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Forum - View topicNEWS: Tokyopop Artist Wins International Manga Contest
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Dargonxtc
 Posts: 4463 Location: Nc5xd7+ スターダストの海洋 |
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This is very impressive.
I know V.1 isn't released yet, but has anyone had peaks at this? |
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Kyuriko
Posts: 152 |
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I'm not usually impressed by some of Tokyopop's original manga publications, but her art is absolutely lovely, and I definitely congratulate rem for winning the contest.
Dargonxtc. I myself have not read Kage no Matsuri, but there is more of her artwork available at Black Moon Tides, and Tokyopop has a preview of her other series Vampire Kisses. |
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Vantos
 Posts: 102 |
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In my opinion, the interview was actually the most interesting part, especially Shimada's comments about the submissions. I see he takes a dim view towards foreign artists who imitate Japanese manga (American manga fans do too.) Also, he is hypocritical: he rightly accuses American manga fans of holding preconceived notions of what Japanese comics should look like, but at the same time he himself holds similar notions about American comics.
It's like he didn't even understand or appreciate how much influence Japanese comics have. I'm not sure if it is similar to the influence that Hollywood has over the global film industry, but it is quite profound. It's like walking up to a J-pop artist and saying "Pfft! Stop trying to be American!" Hypocrisy and condescension aside, he does make a good point: American comics do need to come into their own. The way I see it, they should stop calling themselves "manga" as a cheap means of gaining prestige (I'm looking at you, Tokyopop.) Also, the way he described manga (as "unrestricted") does indeed keep in line with the general Japanese usage of the word. In conclusion, comic (not "manga") artists need to be themselves, and Mr. Shimada needs to open his mind. You know, reading this interview makes me want to get up and buy the Last Hope graphic novel. |
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SharinganEye
 Posts: 402 Location: Les Etats-Unis d'Amérique |
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Why be embarrassed of American comics when we've got great works like The Watchmen, V for Vendetta, The Sandman, Preacher, and of course,
Calvin and Hobbes! Yay Bill Watterson! 
Edit: I know Alan Moore is English and Garth Ennis is Irish, but meh. Last edited by SharinganEye on Wed Aug 08, 2007 6:17 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Vantos
Posts: 102 |
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I agree, nothing to be ashamed of. Oh, and V for Vendetta is British. |
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SharinganEye
Posts: 402 Location: Les Etats-Unis d'Amérique |
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Ooh, posted before the edit! >_>;;
Now that I think about it, all those artists/writers except Bill Watterson are from the UK region. Though their works were published for an American audience and so I consider them American... |
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Jetto
 Posts: 49 Location: Hattiesburg, MS |
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<rant>
I find it quite absurd that anyone can be a comic artist, but only japanese people can make manga. I consider manga, well, manga by the art stylization and by the storytelling style -not by the nationality of the person creating it.  I mean, its like saying only blacks can make rap music and only whites can make country music...Its just really, REALLY absurd. I look at manga as a style of comics...or something....
</rant> Oh yeah...him making comments like that about an "International manga contest" is also really stupid. 
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Akukaze
 Posts: 185 Location: Stony Brook, NY |
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It's all up to personal interpretation. But the way I see it, the definition of manga is "comics produce by and for Japanese people." Comparing manga to rap is like comparing apples to oranges. Rap doesn't intrinsically mean something made by and for black people. Racial background is (or rather would be, if Japan was a more diverse place) irrelevant in this conversation, it's country of origin. A Brazillian living in Japan and drawing a series for Ribon would be making manga, someone born and raised in Japan (regardless of their racial background) and trained in Japan, but living in America and publishing with Tokyopop would also be making manga. Everything else, will always be manga-influenced (well, or manwha/manhua). Manga is not all comics, like the actual Japanese word technically means. No one in America is calling Spiderman "manga". But like I said, it's all up to personal interpretation. It's like the abortion debate, people against it think a baby's life starts at conception, people against it think it starts later. No one's ever going to change anyone else's mind because words (i.e., manga and baby) mean different things to different people. Last edited by Akukaze on Thu Aug 09, 2007 2:37 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Vantos
Posts: 102 |
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The main difference here is that manga, as used in the English language, is a geographic descriptor, not an art style. Rap and country are not geographic descriptors, but genres of music. Personally, I believe that the word "manga" is used simply because it is trendy --- it reminds people of popular Japanese works. It relies on the popularity of the Japanese works to maintain its shine. If manga suddenly became unpopular,claims of American work being "manga" would vanish since they would not want to be associated with something undesirable. That said, I maintain that the word "manga" refers only to Japanese-produced works when used in English. Like I said, the usage is purely geographical; nothing about the style of art or story is implied in the definition itself. I'm sorry Mr. Stuart Levy, but manga is a medium, not a genre. This is not to discourage original American work or say that manga influence is bad. This is simply a call to "be yourself" when making a work. Edit: To be clear, anyone producing works in Japan for a Japanese audience is producing "manga," even if the man or woman behind the pen is not Japanese. |
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Drowning_Wolf
Posts: 193 |
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I have to say I don't agree with you guys, with all those Japanese word we change the meaning of, (hentai, otaku etc, etc) I can't see why the term manga wouldn't change definition too (and it seems that's exactly what's happening). So yeah...
