Week Fourteen: The influence of Manga and Anime in the West

Everyone should read Annarasumanara a Korean manwha and answer some specific questions about it on their blog.  There will be presentations and this will be the final class of the semester.  You will be asked to complete the final grade conference by Friday of this week, which is the last day work can be submitted.

Here are the questions I would like you to respond to on your blog for this week:

1. What is your reaction to the text you just read?
2. What connections did you make with the story? Discuss what elements of the story with which you were able to connect?
3. What changes would you make to adapt this story into another medium? What medium would you choose; what changes would you make?
4. In what ways does this story seem more adapted to an online environment?

Please write a paragraph in response to each question.

Here are links to this week's presentations:

Ashleigh Crawford on Anime and Censorship

Salem Drago on Anime Influence on American Cartoons

Francis Chicote on the Popularity of Manga and Anime in Italy

Here is a quiz you can take to find out what kind of sushi you are:

https://www.buzzfeed.com/fadhilahafra/what-kind-of-sushi-are-you-7lv9xdqmwn?origin=web-hf

In case you are wondering, I am Spicy Tuna Roll.

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Week Thirteen: Manga, Anime and Japanese Cultural Values

Reading Assignment: The reading assignment this week was on view last week but no one chose to read it.  After I read deeper into it last week I thought it might be the perfect manga to make some points about the way manga from Japan is oftern rooted in strong values the Japanese have for cultural work.  So the reading I would like everyone to do is Oishinbo a la Carte which is a sort of digest from the regular manga feature Oishinbo and reprints just some chapters but with footnotes and separate instructions for how to cook some of the dishes explained in the story.  There are characters and a plot which skips around a bit since these are only selected chapters.  Try to read as much as you can, feel free to pick some chapters you might find interesting such as the one on Sake or Ramen or vegetables.  Here is the link:

https://mangaraw.club/read-manga/oishinbo-chapter-0#1

Presentations from Jennifer Crotts on Your Name and Brittany Ruiz On Attack on Titan are expected to be available.

Here is the link to Brittany's presentation on Attack on Titan.

Here is the link to Jennifer's presentation on Your Name dir. by Makoto Shinkai

You can read Attack on Titan Here...it is currently up to 128 Chapters.

Next Week:  Everyone will read Annarasumanara and answer some specific questions about it on their blog.  There will be presentations and this will be the final class of the semester.  You will be asked to compleat the final grade conference by Friday of next week, which is the last day work can be submitted.

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Week Twelve: Contemporary Manga

This week we will hear presentations from

Chase Emilio Here is a link to his Presentation:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iea3P-qSMBU6oN-oDASiZmoRgHJ13SKr/view?usp=sharing

Brittany Ruiz
Presentation on Attack on Titan

The Required reading for this week is Silver Spoon by Hiromu Arakawa.  Please read as much of it as you can.  It takes a number of chapters before it really gets going.

Link to Hiromu Arakawa—Silver Spoon (Vol. 1) https://www.mangareader.net/silver-spoon

Other suggested Reading for this week, especially if you have already read Silver Spoon:

Oishinbo  Here is a link to Chapter 0.  This is an ongoing manga about Japanese Cuisine.

A Silent Voice by Yoshitoki Oima This is a complete manga, finished in 2014 about a boy and A deaf schoolmate.

Chi's Sweet Home by Konami Konata This is a sweet cute kitten Manga now complete. 

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Week 11: Horror

This week's focused reading is manga by Junji Itou.  Here is a link to a substantial collection of his short work which gives you a good idea. Please read as many of these stories as you can before our next zoom-in.

Here is the link to the Itou Junji Horror Comic Collection
http://mangakakalot.xyz/manga/itou-junji-kyoufu-manga-collection

Junji Itou's Tomie
https://www.mangago.org/tomie

Presentations are now available for:

Amber Johnson on Inyuasha:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1DPlM37r4DI12kRKi1X7_Z8R-5exYABNYK3LALhVnilk/edit?ts=5e8e13c1#slide=id.p

Tyler Bivens on Junji Itou
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1o9TzmzxxR_JHHtiHLK2quvbRF3mlBO191fSSBekMyBE/edit#slide=id.gc6f73a04f_0_0

Brigitte Olavage's presentation on Akira is here where it can be downloaded:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Sl-tGVz6lr4GWTs0aTNtjwVWEfzxf0ZZ/view?usp=sharing

or it can be get it from dropbox here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1ewvt9h8j9x2rfg/AKIRA_presentation_bolavage.pptx?dl=0

Kingley Bocian presentation on Devilman
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1T4aoEdISP_BwM6BautUZJFFFyFn8HKfD

Akira if the recommended movie to watch this week.  We will discuss it in class.  There is also vol. 1 of the Akira manga you can read on the course resource page.

