Manga
Akira (1988) - Katsuhiro Ôtomo [Amazon.com]
Definition
Manga is the Japanese word for comics; outside of Japan, it usually refers specifically to Japanese comics. Mangaka is the corresponding Japanese word for a manga artist. Because most Japanese nouns have no plural form, manga can be used to refer to multiple comics, although mangas is sometimes used in English.Origins
Literally translated, manga means "random pictures." The word first came into common usage after the publication of the 19th century Hokusai Manga, containing assorted drawings from the sketchbook of the famous ukiyo-e artist Hokusai. However, gi-ga (lit. "funny pictures") drawn in the 12th century by various artists contain many manga-like qualities such as emphasis on story and simple, artistic lines.
In the 20th century, manga came to refer to comics. Though roughly equivalent to the American comic book, manga hold more importance in Japanese culture than comics do in American culture. Manga is well respected both as an art form and as a form of popular literature. Like its American counterpart, manga has been criticized for being violent and sexual; however, there have been no official inquiries or laws that have tried to limit what can be drawn in manga, except for fuzzy decency laws that apply to all published materials, stating that "overly indecent materials should not be sold." This freedom has allowed artists to draw manga for every age group and about every topic.
Categories of pornographic manga
Commonly called "hentai" manga in English, although ecchi is a more accurate term. These categories are also often used for anime, H games, and other Japanese-style erotic art.Softcore
- lolicon (young girls)
- shota-con (young boys)
- yaoi (gay)
- yuri (lesbian)
- ero-guro (erotic-grotesque; also genera in other Japanese art mediums)
- futanari (hermaphrodites)
- kemono (humanoid animal)
Books
- Domu - Katsuhiro Otomo [Amazon.com] [FR] [DE] [UK]
Domu is a horrific tale of extrasensory powers, mind control, and psychic war as told through the exceptional talent of Katsuhiro Otomo, creator of the popular comics and animated film Akira. Even at under 300 pages--short by Otomo's standard--Domu is a dense thriller about a twisted old man who takes control of an apartment complex, enslaving its tenants with his psychic abilities. No one seems to be able to find a cause--or a solution--until a young girl arrives to challenge this disruptive force with psychic abilities of her own. This is a comics that I can best describe as John Woo meets David Cronenberg. No kidding. --Amazon.comIn 1982, manga modernist Katshuhiro Otomo created a worldwide literary sensation when Japan's Kodansha Publications released the first volume of his 3000 page sci-fi fable of the apocalypse, Akira. Few westerners had experienced manga (Japanese comics) before Akira, and its rocketing ascent through cultural divides helped impress a cynical world that had long been convinced that pictures in books should be relegated to children's stories. Now pictures were being used to tell one of man's most ... --From the Publisher
A twisted old man, gifted with extrasensory powers, silently holds sway over an entire block of apartments. The occupants are puppets for him to control. Life is his to give...and to take. But suddenly there is a new voice in his head, and before he knows it, a young girl with her own battery of psychic abilities has arrived to challenge him! Soon, the sprawling complex becomes a battleground between two minds possessing incredible, unimaginable power. Winner of Japan`s Science Fiction Grand Prix award, the first graphic novel ever awarded such an honor, Domu comes from the boundless imagination of Katsuhiro Otomo, renowned creator of the internationally acclaimed graphic-fiction epic, Akira. A work of rare strength, Domu is both visually stunning and emotionally gripping, a terrifying tale of the paranormal set amongst the human isolation of modern urban life. --Book Description
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