REVIEW: Manga Sixty Years of Japanese Comics

Manga: Sixty Years of Japanese Comics

By Paul Gravett

Printed in 2004

·         The book notably tackles the stereotype that manga is science fiction stories made for little boys full of action where manga, like other media, is a diverse genre that is not so easily defined by one term.

·         They note that American comics did influence the publication style of manga significantly and as such much after comics fell from the popularity of America it is still strong in Japan.

·         Printed blocks is in itself a form of manga printing but this is minute compared to the influence American comics have in manga.

·         In the Japanese education system, they do indeed teach manga as an art form but at best it is a footnote in the history of Japan and claims that Japanese block art is the complete influence of how manga came to be.

·         Unlike American comics, which require lots of colors and its own expensive print method, Japanese manga is noted for being printed in a cheap giant book weekly or monthly subscription form that is to be discarded unless someone wants to own a specific series, which in that case they are to buy a trade paperback of a specific series.

·         The book talks about how manga is creator owned in most cases, so once a writer-artist dies his work also goes with him. However, this allows more creative freedom for the artists and their assistants who help him ink, draw backgrounds, etc. However, given how editors still play a major role in the manga industry some series seem to last much longer than their initial stay in my opinion (like Bleach and its current forced longevity).

·         Early manga before Tezuka show more styles akin to American style as opposed to “big eyed” styles that we are accustomed to in manga today.

·         While American comics are usually sold in specialty stores today due to the lack of drive for everyday people to continue to read three dollar issue comics, manga in Japan are sold in most any market or common grocery store: showing that the livelihood of manga is much stronger than its American counterparts.

·         Digital distribution is a key part of American comics today, but given that Americans need to go to specialty stores today to look for comics this may be why digital distribution is key in the States. In Japan, however, digital distribution is not yet implemented in the norm due to the success of print already in the local Japan.

·         Much like American comics creators today, manga studios can range from a location studio where people have an art desk to just having a really messy art room in one’s apartment.

·         Manga as we know it today stems from what influences Tezuka gave, but also from many lesser known comics creators before Tezuka’s time: like the creators of Sergeant Norakuro.

·          Overall, this was quite an informative book and I enjoyed reading it.

Bibliography:

 Gravett, Paul. Manga: Sixty Years of Japanese Comics. London: Laurence King, 2004. Print.

REVIEW: History of Anime

History of Anime

An article on Open Culture

First published online in 2012

History of Anime

·         The first animation and the animation on the Stolen Lump both are based on Japanese mythology while the last animation Private Norakuro is a satire on Japanese military.

·         The first animation and Private Norakuro both have a Disney feel to them while the Stolen Lump has realism feel to it based on art direction and the animation narrative.

·         The Stolen Lump is noted for using dialogue like a Charlie Chaplin silent film in that characters move their lips then black screen dialogue accompanied by music plays with spoken words. With the first animation and Private Norakuro, the words are spoken sometimes without regard to lip synchronization and such.

·         As early Japanese animation set in the late 20s and early 30s, it can be observed that the animation is similar to early Walt Disney animations not only in look but in how the protagonists of the cartoons act: the protagonists in all three animations act as jerks when confronted with their environments.

·         Narrative for the first animation is incoherent to some points as the fox-spirit samurai seems afraid of spirits at some points in the film even though he himself is a spirit.

·         Private Norakuro is noted to be a slacker and a bad portrayal of the Japanese militant man: which would not be allowed in animation once World War II became prominent in Japan.

·         The Stolen Lump is noted as a story to be printed on Japanese art paper as opposed to the animation paper that is used by the first animation and Private Norakuro, which uses normal animation black and white as opposed to the tan color of the Stolen Lump. This gives it a calligraphy look very much fitting to the Japanese classical art style of print block art.

·         Norakuro would ironically serve as a mascot to the Japan Self Defense Force, which given his origins as a satire to the Japanese military this seems unusual.

·         In the first animation, it is noted that they had the shadow raccoon’s move alongside the background corners of the room in one scene like a shadow fitting them to the shape of the scenery. This is notable as a feat of animation that is not used as much today.

·         Although these animations predate contemporary anime, many themes of anime and manga can be seen in these animations: most noted are the stylized proportions of the characters, the emphasis on backgrounds to play a major role in the narrative and the extreme expressions of individuals to convey emotions.

·         Save for The Stolen Lump, the majority of good protagonists are noted to be in a more blackened tone compared to other characters, which can convey that they are protagonists much like other blackened early animation characters like Mickey Mouse, Oswald the Rabbit and Felix the Cat

·         Overall, I enjoyed these animations and these animations clearly set the tone of what was to come for anime and other noted Japanese cartoon products.

Bibliography

"Japanese Cartoons from the 1920s and 30s Reveal the Stylistic Roots of Anime." Open Culture. Open Culture, LLC, 5 Nov. 2012. Web. 28 Jan. 2013.History of Anime

An article on Open Culture

First published online in 2012

History of Anime

·         The first animation and the animation on the Stolen Lump both are based on Japanese mythology while the last animation Private Norakuro is a satire on Japanese military.

·         The first animation and Private Norakuro both have a Disney feel to them while the Stolen Lump has realism feel to it based on art direction and the animation narrative.

·         The Stolen Lump is noted for using dialogue like a Charlie Chaplin silent film in that characters move their lips then black screen dialogue accompanied by music plays with spoken words. With the first animation and Private Norakuro, the words are spoken sometimes without regard to lip synchronization and such.

·         As early Japanese animation set in the late 20s and early 30s, it can be observed that the animation is similar to early Walt Disney animations not only in look but in how the protagonists of the cartoons act: the protagonists in all three animations act as jerks when confronted with their environments.

·         Narrative for the first animation is incoherent to some points as the fox-spirit samurai seems afraid of spirits at some points in the film even though he himself is a spirit.

·         Private Norakuro is noted to be a slacker and a bad portrayal of the Japanese militant man: which would not be allowed in animation once World War II became prominent in Japan.

·         The Stolen Lump is noted as a story to be printed on Japanese art paper as opposed to the animation paper that is used by the first animation and Private Norakuro, which uses normal animation black and white as opposed to the tan color of the Stolen Lump. This gives it a calligraphy look very much fitting to the Japanese classical art style of print block art.

·         Norakuro would ironically serve as a mascot to the Japan Self Defense Force, which given his origins as a satire to the Japanese military this seems unusual.

·         In the first animation, it is noted that they had the shadow raccoon’s move alongside the background corners of the room in one scene like a shadow fitting them to the shape of the scenery. This is notable as a feat of animation that is not used as much today.

·         Although these animations predate contemporary anime, many themes of anime and manga can be seen in these animations: most noted are the stylized proportions of the characters, the emphasis on backgrounds to play a major role in the narrative and the extreme expressions of individuals to convey emotions.

·         Save for The Stolen Lump, the majority of good protagonists are noted to be in a more blackened tone compared to other characters, which can convey that they are protagonists much like other blackened early animation characters like Mickey Mouse, Oswald the Rabbit and Felix the Cat

·         Overall, I enjoyed these animations and these animations clearly set the tone of what was to come for anime and other noted Japanese cartoon products.

Bibliography

"Japanese Cartoons from the 1920s and 30s Reveal the Stylistic Roots of Anime." Open Culture. Open Culture, LLC, 5 Nov. 2012. Web. 28 Jan. 2013.