Brenner, Robin. "Understanding Manga and Anime." London: Libraries
Unlimited, 2007. Print.
In her book, “Understanding Manga and Anime” Robin Brenner discusses the basics of what manga is and how it has evolved from the Japanese scrolls it once was. Manga has been around since the 1600s and has been transforming itself with the times. After World War 2, manga was changed after the arrival of “red books” and has kept that kind of structure ever since. Brenner discusses the different characteristics and style of manga as well as the different character personalities that a reader will encounter upon reading a manga. She argues the differences of the east and west styles of manga and how they are both similar as well as different.
This book is really helpful for our project. It goes into detail the different parts that make up a manga and does it in an entertaining, and easily understandable way. It also explains the reasons behind why manga and anime are the way they are; the different types of characters that are in each, the “why” behind those characters are, and the reason why the audience loves them.
Brown, Steven T. "Cinema Anime." New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.
Print.
In “Cinema Anime” by Steven Brown, he discusses the major role that cinema has played in the development of manga stories. He compares two famous directors from both the United States and Japan and comparing the two. He argues that Alfred Hitchcock and Tezuka Osamu, both innovators of their time and each gave way for certain stereotypes towards women. The key factor between both men was that they had women as “performers”, however it meant something different for each of them. With Hitchcock, women were domicile performers meaning they would perform for their husbands as doing housework, taking care of the children, and also sexually towards their husbands. With Osamu though, the women performers were just that; entertainers meant to wow the audience with their acts. Brown’s essays argue this as well as the points of gender identity, fantasies, and other anxieties people might have
about violent/sexual content. His objectivity towards “high” and “low” culture epitomizes the value and importance of the study of anime and popular culture; this value is a key link in the development of anime from a local to a global scale.
This book will be very useful in just giving me more background knowledge of anime. I’m pretty well informed about manga but not to knowledgeable with anime. I think Steven Brown has a great take on the different aspects of anime and pinpoints specific aspects of it, like camera angles and the identity of women in them which will help me along with my research.
Camper, Cathy. “Yaoi 101: Girls Love “Boys’ Love.”.”Women’s Review of
Books. . 23. Philadelphia: Old City Publishing, 2006. 24-26. Print.
“Yaoi 101: Girls Love ‘Boys’ Love” by Cathy Camper, examines Japanese manga, and more specifically, the manga created for women by women artists. These manga have been increasing in sales and popularity within the United States for years now and for the past couple of them, female audiences have grown as well. Yaoi, especially, has grown and become a more popular and sexy form of shōjo manga within the last few years. Manga is everywhere now in the United States and though adults may not be too familiar with the term, if you’re a kid nowadays, you most certainly are. There are so many different types of manga too-romance, action, drama, comedy, even how-to books to draw your own manga. Yaoi, on the other hand, is a more mature form of manga- only for the eyes of an older teen or adult. It contains the love and relationships between gay men and can include anything from just a hug to full sex. But why would women want to read about gay men? It’s the same reason that guys like to read or imagine lesbians together-two people, as long as they are beautiful, is better than one. In Japan, manga is created for people of all ages and there, pretty much every one reads comics as a form of not just entertainment, but news, work information, etc. In most if not all Yaoi, the author includes “girly” notes on how she wrote the manga, what her thoughts were, and what she did/did not like about the story. In a lot of cases though, the reason for a woman reading a Yaoi could be brought on by motherly feelings, i.e. to comfort or nurture.
Camper’s article will really help me as to a specific reason why women like to read manga-the pleasure of seeing two beautiful people together and or the motherly feelings brought on by just being a woman. There could be so many reasons as to why women read manga, especially Yaoi, and this article can help me pinpoint a more exact reason.
Cavallaro, Dani. "Anime and the Visual Novel." London: McFarland and
Company, Inc. Publishers, 2010. Print.
