Manga Publishers :: Part 1: Viz

My post for the day should be a fast read, since it's kind of a boring day for me and I don't feel like doing a huge post. But last night I went with two friends to our mini-mall, and this otaku clerk at Hot Topic—kinda cute but underaged—glomped on my one friend since she is an anime fiend and a regular at the store. Though like me she is a rather unassuming anime fan when you see her, so the fact that this occurs on a regular basis is bizarre to say the least. Anyway, the otaku said that he and some friends do manga on the side, and Viz had printed one of their short works or something. I didn't think Viz did this, so I checked out their site. They said they don't do this, so I'm not sure what he was talking about; if anyone could enlighten me on the subject I'd really appreciate it. But there were some interesting tidbits in their faq's that I thought could tide over today's post. Some of it, like the bit about Osamu Tezuka, I already knew but there was enough there that it was still a good read.

:: JAPANESE MANGA MARKET INFO, from Viz ::

How does the Japanese comic book culture compare to that of America?

One could say that the only similarities are that both American and Japanese comics use images in a certain sequence to tell a story. Beyond that it's entirely different. Japanese comics and characters are owned by the artists (unlike famous characters like Superman and Spiderman, which are owned by their publishing companies). Japanese comics are read by everyone, male and female, young and old; even Japanese people who say they don't read comics actually do read them...but the comics are in the form of instructional brochures, owner’s manuals, how-to books, and short features in magazines. Comics are so pervasive in Japanese culture; people read them without knowing it. America has a long way to go before that happens.

How do Japanese comic fans differ from American fans?

Since comics are an enormous industry and more acceptable in Japan, Japanese fans have a lot more to get excited about and young fans start drawing fan art at an earlier age. Aside from that, fans are pretty much the same the world over.

Are there any American influences in Japanese comics or vice versa?

The most obvious American influence is the "big eyes." Those evolved from the early works of the great founding manga artist, Osamu Tezuka (Astro Boy), which he admitted was greatly influenced by Disney animation. The Star Wars movies were also a revelation in Japan, influencing more manga and anime than can be counted, and fantasy role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons have created an entire genre of manga and anime that is still going strong. More recently, moody American comics artists like Mike Mignola have had a growing influence on many manga artists.

As for Japanese influences, Frank Miller was one of the first outspoken manga enthusiasts in the United States and since then, the number of manga and anime influences on America has exploded so much that nearly every American artist knows what manga is and is influenced by it in some way.

Are VIZ's translated titles popular among Japanese audiences?

Nearly all VIZ titles were popular in Japan before being brought to the U.S. However, since the U.S. and Japanese cultures are different, so is the popularity and acceptance of the translated titles. The Pokémon comic—The Electric Tale of Pikachu and its sequels—turned out (in an astounding reverse) to be more popular in America than it was in its native Japan. There are some genres (like Mah-Jong manga) that may have success in Japan, but will probably not find the same success in America.

Is there a market for American comics in Japan?

Some, but it is very small. In America, most fans discover anime before they discover comics. In the same way, most Japanese fans see a comic-based Hollywood movie and later are surprised to discover that it was a comic to begin with. With access to so many great Japanese-made comics, it's no wonder the Japanese don't see a need to look to other cultures for their comics. After all, most Americans don't look to Japan for blockbuster action/adventure movies.

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I always like to get a feel for the American manga scene, so some of the info, while probably mostly opinion, was still good to hear.

The amount of snow we have gotten over the past few days is astounding. I still get excited when snow falls, just as
I did as a little girl. This reaction is somewhat futile now, a Pavlovian response bacause as a child in metropolitan Virginia even an inch of snow meant no school. Out west, it can snow a foot or more and no one notices, which can get downright depressing. But no matter how much snow I have to shovel in my life, I hope that child-like feeling will always stick with me. =)

My valentine daffodils have now completely bloomed and are cheerfully perched on my desk at work, a little sprig of sunshine in a potentially dull day. Mmmm, I love daffodils, they smell like spring. It's wierd I like them so much since fall is actually my fave season, but oh well. They only cost my mom about $5 (she was so proud of this that she told me, hah) but there are over forty of them in my vase; a much better gift I think than the lovely but trite dozen roses that can cost like $25 or more. I got my mom a potted orchid, a mug with a loofah, and the greatest card I think I will ever give her. It was absolutely perfect, kudos to Hallmark's writing department.

I'm excited for tonight, and watching men's figure skating. Is not Plushenko a dream? And is this not the most flamboyant team the US has ever had? I saw a highlight on Johnny Weir and about died. "If I want to wear fur I'll wear fur." He is in second place, good for him, after Plushenko who is just thrilling to watch. I am rooting for Plushenko, but I also liked the other two American skaters a lot (was not the bullfighting costume perfect?) and the Swiss guyas well , so I'll basically cheer for anybody at this point.

Anyway I'll end my post now and get on with my day. I opened up a Deviantart account, so once I figure that whole site out and get things up I'll post the link here. Of course, I will still have thumbnails of my stuff here and at the Ello Studios blog, and I can't comment on things like I can here (or rather I want to continue to do it here), so this site will still be fully functional. Not that anyone cares, but good to know, neh?

And I somehow ended up with a huge post anyway! Sorry this is so long and with so little to say. I hope it is amusing nonetheless.