humphrey those include :


 * Urban Lifestyle & Melancholy referencing and revisiting History
 * Romance & Youth as refuge from daily life and time
 * Appreciation for High Culture & Elegance as a strong western influence

Analysts also note a very strong determination to differ Okataian style from other styles present in Asia. Shūki 2.0 is a term used to describe the "New Okataian wave" that began around 2007 as a result of Oka taking advantage of 21st century digital technologies and social media. The term "Shūki 2.0" was first used in August 2010 by the East Asia Morning Post when the artist Grima composed an album solely with fans and the wave rose in tandem with Web 2.0, which emphasizes user generated content and usability.

=Fashion=

Okataian Fashion can be divided into two periods, one before and after Western influences. Okataian fashion has many influences though designers in recent years have been pushing to find an Okataian style with emphasis on elegance and class.

Ryusou Fashion
Ryusou or Shimpo kimono, referred to as ‘ushinchi’ in the local language, are easily distinguished from the iconic Japanese kimono in a number of ways. First and foremost, the sleeves of Shimpo kimono are much more open, allowing for a tropical breeze to flow through. Most notably the fabric, made from fibers of the native bashofu plant, is much thinner than most mainland kimono. the Kimono's employ patterns such as bingata, kasuri and Hana-ori. More recent Kimono's with the importation of Chinese culture feature more elaborate and complex patterns. The Shimpo has official and casual variation, commonly the amount of ornamentation meant how important the activities this person were doing were.

Shin Fashion
In recent years, fashion in Oka has greatly evolved, due to inspiration from the West. Factors that have influenced the changes in Okataian fashion are culture, wealth, and (social) media. The country's developing economy has also had a profound effect on fashion.

Currently, Oka maintains a unique fashion style that has become an acknowledged influence in worldwide trends. Oka style has become more expressive, reflecting a sense of individuality, which marks a difference with Oka's Confucian history. Furthermore Okataian TV and Pop stars have started appearing in major cities like London and New York to promote Okataian Fashion.

the current fashion scene feature brands by Okataian fashion magnates that have become some of Oka's richest people with companies like Escape, Flow Motion and Aeon. The scene is however dominated by smaller yet influential brands and designers like Mschf, Yth, Crank and Antoine

Oka also has a significant amount of events and events, they feature the Okataian Style week and Oka City Fashion Week. Fashion magazines like Goka Shitai (Wonderful Appearance), 21st Century Style and Blooming Contemporary Okataian designers have an outlet to express and experiment with styles.

=Music=

Okataian music is divided into two very distinct and opposite categories according to analysts, Okapop that focuses on Romance and Youthfulness and Okataian Hip Hop or Doro music focusing on Urban life and Melancholy. They also feature the Okataian Deep house scene and the lesser known Asiatrance Coroporation

Pop Music
Okataian Pop Music or Okapop is famous for it's beginnings in Northern Oka as a variation from Jpop and Kpop. (tbd) Okapop has been a staple for Oka's acts in AINVision.

In the 1960's discs from America and Britain were imported into Oka and translated to be sung in Okataian, a translation of the Beatles 1967's Penny Lane called "Koun Street" by the "Kanto Hōrō-sha" marks the birth of Okapop, since then Okapop has dominated and become synonymous with local music culture since its birth in the 60's in Oka City, it's massive popularity in Oka and in communities outside of Oka have made it a catalyst for Okataian culture worldwide.

Okapop is a cultural product that features “values, identity and meanings that go beyond their strictly commercial value.” It is characterized by a mixture of Western sounds with an Asian aspect of performance. It has been remarked that there is a "vision of modernization" inherent in Okataian culture. For some, the transnational values of Okapop are responsible for its success. Some examples of the transnational values inherent in Okapop that may appeal to those from different ethnic, national, and religious backgrounds include a dedication to high-quality output and presentation of idols, as well as their work ethic and polite social demeanour, made possible by the training period. The Okapop system is criticized by some in Oka as being unoriginal or even sexist, most of it's critics come for the rival Hip Hop scene

Hip Hop
Okataian hip hop or Doro (Dirt) is said to have begun when a Oka City DJ Seito Shihi returned to Oka and started playing hip hop records in the early 1980s. the Hip Hop tends to be most directly influenced by old school hip hop, taking from the era's catchy beats, dance culture, and overall fun and carefree nature and incorporating it into their music. As a result, hip hop stands as one of the most commercially viable mainstream music genres in Oka, and the line between it and pop music is frequently blurred. Some of the most famous artists include Yoiinu, Shingo Kamo, Dana, Roboto and Yomozuka

Themes of Okataian Hip Hop focus on different themes and has recently acted as a critic of Okataian society :


 * The permanence of urban life and urban decay
 * Fascination for melancholy in which many artists refer to Okataian History
 * Criticizing Social and Human problems in Oka

Deep House
From the late 1960s to early ’70s, Disco swept through the Floor 55 Club in Oka City was a beacon of pleasure, a nightclub where flamethrowers and jugglers plied their art amidst a backdrop of strobe lights and grainy home movies that were projected on the walls. But while the glory days of Oka City’s famous nightclubs from those years are long gone, the impact the club as an institution has had on the city is far from over. That’s because clubs aren’t just a place to dance the night away. They also play a role in the economic and cultural wealth of cities, woven just as deeply into the urban fabric as more highbrow cultural institutions.

A new generation in the 1990's spearheaded by DJ's and producers like Uncle Ray and Shing Tadasu started playing Detroit Deep House with Soul, Jazz and Vocals sung by Okataian Singers, the 1996 Festival the future sound of Oka is considered a turning point in the production of electronic music in Oka, it started trying to capture a form of Asian Furturism, the music is very much inspired by the characteristics of cities. The similar birth of the genres means that in recent years artists have been blurring the boundaries between Deep House and Hip Hop

=Art=

A specfificity of the Oka_Shūki is the incorporation of art as a vector for cultural transmission, and as with most music art focuses on the ideas :
 * Urban Lifestyle & Melancholy referencing and revisiting History
 * Romance & Youth as refuge from daily life and time
 * Appreciation for High Culture & Elegance as a strong western influence

Artists have developped in the 21st century a style called Okataian Romanticism with performance artists like Julia Joo and Nanyu Kobei experemeting with digital media and painting - We want to uncover a world of emotion lying in the heart of every person pressed and humbled by Oka's restless lifestyle