Posts Tagged ‘manga’

Foreign scholars support plan to build 11.7 billion yen Manga museum

The Asahi has been coming down hard on the government’s plan to build an 11.7 billion yen (121 million USD) national media arts center (aka “Manga Museum”), but the Japan Times has interviewed several Western scholars, all of whom seem to think it’s a great idea. Here’s a sample of some of the quotes they included in its article:

“Given their mass audience, their spread globally, and their influence on Japanese culture today, the question is why shouldn’t there be a center dedicated to their study, conservation and exhibition?”
[...]
“The long-term effects of such a center would be useful. Japanese contemporary media arts are renowned for their dynamism and creativity. Having a kind of national clearinghouse, where people could learn about the latest cultural products in that area, would benefit artists and audiences. The center would not only inform audiences and be a useful avenue to promote contemporary Japanese culture, but it would also inspire new creativity in manga and anime artists for generations to come.”
[...]
“I think the kind of research on manga and anime that the center could facilitate will have a great scholarly and critical impact.”

As most of the scholars in question are pop culture experts who study anime and manga, it would be pretty hard for them to bash a plan that would likely bring greater attention to their field of research.

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World War II Manga

Mizuki’s historical perspectives, informed by his own experience of violence and the excesses of Japan’s wartime regime, do not fit comfortably with stereotypical “rightwing” or “leftwing” positions. Sharing elements of both, but with a strong progressive bent in the area of war responsibility, Mizuki has crafted a series of unforgettable war stories.

Have a look at the article/manga translation here, and also be sure to check Mutantfrog Travelogue’s post about Mizuki Shigeru’s war manga.

Manga-style covers for novels

Convenience stores are hoping that friendly/cool manga-style covers will get young people to read novels:

Concerned over flagging book sales, especially among younger age groups, publishers are having popular manga artists illustrate the covers of novels and are turning serious works of fiction into manga to be sold at convenience stores.

Such “combini novels” are proving popular among young people who are seemingly averse to conventional bookstores.

Seven-Eleven Japan Co. in May became the first major convenience store chain to put on sale revamped editions of works by three Naoki Prize-winning authors–Arimasa Osawa, Miyuki Miyabe and Natsuhiko Kyogoku.

Although none of the books are new, they have been totally repackaged, with manga artists popular with young people illustrating the front covers.

They first went on sale in mid-May at all the 4,000 or so 7-Eleven outlets in the Kanto region.

Death Note manga series creator Takeshi Obata, whose illustration last year for a new edition of Osamu Dazai’s 1948 novel Ningen Shikkaku (No Longer Human)–published by Shueisha Inc.–helped it become a fresh hit, drew the cover for Kyogoku’s Bara Juji Tantei I (Rosenkreuz I).

The series, branded “Paperbacks K,” came about from a collaboration between Seven-Eleven Japan and literary agency Osawa Office Inc., to which the three authors belong.

Kodansha Ltd. has published 40,000 copies, and publicized them on the Osawa Office Web site. The publisher is reportedly considering a nationwide second printing run after the autumn.

Kazuo Umezu Horror House Unveiled

When we last reported about Kazuo Umezu’s horror house, it was in the process of being constructed. As this new video now shows, it is now complete!

Despite previous setbacks, some local residents are still fighting in court to have the appearance of the house changed. Apparently its colors and face-shaped tower are offensive to the peaceful atmosphere of the neighborhood.

[via Same Hat! Same Hat!]