Can Manga Survive Advancements in Technology - Research Paper Example

 Manga Industry vs. Technology Introduction Comic reading has been a favorite past time for the many from a wide range of age brackets. The influence started in Japan, famed for their Manga series where it does not only exhibit stories based on childish preferences but also to adult issues such as relationships and sexuality. The influx of modern technology opened a door for a widespread influence brought about by mangas, extending from its country of origin to the otakus (a term applied to the anime and manga fanatics) around the world. On the contrary, technology has also brought significant changes on the way fans approach manga which makes it a favorite topic of discussions. This paper, using the reviews and feedbacks of manga creators, editors and fanatics, will tackle a brief background on the evolution of manga, and how technology, specifically the television, can potentially harm the manga market. Manga Then and Now The graphic history of manga can be traced back to the “12th century when Buddhist monks in Japan first started to mimic Chinese drawings, depicting legends, battles, religious stories and everyday life on paper scrolls” (http://www.mangaka.co.uk/?page=geschichte-des-manga). This fact tells that it has been a Japanese tradition to narrate stories associated with graphic images. According to Aoki (n.d.), the term “manga” was first coined by Hokusai, a series of images depicting humor and mostly, humans making funny faces; thus the word comic which has a greek root that literally means “pertaining to comedy.” This creation has been the pioneer of the modern manga comic readers enjoy today. Through the years, there was a great improvement of this form of art--from images about the traditional Japanese way of life to the mangas people know today. Alongside with technology, the manga industry also reached a different phase. The manga industry did not make it to its peak until the end of 1990’s (Brenner 2007:13). It made an independent industry and owns a large audience scale. According to Gravette as cited in Brenner (2007), the manga magazine industry accounts for over $3 billion, which covers one sixth of the whole magazine industry in the United States alone. However, a recent report stated that a percentage drop of market sales rose up to 20% from the manga industry from 2009 (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-04-16/icv2/ u.s-manga-sales-down-20-percent-in-2009). Piracy was pin pointed as the major reason of this sales drop where illegal downloading of scanned manga magazines from Japan is one of the contributing factors. It has been said that manga fans have been “tightening their budget” due to certain economic difficulties. Aside from piracy, the television also pulled down the market sales of the mangas as 1.) the aftermath of recession has prevented fans to buy the printed version, and 2.) the lack of interest in reading. Knowing these, would the manga industry surpass this ongoing race with the television? On Sluggish Economic Growth/ Youth Population Thorn (2007) commented that people “question the whole point of buying a print periodical they know they will be throwing away when they're done reading it.” In a world where almost everything can be done online, in the most rational sense, it is not impossible to affect a market which has been stabilized for decades. Manga magazines, for example, are favorite subjects for downloading especially that recent models of cell phones today are internet connected. Instead of reading magazines or books to kill the time, browsing the internet is more preferable nowadays. In an article by ComiPress, it is stated that: The reasons behind the decline of the manga market could be attributed to the decline in the young adult/teen population Japan, and the movement away from the printed-book culture. Especially with the declining sales of manga magazines, which indicates a change in social trend where the younger generation's time is occupied by their cell phones. (http://comipress.com/news/2007/03/10/1622) Manga industry has lost 500 Billion yen in 2006, the largest drop to date in the manga market. Sluggish Economic Growth The rise of recession was not limited to the west only. It provided a domino effect to the countries around the world. During these times, the nature of the economic flow was far behind the normal as people would prefer to save their money or either crash out less important things on their shopping lists. This economic phenomenon did not spare the Manga magazine industry. With their favorite manga stories ready available on television, with free of charge, who would think of spending a buck for the magazine? The adversities existing in the economy are among the factors why the manga fanatics think of diverting to anime. It has affected the magazine industry as a whole. As reported by Alverson (2010: 1), “Viz Media had laid off as many as 60 employees, about 40 percent of the company's total staff.” To lay off nearly half the percentage of the