In Dani Cavallaro’s book, “Anime and the Visual Novel” she examines the transition of videos games into anime and why the audience’s desire for an anime spin-off is so popular. She discusses the characters within the video games and what kinds would become anime. When an anime is produced from a video game or manga because of the overwhelming popularity of it, it is called fan service. This allows the audience the chance to really see the characters they know and love in action, getting their own lives the way they might have imagined.
Though this book is mainly about video games, I feel that this book will still give some valuable insight into the reasons behind some anime. I actually never realized that some video games and manga were made into television shows or movies because of the vast amount of audience who wanted to see more. It also touches base on women in the video games and how their images transfer over to anime; the changes that are made of their personality and the stereotypes they stick too.
Cornog, Martha, and Timothy Perper. "Graphic Novels Beyond the
Basics." Santa Barbara: Library of Congress, 2009. Print.
In Martha Cornog and Timothy Perper’s article, “Graphic Novels Beyond the Basics”they discuss the overwhelming popularity that manga has been gaining within the last few years. Manga, especially in libraries, have been garnering more and more shelf space and because of that, librarians as well as anyone who reads, will want to know more about manga. How do you read manga? How do you understand them? Both Cornog and Perper argue their points on how the best way to do that and more by defining terms, going over different character traits, women’s roles in manga, how manga got started, etc. Their conversation of manga
and also graphic novels brings to light the value of these types of books and the idea that they won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
This book will be somewhat valuable because of its informational overview of manga and graphic novels. Though this book is mainly geared towards librarians and the like, it will help with a more object view towards manga and get another side of how people may feel about them.
Dollase, Hiromi Tsuchiya. “Choosing Your Family: Reconfiguring Gender
and Familial Relationships in Japanese Popular Fiction..”Journal of
Popular Culture. . 44. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2011. 755-773.
Print.
In his article “Choosing Your Family: Reconfiguring Gender and Familial Relationships in Japanese Popular Fiction”, Dollase argues the effects that new female contemporary writers are now having on their Japanese society and the relationships created within a manga and anime are now being twisted by the artists in order to gain a more female based audience. These stories usually include a distorted image of the relationship between the young female character and her mother and how including fantasy can solve the complex issue of the relationship between a mother and daughter by building a real home with false or fantastical visualizations. The appearance of comic books that were geared towards women is known as shōjo manga and quite literally changed cultural conventions in Japanese society through their works. Manga, especially those that have been produced for a female audience, are different than they used to be and now include elements of fantasy (more like shōjo manga). Contemporary female mangaka have now taken into consideration Japanese society and have reconfigured gender and family systems within it. They have manipulated gender to incorporate a female heroine of the story and though the situation she is challenged with seems a little too fantastical, a little too unreal, they still fulfill the female audience’s desire for a better reality.
This article on female gender roles in manga will help shape my research in that it will allow me to expand on the complicated issue of women and their relationships with each other as well as the opposite sex. This will help me redefine the parallels that are between men and women and how manga has influenced people’s ways of thinking. Using this source in my research can help me better understand the reason behind why women like reading manga and why the female fan base has gotten so big.
Geary, Joe. “Young Women (and More) in Anime.” Femspec 2004: 135-.
GenderWatch. Web. 4. Apr. 2012
In “Young Women (and More) in Anime”, Joe Geary claims that the difference between women in manga and anime from decades ago up until he wrote this article haven’t changed all that much. He quotes Susan Napier, professor of Japanese Literature and Culture at the University of Texas, in order to reaffirm his point and how, though women in graphic novels have come a long way, there are still strides they could make in order to gain more empowerment within the male-dominated society. Since the 1980s, anime and manga have portrayed women as having great inner strength and beauty as well as intelligence. Though women characters have come up in the world, the fact remains that they are still nonsensical-meaning that though they have been gaining empowerment, they still hold true to certain stereotypes that men want them to still have. With women superhero characters, they have powers that they must learn and overcome, however they are still a little too boy crazy instead of learning their different abilities with their strange powers. Within the last few decades, thought, women have transformed from the sexy, big breasted, pin-up girl fantasy that every man drools over, to a more natural looking character that women can relate too.