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Week 10: Isekai

Isekai is an increasingly popular genre of Manga in which the protagonist suffers a, usually, abrupt transfer from one world (reality) into another. Sometimes they are teleported; sometimes they are reincarnated.  My favorite Isekai film so far is The Boy and the Beast (2015) dir. by Mamoru Hosoda. I was wrong, it is currently off Netflix. 

Reading Assignment:  You can substitute an Isekai manga you have been wanting to read for this week's assignment if you want, but otherwise, I would like everyone to read That Time I got Reincarnated as a Slime.  This is the link.

https://thattimeigotreincarnatedasaslimemanga.com/manga/that-time-i-got-reincarnated-as-a-slim-chapter-1/

Please post a response to whatever you read for this week on your blog.  This week's presentations are by:

Sarah Dickover--Fan Service
link to the presentation:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/152nmpHrZ-wcvh7uTxzz0s4ceY17-bCUs/view?usp=sharing

Sandra Hernandez—90s Anime Boom
Here is link to the presentation:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15lrn9KSlWGvDvVcNYBGvmQYnoL1FAsCy?usp=sharing

Jakob Sung--Toriyama
Here is a link to the presentation:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BiBWgEdRSH7hhpuLNwArugfR1nBx7SWA/view

These presentations are not on works of Isekai.  Please look at the presentations before we Zoom-in on Thursday morning. We will discuss these presentations and The Time I got Reincarnated as a Slime during the Zoom-in.

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Week 9 Cyberpunk

Scheduled Presentations for this Week

Presenters should send me a link to a video of their presentation as soon as possible.

Kenyon Bertelsen—Takashi Nakamura
Here is Kenyon's Link to an ad ridden but free video of Tree of Palme
Here is the link to Kenyon's Presentation:   kenyon_manga.mp4

James Harris—Ghost in the Shell 
Here is the link to James's presentation please look at it before the class meeting. It is 10 minutes long. jharris4_Presentation_Cyberweek_004.mp4 
I recommend downloading it before viewing it because it is somewhat large.

BTW You can watch the re-mastered 4k version of Ghost in the Shell streaming on Amazon Prime Video

Mercer Xue—Neon Genesis Evangelion
Here is a link to Mercer's presentation, it is a powerpoint with just a soundtrck but no narration. Please look at this before class.  You can probably read through it in about 10 minutes.

qxue_Neon Genesis.pptx

This week I am asking you to watch Akira and to read the original Ghost in the Shell Manga which is here:

https://ghostintheshellmanga.com/ 
It is only 11 chapters so you should be able to complete it before we gather virtually on Thursday.

You may also wish to read some of Manga of Akira, Vol. 1 is on the course resource page thanks to Bridgette.

If you are having trouble meeting the new requirements given your change in location or other problems, contact me by email and I can work out a solution for you to allow you to pass the course.  

I look forward to seeing as many of you as can via virtual means on Thursday.  You can access the Zoom meeting either through canvas, there is a link on our course area, or I will be sending out an invitation via email for everyone the night before.

Remember to post your 1-3 page personal manga story on your blog.

Please consult the course blog for future information or email me with any questions.

Emergency Course Information

I am sorry we are having to move to distance learning next week, I will miss seeing you and talking with you in person, but this change is necessary to save as many lives as possible, including mine and possibly yours.  I hope you are all somewhere safe and staying at home.  

I have been giving a lot of thought to how to best proceed from this point and I have changed my mind frequently, but I now have a reasonable plan going forward so here is what I want to do.

First, my main priority is for students to have a reading experience so I am going to ask you to read some specific manga for each week going forward along the lines of what we have planned.  Except for one or two changes, I expect the current schedule of presentations will remain the same.  Please consult the syllabus for the presentation schedule.  We are moving everything back a week and dropping the Week 15 conferences. It now appears that the school will be moving to a S/U i.e. credit/no credit status for the rest of the semester so I will stop issuing letter grades to presentations since that no longer matters, so just do your best with them.  Everyone who has given their presentation already has passed that requirement.  So to pass the class you need to give a presentation, read the required manga for each week, (sometimes there will be a choice) and write a substantial post on your blog responding to the work. I will also ask you to comment on two other blog posts each week.  You will have to respond to the assessment problem, which will come later, and you have to fill out the online course evaluation.

