Manga and Anime as Japanese Comic Books - Case Study Example

Manga and anime may have been derived from a Japanese socio-cultural context but can be properly understood by non-Japanese readers/audiences. Introduction Despite the many forms of communication that are available within juvenile fiction, manga and anime have crossed international cultural barriers to touch youths and young adults in ways that many adults cannot understand. From the craze of the Pokémon characters, to the appeal of films with more violent or adult themes that appeal to an older group, manga and anime have managed to find an audience where novels and films from the Japanese culture have not. There is an emotional connection that these artistically rendered forms of storytelling have found through symbols and exaggerations that define something that can cross cultures. In the following discussion the author shall argue that unlike the general belief, manga and anime may have been derived from Japanese socio-culture, they appeal to non-Japanese readers/audiences as well. Discussion Manga can be defined as Japanese comic books while anime refers to visual animation of the same style (Norris 2009, p.236). Manga is considered to be the origin which has given rise to the creation of contemporary popular culture of anime and other forms of visual art. More specifically, manga can be defined as "story-driven narratives, composed with stylized, exaggerated, deformed illustration, flexible use of diverse and discursive frames, and linguistic (mostly spoken and onomatopoeic) text" (Bryce, Davis and Barber 2008). They are characterised by identifiable vocabularies, spatial relationships among the characters, use of multiple voices and perspectives against specific ambience and themes among others. The narratives are often complex, intrinsically linked with the Japanese socio-culture and appeal to a massive audience especially the youths. The popularity of manga and anime has proliferated worldwide because of the diversity in subject and depth of the narratives involving a range of age groups and social strata. One of the unique elements within the manga and anime is the commonly used symbols to convey emotions and experiences. As an example, the use of a drop of sweat symbolizes anxiety, a nosebleed might indicate sexual arousal, and flowers might indicate romance (Bryce et al. 2010). The simplification of emotional responses allows for a more universal appeal of both Japanese and non-Japanese background. In this case, the simplification creates an emotional content that transcends across cultural barriers, creating a universality that can then open the door for other more complex issues to be addressed (Mizuki 2008). Similarly, another most common foundation of the many themes within manga and anime is the concept of duality. Duality is represented through many diverse symbolisms, but the core of the duality that is represented in manga and anime touches upon the internal struggle of youth as identity formed through discovering how choices made define the character and ethics of an individual. Such moral paradigms are not uncommon around the world. In fact the use of black and white of good and evil provides universal interpretation which is why manga and anime have gained popularity around the world. The choice and use of these colours complements the universal concepts of black representing mourning and white representing spirituality as well (Wright 2005). Bryce (2008) gives the examples of white wings for good beings and for black wings for evil beings being used in these visual representations to denote duality of good and evil which not only is understood easily by all but gives depths to the narratives presented. According to Kinsella (1999), the most poignant use of manga was in providing a forum for the communication of new attitudes of the post-World War II culture. This allowed for the communication of new ideologies where the formal society still clung to the old ideologies that had been the structure of Japanese society. According to Standish (1998, p.57), the interests of the new ideologies were furthered by the existence of a tension between the wants and needs of the Japanese youth that could not be realized through the means available to them, nor through the expectations of their society. Thus, the creation of manga of this struggle allowed for expressing the specific societal development through the youth culture, as seen through the eyes of the young. In a repressed society where individuality was seen as a lack of maturity, expressing the struggles of its youth naturally found an outlet through symbolism and simplified expressions of complex issues. The expression of the youth culture in Japan has been effectively realized within the pages of manga also because of the universality of emotional contents that has spread the literature throughout the world, having a strong audience in other cultures. Manga has a wide range of emotional expression, allowing for the struggle of identity to be expressed by a series of images that have a representation of the dichotomy that exists within the growing and developing individual (Schodt 2007). This can be seen in the black and white of wings, the use of twins, and