This is a critical piece for my research in that it goes against what I think about manga. I have a certain perspective that I’ve went into this research project having and this article could truly change that indefinitely. I will use this article to be my opposing argument, one that can contradict my other findings. This will allow me to get both perspectives and really analyze each side.
Goldsmith, Francisca. “The Readers' Advisory Guide to Graphic Novels”.
Chicago: American Library Association, 2010. Print.
In “The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Graphic Novels”, Francisca Goldsmith discusses graphic novels and how to read them. Defining terms, explaining the way to read one, and describing why they were
created like this, Goldsmith creates a new world for readers who haven’t
experienced graphic novels to travel down. Though many think that graphic novels are easy to read, Goldsmith proves otherwise by her in depth look at what actually entails reading one; the way one must read from top to bottom, or across, and sometimes even right to left if someone is reading manga. She goes into detail about what a graphic novel really is and who the target audiences are.
Goldsmith’s article with be helpful in our research just for the simple fact that it will be of use with remembering the little things about a manga. Just because I and my partner may be experienced in manga and anime, doesn’t mean our audience will be. So going back to the basics for us and truly understanding what it means to read a manga, will allow us a more object view in our research.
Ito, Kinko. "The World Of Japanese Ladies' Comics: From Romantic
Fantasy To Lustful Perversion."Journal Of Popular Culture 36.1 (2002):
68-85. Academic Search Premier. Web. 9 Apr. 2012.
In Kinko Ito’s 2002 article, “The World of Japanese Ladies’ Comics: From Romantic Fantasy to Lustful Perversion” he argues that manga is a very lucrative business in Japan with its sales continually increasing. In 2002 the total number of manga sales was about 25% for all publications, which included Rediisu Komikku, or “Ladies comics”. These ladies manga were established in the early 1980s and was one of the late-comers to the manga industry. The readers of these manga are between the ages of 15 and 44 which Ito states coincides with women’s
child-bearing age. When manga for women first came out, they were associated more with pornography and more erotic, gross, and sensuous
scenes.
I am really excited that I found this article. It’s loaded with facts, and though it is 10 years old, it’s still helpful. I can use it to help tell the difference off how manga was just a decade ago. It mentions so much of women’s manga and the different terms, genres, and what people thought. I think this is a really useful source that can truly benefit my research.
Moeller, Robin A. "Aren't These Boy Books?": High School Students'
Readings Of Gender In Graphic Novels." Journal Of Adolescent
& Adult Literacy 54.7 (2011): 476-484. Academic Search Premier.
Web. 5 Apr 2012.
Robin Moeller argues in her article, "Aren't These Boy Books?": HIgh School Students' Readings of Gender in Graphic Novels" that more and more girls are reading graphic novels, which used to be more geared toward young males. Though the mass media had portrayed manga as being written only for boys, now however, it is written with no gender in mind at all. In fact, Moeller argues that there is not particular gender when writing manga and instead focuses on the relationship between both sexes.
This article will be an interesting addition to my research. Though I'm not sure if I will incorporate this into my actual project, I feel this will help me re-eval
Ogi, Fusami. "Female Subjectivity And Shoujo (Girls)Manga (Japanese
Comics):Shoujo In Ladies' Comics And Young Ladies' Comics." Journal
Of Popular Culture 36.4 (2003): 780. Academic Search Premier. Web.
28 Apr. 2012.
In "Female Subjectivity and Shoujo (Girls) Manga (Japanese Comics): Shoujo in Ladies' Comics and Young Ladies' Comics", Fusami Ogi argues the point of female voices within Ladies' Comics. The 1980s was a time when women in manga changed the way society had thought of both female characters as well as females in general. After women manga-ka began to increase in the manga world, they also started to disprove the myths of the different stereotypes that went with female characters and their authors.
