Manga

For those of you that don't know what manga is, manga is the genre name for comic books in Japan. They are distinguished in the West as being illustrated in anime, but here in Japan, pretty much all cartoon illustrations are "anime". It's the most common style in Japan in which to cartoon.

In Japan, manga comics are popular with every generation. Manga comics range in all kinds of subject matter and age ranges. It is not uncommon to see a "salary man", college student, or 12 year-old reading a manga on the train on their way home from work/class/school, for example. Ironically enough however, any interest in anything beyond reading manga starts bordering on the "otaku". Otaku in essence only means "geek", but it sometimes has a much more negative connotation, as being associated with an obssession [bordering on perverse] with anime. As with everything in Japan, it involves contradiction; it's ok to obsessively read manga series after series, but its not ok to get into manga movies, characters, etc., because, oh no, you might become otaku.

As for me, I have on some occasions attempted to read manga in hirgana and katakana. Suprisingly enough [or perhaps not], many of the manga comics do have interesting storylines, but I have generally gotten into only the illustration part of it. And although I do remember having seen anime back home, maybe on some Saturday morning cartoon I let myself watch for a minute or so, I never really paid attention to it enough to dissect it visually. Even while in Japan, particularly during my first year here, I noticed it, but made little attempt to explore it.

Lately, in my recent spout of creativity, I have decided to check it out. First I began by differentiating between cartooning styles and manga artists. I've been experimenting with my own illustrating, applying existing styles to my own versions. In attempting to actually copy the style, I have come to appreciate how unseemingly complicated and intricate it is. If you just look it at quickly, it just seems like an outline with random lines used to identify facial features and clothes. But in reality it is littered with dramatic shadows, in solid colors. That's probably the most difficult part of it--the shadows-- since shadows do not exist in solid colors, and so transforming them to the appropriate one-shade in any particular instance takes skill. The use of color is also tremendous, which makes it really fun--bright reds, greens, blues--and this is only the hair.

If you look on the right-hand panel, you can check out some of my rough sketches. It isn't much, but I thought I would exhibit some of my progress. I'll be careful though, and not get into it too much--I wouldn't want to become "otaku". ;)