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Kemono Friends, Touken Ranbu Nominated for Top Buzzword of 2017

The annual Ryūkōgo Taishō buzzword contest announced this year's 30 nominated terms on Thursday.

This year the only two words from the otaku-verse made the cut. The ultra-popular but later controversy-embroiled Kemono Friends and DMM's far-reaching Touken Ranbu video game and anime series were selected. This is the second year Touken Ranbu has appeared on the list. In 2015, the term tōken jōshi appeared in reference to series' female fans.

The awards will select the year's top ten buzzwords from among the 30 nominated words and announce the results on December 1.

The other 28 nominated words are:

• Aufheben (a contridictory German word recently used by Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike in regards to rebuilding the damaged Tsukiji Fish Market)
• Insta-bae (Instant Shine) (a term used for picture-perfect photos on Instagram)
• Utsunuke (the title of manga creator Keiichi Tanaka's book about his battle with depression)
• Unko Kanji Drill (a kanji work book that appeals to kids by utilizing references to poop)
• Enjō ￮￮ (social media backlash, specifically a video promoting Miyagi Prefecture that caused an uproar for its deliberate appeal to sexually suggestive scenes to go viral)
• A.I. Speaker (refers to the growing market that includes Google Home and Alexa)
• 9.98 (The Wall of 10-seconds) (sprinter Yoshihide Kiryu became the first Japanese person to break the 10-second barrier in the 100-meter dash)
• kyōbōzai (an amendment that passed criminalizing the act of planning crimes despite concerns from citizens)
• Ginza Six (a newly opened shopping center constructed in anticipation of the 2020 Olympics)
• Kūzen zetsugo no (the catchphrase of comedian Sunshine Ikezaki, who recently starred in the 1,000 Pokémon episode)
• 3.5 billion (catchphrase of Japanese comedian Blouson Chiemi)
• J-Alert (Japan's satellite warning system recently utilized after North Korea launched missiles near Japan)
• jinsei hyakunen jidai (An era in which you can live 100 years) (Prime Minister Shinzō Abe set a goal on September 8 to create a socio-economic environment where Japanese citizens can look forward to 100 years of life)
• suimin fusai (sleep deprivation) (a term used for lack of sleep among Japan's working class)
• sen-jō kōsuitai (linear rainbands) (these specific clouds often bring torrential downpours and subsequent disasters)
• sontaku (to know what someone wants before they tell you. It was recently used in papers documenting a scandal involving the prime minister as well as advertising campaigns)
• chīgāū dārō! (an insult thrown by former LDP lawmaker Mayuko Toyota to her secretary. Toyota lost her seat amid allegations that she assaulted the secretary among other verbal insults)
• hatarakikata kaikaku (Shinzō Abe's proposed work reform that includes increased minimum wage and limits to overtime after the suicide by a Dentsu Inc. employee)
• Fidget spinner (the craze even made it overseas)
• Hifumin (the recently retired Shogi champ)
• fake news (a favorite term of the Trump administration)
• Fujii fever (the current obsession with the 14-year-old Shogi prodigy that beat out Hifumin)
• Premium Friday (a campaign to encourage workers to leave early on the last Friday of the month in hopes of increasing recreational spending)
• Post Truth (Oxford Dictionaries' 2016 word of the year defined as "relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.")
• Ma no ni-kai-sei (a supposed curse of second-term Diet members, referring specifically to the previously ousted Toyota and Toshinao Nakagawa, who resigned when an affair was made public.)
• Maru-maru First (a play on Trump's "America First" where "maru-maru" can be filled with any matter, but specifically is meant to denote politicians putting their own interests before constituents.)
• Youtubers (the advent of YouTube personalities where streaming content is their job)
• wanope ikuji (a term for women juggling all the household responsibilities and child-rearing. "wanope" is a combo of the words "one" and "operation")

Last year's nominated terms included "Osomatsu-san," "your name.," "Shin Godzilla," "SMAP breakup," "pilgrimage," and "Pokémon Go" .

Source: Tomoko Otake at The Japan Times