There are always many people who are reading books in the bookstores, Borders, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, and so on. I also love to go to those bookstores because I can read all of the books in the store while drinking coffee and tea. One day I have recognized that one of the sections in these stores was very popular. It is the manga section. Most teenagers and some of adults are reading the mangas while sitting on the floor. I am astonished that Americans use the Japanese word, manga, which means comic book. It sounds like manga has become part of the genre in America.
Japanese animations, Pokemon, Dragon Ball Z, and so on have also occupied the American TV screen. These Japanese animations have influenced American cartoons, Abarta whose styles and characters are from Asian cultures. In Hollywood, a Japanese animation, “Spirited Away” by Hayao Miyazaki received an Oscar Award in 2003. It beat out American animations, “Ice Age” and “Lilo & Stitch”. Japanese animation is even called Japanimation in America.
When I was a teenager I loved to read Korean comic books and to watch cartoons in Korea. Actually I still enjoy reading some comic books and cartoons sometimes. Nowadays most popular comic books and cartoons in Korea have been imported from Japan. Korean teenagers also love to read Japanese comic books and cartoons as well as American teenagers. Korean teenagers make many fan clubs of Japanese animation or manga. They even download and share the Japanese animation and manga, which is not allowed to be imported, by sending it to each other via the internet.
Today the number of fans of Japanese manga and animation has grown dramatically in America.
Why has the Japanese comic book, Manga and Animation take over in America? America has had its own comics such as Superman, Spiderman, and so on. Most of characters from American cartoon are imagined as powerful, super heroes who are repulsing the bad or saving world.
However, the scenarios of Japanese manga and animation emphasize mostly spiritual parts. The plots are not straight planning as well as characters from them are complex. They are both comic and serious in content. Some of them are almost novels with illustrations. It is very different from American comic books and cartoons. The differences makes American eyes turn to Japanese mangas and animations.
Kazuo Koike mentions that American children are getting sick and tired of “the U.S. military forces with their high tech weapons” (qtd in Lam) in the American cartoons. Therefore, Japanese mangas and animations emphasize the complicated spiritual worlds which have seduced America.
On the other hand, these serious stories in Japanese animation and manga encourage American teenagers to commit suicide because their emotions and sympathizes in the story deeply. According to Momoko Mano, a graduate student at the University of Tokyo, “Like soap opera in the U.S. you feel very involved with the characters. Teenagers have committed suicide because their favorite characters were killed" (qtd in Lam).
If American teenagers and younger kids are growing up with Japanese animation which includes Japanese life style and spirit they can accept more Japanese culture without any resistance in the future. Even they can not filter out bad influence from imaginary world once their emotions become involved in it.
The influence of manga and animation is part of the influence that the Japanese have on America which now includes automobiles, food, and small electronics. Manga and Japanimation are deeply rooted as a Japanese pop culture continues to grow in America.
References:
<http://www.digital.anime.org.uk/news/20030323.html>
Lam, Andrew. “Japanese Manga and Anime Take Over America.” Pacific News Service, Aug 28, 2003. <http://news.pacificnews.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=afe4632414d29b3d5e324597a8eaffec>
Japanese animations, Pokemon, Dragon Ball Z, and so on have also occupied the American TV screen. These Japanese animations have influenced American cartoons, Abarta whose styles and characters are from Asian cultures. In Hollywood, a Japanese animation, “Spirited Away” by Hayao Miyazaki received an Oscar Award in 2003. It beat out American animations, “Ice Age” and “Lilo & Stitch”. Japanese animation is even called Japanimation in America.
When I was a teenager I loved to read Korean comic books and to watch cartoons in Korea. Actually I still enjoy reading some comic books and cartoons sometimes. Nowadays most popular comic books and cartoons in Korea have been imported from Japan. Korean teenagers also love to read Japanese comic books and cartoons as well as American teenagers. Korean teenagers make many fan clubs of Japanese animation or manga. They even download and share the Japanese animation and manga, which is not allowed to be imported, by sending it to each other via the internet.
Today the number of fans of Japanese manga and animation has grown dramatically in America.
Why has the Japanese comic book, Manga and Animation take over in America? America has had its own comics such as Superman, Spiderman, and so on. Most of characters from American cartoon are imagined as powerful, super heroes who are repulsing the bad or saving world.
However, the scenarios of Japanese manga and animation emphasize mostly spiritual parts. The plots are not straight planning as well as characters from them are complex. They are both comic and serious in content. Some of them are almost novels with illustrations. It is very different from American comic books and cartoons. The differences makes American eyes turn to Japanese mangas and animations.
Kazuo Koike mentions that American children are getting sick and tired of “the U.S. military forces with their high tech weapons” (qtd in Lam) in the American cartoons. Therefore, Japanese mangas and animations emphasize the complicated spiritual worlds which have seduced America.
On the other hand, these serious stories in Japanese animation and manga encourage American teenagers to commit suicide because their emotions and sympathizes in the story deeply. According to Momoko Mano, a graduate student at the University of Tokyo, “Like soap opera in the U.S. you feel very involved with the characters. Teenagers have committed suicide because their favorite characters were killed" (qtd in Lam).
If American teenagers and younger kids are growing up with Japanese animation which includes Japanese life style and spirit they can accept more Japanese culture without any resistance in the future. Even they can not filter out bad influence from imaginary world once their emotions become involved in it.
The influence of manga and animation is part of the influence that the Japanese have on America which now includes automobiles, food, and small electronics. Manga and Japanimation are deeply rooted as a Japanese pop culture continues to grow in America.
References:
<http://www.digital.anime.org.uk/news/20030323.html>
Lam, Andrew. “Japanese Manga and Anime Take Over America.” Pacific News Service, Aug 28, 2003. <http://news.pacificnews.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=afe4632414d29b3d5e324597a8eaffec>
1 comment:
Wow, what an awesome post! One of my students a few semesters back was a Manga addict. She brought them to class every week and would read them in her spare time. I couldn't get over how beautiful they were graphically, and how cool it was to watch this student read the book "backward." Maybe part of the experience was that it was so unique?
Great writing here! Nice research. This is really well thought out.
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