People who have not presented yet will be asked to provide their presentation in the form of a narrated powerpoint or video no more than 15 minutes in length.  I will ask people to view the video and comment on it.  Your comments on these presentations will count towards your necessary two a week. People who are presenting this week need to send me a link to their presentation uploaded into their webspace or on Google docs and I will put that link on the course blog.  Remember to set the permissions to open to the public wherever you put it, if that option is available or you will have to grant permissions to individual people to see it.

I will also hold a class session on Thursday at 10:00 a.m. on Zoom and encourage you to attend.  It will run about an hour, perhaps a bit more.  Attendance is not required but appreciated and hopefully people will continue to attend if they are able. 

I wish you well, do your best to flatten the curve.

David Steiling 

How to Record Audio Over a Powerpoint Presentation

Here our Written Instructions
https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-record-voiceover-powerpoint-4173784

This is the Microsoft Instructions
https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Record-a-slide-show-with-narration-and-slide-timings-0B9502C6-5F6C-40AE-B1E7-E47D8741161C

After you record your presentation you should save it as a powerpoint and as a video file...send me a link to the video file when you post it somewhere so we can all see it.  The video file version is best because then one doesn't need powerpoint to play it correctly on the receiving end.

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Week 8: Diversity of gender and sexuality in Manga and Anime

From My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness

This week we will discussing some representations of diverse gender and sexual orientation in manga and anime. I am asking you to read two recent works along these subject lines that are very well executed and have had attracted readership and critical notice.

Read: Nagata Kaki--My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness and Gengorah Tagame--My Brother's Husband (Vol. 1)

The Presentations scheduled for this week are:

• Nicole Tan--Nana.  She has asked us to read it here,  or watch it here.

We may have time to consider  Lonely Wolf, Lonely Sheep, by Fuka Mizutani, during class.

My Solo Exchange Diary the sequel to My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness is here.

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Week Seven: Shonen

Readings and presentations on selected titles and artists. As a general background I suggest everyone should read , Bakuman https://mangapanda.vip/bakuman  

As well please try to read as much as you can of the works below.

Presentations:
Hanlu Want—20^th Century Boys by Naoki Urasawa
D’Angelo Hernandez—Oyasumi Punpun (Goodnight Punpun) by Inio Asano
Harloe Hunter—JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure by Hirohiko Araki
Harloe recommends this chapter for reading this week.
Macy Caliendo—Full Metal Alchemist

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Shojou

Assignment:  Read some Shojo.  Come to class prepared to discuss what you have read.  Does what you read seem as if it were targeted to girls?  Why do you think this?  What are the ideals for girls embedded in the work? Why did you pick this work to read?  Please choose something to read with which you are not familiar.

In-class we may read some additional manga or see some selected animation.

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Week Five: Romance Manga

Characters from Princess Jellyfish by Akiko Higashimura

Reading for this Week:  Find the kind of love you want to read about. Choose from among the following extensive list of romance manga titles, at least three titles to read into for this week. Try to choose works that you are not familiar with.  The selections reside within several major genre of manga including shoujo, shonen, seinen, josei, yuri and yaoi.  Remember to post a response to one of them that you read somewhat in depth.  A few are ongoing, most are completed, there are a few complete in one or two volumes, especially among the yaoi and yuri selections. 

We will have two student presentations and I will ask everyone to report briefly on the manga they read for this week. Please read the manga to go with the presentations before moving on to your own choice.

Jena Zaletel will be presenting on Mars. You can read it here. Please read some of this before coming to class.

Kaichou wa-maid sama!  President of the Student Council and a waitress in a Maid Cafe.

Horimiya young woman and young man discover each has a secret side of themselves.

ReLife  Kaizaki Arata is a 27-year-old, out-of-work man who has failed at each and every job interview he has had after quitting his last company where he only lasted three months. His life changes after he meets Yoake Ryou of the ReLife Research Institute, who offers him a drug that can change his appearance to that of a 17-years-old again. Taking the drug, he becomes a subject in a one-year experiment in which he begins his life as a high school student again. In color.

