“Japan Is Cool” | Two Argentine Students on J-Indie and Film

Last Updated on 2026-03-15 by a-indie

“Japan is cool” — we hear the phrase often, but rarely get to witness it firsthand.

Yet in Argentina, a growing number of young people genuinely love Japanese anime, manga, and even Japanese indie music.

RAM, who writes reviews for A-indie, and his girlfriend Nini are two of them.

Attending different universities, they talk in Spanish and share a world built around Japanese manga, art, film, and music.

We were finally able to meet them in person during their 20-day trip to Japan.

Here is a conversation full of their rich inner worlds — how they fell in love with Japanese bands like No Buses and The Pinballs, and what drives RAM’s music-making and Nini’s filmmaking.

Participants: yabori, RAM, Nini — Original illustration: Furidashi Taro

How They Met

A Shared Love of Van Gogh and Manga

yabori

How did RAM and Nini meet?

Through a dating app.

RAM

yabori

No way! What did you two bond over?

We both love art, especially Van Gogh, so we had plenty to talk about right away. Manga and that kind of stuff too.

RAM

yabori

That makes sense. So you met through an app — and I hear you’re both in university. Do you go to the same one?

No, different universities.

RAM

Conversations in Spanish and Junji Ito

yabori

Different schools, got it. I heard you usually talk in Spanish rather than English — what do you chat about? Manga?

Yeah, we basically always speak Spanish. In Argentina everything is in Spanish, no English at all — at university too. When we first met we talked a lot about manga, especially Junji Ito.

Nini

I love Junji Ito.

RAM

yabori

Oh, the horror manga artist! How did you discover him? Is he well known in Argentina?

Yeah, he’s pretty well known. There’s an anime called 『Junji Ito: Maniac』 — a Japanese horror series based on his manga — and through that I also discovered The Pinballs, a Japanese rock band.

Nini

yabori

Seriously?! You know The Pinballs?! They were on the cover of the very first issue of BELONG Magazine, the music print we used to put out. So The Pinballs did the theme for the Junji Ito anime, right? Anyway, changing the subject — what are you both studying?

What They Study

Nini’s Dream of Directing Films

She’s studying film, and I’m studying music composition and software development.

RAM

yabori

Nice! You’re both in the arts. What does studying film involve exactly — like making movies?

Yeah, making movies. My dream is to make my own films someday.

Nini

yabori

Animation or live action?

Live action, with real people.

Nini

yabori

What kind of films would you like to make?

I love films like 『PERFECT DAYS』 or 『Aftersun』. I’m drawn to movies where it seems like nothing is happening but actually everything is. Like in 『PERFECT DAYS』, there’s just an ordinary man living his quiet life — that kind of cinema is what I love.

Nini

yabori

『PERFECT DAYS』 is so good, I saw it twice in theaters! So you’d want to make that kind of film — do you have any concept in mind for your own?

University keeps me really busy and I don’t have much time, but I genuinely want to make my first short film soon.

Nini

yabori

In Japan, for example, graduation projects often involve making a short film. Is it similar in Argentina?

Actually, we have to make short films from the first year — one a year.

Nini

yabori

Have you made one yet?

Not yet. At my university in Argentina there’s a general foundation program called the “CBC” that you have to get through before you can enter your specific degree. It’s pretty tough — it includes subjects like math that have nothing to do with film, but you have to pass it to move into the first year of the actual program.

Nini

yabori

Interesting system. If you’re thinking about making a film, do you have any ideal plan — like who you’d want to act in it?

I don’t know any actors, so while I’m thinking about the short I’m also looking for people who want to act. Since it’ll be my first project, I’d probably do it with friends rather than professional actors.

Nini

RAM as an Engineer

yabori

Makes sense. RAM, you mentioned you study software development — what does that involve? And by the way, what’s that thing you’re wearing — is that a semiconductor?

Oh, this accessory is a motherboard. I bought it in Shimokitazawa.

RAM

He loves computer components.

Nini

I like collecting parts like CPUs and things like that. This one’s just plastic, but I thought it was really cool. She’s the one who found it.

RAM

yabori

That’s so unique!

In Argentina there are brands that make earrings and rings using actual computer components, but they’re really expensive. That’s why I want to make my own.

RAM

yabori

So computer component accessories are cheaper in Japan?

This one was cheap because it’s plastic. The ones in Argentina use real parts, which is why they cost so much.

RAM

yabori

What kind of software do you work on?

I work for a government agency and develop administrative management apps. But personally I’d love to build websites and small apps for myself or for groups. For example, guitar tuner apps on your phone charge you if you want to use alternate tunings, and I think that’s ridiculous. Paying a lot for something so simple doesn’t make sense, so I’d like to make that kind of thing for free. And someday I’d love to make video games too.

RAM

yabori

So right now you’re building systems for the government. What does that look like?

When someone buys a house or there’s any kind of property transaction, it has to be registered officially, and I’m responsible for the application that office uses to manage it.

RAM

For example, the web app used to register property purchases in Argentina — he built that.

Nini

Yeah, though it’s not exactly the most exciting work.

RAM

Why Japanese Music Is Spreading in Argentina

yabori

That’s impressive! And a free guitar tuner app would be amazing. Changing topics — I’d love to ask you about the Argentine music scene. I get the sense that people in Argentina listen to a lot more Japanese music than you might expect. For example, Nini listens to The Pinballs, and RAM told me earlier he’s into Lamp. Why do you think Japanese music is getting so popular in Argentina?

I think as anime kept growing in popularity over the years, more and more people started discovering Japanese culture through it — including the music. And the impact of the internet and algorithms is huge. If you search for anime on YouTube, it recommends opening themes and related artists, and from there you start finding Japanese music that has nothing to do with anime. It’s a chain reaction.

