An Introduction to Manga - Anime

Manga, or more so Anime was a large part of my everyday experience growing up.  Everyday I would wake up and go to school, then when I would get home I would immediately turn on the television to cartoon network and catch the latest Toonami episodes of Dragonball Z  This was a huge part of the culture at school and a common subject to talk about in middle school and high-school. I remember talking mainly about the compelling adventure story and extremely interesting action sequences which took place amongst the characters, whether it be Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Cell, etc.

Thinking back to my opinion of the series then, compared to my opinion of the series now is an interesting reflection.  I still feel the same love and passion for Dragonball, however my ability to discern what made it such a compelling and interesting entertainment format has grown.  I now realize that a lot of the success of the series has to do with the hundreds of extremely talented artists involved in the production of the work. On top of that one has to appreciate the amount of effort and work placed into developing the characters in a way that excites the audience. And most importantly the Japanese ability to tell an adventure story, and bring along the viewers for the experience.

Much like video games, the Japanese Manga and Anime mediums have an ability to create not only a personal memory with the work, but help the viewer build a personal narrative relationship with the experience.  The ability to bring the audience into the piece, and feel as if they were one of the adventures themselves is a true accomplishment.  I think this inclusion of the audience is one of the main differences than what is being produced over here in the Americas. Often times with superhero formulas the reader is left on the outside as someone who is insignificant to the main protagonist, i.e, superman.  However, in many Manga/Anime based stories it is believable to feel like part of the experience, because you "grow-up" with the characters.

Osamu Tezuka:

We discussed the importance of Osamu in class. His works range from Astro Boy to Phoenix.  He was considered by many to be the "Walt Disney" of the Manga medium.  He is also personally responsible for a lot of the aesthetic sensibilities one sees in Manga.  Another interesting story that Osamu created was: Kimba the White Lion.  There is an interesting controversy over close relationships between The Lion King and and Kimba, however it is important to note that Kimba was first published in 1954.