The Citi Exhibition: Manga マンガ

by Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere (Editor), Matsuba Ryoko (Editor)

Manga is a visual form of narrative storytelling. Its roots are international, but the form as we know it today developed in Japan between the late 19th and early 20th centuries and has recently achieved global reach. Originally confined to comics, prints and graphic novels, manga has expanded to influence animation, fashion, gaming, street art and new media. It is a multi-billion pound industry, popular with people of all ages in Japan and increasingly all over the world, encompassing hundreds of genres, from sports, love, horror and ageing to global threats and sexual identity. There is a manga for everyone.

For manga fans, this book celebrates the excitement of manga's cross-cultural appeal and its long history of breaking barriers. For those new to manga, it offers the chance to become literate in what is fast becoming a universal visual grammar of our globalized age.

Arranged into six thematic chapters, with essays by leading scholars, this volume showcases the work of Japan's most influential manga-ka (manga creators) past and present, with printed manga extracts, original drawings, manga magazines, theatre, film, digital technologies and exclusive interviews with artists, editors and publishers.

The first chapter focuses on understanding how manga is read, drawn and produced. The second explores its power of storytelling, and presentation of reality; the third, the power of manga to depict many different worlds, both seen and unseen. The fourth shifts the attention from the art form to its role in society, including fan groups, grassroots manga, Comiket events and the importance of cosplay. The penultimate chapter discusses the roots of modern manga in the work of 19th-century artists such as Hokusai and Kyosai, while the final chapter examines manga's expansion into the avant-garde, its crossover into other media and its growing international reach and influence.

Published in conjunction with a landmark, cutting-edge exhibition at the British Museum, this is manga as Western audiences have never before seen it: diverse yet universally familiar, traditional yet intensely modern, rooted in the 2D printed page but effortlessly leaping out of it.

Genres: Nonfiction, Manga, Art, Comics, Japan, History

351 pages, Paperback

First published June 18, 2019

Reviews

[E. G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sponsor's Foreword
Director's Foreword, by Hartwig Fischer
Foreword, National Art Center, Tokyo
Foreword, by Horiuchi Marue, OPMA
Note for the Reader

Introduction, by Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere
Interview: Chiba Tetsuya
Interview (Part 1): Hoshino Yukinobu
Interview: Nakamura Hikaru
A Manga for Everyone, by Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere

Comments on 'Golden Kamuy', by Kaizawa Tōru
Manga Extract: 'Golden Kamuy', by Noda Satoru

Understanding Manga through Reading, Drawing and Producing
--Through the Looking-Glass, and into Manga, Amanda Kennell
--Manga Extract: 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland', Ōtomo Katsuhiro
--Interview: Kōno Fumiyo
--Manga Extract: 'Giga Town: A Catalogue of Manga Symbols', Kōno Fumiyo
--Manga Extract: 'Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist's Journey', Higashimura Akiko
--Interview: Furukawa Kōhei, Kodansha Ltd
--Interview: Nakaguma Ichirō, Shogakukan Inc.
--Interview: Suzuki Haruhiko, Shueisha Inc.
--Interview: Torishima Kazuhiko, Hakusensha, Inc.

The Power of Storytelling
--Manga Extract: 'Edo As It Was!!', Akatsuka Fujio
--The Power of Manga in Comparative Historical Perspective, Adam L. Kern
--Manga Extract: 'The End of Unagi-Inu (Eel-Dog)', Akatsuka Fujio
--Manga no Kamisama, Stéphane Beaujean
--What Is Shōjo Manga (Girls' Manga)?, Yamada Tomoko
--Manga Extract: 'The Willow Tree; Anywhere But Here', Hagio Moto

The Power of Seen and Unseen Worlds
--Manga Extract: 'Stay Fine', Chiba Tetsuya
--Post-War Japan: Manga and Sport, Stéphane Beaujean
--Captain Tsubasa: The Soft Revolution, Thomas Lamarre
--Captain Tsubasa: Soft Power, Thomas Lamarre
--Interview: Obada Kassoumah
--Manga Extract: 'Slam Dunk', Inoue Takehiko
--Manga Extract: 'Real', Inoue Takehiko
--Manga and Music, Itō Gō
--Manga Extract: 'Blue Giant Supreme', Ishizuka Shin'ichi
--Sexual Expression in Printed Form, Ishigami Aki
--Manga Extract: 'Saint Young Men', Nakamura Hikaru
--Manga Extract: 'Olympia Kyklos', Yamazaki Mari
--Interview: Yamazaki Mari
--Manga Extract: 'Red Flower', Morohoshi Daijirō
--Interview (Part 2): Hoshino Yukinobu
--Manga Extract: 'Ocean Adventurer Kaitei', Hoshino Yukinobu