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Akukaze
Posts: 185 Location: Stony Brook, NY |
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Who are you talking to? If you're talking to Vantos and me, then I must say you're just further illustrating (our?) my point. In Japanese "hentai" (well, that word isn't really used) refers to all porn, but in English it's animated porn of Japanese origin. And likewise, in Japanese otaku can apply to any hobby, but in foreign usage it's just an anime/Japanese video game/manga fan. Your semantics are fuzzy at best. How do you mean "change meaning"? |
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Vantos
Posts: 102 |
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Drowning_Wolf, the definition is changed from the original Japanese usage. "Manga," in the English language, refers to works produced for a Japanese audience, regardless of art style. In Japanese, the word "manga" is used the same way as the word "comic" is here: as a catch-all word for sequential art.
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The Xenos
 Posts: 1519 Location: Boston |
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Manga is just the Japanese word for comics. We call Japanese comics 'manga' out of respect to their Japanese creators. Manga and comics are the same things in two different languages.
There is no manga style. There is no manga format. There is no international manga unless you're speaking in Japanese and using the term 'manga' for 'comics'. Now I think some Japanese companies, as well as US ones, are getting greedy. They want all comics to be called by their name and thus imposing the Japanese name manga over the rest of the world. That's bullcrap. Don't buy it. Japan is not always superior and neither is the name manga. Manga is comics from Japan or rather the Japanese word for comics. Nothing more. Again, there is no reason to call comics from outside Japan manga unless you're speaking Japanese. And even there they sometimes say 'comikisu'. Never mind they use the word 'comic' on actual manga!  
Yeah, let's look at the hypocrisy of that statement! Thanks, Japan. Please, I'm sick of manga fans, and manga editors it seems, holding the idea that US comics are all superheros. Ugh. I like the genre, but the insistence of superheros in the US industry is disgusting. Plus if you know history with Wertham and the comics code and the limitation of genre back in the 50s, you'd be disgusted by this stereotype too. |
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Vantos
Posts: 102 |
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That's exactly what I was thinking when I read the interview! Mr. Shimada did not know about the history of comics in the US. If you want to know why all manga are mistakenly thought of as somehow inherently superior, look at the Comics Code Authority of yesteryear. Still, though, you can't really blame him for not knowing. For someone who's running an "international manga contest," he shouldn't be pushing preconceived notions of what "real" foreign comics are supposed to look like. |
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KyuuA4
 Posts: 1361 Location: America, where anime and manga can be made |
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All I have to say. Kodansha is taking a very bold and brilliant approach by reeling in non-Japanese (foreign) talent into their manga production. An investment in bringing such talents can potentially reap large dividends. This is how "fresh stories" can come into play, by finding someone new and yet qualified to do such work.
And I find these kinds of statements as "broken records". If I were to get a nickel for each and everytime I've seen those words -- I'd probably be rich. Looking at the image of the published cover art -- it is very difficult to tell what "ethnicity" the artist was -- unless y'knew about her beforehand. I must say -- it is very clean. Very gorgeous.
Hmm. Can anyone get a name? This "rem" is developing quite an admirable resume. 
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