Thursday, October 16, 2008
The Manga Menace
Viet Nam News has an article about how the recent rise in racy comics has many parents concerned about what their children are reading. It's an interesting cultural issue, as Vietnam struggles with the competing societal forces of opening up its markets and attempting to preserve its conservative heritage. Heck, it's something this country still struggles with, so it's interesting to read one of these "won't someone please think of the children???" pieces of scare journalism as an outside observer.
Plus, how can you not love an article that asks this crucial question?
The only problem with the article is that it doesn't come out and list enough of these problematic manga. How are children supposed to know what manga are worth seeking out if they won't name them? The article only specifically mentions one series — Tam Nữ Hiệp — which I'm assuming is the Vietnamese title for Change 123. Performing a Google Image Search for the phrase "Change 123" does result in some images that I'm assuming would be problematic in Vietnamese society. And the Wikipedia description makes it sound like there's plenty of fanservice in the seinen series: "A constant gag with Mikiri is that when she takes control, her body form changes, inevitably increasing her bust size and causing anything less than a shirt (bra, bikini, etc.) to rip apart." Change 123: Coming soon from Shonen Jump Advanced!!
Viet Nam News has an article about how the recent rise in racy comics has many parents concerned about what their children are reading. It's an interesting cultural issue, as Vietnam struggles with the competing societal forces of opening up its markets and attempting to preserve its conservative heritage. Heck, it's something this country still struggles with, so it's interesting to read one of these "won't someone please think of the children???" pieces of scare journalism as an outside observer.
Plus, how can you not love an article that asks this crucial question?
But is Japanese society out of control because of manga and are all Japanese children sex maniacs?I think we all know the answer to that question!
The only problem with the article is that it doesn't come out and list enough of these problematic manga. How are children supposed to know what manga are worth seeking out if they won't name them? The article only specifically mentions one series — Tam Nữ Hiệp — which I'm assuming is the Vietnamese title for Change 123. Performing a Google Image Search for the phrase "Change 123" does result in some images that I'm assuming would be problematic in Vietnamese society. And the Wikipedia description makes it sound like there's plenty of fanservice in the seinen series: "A constant gag with Mikiri is that when she takes control, her body form changes, inevitably increasing her bust size and causing anything less than a shirt (bra, bikini, etc.) to rip apart." Change 123: Coming soon from Shonen Jump Advanced!!
Labels: Comic Book Panic, Comics in Other Cultures, Comics in the News, Manga, Werthem Was Right
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