Manga and Society
--Manga Museum, Timothy Clark
--Genga' (Dash) Project, Kyoto Seika University International Manga Research Center / Kyoto International Manga Museum
--Interview: Takemiya Keiko
--Interview: Yasuda Kahoru and Satomi Naoki, Comiket organizers
--Manga and the Law, Okeda Daisuke

Motion Through Line
--Did Hokusai Create Manga?, Matsuba Ryōko
--Return of the Demons: The Power of Kyōsai's Brush, Sadamura Koto

Expanding Manga's Boundaries
--Interview: Akatsuka Rieko
--Manga and the Rise of the Graphic Novel, Hugo Frey
--Anime's Trajectory, Rayna Denison
--Garo Magazine and Alternative Manga, Ryan Holmberg
--Interview: Inoue Takehiko
--Drawing Manga, Itō Gō

Notes
Checklist of the Exhibition
Glossary
Annotated English-Language Reading List
Japanese-Language Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Illustration Credits
Note on Translations
Index

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fantastic historical and analytical look at the history and global significance of manga as an artform. Gave me a great new appreciation for manga itself, broadening my view of it from "Japanese comic books" to something much more culturally rich and impactful than I once thought. There's so much to learn in here, from the many different, branching origins of the artform to the evolution of various styles and genres to the unique psychological perspectives present in manga as inherited from Japanese society as a whole. I really loved this. If you're a fan of manga or comics in general, this is a great intro to the history of one of the fastest-growing media styles on the planet.

[Vanya Prodanova · Rating 3 out of 5]

В UK е доста типично като направи някой музей изложба, задължително да има луксозно издание книга, което да съпътства изложбата. Тази книга е свързана с изложбата, която се случи преди няколко години в британския музей на тема манга. Нямах възможността да я посетя, но реших книгата да прочета.

Малко разочарована останах обаче. Книгата се чувства като научен труд. Някои от есетата бяха наистина интересни, други все едно чета някой литературен анализ от ученическите си години - заспивах на втората дума. Интервютата с различни мангаки и хора от света на манга издателството беше може би най-интересното. Имаше и части от различни манги, което за мен си беше просто за пълнеж и нищо повече. Не се чувстваха да служат по някакъв начин в подкрепа на написаното.
Цялата книга разглежда света на мангата много от преди реално да съществува в сегашната си форма през как е достигнала сегашната си форма плюс различните направления като аниме, графични новели и подобни други видове медии, които имат влиянието на манга в тях си.

Не е лоша книга. Определено научих интересни неща, най-вече от къде идва понятието манга и какво е означавало през различните периоди, но истината е, че не е книга, която би искал да запазиш и цениш. Просто meh и толкоз.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tre paroline in croce per questo catalogo comprato d’impulso e che mi ha tenuto compagnia per nove mesi – nonché seguita in luogo inimmaginabili come la piscina o la metropolitana a New York. Purtroppo non ho visto la mostra (neppure ne sapevo l’esistenza, a essere onesta), ma almeno ho potuto approfondire e lucidare le mie conoscenze sui manga.

Tralasciando la mia perplessità riguardo al British Museum e la sua collezione per motivi che tutti conosciamo, il catalogo è impressionante. Tra interviste, approfondimenti, parti di alcuni manga e articoli molto interessanti, è un (mica tanto) piccolo tesoro di informazioni. L’ho trovato più che interessante, una vera e propria chicca per gli amanti dei manga o in generale dei fumetti e dell’arte giapponese, e deve essere a causa di questo se mi sono messa a centellinarlo nel corso dei mesi. Devo ammettere che ci sono alcuni argomenti su cui mi sarebbe piaciuto leggere di più – come, ad esempio, riguardo il rapporto tra i manga e gli anime, oppure sulla letteratura erotica –, però allo stesso tempo ci sono pagine e pagine di fonti che posso andare a spulciare per approfondire.

Insomma, mi è quasi dispiaciuto concluderlo. Quasi perché, per quanto interessante, che fatica portarselo in giro.

5/5 ⭐

[Pamela Bezerra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Impressive research about the historical and cultural impact of manga. I was always a big fan of manga and reading this book is like falling in love again with this amazing storytelling art.

