Reading Response 1 PDF

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Responses I wrote to questions pertaining to the assigned reading. ...

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Valeria Orraca ASN 3202 Reading Responses 1: 1) What is soft power? How are anime and manga a form of soft power? According to the assigned reading, soft power refers to “the possibility of a new cultural renaissance of increased artistic freedom for Japan and a level of respect, admiration, and interest in the culture and history of Japan’s visual art both domestically and internationally”. In layman’s terms, soft powers suggests two things: that a growing freedom of expression among artists in Japan as well as a growing interest in Japanese art (including manga and anime) both at the local and the international level might spark a mass growth of cultural and artistic content in Japan. Joseph Nye calls anime and manga ideal forms of soft power because they are instantly recognizable as Japanese. Admittedly, their entertainment value is a significant factor in their popularity. To elaborate, anime and manga are loved globally not only for their aesthetics, but also simply because they (for instance) bring original stories not seen before in Western media. In fact, I believe the growing interest in Japanese culture can be greatly attributed to anime and manga. It is often the case that these forms of media encourage the viewer to seek out and learn more about Japanese culture and customs through the fostering of these loveable characters and tantalizing stories. 2) What is the “dualistic thinking” regarding the origin of Manga? Please explain the arguments of each side. The everlasting debate among scholars regarding manga’s origins is split between two ways of thinking: (1) that manga is a modern form of past Japanese art (likely influenced by Japanese prewar culture), or (2) that manga arose as a contemporary art form influenced by Western art forms (like Disney’s animations) and as a part of a changing political atmosphere. If we agree with the first statement, one can say then that manga is part of traditional Japanese art, and should be viewed through the same lens. This is problematic because it argues that regardless of content, manga is an extension of cultural views and norms, which becomes tricky when you look at horror manga, like Junji Ito’s work. Where is the cultural value in that? Basically, this view dismisses the idea that some manga can be pointless or problematic. However, I will concede that traditional Japanese art could have influenced the styles of early manga artists, and even the topics that manga touches upon. The second view is also grounded more in reality, we have physical evidence of the influence that politics and the Western world played on manga. For instance, there’s Osamu Tezuka, who openly admitted to Walt Disney’s art and influence on his work. Additionally, much like political cartoons in the US, manga with political topics were also published in newspapers. There is also the fact that manga is now used on a global scale to tell stories, through its global counterparts: manhua (China), manhwa (Korea), and OEL manga, to name a few. It is still recognized as inherently Japanese, but it has become a global medium that fuels a growing interest in Japanese culture. 3) Explain the three areas of concern regarding manga discussed in the article. What are your reactions to these concerns? The article discusses three areas of concern regarding manga. Firstly, some critics fear that manga is becoming too universal a medium, resulting in the use of manga (which they consider to be simplistic and cartoony) to explain complex content such as instruction manuals

Valeria Orraca ASN 3202 and textbooks. They believe manga cannot explain this advance content as properly as prose. Secondly, there is a growing concern that manga is being used to make seemingly boring topics, such as politics and religion, more appealing. Thirdly, there is a growing belief that violent and sexually explicit manga are encouraging violent and negative behavior among its younger demographic. I believe that, to an extent, some of these fears are grounded in logic and make sense to me. For instance, while manga can be used successfully to portray or explain specific social or political commentary, it seems that its use in a political campaign (for example) seems like a cheap tool meant to attract a surplus of voters. In the case of manga’s use in instruction manuals and educational tools, personally, it all depends on the topic at hand. To elaborate, manga has been used in language books successfully to facilitate language learning. I could see it as a beneficial addition to educational content and instruction manuals, but as the sole information tool in textbooks or language books, it wouldn’t do a good job of explaining things effectively. Basically, manga could be great as a use of visual examples, but not as the sole medium for explaining complex content. Finally, in the case of manga influencing violent behavior, this is a worn argument used for violent video games as well. So many other factors influence how an individual will grow up and the kind of person they will become, so this accusation is not factual. As an avid reader of horror manga, I believe there is actually so much to benefit from the creative storytelling and innovative design that the story and visuals have to offer. Ultimately, manga is a fascinating form of comic book storytelling, that can simultaneously have many practical and entertaining uses....