> This stressful, ongoing debate fuels the seeming paradox of an “endearing” military force. In Japan, where indirect communication is highly valued, cute illustrations have long played the role of tension-breakers and mediators in situations of conflict. Thus kawaii mascots, whether miniskirted girls or bunny-rabbit decoy launchers, are both a reflection of pop-cultural trends and a way to defuse the very touchy issues surrounding the military’s undeniable presence.
Contrast this to the way [The Culture][0] dealt with their ambivalence over having to tool up to fight a full-scale war (the Idiran War). They specifically designed their warships to be ugly, and gave them ship class names reflecting the ugliness of their roles (e.g. Gangster, Torturer, Psychopath, and Thug). While depicting your weapons as kawaii is very different from depicting them as heroic/inspiring, I think the Culture's lack of euphemism is the better way to go.
Contrast this to the way [The Culture][0] dealt with their ambivalence over having to tool up to fight a full-scale war (the Idiran War). They specifically designed their warships to be ugly, and gave them ship class names reflecting the ugliness of their roles (e.g. Gangster, Torturer, Psychopath, and Thug). While depicting your weapons as kawaii is very different from depicting them as heroic/inspiring, I think the Culture's lack of euphemism is the better way to go.
[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Culture