For example : Megadeaths happen with nary an eye batted in Japanese movies, but you rarely see that kind of thing in the American. And the total dominance of the aristocracy over the underclasses is as assumed and invisible as gravity in French movies, but it seems to be taboo elsewhere.
Godzilla (Japan). In one zap of the breath weapon takes out 100,000 people. No pause for reflection or comment on the meaning of it. Just immediately cut to next scene.
We don’t do that in USA
I mean, Japan has had a situation where a breath weapon has wiped out 100s of 1000s of people and I’m not sure you could say they had much to reflect on it collectively as a people before the next one. That kind of thing probably leaves a mark on a society …
Don’t you? GI Joe Retaliation: London gets shelled from orbit and apparently destroyed - barely acknowledged afterwards. GI Joe Resolute: Moscow gets obliterated by a space laser or whatever as a show of force, and it barely matters afterwards. And don’t get me started on the action movies where hundreds of people are snuffed out on the regular with perhaps just a quip to notice it. It’s only “reflected on” if it’s the “correct” kind of people
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, the Giant Claw, The Horror of Party Beach, Them!, The Deadly Mantis and others would like a word about how their death counts and destruction are overlooked. So would the various American Godzilla movies, and Cloverfield.
The biggest difference is that the Army moves fast in US movies, where the JSDF is always waiting until the last possible moment.