Two Random Interesting Quotes about Anime and Manga

[nenena]

From Right Turn Only:

Osamu Tezuka is imprisoned in an Ivory Tower. (In America.)

People love to discuss Tezuka. They love to talk about how important he is. And yet if you wanted an easily accessible path to enjoying Tezuka's works ... that'd be a bit of a stretch.

They publish books about his life, hold museum exhibits in his honor, raise him on an academic pedestal—everything except actually putting out his manga. You can have three Narutos a month, but trying to get a single volume of Phoenix is like pulling teeth. Astro Boy flickers in and out of existence on store shelves. Even an easily licensable short series like Princess Knight is relegated to "very special episode" status in one issue of one magazine. How is it that the most dependable producer of Tezuka's work (in America) is a boutique literary publisher that's targeted way above the heads of the kids who SHOULD be reading his stuff?

I don't know who decided to shut Osamu Tezuka in the Ivory Tower, but someone ought to let him out.

And from here:

[M]oe is an interesting issue, since it involves taking emotions that are among the most respectable a human can have -- the desire to protect and nurture -- and fetishises those emotions.

And for more random fun, here's an exhaustive list of manga-recs-for-comics-readers, and comics-recs-for-manga-readers, divided by genre. Awesome.

Comments

[furikku.livejournal.com]

This is awesome.

As to the Tezuka issue... I assume he's not published much because the business types can tell that he doesn't have What the Kids are Buying, that being effminate bishies kissing, blood spatters all over, and massive tits. Also, he looks more cartoony than animu, and nobody wants to buy that Disney shit.

Which makes me a sad Sooz.

[nenena.livejournal.com]

It makes me sad too. Especially since, in the hands of a good marketer, Tezuka's style could be a huge selling point. Princess Knight looks like Mickey Mouse. And Mickey Mouse hasn't really changed in the past fifty years. If someone would just capitalize on the similarity to Disney, they'd have a huge hit.

W.I.T.C.H. has shown that *little girls* like to buy comic books (in record numbers even), and a big selling point is the Disneyfied artwork. If W.I.T.C.H. was such a hit, I don't see why Princess Knight couldn't be.

[keiichi-chan.livejournal.com]

I actually remember picking up a copy of Tesuwon atom/astroboy and getting all nostalgic over it,despite it being way before my day. Back when I seriously got into anime and manga, I actually researched it and read all about Dr.Tezuka and his works. Not to mention I watched and really enjoyed the "birthday" remake of the series. I don't think it has as much to do with the quality of the stories as much as the artwork and the fact that it's old. I mean people go to the movies like mad in america,but how many average movie goers have seen "Citizen Kane" or "Casablanca"? You can barely get people to go see a movie that came out two years ago. If the tv watching, movie loving public doesn't have an interest in checking out classic movies, good luck getting them to read classic manga.

And yeha, it doesn't look "anime" enough for alot of people. Part of the animecraze in america is due to kids rebelling against the "childishness" of cartoons. Even though alot of the anime they consider so adult is just as childish.

[nenena.livejournal.com]

I don't think it has as much to do with the quality of the stories as much as the artwork and the fact that it's old. I mean people go to the movies like mad in america,but how many average movie goers have seen "Citizen Kane" or "Casablanca"? You can barely get people to go see a movie that came out two years ago. If the tv watching, movie loving public doesn't have an interest in checking out classic movies, good luck getting them to read classic manga.

Good point. I've still never seen Citizen Kane, even though I know how it ends, and I've seen it parodied a thousand times over. ^^;;

Part of the animecraze in america is due to kids rebelling against the "childishness" of cartoons. Even though alot of the anime they consider so adult is just as childish.

LOL so true!