[Eleanor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was close to giving this five stars, but I felt it slowed down a lot at the end. I loved the mix of interviews, essays, images, and manga extracts. The mix kept the content fresh and the pace switched up a lot, so it never felt like I was being bombarded with information (even though it is quite a hefty book). However, I felt closer to the end it was just essay after essay, and I found especially the final few essays a bit confusing or just not super engaging and I don't know if that's because I was sleepy or if they actually were confusing. I also found it weird that the book didn't have any sort of conclusion. An essay ended and you just turn the page and there are the references. I found it a bit abrupt, but maybe you aren't supposed to read it like a novel and that's on me.

On the good side - there was so much absolute gold in here! The essays were in general super interesting, and I loved reading the interviews with industry professionals about their jobs and interactions with manga! I especially liked the sports manga section - not sure why but it was just really interesting! The biggest flaw with this book is it has made me want to read like at very least 10 new manga and I can't afford that many books!

I liked the mix of historical and more modern discussions of manga (although I will say that some points felt repetitive as multiple essayists and interviewees would mention the same historical figures/events/manga and so you heard about things a lot). I think the main thing is that because the essays are all written by different people, and the interviewees are all different, the tone and level of engagement of each text was quite different. However, because they were all quite short, you never felt like they dragged too much if you were less engaged with one over another.

I really really liked that there were proper sections of manga in here to illustrate points, but also just to create visual interest. And as annoying as it was to look at the images and then look at the English translations down the side, it was also lovely to see the art with its original Japanese text.

Just overall I really had a good time with this! It did make me sad I couldn't go back to the exhbition, though!

[Feirodenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ce livre apporte de précieux éclaircissements sur l'esthétique et l'histoire du manga. On appréciera les nombreuses interviews de mangakas et d'éditeurs qui nous permettent de mieux comprendre les coulisses de la création des mangas. De nombreux articles insistent sur des aspects de l'histoire du manga parfois peu abordés par les autres livres spécialisés, notamment le lien avec les arts graphiques plus anciens du Japon dont l'ukiyo-e. On apprend notamment que la lecture de romans imagés est déjà imprégnée dans les pratiques japonaises depuis le XVIIIe siècles avec les livres xylographiques illustrés, les kusazōshi. L'ouvrage offre aussi de nombreux extraits de mangas et des illustrations. L'histoire et l'esthétique des genres principaux y sont traités, ainsi que toutes les pratiques relatives aux mangas ainsi que le lien de cet art avec les romans graphiques et le cinéma. On apprend aussi la polysémie du mot "manga" en japonais qui désigne plus une esthétique graphique que l'art séquentiel. Ce mot a pu aussi avoir le sens d'esquisses ou de manuel de dessin au XIXe notamment suite au livre de Hokusai qui reprend ce mot, ou bien de caricature pendant l'ère Meiji.

[David Siu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personally, it clarified why Japanese and Western comics feel so different:

- Western comic traditions are sequential illustrations of panels with text in speech bubbles that work together to carry the narrative.

- Japanese manga are narratives images telling the stories through line drawing, with text in a much more subordinate role. Images are supplemented by sound effects that include onomatopoeia and imagined sounds (geiseigo and gitaigo) that are important components in the Japanese language. These sounds are drawn into the image, enhancing their effect by making them part-image rather than resting the words separately on top of the image in a bubble.


Lastly, most interestingly, Frank Miller summarized,
The illustrations in western comics 'are not really illustrations of what's going on. The narration isn't really describing what's going on either. There is a gap there, and somewhere in that gap is reality.'

[Matthew Gurteen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to read something about the history of manga, particularly in the Meiji period. Although that subject is not the entire focus of this book, it did have a lot of helpful information regarding it as well as other interesting details on the history, creation, and impact of the genre.

[Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

Feel mean for giving 2 stars but it just wasn't as informative as I'd been expecting it to be. However I did still learn a few new things about manga, and it was nice seeing some of my favourite authors get a mention, or in some cases, an interview!

[Esopion · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very thorough compilation of interviews with artists/mangaka and relevant people in the manga/anime industry –plus it goes through the various stages of how manga evolved from history to the present. Great book! 👍🏻

[PJ Ebbrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

It did compliment the British Museum exhibition. More detail with a focus on creators and discussing the production of Manga.

[Silvia Gallego · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un recorrido muy completo a través de la historia y la teoría del cómic japonés, consistente en una colección de ensayos, entrevistas e ilustraciones convenientemente organizados por bloques temáticos. Imprescindible para aficionados (aunque sólo en inglés).