Ouran High School Host Club Haruhi is a poor tomboyish student at a school for the ultra-wealthy, and is able to attend because of a scholarship, but is unable to even afford a uniform. One day, she stumbles across the peculiar but very popular Ouran Host Club. She tries to leave, but accidentally breaks a vase, and is unable to pay for it. She's told that she'll have to stay and do odd jobs. That is, until they decide she would be more valuable as a club member. Not realizing she's female due to her appearance, they fix her up and give her a male uniform. 

Skip Beat  classic shoujo school romance still ongoingt6

My Little Monster  Two odd high-schoolers make a perfect match.

Dengeki Daisy "No matter what happens, I’ll protect you.” Teru, who lost her only remaining relative, her older brother, is cheered on by mail from an enigmatic person, DAISY, who she can contact via the cellphone her brother gave her. One day, through an unexpected incident, Teru ends up working as a servant for the delinquent school janitor, Kurosaki. But this scoundrel, Kurosaki is really…

Vampire Knight  Cross Academy is attended by two groups of students: the Day Class and the Night Class. At twilight, when the students of the Day Class return to their dorm, they cross paths with the Night Class on their way to school. Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu are the Guardians of the school, there to protect the Day Class from the Academy's dark secret: the Night Class is full of vampires.

The One Cane Lele was born into the fashion industry. Her mother, Ye Fei Yi, was Taiwan's top model, and her father was also a model, until a tragic airplane crash left Lele without parents. Therefore, it is no surprise that Lele hates the industry, thinking it superficial and unnecessary.  Fashion, romance, more fashion.

Paradise Kiss Yukari wants nothing more than to make her parents happy by studying hard and getting into a good college. One afternoon, however, she is kidnapped by a group of self-styled fashionistas calling themselves "Paradise Kiss." Yukari suddenly finds herself flung into the roller-coaster life of the fashion world, guided by George, art-snob extraordinaire. In a glamorous makeover of body, mind and soul, she is turned from a hapless bookworm into her friends 22 own exclusive clothing model. Romance and makeover.

Princess Jellyfish The story centers around Tsukimi Kurashita, a huge fan of jellyfish (kurage, a wordplay on the "kura/mi" and "tsuki/ge" in her name) and a girl who moves to Tokyo to become an illustrator. She moves into "Amamizukan," an apartment complex that is full of fujoshi (diehard female otaku) with a no-men-allowed rule. However, one day, Tsukimi invites a stylishly fashionable woman to stay at her room at Amamizukan—only to discover that the guest is not who "she" seems to be.

Nodame Cantabile During his fourth year at Japan's top music university, Shinichi happens to meet Megumi Noda or, as she refers to herself, Nodame. On the surface, she seems to be an unkempt girl with no direction in life. However, when Shinichi hears Nodame play the piano for the first time, he is in awe of the kind of music she creates. Nevertheless, Shinichi is dismayed to discover that Nodame is his neighbor, and worse, she ends up falling head over heels in love with him.

Chihayafuru Chihaya is a girl in the sixth grade, still not old enough to even know the meaning of the word zeal. But one day, she meets Arata, a transfer student from rural Fukui prefecture. Though docile and quiet, he has an unexpected skill: his ability to play competitive karuta, a traditional Japanese card game. Chihaya is struck by his obsession with the game, along with his ability to pick out the right card and swipe it away before any of his opponents. However, Arata is transfixed by her as well, all because of her unbelievable natural talent for the game. 

Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii  A gaming otaku and a fujoshi reunite for the first time since middle school at work.

Akatsuki no Yona Manga: Yona of the Dawn, known as Akatsuki no Yona in Japan. "Yona of the Dawn" , also called Akatsuki no Yona -The girl standing in the blush of morning-) is a Japanese manga series by Mizuho Kusanagi. Samurai and romance.

Akagami no Shirayuki-hime  Shirayuki is Tanbarun's friendly neighborhood herbalist, whose unique red hair ends up drawing unwanted attention from the vain prince of Tanbarun, Raji Shenazard. Faced with the unattractive proposition to become his concubine, Shirayuki chops off her hair and flees the country overnight. In her journey deep into the forest, she encounters Zen Wistalia, the prince of the neighboring country of Clarines. When Zen takes a bite out of a poisoned apple that Prince Raji sends in order to recapture Shirayuki, she expertly uses the herbs at her disposal to cure him. Romance and herbalism.