This article will be very influential in our research. Not only will it allow for a varied research topic, but also expand on the idea of Ladies' Comics being one of the first to actually influence women and society.
Perper, Timothy, and Martha Cornog. "Eroticism For The Masses:
Japanese Manga Comics And Their Assimilation Into The U.S."
Sexuality & Culture 6.1 (2002): 3. Academic Search Premier. Web. 3
Apr 2012.
In Timothy Perper and Martha Cornog's article, "Eroticism For the Masses: Japanese Manga Comics and Their Assimilation into the U.S.", they argue the idea of sexuality within manga and how it effects the people reading them in the United States. Though before, manga was treated more as a junk entertainment amongst the masses, both Perper and Cornog have attempted to analyze manga with a specific focus on manga's emotional appeal for the audience, reader subjectivity, as well as sexuality within them.
This article will be of great use in our research. We can apply the different techniques that Cornog and Perper have used in order to research and kind of analyze manga. They have a nice objectivity to the subject that I would love to acieve.
Ueno, Junko. "Shojo" And Adult Women: A Linguistic Analysis Of Gender
Identity In "Manga" (Japanese Comics)." Women & Language 29
(2006): 16-25. Academic Search Premier. Web. 18 Apr. 2012.
In her article, "Shojo And Adult Women: A Linguistic Analysis of Gender Identity in Manga (Japanese Comics)", Junko Ueno discuess the depictiion of female characters within manga and ladies comics and argues that the relationship between the author and her audience is important for these literature works to be successful. Her argument is based on the assumption that girls speech patterns mimic those of "shojo" manga while adult women speak with a more traditional, feminine speech. This pertains to the notion that when younger, the idea of a more masculine way of speaking is appropriate, but once girls become a certain age, speaking in feminie tones is the more accepted way of speech.
Though speech isn't a main concern with my research project, I've found after reading through this article that there is some information that will benefit me in the end. She talks about the gender identity of women in manga and how it effects real women. This will give my research a new angle, one that introduces not only the role women play in manga, but also how they effect real women and society.
Waller, Roland. “Womens World; Manga, Magazines and Morning
Dramas; the Changing Faces of Japanese Women.” Dawn (2002):
GenderWatch. Web. 4. Apr. 2012.
Roland Waller discusses in his article, “Womens World; Manga, Magazines and Morning Dramas; the Changing Faces of Japanese Women” about the differences of Japanese women in magazines, manga, and morning dramas and how these depictions of what women should or could be like, have been changing society ever since they were first created. The Western version of manga is the most common form of pop
culture medium. The images of female characters in manga have somewhat changed traditional roles of society, as well as giving them a fantasy away from these traditions. Because of the ever increasing female fan base, women have become a more dominant character within manga. These women are usually determined, smart, and powerful while still emitting a feminine aura. Because of these qualities, female manga characters can make excellent role models for most girls and women.
Though this source has a more popular perspective and is a few years old now, it’s content can still be quite helpful with my research. I could use this when talking about past years and how women’s roles have changed within manga since then. It also is a good source because even though all these years have passed, people still think along the same lines so in more ways than one, I can use this article to its full advantage.
Zanghellini, Aleardo. "'Boys Love' In Anime And Manga: Japanese
Subcultural Production And Its End Users." Continuum: Journal Of
Media & Cultural Studies 23.3 (2009): 279-294. Academic Search
Premier. Web. 4 April 2012.
In "Boys Love' in Anime and Manga: Japanese Subcultural Production and its End Users", ALeardo Zanghellini discusses Yaoi and BL (Boy's Love) within manga, anime, video games, and fan service and the fact that it's creators are mostly women. By digging deeper in the mind of westerners, Zanghellini was able to bring to light the reason for which the fan base for yaoi and boy's love manga have steadily increased.
This article will especially be helpful in understanding why women love to read, watch, and even create these types of stories. I myself love these stories and read them quite often, and getting a different perspective on why others read/watch them as well will be of great use.
