日本 Finally, It’s been awhile since I’ve posted on the Dorks’ wall. Getting adjusted to school and not to mention Japan in general has not been an easy feat. But here is goes. The first thing, and perhaps most important, thing you need to know about Japan is that they love comics more than any other country in the world. But you won’t find familiar faces on their comic shelves. まんが (manga) is an absolute obsession in Japan. Of the month I’ve been here, I have been able to walk just a few blocks, in any direction, and find a book/comic store and in the city it is rare not to find them on every block. Truly a comic lovers dream... unless you like American comics. Now I knew when I came to Japan that I was going to have to makes some sacrifices to perhaps my biggest pastime but I was not sure to what extent. If you ever plan on going to Japan, do not expect to find American comics, even in Tokyo, to be somewhat commonplace. I’ve been living in Japan for a month and have only seen two comics, Wonder Woman and Uncanny X-Men... from like three months ago. At first this depressed me but then I realized that I had an opportunity to look into a whole new comic culture. Now I am by no means a manga expert, but I believe if you like Americ
an comics and have been thinking about looking into the manga scene, read anything by Kazuo Koike. Born in 1936, Kazuo Koike has been creating manga his entire life, often times with co-creator Goseki Kojima. Koike’s first, and perhaps most famous, work is 子連れ狼 (Lone Wolf and Cub). I was first introduced to this comic by a former ComicDorkCast member that you have grown to known and love, Rob. The story of a wandering ronin and his son has become inspiration for manga and anime creators alike. Directors and artists have also taken influences from Koike’s work. One example comes from writer/director, Quentin Tarentino. Tarentino’s Kill Bill is signficantly influenced by Koike’s work 修羅雪姫 (Lady Snowblood). Although Japan may not have my monthly fix of Hal Jordon beating up some zombies or Jamie Madrox and the Summers Rebellion, they do have a rich comic culture of their own that's popularity far surpasses that in America. Now I just gotta understand this whole…Pachinko thing. Until next time! Sayounara.
Picture 1: Me cuttin up some samurai dude
Picture 2: Just a small corner of an average japanese comic store.
Picture 3: Lady Snowblood... does that color scheme look familar?
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