Slow Motion wo Mou Ichido Though no one in school aware of it, Ootaki-kun, a first year high school student, is a big fan of 80's songs and idols. One day, he found out that his classmate that sits next to him, Yakushimaru-chan, have the same interests as him...

The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior  Kazunari Usa's dream to live away from his parents is fulfilled when they allow him to move into an old boarding house called Kawai Complex. With his landlady providing him meals and his parents covering his rent, Kazunari finally achieves the peaceful life he longs for, as he is ready to enter his first year at high school. Or so it seems...

Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet Ohno Fumi is a poor 2nd year high school student. Because of her father’s debts, she’s kicked out of her own home and has to rely on her own connections to survive. Thus begins her life as a live-in housekeeper for a reclusive writer.

Saotome-Senshu, Hitakakusu Sport Manga Romance. High-Schooler Tsukishima Satoru gets confessed to by local female High-School boxing-talent Saotome Yae. He rejects her initially because he does not want to impede her boxing career (and prevent getting beaten up by her fans).

Ten Count When the President got into an accident, Shirotani Tadaomi met Kurose. On their very first meeting, Kurose could tell right away that Shirotani is Mysophobic and said that it's pretty bad while suggesting it would be better to consult a doctor about it. Shirotani was left perturbed by the encounter. Who is Kurose? And how was he able to tell Shirotani's condition?

Under the Umbrella With You  Mio Keisuke is a high-schooler who leads a rather dull, boring life. He can't keep a girlfriend, because being a kept man's too much of a hassle, and he can't bring himself to fall in love and please his woman. Then one day he seeks shelter from a sudden downpour under the awning of an apartment owned by Yugi Kakeru, and suddenly his life isn't so dull anymore as he finds himself falling for his aloof and yet obviously lonely friend. 

No Touching at All On his very first day at a brand-new job, shy Shima is trapped in the elevator with a hungover mess of a guy... who turns out to be his boss! Togawa's prickly exterior definitely puts the rookie recruit on-edge, but it doesn't take long before Shima's every waking thought is invaded by his overbearing yet totally thoughtful superior. Will Shima put aside a history of disappointment in order to take a chance on a complicated relationship? Complete in one volume.

Tatsuyuki Oyamato the 4th Yakuza love story. Tatsuyuki is the reluctant young master of a Yakuza group. He would rather spend his days playing around than learning the ropes of his family's dubious business. When his caretaker sends him off to a branch office in Fukuoka, the recently heartbroken Tatsuyuki finds himself in a weirder situation than he would have ever expected.  Complete in one volume.

Mou Ichido, Nandodemo On his way home from picking up a rings for himself and his lover, Fuji Takahiro is hit by a car. His resulting amnesia degrades his live-in lover Kotou Tarou to a mere flatmate, and a series of misunderstandings threatens to tear the couple apart. Tossed around by desperation and confusion, can Tarou and Takahiro rebuild their once blissful relationship?

Love My Life by Ebine Yamaji is a one volume Yuri from 2001. There was also a film made from it in 2006. Ichiko Izumiya is an eighteen-year-old woman who goes to language school in university and works part-time at a music store. She lives with her father, Housei Izumiya, who translates English novels into Japanese for a living. Her mother died seven years before the story begins. Ichiko also has a girlfriend named Eri Joujima. When she comes out as a lesbian to her father, her father shocks her by telling her the secret of her origins. 

First Love Sisters is a 3 volume Yuri.  This is a traditional yuri schoolgirl love story.  Here linked to the only scanlation I could find which is awkward to access and starts with Chapter 6 because Vol. 1 is licensed.  Cute and worth reading especially if you are unfamiliar with how the genre started.

Strawberry Panic is something of a parody of yuri conventions. It contains many of the girls school romance conventions including its style.

Rica 'tte Kanji!?  by Rica Takashima is a delightful yuri romance based on true life situations. The link goes to a free pdf download to encourage students to read it. This is highly recommended for anyone interested in Yuri. 


On the Wild Side.  
Here is a link to a site by Deb Aoki last updated 2017, that curates a collection of Weird Romance Shoujo.  Very interesting selections that could count for any or all of this week's reading.

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Week Four: Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli

This week's presenter will be  George Cwirko-Godycki who teaches in the animation department and is an acafan of auteur anime like the films produced by the legendary Japanese animation studio, Studio Ghibli.  George is going to talk about the rise of independent auteur animation in Japan, the specific ways that creative dynamics worked in Studio Ghibli and the distinctive styles of its major creative figures, Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata.  