Unlimited, 2007. Print.
In her book, “Understanding Manga and Anime” Robin Brenner discusses the basics of what manga is and how it has evolved from the Japanese scrolls it once was. Manga has been around since the 1600s and has been transforming itself with the times. After World War 2, manga was changed after the arrival of “red books” and has kept that kind of structure ever since. Brenner discusses the different characteristics and style of manga as well as the different character personalities that a reader will encounter upon reading a manga. She argues the differences of the east and west styles of manga and how they are both similar as well as different.
This book is really helpful for our project. It goes into detail the different parts that make up a manga and does it in an entertaining, and easily understandable way. It also explains the reasons behind why manga and anime are the way they are; the different types of characters that are in each, the “why” behind those characters are, and the reason why the audience loves them.
Brown, Steven T. "Cinema Anime." New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.
Print.
In “Cinema Anime” by Steven Brown, he discusses the major role that cinema has played in the development of manga stories. He compares two famous directors from both the United States and Japan and comparing the two. He argues that Alfred Hitchcock and Tezuka Osamu, both innovators of their time and each gave way for certain stereotypes towards women. The key factor between both men was that they had women as “performers”, however it meant something different for each of them. With Hitchcock, women were domicile performers meaning they would perform for their husbands as doing housework, taking care of the children, and also sexually towards their husbands. With Osamu though, the women performers were just that; entertainers meant to wow the audience with their acts. Brown’s essays argue this as well as the points of gender identity, fantasies, and other anxieties people might have
about violent/sexual content. His objectivity towards “high” and “low” culture epitomizes the value and importance of the study of anime and popular culture; this value is a key link in the development of anime from a local to a global scale.
This book will be very useful in just giving me more background knowledge of anime. I’m pretty well informed about manga but not to knowledgeable with anime. I think Steven Brown has a great take on the different aspects of anime and pinpoints specific aspects of it, like camera angles and the identity of women in them which will help me along with my research.
Camper, Cathy. “Yaoi 101: Girls Love “Boys’ Love.”.”Women’s Review of
Books. . 23. Philadelphia: Old City Publishing, 2006. 24-26. Print.
“Yaoi 101: Girls Love ‘Boys’ Love” by Cathy Camper, examines Japanese manga, and more specifically, the manga created for women by women artists. These manga have been increasing in sales and popularity within the United States for years now and for the past couple of them, female audiences have grown as well. Yaoi, especially, has grown and become a more popular and sexy form of shōjo manga within the last few years. Manga is everywhere now in the United States and though adults may not be too familiar with the term, if you’re a kid nowadays, you most certainly are. There are so many different types of manga too-romance, action, drama, comedy, even how-to books to draw your own manga. Yaoi, on the other hand, is a more mature form of manga- only for the eyes of an older teen or adult. It contains the love and relationships between gay men and can include anything from just a hug to full sex. But why would women want to read about gay men? It’s the same reason that guys like to read or imagine lesbians together-two people, as long as they are beautiful, is better than one. In Japan, manga is created for people of all ages and there, pretty much every one reads comics as a form of not just entertainment, but news, work information, etc. In most if not all Yaoi, the author includes “girly” notes on how she wrote the manga, what her thoughts were, and what she did/did not like about the story. In a lot of cases though, the reason for a woman reading a Yaoi could be brought on by motherly feelings, i.e. to comfort or nurture.
Camper’s article will really help me as to a specific reason why women like to read manga-the pleasure of seeing two beautiful people together and or the motherly feelings brought on by just being a woman. There could be so many reasons as to why women read manga, especially Yaoi, and this article can help me pinpoint a more exact reason.
Cavallaro, Dani. "Anime and the Visual Novel." London: McFarland and
Company, Inc. Publishers, 2010. Print.
