A Western theory describing the aesthetics of drama in Japan. Japanese drama goes out of the way to inform the viewer that what he/she is watching is not real. Therefore, by insisting that what you're seeing is fictional, you are allowed to think more fully about what you're viewing.

The Japanese seldom mix up their life experiences with the fictional ones. This may explain why even though Japanese TV containts a lot of ultra-violence, its people are very peaceful. Japanese critics say that the unreal is more close to reality than reality is to itself because the the unreal is universal, whereas reality is individually perceived. They don't prefer the unreal, they just prefer symbolism over boring reality.