RAM

yabori

I see. So it wasn’t just the music — it all came in together, anime, cosplay, all of that culture — and that’s how Japanese culture became known. And YouTube and Spotify’s algorithms gave it a boost.

Exactly. Anime was the gateway to an interest in Japan, and from there a lot of people started getting into other things. For example, I watched 『Doraemon』 and 『Shin-chan』 on TV as a kid, and as a teenager I started looking up anime online. Because I already had that little bit of exposure to Japanese culture growing up, it was no stretch at all to start listening to Japanese music or reading Japanese authors. If I hadn’t had that connection to Japanese culture through anime as a kid, I honestly don’t think I ever would have known those things existed.

RAM

No Buses and the Algorithm That Connected J-Indie

yabori

On a different note — you mentioned earlier that Nini loves No Buses, a Japanese indie band. That doesn’t really connect to anime. How did you end up getting into a Japanese band that isn’t anime-related? Was that also through YouTube or Spotify’s algorithms?

I’ve always liked anime, and I discovered The Pinballs through the Junji Ito anime. From there I started listening to more of their music. I think I found No Buses because once I started getting into Japanese music, the algorithm recommended them. I don’t remember exactly whether it was YouTube or Spotify, but that’s basically how it happened.

Nini

I think No Buses is also getting attention internationally partly because they share their name with an Arctic Monkeys song. When I met her, it was the first time I’d ever come across someone in Argentina who knew No Buses, and I found that really surprising. She genuinely loves them.

RAM

The “Japan Is Cool” Feeling

yabori

That makes sense. These days quite a few Japanese artists are playing shows in Argentina — is that also connected to anime?

Partly, I think. Anime opened the door to Japanese culture and a lot of people started getting into other things from there. But the connection between Japan and countries like Argentina goes beyond anime now. I think Japan is seen as a culturally rich place. There are a lot of people who are into Japanese fashion or Japanese films, for instance. I watch a lot of Japanese horror movies myself. Outside Japan there’s just this attitude of “Japan is cool.”

RAM

RAM’s Music and Nini’s Video Work

yabori

RAM, do you make your own music? When did you start?

Yeah, I write my own songs. I wasn’t very confident at first, but I want to take it more seriously. I wrote a song called 「bruise me」 under the name real&tangible, and I wanted to record it and release it on streaming platforms. I’ve been making music for almost ten years — I think I started composing when I was 18.

RAM

He also recorded another song, 「losWire – you me and here」, and I made the music video for that one. The MV is on YouTube. I love that song.

Nini

yabori

Nini made the video?

Yeah. It’s a simple video. We went to a river in Argentina near my university and I filmed there. It’s simple, but it really suits the song. It’s a beautiful song.

Nini

I like that song. Though I have mixed feelings about it. It was meant for a previous project, and by the time I recorded it that project no longer existed, so I just uploaded it to YouTube. It’s kind of like the last thing that project ever produced. I like the song itself. I originally recorded it alone, but the mix came out pretty raw.

RAM

A New Experiment: The EP Documentary

yabori

What a great collaboration — RAM composing and Nini doing the video.

I watch a lot of music YouTubers, and lately everyone is really sensitive about the topic of AI-generated music. While I was watching a video about it, someone mentioned that “showing the creative process can be a way for artists to earn legitimacy.” That gave me an idea: while I’m recording an EP, I want to document the whole process like a small documentary. When I get back to Argentina, I want to film a series of videos about the recording process.

RAM

Working as A-indie Staff

yabori

That’s great! That could also be a really useful reference for the artists we cover at BELONG Media and A-indie. By the way, RAM, you write reviews for A-indie — are you going to keep writing when you get back to Argentina?

Yes, absolutely. I’d love to keep going, I really enjoy it. Speaking of which, the last review I wrote was about the Japanese singer-songwriter Kazumi Nikaido. When I went to Tower Records with Takita-san, who also writes reviews for A-indie, I found the CD by Kazumi Nikaido — the artist I’d written about — but at that point I was actually looking for the vinyl. I thought, “if I come back later maybe I’ll find it,” but when I did come back the vinyl was gone and even the CD had disappeared. I ended up not being able to get anything.

RAM

yabori

Oh no, what a shame you couldn’t pick up anything by Kazumi Nikaido! (laughs) Nini, do you read RAM’s reviews?

Yes, I love the way he writes. But not just that — I also really enjoy the staff chat section on A-indie, “El cuartito del staff” (a section where the A-indie team talks about everyday topics).

Nini

yabori

I can’t believe you read “El cuartito del staff”! Thank you! Nini, would you ever want to write about film?

Yes! I saw that the A-indie team does a best films of the year selection and I thought that was so cool. If I get the chance to contribute to something, I’d absolutely love to!

Nini

Editor’s Note

What struck me most in this conversation was how naturally RAM and Nini spoke about Japanese culture — not as something exotic or distant, but simply as part of their world.

The chain that runs from anime to manga, music, and film has certainly been amplified by algorithms.

But at the root of it all is something simpler: the drive to keep searching for things you genuinely love.

It felt like finding, on the other side of the planet, exactly the kind of love for music and culture that we at BELONG have been chasing for twelve years.

Next time, RAM and Nini will tell us about everything they experienced during their twenty days in Japan.

Stay tuned!

BELONG Media Editorial Team
A music media outlet covering indie rock and beyond, from Japan, the West, and Asia. We have published 26 issues of our roots-rock themed print magazine, BELONG Magazine.

In 2021 we appeared as guests on J-WAVE’s SONAR MUSIC. In 2022 we launched our English-language sister site, A-indie.

Our editorial team runs primarily on shoegaze and dream pop.