In Dani Cavallaro’s book, “Anime and the Visual Novel” she examines the transition of videos games into anime and why the audience’s desire for an anime spin-off is so popular. She discusses the characters within the video games and what kinds would become anime. When an anime is produced from a video game or manga because of the overwhelming popularity of it, it is called fan service. This allows the audience the chance to really see the characters they know and love in action, getting their own lives the way they might have imagined.
Though this book is mainly about video games, I feel that this book will still give some valuable insight into the reasons behind some anime. I actually never realized that some video games and manga were made into television shows or movies because of the vast amount of audience who wanted to see more. It also touches base on women in the video games and how their images transfer over to anime; the changes that are made of their personality and the stereotypes they stick too.
Cornog, Martha, and Timothy Perper. "Graphic Novels Beyond the
Basics." Santa Barbara: Library of Congress, 2009. Print.
In Martha Cornog and Timothy Perper’s article, “Graphic Novels Beyond the Basics”they discuss the overwhelming popularity that manga has been gaining within the last few years. Manga, especially in libraries, have been garnering more and more shelf space and because of that, librarians as well as anyone who reads, will want to know more about manga. How do you read manga? How do you understand them? Both Cornog and Perper argue their points on how the best way to do that and more by defining terms, going over different character traits, women’s roles in manga, how manga got started, etc. Their conversation of manga
and also graphic novels brings to light the value of these types of books and the idea that they won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
This book will be somewhat valuable because of its informational overview of manga and graphic novels. Though this book is mainly geared towards librarians and the like, it will help with a more object view towards manga and get another side of how people may feel about them.
Dollase, Hiromi Tsuchiya. “Choosing Your Family: Reconfiguring Gender
and Familial Relationships in Japanese Popular Fiction..”Journal of
Popular Culture. . 44. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2011. 755-773.
Print.
In his article “Choosing Your Family: Reconfiguring Gender and Familial Relationships in Japanese Popular Fiction”, Dollase argues the effects that new female contemporary writers are now having on their Japanese society and the relationships created within a manga and anime are now being twisted by the artists in order to gain a more female based audience. These stories usually include a distorted image of the relationship between the young female character and her mother and how including fantasy can solve the complex issue of the relationship between a mother and daughter by building a real home with false or fantastical visualizations. The appearance of comic books that were geared towards women is known as shōjo manga and quite literally changed cultural conventions in Japanese society through their works. Manga, especially those that have been produced for a female audience, are different than they used to be and now include elements of fantasy (more like shōjo manga). Contemporary female mangaka have now taken into consideration Japanese society and have reconfigured gender and family systems within it. They have manipulated gender to incorporate a female heroine of the story and though the situation she is challenged with seems a little too fantastical, a little too unreal, they still fulfill the female audience’s desire for a better reality.
This article on female gender roles in manga will help shape my research in that it will allow me to expand on the complicated issue of women and their relationships with each other as well as the opposite sex. This will help me redefine the parallels that are between men and women and how manga has influenced people’s ways of thinking. Using this source in my research can help me better understand the reason behind why women like reading manga and why the female fan base has gotten so big.
Geary, Joe. “Young Women (and More) in Anime.” Femspec 2004: 135-.
GenderWatch. Web. 4. Apr. 2012
In “Young Women (and More) in Anime”, Joe Geary claims that the difference between women in manga and anime from decades ago up until he wrote this article haven’t changed all that much. He quotes Susan Napier, professor of Japanese Literature and Culture at the University of Texas, in order to reaffirm his point and how, though women in graphic novels have come a long way, there are still strides they could make in order to gain more empowerment within the male-dominated society. Since the 1980s, anime and manga have portrayed women as having great inner strength and beauty as well as intelligence. Though women characters have come up in the world, the fact remains that they are still nonsensical-meaning that though they have been gaining empowerment, they still hold true to certain stereotypes that men want them to still have. With women superhero characters, they have powers that they must learn and overcome, however they are still a little too boy crazy instead of learning their different abilities with their strange powers. Within the last few decades, thought, women have transformed from the sexy, big breasted, pin-up girl fantasy that every man drools over, to a more natural looking character that women can relate too.
