Perhaps nothing fuses the current modern Japanese art and entertainment scene so well as comic books, or manga.  Popular for both adults and children, men and women, Japanese comic books span a wide variety of genres and capture the attention of almost every audience.  From observation at the Hirakata City Book-Off (where I go to buy manga myself!) the popularity of manga is evident.  Sometimes getting to the shelves or leisurely browsing for a new series is impossible, for the many rows and aisles of comics are choked with standing readers.

This picture captures the amount of manga available, though even in this relatively small bookstore, this is nowhere near the total amount of manga offered.  There are at least seven shelves full of manga, as well as two floor-to-ceiling wall-lining shelves:



Obviously, since manga is so popular, it must serve some kind of need in the population.  Liking and reading manga myself, I can understand the allure.

One of the most popular genres of manga is the shoujo (少女) genre.  This is the genre I am most familiar with, and obviously, by the way it is named, one can immediately determine the target audience.  Shoujo manga appeals to young girls (although is read by women, as well). The topics dealt with in these comics are often supernatural (magic), and always with a young girl (aging from 12-18) in the leading role.  Information from personal experience and the following article: http://matt-thorn.com/shoujo_manga/japan_quarterly/index.html

In this post, I would like to talk about two manga in particular. Both of them I was introduced to in America; one of them I had finished reading in English and had watched the anime for, and the other which I had read several volumes in English but now am reading in Japanese.  They are, respectively, Fushigi Yugi (ふしぎ遊戯) and Basara　(バサラ).



In Fushigi Yugi, the main character is called Miaka, a junior-high school student under pressure for her exams into high school.  Upon discovering a book in the library called "The Universe of the Four Gods" she finds herself sucked into ancient China where she decides to become the priestess of Suzaku and receive the power to make her wishes come true.  However, in doing so she gets into a love rivalry with her best friend (who also falls into the world and becomes the priestess for a rival diety) and sees many of her guardians and protectors killed for her sake.

Before entering the Universe of the Four Gods, Miaka is an irresponsible girl who thinks too much about food to be a serious exam candidate.  She has low self-confidence (as evidenced by her subconscious jealousy over her intelligent best friend) and is helpless in difficult situations.  During her stay in the world of the book, however, Miaka grows up.  She learns how to take care of herself and care more for others, putting their wishes above her own, and eventually spends her three wishes on protecting the realm of which she was priestess, wishing her best friend back from the dead, and repairing the damage done to Tokyo when the characters of the book made their way out to the modern day.  With these wishes, she denies herself the chance to spend her life with the man she loves.

The art of this manga shows how the main character gains power and responsibility (sorry it's horizontal...I can't change it!):



In Basara, the main character is 16.  The fact that she is a girl has always been a problem...for she has a twin brother, who is considered to be the "Child of Destiny" who will liberate their country from the domain of the Red King.  However, just when the two children come of age (at 16) her brother is murdered and her villagers scattered.  Cutting off her hair and disguising herself as a boy, she declares that she, Sarasa, was killed, and that Tatara (her brother) is still alive.  Leading them in the disguise of her brother, she maintains rebellion against the Red King, gaining allies through tests of bravery and strength.

Basara is more grim than many shoujo manga, plotwise, and therefore is not so popular (for example, the anime never went beyond the first four volumes of manga).  The characters however, are complex and the situations are adult.

Eventually, Sarasa is revealed as a woman, and, in tears, she apologizes for leading on her supporters.  But they refuse to let her go.  As one of the characters says:

"この中の誰もあんたが＜タタラ＞だからついてきたわけじゃないよ。” (Basara, volume 10, p 175)  My translation is not very good, but I read this as meaning, "In the end, nobody but you is "Tatara", so that's the reason we keep on following."  Gender roles mean nothing--Sarasa has led them as a competent leader, so it hardly matters that she's a woman.

Personally, I believe that these manga (especially shoujo) serve a need in the young, female population for the idea of control, magic, and power.  Women in the main roles are often flawed (irresponsible, clumsy, and flighty) but through extraordinary situations they are revealed to mature and grow, and they inevitably gain self-confidence.

P.S.  If anyone can help me with that translation, I'd be grateful!

Tags: amine, basara, books, fushigi yugi, manga, shoujo
Current Mood: contemplative