Written by Kathryn F Arbuckle
Imagine gleaming book covers filled with big-eyed, pointy-nosed cartoon figures lining shelf after shelf at your favorite bookstore. As you pull a book down and examine it, you realize that it is formatted backwards, with the title on the back and the synopsis on the front.
This book was not the product of a factory malfunction. It is a “manga,” a Japanese comic book. Manga, a distinct style of Japanese art in graphic novel form, and “anime,” its movie and television counterpart, have gone from virtually unknown to wildly popular in theU.S.in a little more than 10 years.
The first television show that made anime popular in theU.S.was “Pokémon.” Formerly seen for years in Japan, it first aired inAmericain 1996. At the time, people may not have realized they were watching an anime, but the distinct animation style of “Pokémon” left many hungering for more.
“Nearly everyone has at least seen something like ‘Pokémon’ at some point,” said Hendrix College senior Kara Stewart.”The amount of people who have seen even more than that and have been able to appreciate it is just astronomical.”
Pokémon was just the beginning.Soon shows like “Sailor Moon”, “Yu-Gi-Oh” and “Cardcaptor Sakura” quickly appeared on television.Cartoon Network even dedicated an entire timeslot, called Toonami, to anime. Today, thousands of mangaand animetitles have traveled to the United States.
“A good majority of animes get licensed here now, put on TV, marketed to our children,” said Bri Musson, a member of the Central Arkansas Anime Club.”Even quite a lot of American cartoons have adapted a certain anime style of drawing.”
Today, anime and manga are available in major U.S. stores, according to Sara Anderson, a senior at the University of Central Arkansas and a part-time member of her school’s anime club.
“Now you can easily go to a Best Buy, or any online store like Amazon and buy anime,” Anderson said. “Manga is in most chain bookstores now.”
Several anime conventions, such asSakura ConandA-kon, take place throughout the year. These provide opportunities for anime and manga fans to dress up as their favorite characters, sell their own artwork, and make friendships with those who share an interest in Japanese culture and artwork.
Despite the growing popularity of manga and anime, many people in the United States still don’t know about them. Otherssimply don’t accept or enjoy them.
“One of the main reasons that most people do not like anime is because they cannot see it as anything other than children’s cartoons,” Anderson said.”They see it as a children’s pastime. On the contrary, anime, like comic books, can deal with very adult themes and complex, serious issues.”
Though some do not like manga and anime, those who are fans hold extreme loyalty.
Stewart, whose favorite mangas are “Azumanga Daioh” and “Inuyasha,” two very popular series, said: “I like them because they are intelligent, funny, and have discernible plotlines that you can pick up on pretty much anywhere in the series…they’re very character-driven.”
Although manga and anime haven’t gained acceptance with everybody in the United States, this nation hasn’t seen the last of these Japanese trends.If one children’s anime and 10 years made two foreign art forms so well-known, who knows what another few years will bring?
“I think the industry will only grow,” Musson said.”Especially now that we have generations of children growing up on anime, and lots of it, it’s something that will stick with us here for a long time.”