Required Reading for this Week: Nausicaa Of the Valley of the Wind  the Manga, Please read at least the first volume so you get a sense of Miyazaki as mangaka. Here is a link to an online version.

Please send me proposals for your topics as soon as possible.  I have listed those I have heard from on the course syllabus which will be updated on Thursday morning and you can read it then.  Meanwhile I still need one or two people for next week on the general topic of love in Manga/Anime.

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Week Three: Gekiga

Elegiy in Red” by Seiichi Hayashi.

This week we are considering Gegika and I am asking you to read Cigarette Girl, a very interesting slice of life manga you will find on the Course Resource Page, some of Lone Wolf and Cub and some Golgo 13 which you can read Chapter 1 and other chapters here.  It is still an ongoing feature, but the early chapters by Takao Saito capture the Gekiga style very well.  If you are bold you can try Abandon the Old in Tokyo which is a collection of manga short stories from 1970 and is on mangareader.  

There is currently a movie which showcases several stories by Tatsumi in gekiga style animation called, Tatsumi, on amazon prime, free to members. The movie intertwines the stories with vignettes from Tatsumi's life.  If you have access to Amazon Prime I highly recommend this movie to you.

Presentation Topics: This week we will try to assign all presentation topics.  We will review these in class and assign them to a date.  If you have not created your blog and emailed me the URL please do so right away so I can see your topic ideas.

Here is Lauren's an Lyanne's list of links for the Featured readings for the semester.  There is currently no link for the alternative manga anthology AX.  Go to the Course Resource Page for a pdf of this week's featured reading. 

More Tezuka: Here are links to additional works on scanlation sites by Tezuka:

Buddha a series of 8 volumes as a sort of biography of the ideas of Buddhism. Highly recommended reading but one volume, Vol. 4, missing from this site and somewhat difficult to get.

Lost World (1948) one of Tezuka's first successes in long form story manga.


Next World (1951) early science fiction story manga by Tezuka, part of the foundation of science fiction manga.

Tonkaradani Monogatari (1955) Tales in a natural setting.  You might call this emblematic of the roots of shoujo. 

Angels Hill (1960) Early shoujo, merpeople on Angel's Island.

Dororo (1967) very popular shonen classic by Tezuka sets the formula for much of the shonen genre. Three volumes here.

Clockwork Apple (1970) Short stories with Tezuka flexing his new, more mature storytelling style.

Ode to Kirihito (1970) Gekiga influenced medical drama, very hard edged and interesting, an adventure manga focusing on the corruption at the heart of the medical establishment. Not a kid's manga.


Black Jack (1973) based loosely on some of Tezuka's experiences in medicine. A medical themed adventure series in seven volumes.

Hidamari no Ki (1981) historical slice of life samurai medical drama.  There are anime series and live action tv series based on this manga.

Manga Seibutsugaku educational manga from Tezuka combining his manga skill with his interests in biology, especially insects. Two volumes.

Astro Cat (1986) In case you didn't get enough of Astro Boy, here are the adventures of his cat.

Here is a small illustration that demonstrates in rough terms the stylistic difference between manga representation and gekiga representation.

In short the figure on the right illustrates the concept of gekiga or "dramatic pictures," a style of  comics representation aimed at adult audiences with a cinematic style and more mature themes than the children's comics which initially inspired post-war manga.

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Week Two: Osamu Tezuka

This week we are focusing on the work of Osamu Tezuka, the central figure in the development of the manga/anime cultural industry after the second world war. Remember to post your four panel manga from our first class. 

Please Read: Tezuka's story manga from the 1970s, Ayako before coming to class.  Here is a link to that work:

Osamu Tezuka—Ayako https://mangakakalot.com/chapter/ayako/chapter_1

If you are looking to read background for this week, the official biography in manga, The Osamu Tezuka Story is an excellent and comprehensive (900 pages) biography in manga of this major figure in the development of comics. In class we will look at some of Tezuka's Anime, both some experimental and commercial work and consider the beginnings of the manga/anime industry. 

Topic Selection: Besides our consideration of work by Tezuka, we will be organizing the class presentations for the semester.  Please bring a couple of suggestions for artists/works that you would like to have the seminar read or watch this semester and that you would like to report on.  The syllabus is divided into topics and you can get a general idea of where you presentation might fit. I will have some specific topics I will hope someone will want to present on. Topics can be rearranged or added to fit the interests of the class, so if you don't see a place your topic might fit, offer it anyway.   Topics can be based on manga or anime, although many topics will span both media. 

