Manga Research

So, I am trying my best to release more and more blog posts... but it's getting pretty difficult due to the last Japan trip I am planning with friends (Hokkaido!), homework, quizzes, and research papers. The last one is really killing me. :/ I have two due really soon. Luckily, I am almost finished with the one. :D And that one is basically the one I am going to describe here in this short-ish post.

As I had mentioned before, I am taking a course at AIU called Manga Mania. As my research project, I was originally going to a research project on the start of Conventions and why they became so popular... but let's just say, there is not that many reliable sources available on the topic, so basically, it's not a common thing to look into. What a shame.

Hence, why I switched over to my new topic: World War II depicted in anime and manga. I chose to examine the following: Mein Kampf (manga and the actual book), Adolf (manga), Momotaro's Attack on America (anime), Barefoot Gen (manga), and Grave of the Fireflies (anime).

Mein Kampf was created by a series called "Manga de Dokuha" or "Learn with Manga." This series include controversial books like Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf and Karl Marx's Das Capital as well as Ryūnosuke Akutagawa Rashomon, F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gasby, Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote, Confucius' Analects, etc. So you can see that there many great pieces of literature being produced by this company to further the knowledge of the readers or to give them a basic understanding presented in a fun, new way. I think it is a great idea that this company is doing this, because I probably would never have been able to pick up one of these and get a grasp on what is going on at all times. I don't necessarily like manga, but it definitely helped my understanding of Mein Kampf reading the manga first and putting the pieces of so that is what's going on in this paragraph. It was really helpful. I highly recommend Manga de Dokuha.
http://manga.animea.net/mein-kampf-chapter-1-page-1.html

Adolf - a story about three people named Adolf and a Japanese reporter named Toge Sohei. This was a great story that ended with me almost in tears. As you read along with the tales, you get to know the characters and know why they are acting a certain way. You know what's going on in their minds. All the characters are flawed, the "hero" is not actually a hero. Toge Sohei is probably one of the most righteous men in the series, but he did rape a woman who betrayed him. Adolf Kaufmann, a half-German half-Japanese, was so against the idea of Nazism and what they stood for. As a child, his best friend was a Jewish boy living in Japan. He unfortunately was sent to the Hitler Youth Group where he was tormented by his classmates for not being full Aryan to the point where he rejects his Japanese side. He even kills his best friend's father in training and also rapes a woman - a Jewish woman he tried saving because he loved her (she ended up getting engaged to the best friend who Kaufmann sent her to in order to be protected by the friend's family). Speaking of the best/ex-best friend, his name is also Adolf. Adolf Kamil, as mentioned before, was a Jewish boy living in Japan. As he grew up, he hated the Nazis more and more. He joined a anti-nazi group and later a group to help the Israeli's protect their land. Though he is presented as a "good guy" for a majority of the series, he does end up killing Adolf Kaufmann in a gun fight after killing Kaufmann's wife and young daughter. And Adolf Hitler has his crazy side showing for a good portion of the parts that he is in, but does reveal a sweet side in front of his lover Eva and when he first meets Kaufmann in AHS. This series, as you can tell, has adult themes: murder, violence, raping, etc, but don't let that scare you. This is a mystery tale of characters who all intertwine with one another in strange ways. I actually enjoyed reading this manga (hence the long paragraph dedicated to it). I promise you guys that I will not go on a killing spree or be influenced by the teachings within my research.
http://www.mangahere.com/manga/adolf/v01/c001/

Momotaro's Attack on America - this was a cute film that we watched in my Anime Addicts Manga Mania course. It was created along with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It was a child's propaganda film so all the Japanese characters with the exception of Momotaro were animals - bunnies, puppies, birds. The Americans were drunk, fat, lazy Blutos-lookalikes (from Popeye). It was shown that the Japanese were basically "bullying" the Americans rather than "killing" them as no deaths were presented in the film.

From 1:00 to 1:40-ish?

Barefoot Gen - I read the first three chapters of Barefoot Gen about four or five times now. I love the story and the development of the characters. The story takes place a few days before the atomic bomb was dropped. It breaks your heart so many times. It follows the tale of a young boy, about 8 years old or younger, and his sturggles during the war. It is loosely based off of the author's own tale of the bombing and living through it. One of my favorite quotes from Barefoot Gen is "The atomic bomb had a hell of dying… and a hell of living… the painful tears of the survivors fell throughout the land." To me, this is one of the most realistic manga that I have seen that deals with the after effect. It does get graphic and does make you want to cry. Believe me. I wish I could express how this tale is so wonderful. Below is the first part of the anime. It is the same as the manga version (maybe a few details here and there but nothing major has changed, I think?)


Grave of the Fireflies - if you want to cry, watch this film. Like seriously. This movie will make you cry. I don't care if you are a macho man who does nothing but work out, take part of scary motorcycle gang, and/or a beard that devours his face, you WILL cry at this film. It is such a touching and emotional film that just gets you! I don't want to spoil it so... you should watch it!!








And this has very little to do with my project, but I thought it was funny.