Week Ten

For the week on Manga, I read Astro Boy for the first time. The thing that immediately struck me was how Tezuka was inspired by Disney. I could see it in the round forms and large eyes of the characters. For the longest time, I always thought that Disney was inspired by manga. It’s also amazing how Tezuka inspired the entire manga industry.

I find it really interesting how shoujo and shounen manga have basically rocked the young generation of Asia. I know because of shoujo, many Asian girls have an ideal image of a pretty chivalrous perfect guy who can’t exist in real life. Meanwhile, shounen manga has given men a way to enjoy action comics as they get older. Comics in Asia are not just for kids. They’re enjoyed thoroughly by grown adults.

I watched a documentary recently about the decreasing birth rate of Japan. Young Japanese men and women are getting married less often. Women are also having babies at a later age. Part of the reason is the extremely strong work ethic that rings through Asia. People will put their career in front of dating. However, the narrator also interviewed Japanese women on why they think that not as many people are getting married. The women said that Japanese men were disappointing. They did not seem mature enough.

I wonder if the ideal perfect imaginary men in manga lead to higher expectations for women. The documentary also explored the world of “digital girlfriends,” where Japanese men bought an anime game for their phones and a character would basically become their boyfriend. This eliminated their immediate need for dating. This also made me see how Japanese women could see Japanese men as immature.

It’s just interesting how Asian cultures have developed a very specific ideal image for their men and women. I know that Korea is also suffering from a low birthrate. I wonder if it’s because of similar reasons to Japan. Also, Korea has an influential K-POP and K-Drama industry filled to the brim with perfect ideal men. That is why the plastic surgery industry is also booming.

I also finally read Bakuman after so many years of my friend telling me to. It taught me that becoming a mangaka is not an easy task. It is hard as any artistic job.