Week 7: Shonen

Shonen is a genre I have't cpnsumed a lot of so I was very interested in reading some of Bakuman. I was more of a shoujo beat kid than shonen jump. I was initially interested in it because I thought the story premise really seemed unique and wasn't like other shonen's I know like Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, etc. Bakuman really turned out to be nothing like anything I've ever read before.



I loved the storyline of these highschoolers following their dreams of becoming a mangaka and the reality of just how difficult of a job it is in Japan; including the many sacrifices. This series almost in a way reminded me of some shoujos like Love Live because of it's theme of following your dreams but this series showed the nitty gritty of it. I also enjoyed the art of this manga, I wouldn't say there was anything too special about it but it was very well done. The details of the manga companies were super well drawn.



I think one of the main reasons why I enjoyed this manga was because it's so realistic. I often find myself reading things that are so far fetched that is can sometimes be hard to relate to. Even slice of lifes don't show life as realistically as Bakuman. The whole time you're rooting for these characters that you can relate to, and want to see them succeed. In general, this was a fun read and I hope to read some more of it.

Week 6: Shoujo

Shoujo is my absolute favorite genre of anime/manga since I've been a kid. Of course when I was a young girl, the stereotypical things that are aimed towards me made me reach out to this genre but even as I've come into adulthood I still love the shoujo genre. The first anime I ever saw was Shugo Chara. It is a pretty typical magical girl, middle school girl shoujo but I enjoyed it so much as a kid. The main character Amu is pretty different from the normal shoujo girl because she is "spicy and spunky" always putting on a cool front with her classmates but that's not really how she is as a person. I could really relate to her as a kid because everyone wants to be a cool girl but realistically no middle schooler is "cool" and that's okay!



In general, I've always loved the simplicity and mundaneness of a lot of shoujo. Shoujo's like Whisper of the Heart and Ao Haru Ride rely on awesome characterization to make the story interesting and engaging. They teach a lot of awesome life lessons through these relatable characters that include being yourself and how to be a good friend. Of course there is a lot of drawbacks to the shoujo genre including the unrealistic views of romance and relationships. To me, one of the biggest problems of this genre is the weird age gaps that are often seen between the young girl and an older male counterpart. For example, Amu, the main protagonist of Shugo Chara is 11 and has a romantic relationship with a 17 year old high schooler. When I was a kid, I just saw the older character as cool and hot for sweeping up Amu but really it's such a problematic relationship that is seen pretty often in shoujo. But, in general most shoujo relationships just show "first loves" or realistic little crushes that kids have and go through. Even in Whisper of the Heart when they get "married" it's clear that is a very naive and childlike proposal that fit with the youthful tone of the whole movie.

Week 5: Romance Manga

Romance manga is one of the genres I'm most familiar with as a hopeless romantic myself.  Some romance animes I remember seeing when I was younger were for Kaichou wa-maid sama, Ouran High School Host Club, My Little Monster, and Say I Love You. These were all some of the first series I had ever watched and really influenced my overall taste in anime/manga which is mostly shoujo/romance. Actually, the very first manga I ever read was a romance manga. It was called Kitchen Princess and I read it when I was around 10. A classmate of mine had an older sister who read a lot of manga so she would bring her hand-me-down books to our class to pass around. The manga was about a young girl who wanted to be a chef on a journey to find the "flan-prince" who was a boy who saved her from drowning when she was a little kid. This manga really effected me as a kid because the main love interest gets hit and killed by a car leaving the main character in shambles. I remeber crying in class over it and eventually our entire class read the series so we could all relate in the emotions. It was a lot for someone so young especially in something wrapped up in such a cute and relatable art style. I think this is where romance manga's thrive though. They are able to go places that other genres can't go as successfully. It makes the reader even more invested into the story by having such heart wrenching moments.

For this week I decided to read some of Slow Motion wo Mou Ichido. I had never heard of this manga and the plot summary sounded really interesting to me because I also really enjoy 80's music. From  reading a bit of it I thought it was cool that the main male protagonist is labeled as just "a normal guy." It reminds me of the shoujo girl and how she is usually just a normal girl. In most of the other romance mangas I've read the male love interest is almost always some sorta hunk or school-wide crush kinda character but in this manga he really is just an average high schooler with interesting hobbies. The inclusion of 80's japanese pop was super intriguing and made me want to check out more of the music from that era.