This is a critical piece for my research in that it goes against what I think about manga. I have a certain perspective that I’ve went into this research project having and this article could truly change that indefinitely. I will use this article to be my opposing argument, one that can contradict my other findings. This will allow me to get both perspectives and really analyze each side.
Goldsmith, Francisca. “The Readers' Advisory Guide to Graphic Novels”.
Chicago: American Library Association, 2010. Print.
In “The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Graphic Novels”, Francisca Goldsmith discusses graphic novels and how to read them. Defining terms, explaining the way to read one, and describing why they were
created like this, Goldsmith creates a new world for readers who haven’t
experienced graphic novels to travel down. Though many think that graphic novels are easy to read, Goldsmith proves otherwise by her in depth look at what actually entails reading one; the way one must read from top to bottom, or across, and sometimes even right to left if someone is reading manga. She goes into detail about what a graphic novel really is and who the target audiences are.
Goldsmith’s article with be helpful in our research just for the simple fact that it will be of use with remembering the little things about a manga. Just because I and my partner may be experienced in manga and anime, doesn’t mean our audience will be. So going back to the basics for us and truly understanding what it means to read a manga, will allow us a more object view in our research.
Ito, Kinko. "The World Of Japanese Ladies' Comics: From Romantic
Fantasy To Lustful Perversion."Journal Of Popular Culture 36.1 (2002):
68-85. Academic Search Premier. Web. 9 Apr. 2012.
In Kinko Ito’s 2002 article, “The World of Japanese Ladies’ Comics: From Romantic Fantasy to Lustful Perversion” he argues that manga is a very lucrative business in Japan with its sales continually increasing. In 2002 the total number of manga sales was about 25% for all publications, which included Rediisu Komikku, or “Ladies comics”. These ladies manga were established in the early 1980s and was one of the late-comers to the manga industry. The readers of these manga are between the ages of 15 and 44 which Ito states coincides with women’s
child-bearing age. When manga for women first came out, they were associated more with pornography and more erotic, gross, and sensuous
scenes.
I am really excited that I found this article. It’s loaded with facts, and though it is 10 years old, it’s still helpful. I can use it to help tell the difference off how manga was just a decade ago. It mentions so much of women’s manga and the different terms, genres, and what people thought. I think this is a really useful source that can truly benefit my research.
Moeller, Robin A. "Aren't These Boy Books?": High School Students'
Readings Of Gender In Graphic Novels." Journal Of Adolescent
& Adult Literacy 54.7 (2011): 476-484. Academic Search Premier.
Web. 5 Apr 2012.
Robin Moeller argues in her article, "Aren't These Boy Books?": HIgh School Students' Readings of Gender in Graphic Novels" that more and more girls are reading graphic novels, which used to be more geared toward young males. Though the mass media had portrayed manga as being written only for boys, now however, it is written with no gender in mind at all. In fact, Moeller argues that there is not particular gender when writing manga and instead focuses on the relationship between both sexes.
This article will be an interesting addition to my research. Though I'm not sure if I will incorporate this into my actual project, I feel this will help me re-eval
Ogi, Fusami. "Female Subjectivity And Shoujo (Girls)Manga (Japanese
Comics):Shoujo In Ladies' Comics And Young Ladies' Comics." Journal
Of Popular Culture 36.4 (2003): 780. Academic Search Premier. Web.
28 Apr. 2012.
In "Female Subjectivity and Shoujo (Girls) Manga (Japanese Comics): Shoujo in Ladies' Comics and Young Ladies' Comics", Fusami Ogi argues the point of female voices within Ladies' Comics. The 1980s was a time when women in manga changed the way society had thought of both female characters as well as females in general. After women manga-ka began to increase in the manga world, they also started to disprove the myths of the different stereotypes that went with female characters and their authors.