total employee would suggest an unhealthy economic pattern for an industry. One manga store in the United States has reportedly sold 4000 magazines. It may be a good number as it seems but for one dollar each magazine is another story. Scanlations are the culprits of this continuously uprising problem of the manga market. Scanned mangas are readily available in the internet; an enticing opportunity for manga fans to read their magazines for free. However, the publishers and authorities are now acting; shutting down several manga scanlation sites such as OneManga.com. As reported, “Today a coalition of Japanese and U.S. publishers announced a coordinated effort to combat a rampant and growing problem of internet piracy plaguing the manga industry” (http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=26596). In the same news article, it has been known that participants of this coalition include members of Japan’s Digital Comic Association, VIZ Media, Square Enix and others. The coalition may successfully defeat scanlation sites; however, there is still the television to be worried about. Although television might affect the sales of a certain manga version, it may not also be true to other manga series. To Read or Not to Read? Manga has been the most popular kind of reading material in the Japanese society; though parents and traditionalist educators see it as a hindrance for good learning. Manga has been a phenomenon since the 1990’s. However, in an article called “Left in the Shelf,” as quoted in Allen & Ingulsrud, book sales in Japan for the past 10 years have been steadily declining. There’s the television; a virtual box with dynamic, colorful characters, more appealing especially to the young audience. Lent (2004: 38) has noted that in the recent years, manga sales have continually dropped attributed to the children’s “easy access to new media such as games and internet.” Anime, where most stories were taken from manga series, has gained billions. The US Broadcasting rights alone spent $495 million last 2002 (Lent 2004: 38). When the manga-anime dyadic relationship was born with the showing of the first televised manga series, different merchandising industry has joined this tandem (Berry et al. 2003: 71). Toys inspired from anime characters have brought another $4.7 billion in the American Market. This is largely due to the exposure brought about by television to the mass. Conclusion Television has been a great medium for advertisements, information, and entertainment. Television and other forms of technology have altered the people’s way of life. The televisions may have various educational effects; however, reading must not also be taken for granted. Taking animes for example, they may awaken the children’s interest more through the colorful, moving characters but according to Brenner (2006), graphic novels require reading in a new way. Reading the manga or a comic requires the reader to pay attention to the text as well as the illustrations so as to get the idea of the conversation of the characters. “The reader must make the connections between the images and the text and create the links between each panel and the page as a whole” (Brenner 2006: 1). Technology might be a threat to the manga market but as long as there are readers, authorities who fight scanlations, and of course, creative manga creators, manga has a good chance of survival as it has established its name in print media. Works Cited “2006 Japanese Manga Market Drops Below 500 Billion Yen.” ComiPress. Manga News and Information, 03 March 2007. Web. 08 Nov. 2010. . “A Brief History of Manga.” Mangaka.co.uk. Simple Machines Forum, n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2010. . Allen, Kate, and John E. Ingulsrud. “Manga Literacy: Popular Culture and the Reading Habits of Japanese College Students.” Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 46.8 (2003): 674+. Print. Alverson, Brigid. “Manga Community Reacts to Viz Lay-offs.” Publishers Weekly. Publishers Weekly, 18 May 2010. Web. 08 Nov. 2010. . Aoki, Deb. “Early Origins of Japanese Comics.” About.com. The New York Times Company, n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2010. . Berry, Chris, Fran Martin, and Audrey Yue. Mobile Cultures: New Meduim of Queer Asia. United States: Duke University Press, 2003. Print. Brenner, Robin E. Understanding manga and anime. Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited, 2007. Print. Brenner, Robin. “Graphic Novels 101:FAQ.” The Horn Book. The Horn Book Magazine, April 2006. Web. 09 Nov. 2010. . “ICv2: North American Manga Sales Down 20% in 2009.” Anime News Network. Anime News Network, 04 April 2010. Web. 09 Nov. 2010. . Lent, John A. “Far out and Mundane: the Mammoth World of Manga.” Phi Kappa Phi Forum 84.3 (2004): 38+. Print. “Manga Publishers Targeting Scanlation Sites.” CBR News Team. Comic Book Resources, 08 June 2010. Web. 09 Nov. 2010. . Thorn, Matt. “2006 Japanese Manga Market Drops Below 500 Billion Yen” [Online news comment]. ComiPress. ComiPress, 12 Mar. 2007. Web. 11 Nov. 2010. . Read More