Week 3: Gekiga

This week I read Cigarette Girl by Masahiko Matsumoto which is a Gekiga, or adult manga. After Ayako, this again is my first adult manga that I've ever read. I really really enjoyed these short series of comics. Even though it's from the 1970's I felt like I was reading a modern North American manga because of the dry up-front humor. It reminded me of something that could go viral on social media nowadays because the troubles of romance are still relevant to our generation now. Even though Cigarette Girl was clearly written for a Japanese audience, I could still relate to the struggles the characters were going through because they transcended culture.
The most interesting part of this manga to was the art style. It really reminded me of modern day American adult cartoons like Family Guy and Rick and Morty. The choice of style kinda limited the characters use of expressions and emotions in my opinion but it was still super fun to look at. The biggest issue I had with the style was that it made it hard for me to keep track of characters because they were all drawn so similarly, generally with the same eyes/expressions. All in all I did enjoy reading this manga and it made me want to read more Gekiga.The most interesting part of this manga to was the art style. It really reminded me of modern day American adult cartoons like Family Guy and Rick and Morty. The choice of style kinda limited the characters use of expressions and emotions in my opinion but it was still super fun to look at. The biggest issue I had with the style was that it made it hard for me to keep track of characters because they were all drawn so similarly, generally with the same eyes/expressions. All in all I did enjoy reading this manga and it made me want to read more Gekiga.

Week 4: Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli

This was the week I have been most excited about since seeing the syllabus. I am a huge Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli fan. Like most people my age, the first Ghibli movie I saw was Spirited Away when it premiered on cartoon network. The first time I saw it was randomly at my friends house when I was around 8 or 9 while my friend was asleep. I remember it so vividly. I was glued to the tv but was also completely afraid of the movie. I was mesmerized but terrified. I had no idea what I had just watched but I knew that I loved it. The second time I saw Spirited Away was when I was home sick from school about a year later and it once again randomly came on. This time I was able to process more of what I was watching and what exactly it was. From that point on, I started to consume Japanese media like crazy but it wasn't years and years later that I finally made the connection to Studio Ghibli.

Through the years I have watched every Ghibli movie and still my favorite to this day is Whisper of the Heart. In my opinion, it's also the most underrated Ghibli film. When people think of Ghibli they mostly think of fantastical magic adventures but I think where the studio really shines is their more mundane slice of life films. Whisper of the Heart is so amazing because of the characterization of Shizuku. She is so easily relatable to any young person who is a dreamer and I really resonate with her. Honestly not much really happens in the film but it's how they handle the little things of life that makes the film so amazing. It's just such a warm film that will always be at the top of my list.

Also this week I read some of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. I have seen the movie a few times and I really do enjoy it, specifically for its environmental and anti-war themes. I know those are central themes in Ghibli films but I believe it's the most present in this film and Princess Mononoke. I honestly didn't know that it started as a manga and that it was completely illustrated by Miyazaki. The only art I had seem prior from Miyazaki were his concept watercolor work for his films so I had no idea he was capable of illustrating manga so beautifully detailed. I always thought of him as more of just a great director and writer than an artist but this manga proved me wrong. He is a master at everything he does. It also seemed the manga followed pretty closely to the film which makes sense since it was adapted by him. Reading this almost made me wish he produced more manga because I felt his storytelling and worldbuilding really shined through in this manga.

Week 2: Osamu Tezuka

This week we read Ayako by Tezuka, the grandfather of manga. This was my time hearing and learning about Tezuka even though he's greatly important. This manga really took me by surprise because I had never read a manga with such adult themes as well as just being generally upfront with the themes. There was no cushioning of their disgruntled family life, and it showed a real life perspective of a troubled family.The art to me was also pretty unique to what I have read in the past. Although it's so simple, the characterization comes off so well. You really get to know each character by their art style as well as their expressions. I'm not sure I would personally say I was a fan of the style, but I can see where it inspired many and many artists to come. It was never something that hindered the story but added to it.