A touring exhibit on the subject of “My August 15th” sponsored by the Nanjing Memorial Museum is getting quite a bit of attention. China Daily carried an article, “Japanese cartoonists hold antiwar exhibition in China.”
The web site for the My August 15th Society (私の八月十五日の会 / 日本漫画事務局) contains more information, including a list of cartoonists exhibiting, and links.
The Japan Cartoonists Association’s web site has some news, photos, and other information. In July 2009 it was shown in Chiba Prefecture.
Here are links to some Japanese TV shows about the exhibit:
中国（南京大虐殺記念館）で日本の漫画家の「終戦」作品展 【TBS Newsi】
http://ameblo.jp/warm-heart/entry-10323199499.html
マンガ家たちの“戦争”（クローズアップ現代 NHK）
http://www.asyura2.com/09/warb0/msg/436.html
October 27th, 2009
I will be teaching the freshman seminar again in Winter Quarter 2009. Here’s a list of the books we’ll be reading:
Syllabus: Analyzing The Appeal Of Manga
(Arts & Sciences 138.16; call number: 02446-4)
Unit 1: Foundations: Manga through the ‘70s
Jan. 7: Introductions; course overview
Students sign up to prepare and lead discussions of manga
Jan. 14: Topic: Manga as sequential art
Discussion focus: Tezuka, Osamu. Black Jack. Volume 1 (1973)
Scott McCloud. Understanding Comics. Chapter 1
Jan. 21: Topic: Iconic Characters and Realistic Backgrounds in Manga
Discussion focus: Nakazawa, Keiji. Barefoot Gen: A Cartoon Story of Hiroshima (1973)
Scott McCloud, Understanding Comics. Chapter 2
Unit 2: Reaching Maturity: Manga of the ‘80s and ‘90s
Jan. 28: Topic: Closure (panel to panel transitions) in Manga
Discussion focus: Toriyama, Akira. Dragon Ball. Volume 1 (1984)
Scott McCloud, Understanding Comics. Chapter 3
Feb. 4: Topic: Time and Motion in Manga
Discussion focus: Urasawa, Naoki. Naoki Urasawa’s Monster. v.1 (1994)
Scott McCloud, Understanding Comics. Chapter 4
Feb. 11: Topic: Genres and the Commodification of Manga
Discussion focus: Minekura, Kazuya. Saiyuki. v. 1 (1997)
Scott McCloud, Understanding Comics. Chapter 5
Feb. 18: Topic: Fan Culture and Manga
Discussion focus: Takahashi, Rumiko. Inu-yasha. (1997-2008)
Scott McCloud, Understanding Comics. Chapter 6
Unit 3: New Directions: Manga of the 21st Century
Feb. 25: Topic: Gender and Sexuality in Manga
Discussion focus: Ogawa, Yayoi. Tramps Like Us. (2000)
Scott McCloud, Understanding Comics. Chapter 7
Mar. 4: Topic: The Craft of Manga; Social Commentary in Manga
Discussion focus: Kuroda, Iou. Sexy Voice and Robo. (2002)
Scott McCloud, Understanding Comics. Chapter 8
Mar. 11: Topic: Senses and Emotions in Manga
Discussion focus:
Kono, Fumiyo. Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms (2003)
Scott McCloud, Understanding Comics. Chapter 9
October 20th, 2008
Has anyone else been following the US Navy’s release of a manga entitled “Manga CVN 73” and commissioned from Japanese cartoonists?
Here’s a news report about it–
Cartoon is Navy’s envoy to anxious Japanese By Philip Ewing
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/06/navy_comicbook_061408w/
English and Japanese versions are available at:
http://www.cnfj.navy.mil/Manga.html
June 14th, 2008
Last month Toshinori Egami (江上敏哲), a rare book librarian at Kyoto University Library who has been visiting and cataloging rare books at Harvard-Yenching Library for the past year, came to Ohio State to see the manga collection in the Cartoon Research Library. We also talked about blogging, wikis, and other kinds of digital support services that librarians can provide for Japanese studies. Egami-san published a very detailed report of his visit on Kyoto University Library’s blog:
http://www.kulib.kyoto-u.ac.jp/modules/wordpress/wp-trackback.php/61
Also, he posted it on the HVUday blog he maintained during his sabbatical in Cambridge, in a better presentation (with some phrases bolded in red, etc): http://hvuday.seesaa.net/article/84766971.html
Reading Egami-san’s blog entry vividly reminded me of the fascinating discussions we had that cold, wintry, February day. I enjoyed talking about manga bibliography (マンガのビブリオグラフィー（書誌学）の研究) with someone who not only loves manga, but is also a specialist in Japanese rare books — what a great opportunity that was! I especially appreciate that he wrote about my strategy of developing a “broadly representative” manga collection, with emphasis on reference materials and significant works.
Here are links to a few of the rare materials in Ohio State’s manga collection that Egami-san mentioned in his report:
March 14th, 2008