in the struggles between polar moralities such as good and evil or light and dark. Furthermore, the use of cuteness allows for the vulnerability of youth to be redesigned to find strength and purpose, a way of touching the hope that exists for the future in a young life (Bryce 2004). The inclusion of cuteness, or kawaii, is intended to create a specific reaction from the reader. Kawaii is not just feminine, but is concerned with the vulnerability of the representation (Allison 2003, p. 385). For example one of the aspects of the Pokémon character is that it has a universal appeal due to its cuteness, derived from the familiar characteristics of kawaii. For these reasons manga and anime can be said to have the capacity to express the lives of youths within the Japanese culture, which then allows for it to have the same effect in foreign cultures. But most importantly, the ability of manga and anime producers to adapt and change the mode of production contents to reflect cultural change make it even more representative of the masses. According to Kinsella (2000) cultural change happens one era is closely followed by the freedom of expression, cultural liberalisation and participation of another. These changes require representation which manga and anime adequately assimilate through its visual presentation and styles. For example the production of Japan, Inc., Made in Japan and A Manga History of Japan are visual transitions of manga, and inadvertently the Japanese social culture, from classical ideologies to contemporary values. Conclusions From the above discussion, the author establishes that Japanese manga and anime have a universal appeal because of the global communication content it represents. The emotional contents, the religious denominations, as well as the socio-economic struggle of societies may have different connotation to the Western audience, they are nevertheless understandable. The only challenge which manga and anime have overcome is that the ability of their creators to translate these complex issues into comic strips and animated narratives which earlier have been perceived as the domain of young audience. In fact, manga and anime have opened doors for their interpretation from the youths point of view and presents whole new dimensions for the adult audience. As a result, manga and anime can be said to have universal connection and communication with its audience. As nations around the world adopt and begin to comprehend the value of manga contents, its interpretation and use in addressing complex social, psychological, economic, political and other human agendas have become widespread. The fact that manga and anime are adaptable to cultural change and social needs, makes it an ideal medium for addressing sensitive issues which otherwise would have been difficult to present in the current media environment such as religious orientation, youth culture, and gender stereotypes. References Allison, A. (2003), "Portable monsters and commodity cuteness: Poke´mon as Japans new global power" Postcolonial Studies: Culture, Politics, Economy, vol.6, no. 3, pp. 381-395. Bryce, M. (2004), "Cuteness needed: The new language/communication device in a global society" International Journal of Humanities, vol. 3, no. 3, 2004, 2265-2275. Bryce, M. (2008) "White wings and black wings: Ambiguous dichotomy in manga and anime" International Journal of Diversity in Organizations, Communities and Nations, vol. 7 no. 6, pp. 295-302. Bryce, M., Barber, C., Kelly, J., Kunwar, S. and Plumb, A. (2010), Manga and anime: Fluidity and hybridity in global imagery. [Online] http://www.japanesestudies.org.uk/articles/2010/Bryce.html Bryce, M.; Davis, J. and Barber, C.L. (2008), The Cultural Biographies and Social Lives of Manga: Lessons from the Mangaverse, SCAN Journal of media arts culture, 5:2 [Online] available at: http://scan.net.au/scan/journal/display.php?journal_id=114 Kinsella, S. (1999), “Adult manga: Pro-establishment pop culture and the new politics in the 1990‘s”, Available from http://www.kinsellaresearch.com/manga.html Kinsella, S. (2000), “Manga Production Cycle,” in Adult Manga: Culture and Power in Contemporary Japanese Society, Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, pp. 19-50 Mizuki T. (2008), “Opening the Closed World of Shōjo Manga,” in Japanese Visual Culture: Explorations in the World of Manga and Anime, Mark W. MacWilliams, (Ed.), M.E. Sharpe: Armonk, N.Y., pp. 115-136 Norris, C. (2009), "Manga, Anime and Visual Art Culture," in Yushio Sugimoto Ed., The Cambridge Companion to Modern Japanese Culture, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge; New York, pp.236-260. Schodt, F. L. (2007), “A Medley of Messages,” in The Astro Boy Essays: Osamu Tezuka, Mighty Atom, Manga Anime Revolution, Berkeley, Calif.: Stone Bridge Press, pp. 119 Standish, I. (1998) "Akira, Postmodernism and resistance" in Martinez, D. P. The worlds of Japanese popular culture: gender, shifting boundaries and global cultures. Contemporary Japanese society. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press. Wright, L. (2005), “Forest Spirits, Giant Insects and World Trees: The Nature Vision of Hayao Miyazaki,” Journal of Religion and Popular Culture, no. 10, Summer. Read More