Interesting: Post WWII Japan.

[Sock Full of Boiled Dimes]

So I'm doing some random lookup just to feed the brain knowledge.

Now, there is something I've noticed in Japanese Anime which happens frequently. In fact it's common. Every once in a while, for whatever reason, the Japanese student, hero, girl, weird mouse looking thing, etc will say to themselves or someone else, "Shikata ga nai" or "it can't be helped".

I realize this was a common cultural thing and wondered what it was about.

I was lucky to figure it what it was just through random searching.

Apparently during the USA occupation of Japan after WWII things tended to suck hard. I mean bad. Japan was in shambles and the only way they could cope was drink. Whenever they would hear about something bad they would always say, "Shikata ga nai".

Interesting.

[MNJetter]

I'm not sure what's so interesting about that. All the phrase means is "There's nothing to be done". The phrase itself has nothing to do with WWII and the occupation that followed. It's basically like an English speaker shrugging his shoulders and saying "Can't be helped."

[Swede]

I'm not sure what's so interesting about that. All the phrase means is "There's nothing to be done". The phrase itself has nothing to do with WWII and the occupation that followed. It's basically like an English speaker shrugging his shoulders and saying "Can't be helped."


This.

[Kyletherealninja]

I thought that phrase was "Shou ga nai."

[japanat]

I thought that phrase was "Shou ga nai."That's the casual form.

[MNJetter]

It's also more masculine sounding. At least in my area -- if you hear "shou ga nai na~", it's almost always an old farmer, and if you hear "shikata nai ne", it's a woman. I almost never hear it without aizuchi (the "na" or "ne" or "yo" or "desho" or whatever at the end of it).