This article will be very influential in our research. Not only will it allow for a varied research topic, but also expand on the idea of Ladies' Comics being one of the first to actually influence women and society.
Perper, Timothy, and Martha Cornog. "Eroticism For The Masses:
Japanese Manga Comics And Their Assimilation Into The U.S."
Sexuality & Culture 6.1 (2002): 3. Academic Search Premier. Web. 3
Apr 2012.
In Timothy Perper and Martha Cornog's article, "Eroticism For the Masses: Japanese Manga Comics and Their Assimilation into the U.S.", they argue the idea of sexuality within manga and how it effects the people reading them in the United States. Though before, manga was treated more as a junk entertainment amongst the masses, both Perper and Cornog have attempted to analyze manga with a specific focus on manga's emotional appeal for the audience, reader subjectivity, as well as sexuality within them.
This article will be of great use in our research. We can apply the different techniques that Cornog and Perper have used in order to research and kind of analyze manga. They have a nice objectivity to the subject that I would love to acieve.
Ueno, Junko. "Shojo" And Adult Women: A Linguistic Analysis Of Gender
Identity In "Manga" (Japanese Comics)." Women & Language 29
(2006): 16-25. Academic Search Premier. Web. 18 Apr. 2012.
In her article, "Shojo And Adult Women: A Linguistic Analysis of Gender Identity in Manga (Japanese Comics)", Junko Ueno discuess the depictiion of female characters within manga and ladies comics and argues that the relationship between the author and her audience is important for these literature works to be successful. Her argument is based on the assumption that girls speech patterns mimic those of "shojo" manga while adult women speak with a more traditional, feminine speech. This pertains to the notion that when younger, the idea of a more masculine way of speaking is appropriate, but once girls become a certain age, speaking in feminie tones is the more accepted way of speech.
Though speech isn't a main concern with my research project, I've found after reading through this article that there is some information that will benefit me in the end. She talks about the gender identity of women in manga and how it effects real women. This will give my research a new angle, one that introduces not only the role women play in manga, but also how they effect real women and society.
Waller, Roland. “Womens World; Manga, Magazines and Morning
Dramas; the Changing Faces of Japanese Women.” Dawn (2002):
GenderWatch. Web. 4. Apr. 2012.
Roland Waller discusses in his article, “Womens World; Manga, Magazines and Morning Dramas; the Changing Faces of Japanese Women” about the differences of Japanese women in magazines, manga, and morning dramas and how these depictions of what women should or could be like, have been changing society ever since they were first created. The Western version of manga is the most common form of pop
culture medium. The images of female characters in manga have somewhat changed traditional roles of society, as well as giving them a fantasy away from these traditions. Because of the ever increasing female fan base, women have become a more dominant character within manga. These women are usually determined, smart, and powerful while still emitting a feminine aura. Because of these qualities, female manga characters can make excellent role models for most girls and women.
Though this source has a more popular perspective and is a few years old now, it’s content can still be quite helpful with my research. I could use this when talking about past years and how women’s roles have changed within manga since then. It also is a good source because even though all these years have passed, people still think along the same lines so in more ways than one, I can use this article to its full advantage.
Zanghellini, Aleardo. "'Boys Love' In Anime And Manga: Japanese
Subcultural Production And Its End Users." Continuum: Journal Of
Media & Cultural Studies 23.3 (2009): 279-294. Academic Search
Premier. Web. 4 April 2012.
In "Boys Love' in Anime and Manga: Japanese Subcultural Production and its End Users", ALeardo Zanghellini discusses Yaoi and BL (Boy's Love) within manga, anime, video games, and fan service and the fact that it's creators are mostly women. By digging deeper in the mind of westerners, Zanghellini was able to bring to light the reason for which the fan base for yaoi and boy's love manga have steadily increased.
This article will especially be helpful in understanding why women love to read, watch, and even create these types of stories. I myself love these stories and read them quite often, and getting a different perspective on why others read/watch them as well will be of great use.