Topics in manhua or manwha  or Korean or Chinese animation are also welcome. 

 You need to prepare to show us some samples of anime and/or give us samples to read or links to manga sites where we can read examples of  the work on which you are presenting.  You need to give us a brief overview of your topic and then present three questions around the topic you think will make for good discussion. Try to give us as much context for considering the work as you can.

This week, be prepared to discuss Ayako, during class discussion.   In class we will also discuss how to approach your blog posts for this class.

Here is a link to the Seminar Resources. There is also a link in the Course Links Box.

Here is a link to a brief but reasonably researched blog post on Tezuka and his contribution to the production of manga and anime, especially his development of a drawing style that fused western and Japanese approaches and created a simplified way of drawing that allowed for faster production and longer stories: The Mighty Atom and Tezuka's Production System

And this article by the comics scholar Paul Gravett who is a frequent writer on Manga discusses Manga's Impact on Comics. 

Here is a link to Tezuka in English a decent website exploring Tezuka's life and work. 

Here is a link to an excellent youtube discussion of the Takarazuka Revue.
Part One        Part Two Traces the relationship between Takarazuka Revue and Revue Starlight.

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Week 1: Before Coming to the First Class

Hokusai Manga published 1814-1878

This is the course blog for the Seminar in Manga and Anime, Spring 2020 ,  LMST 264 F,  Ringling College of Art and Design.  Click on the links in the Course Links box to access the course information and policies, the weekly schedule and the online Course Resources. You can read the course syllabus here. 

Here is what to expect from this course and what you need for class:

There will be readings for each week.  There will be some choices, but it is best if most of us, at least read the same thing or at least work relevant to a weekly topic.  Each week we will discuss works related to a topic in Media Studies generally and Manga and Anime Studies in specific. There is a list of readings outlined on the course syllabus, many of which are available on scanlation sites.  I have looked to have most readings available in that way and will try to list links for those on this blog.  Any student who has updates for scanlation links or important additions to the list, I appreciate it if you email them to me to be posted.  

As a background to the class I am suggesting you read a big thick book of history manga about Japan during the rise of manga/anime.  This is very important historical background in a context that is personal and specific to the manga/anime culture.  This book which you should acquire and read (there are used copies out there) is the the fourth volume of Mizuki's history of the Showa era of Japanese History, I am suggesting this as a background to the history of the time in which the Manga/Anime cultural explosion happened in Japan. If you read the entire series, it will give you an historical background for Japan from 1926 through the 1980s. 

This book is in the Library but please don't anyone hog it.  The whole series is in there as well and those are an excellent way to get of view of Japanese history in the modern era presented by one of the major masters of manga. 

Some additional readings will be curated by members of the seminar as preparation for their presentations or for the weeks that have been designated as for topics to be determined by students.  Each student will be required to make a 15 minute presentation during the seminar that presents an overview of their specific topic as well as presenting three questions for relevant discussion by the class.

Students will be required to keep a reading diary in the form of a blog.  We will make the blogs during the first class, please bring your laptop or tablet.

Seminar Reading List So Far:

Osamu Tezuka—Ayako https://mangakakalot.com/chapter/ayako/chapter_1

Hayao Miyazaki—Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (Vol. 1) https://www.mangareader.net/nausicaa-of-the-valley-of-the-wind

Gengorah Tagame—My Brother’s Husband (Vol. 1) https://www.mangareader.net/otouto-no-otto

Nagata Kaki—My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness

https://ww1.mangafox.online/sabishisugite-lesbian-fuzoku-ni-ikimashita-report

Chii—The Bride Was a Boy https://mangarock.com/manga/mrs-serie-96341

Hiromu Arakawa—Silver Spoon (Vol. 1) https://www.mangareader.net/silver-spoon

panpanja—An Invitation from a Crab https://mangarock.com/manga/mrs-serie-100219372

Thanks to Lauren and Lyanne for sharing their research.

There also will be selections to read chosen by presenters. 

Please bring your laptop or tablet to the first class during which we will have an orientation to the Presentation Project and we will have an opportunity to set up student blogs. I will show a short clip from the anime, Miss Hokusai during the first class.  You may want to watch the entire anime before coming to class.  I think it is still on Netflix. 

You can email me with any questions.

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