This week we discussed Manga and the Japanese comics
tradition. Starting from Osamu
Tezuka’s Astro Boy, Japanese manga and anime have developed a cult following
over the decades internationally.
A special fan base was produced when these graphic novel and animated
productions were introduced to the United States. I remember as a young kid back in the 90’s to the early
2000’s anime had a huge impact on me.
Without a doubt it helped to spark my interest in going into art
professionally.
It is not my goal anymore, but around eight or nine years
ago I used to dream of going to Japan and becoming a manga artist. I had read some random cool samurai
graphic novels such as Vagabond, and Rurouni Kenchin with his backwards
sword. I was hooked on the early
years of Toonami in Cartoon Network too where Dragon Ball Z was king. But when
Shonen Jump magazine made it’s debut for the U.S market I pre-ordered my first
issue. I loved it. So much so that I wanted to learn the
language and move. It’s nostalgic for me to remember reading those issues and
learning these fun new stories I hadn’t heard of, like the pirate adventures in
One Piece and Naruto, which became a huge hit in the U.S after that. What always got me was knowing that
over in Japan kids where already into newer stories than what we were on to.
I’m not interested in becoming a manga artist in Japan
anymore. It’s crazy, because so
many years ago I was so sure that I wanted to do that. But through the years my art and my
perspective on life took many turns, and even though I don’t deal with anime or
manga in my illustration work I do recognize the immense influence it had on
me. Yes, like any other product
and market in the Capitalist world we live in, the industry of manga and anime
can be seen as a monster cranking out copies of similar faces and repetitive,
sometimes senseless, storylines just for the sake of profit. But throughout all that we can find the
gems, old and new, that really create an impact.
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