The Cultural Significance of Manga
Manga has been an essential element of Japanese culture since the 9th century. During that time, Buddhist priests painted images of animals and satirized the lives of high-ranking officials on scrolls, communicating their tales through illustrations and words. Unknowingly, these priests were responsible for a medium of story telling that would, hundreds of years later, become a huge global industry. After World War II and the westernization of Japan, mangaka (manga artists) began to draw in a style more aligned with that of American comic books as opposed to the scrolls of the past. From that point, the manga industry boomed within the country and slowly began to work its way overseas as well. Tokyopop, Viz Media, and Yen Press are three of the many manga publishing companies in existence in the United States.
Economically, manga makes up a huge portion of Japan's publishing industry at nearly 25%. In 2006, it was worth 502.3 billion yen (5.32 billion US dollars). In the United States, manga represents 75% of the American comic book market. Despite a 20% decrease in profits in 2010, the American manga industry still managed to make more than $140 million dollars nationwide and Dark Horse Publishing Company, another big player in the comic books field, showed a 13% increase in its profits.
Characters from the manga and anime series "Durarara" in a manga store shopping for manga. Notice the "Strike Witches" poster to the left, which is discussed in the Sexual Objectification segment of this website. In any case, stores devoted to selling manga are so numerous in Japan, they are a common sight in manga series. Talk about manga-ception.
Manga is an incredibly versatile method of story telling. With its many sub-genres, people with all types of interests, be it sports, romance, or adventure, to name a few, are bound to find series that appeal to them. Many elements of Japanese culture are frequently displayed in manga as well, such as holidays (Hana-matsuri or Buddha's Birthday, hinamatsuri or girl's day, hanami or cherry blossom gazing) and social customs. Its popularity has grown to the point where there are manga and anime conventions throughout the world where enthusiasts can come and meet mangaka, voice actors, and buy limited edition merchandise. Some large conventions in the US are Otakon and Comicon.
But it is manga's ability to reach out to a multitude of different audiences that makes it crucial to be aware of the social implications presented in the content. Manga is a gendered issue. Prior to the 1980s, protagonists were always male and exhibited authority over any female characters who were treated more or less as damsels in distress. It wasn't until after the '80s that mangaka like Hayao Miyazaki and Akira Toriyama began to explore independent female protagonists. Miyazaki's character, Nausicaa, from Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is an example of a woman who is able to fight without male assistance and save her people from doom. Lady Eboshi from Miyazaki's movie Mononoke Hime is also unusually cast; she is in charge of a huge steel farming enterprise, a skilled shooter, and also female.
Japan has a history of gender inequality, many aspects of which can be seen in manga. Because so many groups of people have access to manga, certain misogynist concepts that facilitate the growth of male privilege are able to spread throughout the world. Therefore it is necessary to educate the masses about feminism and emphasize that manga isn't just a form of entertainment. It is a medium that must be read with a consciousness to the messages it's spreading and the social context surrounding them.
But it is manga's ability to reach out to a multitude of different audiences that makes it crucial to be aware of the social implications presented in the content. Manga is a gendered issue. Prior to the 1980s, protagonists were always male and exhibited authority over any female characters who were treated more or less as damsels in distress. It wasn't until after the '80s that mangaka like Hayao Miyazaki and Akira Toriyama began to explore independent female protagonists. Miyazaki's character, Nausicaa, from Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is an example of a woman who is able to fight without male assistance and save her people from doom. Lady Eboshi from Miyazaki's movie Mononoke Hime is also unusually cast; she is in charge of a huge steel farming enterprise, a skilled shooter, and also female.
Japan has a history of gender inequality, many aspects of which can be seen in manga. Because so many groups of people have access to manga, certain misogynist concepts that facilitate the growth of male privilege are able to spread throughout the world. Therefore it is necessary to educate the masses about feminism and emphasize that manga isn't just a form of entertainment. It is a medium that must be read with a consciousness to the messages it's spreading and the social context surrounding them.