No kankei (Relationships)
Within manga and anime, women characters have been gaining power and popularity since the 1980s when women writers increased in the manga world. Women manga-ka started writing fantasy when it came to their female characters which allowed for a different type of fan base, a more female orientated fan base to be more exact. In Understanding Manga and Anime, Robin Brenner quoted Schodt with saying, "The new female creators did intuit what female readers wanted and created stories of exciting melodrama, elaborate settings, and costumes with dramatic and often dark psychology" (Brenner, 8) Women became intrigued that the female characters in manga and anime were actually getting recognition, gaining more prominant roles, and becoming more independent than their more submissive predecessors. When these types of manga and anime started to become popular, the average woman was more worried about what others thought, and focused more on marriage than anything else. However, now these manga and anime have made female audience members wonder, "What is mportant?" Many of the female heroines in manga and anime are outspoken, independent, and take it upon themselves to make themselves happy, rather than rely on a man or any other person to give them happiness.
Women read and watch these and think about the same things which makes them question who they are, who they want to be, and who they want in their lives. In the article, The World of Japanese Ladies' Comics: From Romantic Fantasy to Lustful Perversion, Kinko Ito stated that, "They remind us of the classic Cinderella story, but for some women, marriage is not the ultimate goal of life, relationship is" (Ito, 74). Though he was talking mostly about the genre of fantasy within manga and anime, this pertains to almost all the types of women's anime and manga. Marriage, unlike the olden days, isn't as important to women anymore, but rather relationships are. How can one survive without engaging in some type of relationship with the rest of society? "In the world of romance and fantasy as well as the agony and pain of daily life, the stories provide information and knowledge of what may come in the future and prepare the readers for the upcoming situations" (Ito, 75). With these manga and anime, they teach and guide women to be better able to build relationships through different stages of life.
In "Fall in Love like a Comic" by Chitose Yagami, this kind of preparationn for furture circumstances is seen within the first few chapters. Rena, the main character of the story, is a young manga-ka full of great ideas for manga for young women just like her. However, she hasn't really experienced real love. Her editor tells her that in order to produce the best manga she can, she will have to experience love in her life. Throughout this two volumed manga, Rena goes through stages of her life where the audience can see her grow and mature-obtaining knowledge on how to survive relationships with others. "Fall in Love like a Comic" is a sweet, coming of age tale of a girl trying to find herself in a world so strange to her. Since she is normally immersed in her world of fantasy, when it comes time to experience real life situations, she is unable to deal with them. However, she forms relationships with her friends and family that she never had before, and with their help, she learns how to become the person she is. The story ends with the image of her as an adult and the happiness that the relationships she had formed from a teenager has made her grow into a beautiful, successful, and happy adult. Below is a picture of Rena, and her husband Tomoya, with their young son. Because she was able to form relationships with the people around her, she matured, and was prepared for what was to come in her future. From this, the audience can take into consideration the idea of forming relationships with people around him or her and when they do, their future will be one filled with happiness and success.
Women read and watch these and think about the same things which makes them question who they are, who they want to be, and who they want in their lives. In the article, The World of Japanese Ladies' Comics: From Romantic Fantasy to Lustful Perversion, Kinko Ito stated that, "They remind us of the classic Cinderella story, but for some women, marriage is not the ultimate goal of life, relationship is" (Ito, 74). Though he was talking mostly about the genre of fantasy within manga and anime, this pertains to almost all the types of women's anime and manga. Marriage, unlike the olden days, isn't as important to women anymore, but rather relationships are. How can one survive without engaging in some type of relationship with the rest of society? "In the world of romance and fantasy as well as the agony and pain of daily life, the stories provide information and knowledge of what may come in the future and prepare the readers for the upcoming situations" (Ito, 75). With these manga and anime, they teach and guide women to be better able to build relationships through different stages of life.
In "Fall in Love like a Comic" by Chitose Yagami, this kind of preparationn for furture circumstances is seen within the first few chapters. Rena, the main character of the story, is a young manga-ka full of great ideas for manga for young women just like her. However, she hasn't really experienced real love. Her editor tells her that in order to produce the best manga she can, she will have to experience love in her life. Throughout this two volumed manga, Rena goes through stages of her life where the audience can see her grow and mature-obtaining knowledge on how to survive relationships with others. "Fall in Love like a Comic" is a sweet, coming of age tale of a girl trying to find herself in a world so strange to her. Since she is normally immersed in her world of fantasy, when it comes time to experience real life situations, she is unable to deal with them. However, she forms relationships with her friends and family that she never had before, and with their help, she learns how to become the person she is. The story ends with the image of her as an adult and the happiness that the relationships she had formed from a teenager has made her grow into a beautiful, successful, and happy adult. Below is a picture of Rena, and her husband Tomoya, with their young son. Because she was able to form relationships with the people around her, she matured, and was prepared for what was to come in her future. From this, the audience can take into consideration the idea of forming relationships with people around him or her and when they do, their future will be one filled with happiness and success.