Introduction
The West’s obsession with Japanese culture started in the nineteenth century and has managed to endure until today. A hundred years ago, the Western market was flooded with exotic geishas and kimonos; now, American students eagerly attend Japanese language lessons to participate in anime and manga culture (Wagenaar, 2016; Aoyama, Dollase, & Kan, 2010). In 2010, the academic U.S.-Japan Women’s Journal (USJWJ) released a special issue on the specific genre of shōjo manga. The article focuses on introducing shōjo manga to a Western academic audience and battling its surrounding misconceptions.
Summary
Firstly, the authors provide an overview of the popularity of Japanese culture in the West and the place of shōjo manga in it. Westerners conceptualize it as manga for girls that revolves around heroines with big eyes and supernatural powers saving the world (Aoyama, Dollase, & Kan, 2010). Translation houses and academia ignored it because its target audience was identified as girls aged 12 to 17 and deemed unprofitable (Aoyama, Dollase, & Kan, 2010). However, shōjo manga appeals to audiences of all genders and ages in Japan itself (Aoyama, Dollase, & Kan, 2010). The authors theorize that this discrepancy is because teenage girls’ culture is commonly disparaged in the U.S., and the comic book medium has been relegated exclusively to males. However, recent emerging scholarship on gender-role critique within manga and North American shōjo exhibitions show a change in this mindset. Shōjo manga is slowly gaining popularity after having been sidelined due to unfair gender expectations.
Secondly, the purpose of this special issue is stated before briefly summarizing the other articles. While existing studies have revolved around gender and sexuality, this issue focuses on analyzing the transformation of shōjo manga through the lens of comparative literature and cultural history (Aoyama, Dollase, & Kan, 2010). The authors affirm that shōjo manga has served as the ground for unprecedentedly free artistic expression because of the genre’s inherent ambiguity (Aoyama, Dollase, & Kan, 2010). The authors give a rundown of the topics addressed in subsequent articles, such as subversion, gender alienation, and subconscious fears. Finally, they reiterate that this genre is a dynamic, fluid field made for audiences of all genders and ages.
Main Point
The main point is that shōjo manga is much more than it appears at first glance to Western eyes. Although American media trivializes it as superficial love stories exclusively made for teenage female escapism, it is an innovative, transgressive genre that subverts genre and gender conventions to deliver powerful messages to those who feel alienated in modern society. This exploration of “otherness” can appeal to anyone, not just teenage girls. Western media has unfairly underestimated Shōjo manga, and its innovative features have not been properly acknowledged until now.
Sources
Since the authors’ purpose was to present an introduction to shōjo manga in an academic journal, most sources are written scholarly works. The references are secondary documents because they aim to provide a general overview. Anthropological research on Japanese culture is cited, literary analyses of manga, and gender and sexuality studies in Asia. The only non-academic source is The New York Times, which was quoted directly to illustrate the Western perception of shōjo manga. As expected from the discipline of humanities, the majority of sources are written secondary academic texts.
Reading Experience
This article was immensely enjoyable and interesting for me to read. Since this is meant to be an introduction to the topic, the writing style was very accessible. The arguments were convincingly presented and backed with hard data and quotes from experienced academics. Juxtaposing the popular Western opinion about shōjo manga with a recent scholarship provided important context and intrigued me to learn more. My one critique would be that the authors did not fully explain what makes shōjo manga “ambivalent and equivocal” (Aoyama, Dollase, & Kan, 2010, p. 5). The statement was hard to grasp without any specific examples. Despite this minor issue, my overall reading experience was very positive.
New Knowledge
The article was not only interesting but also very informative. Firstly, I was unaware that the perception of shōjo manga in Western media was superficial and biased or that comic books were mostly male-dominated spheres. Secondly, the innovative and transgressive nature of shōjo manga described by academics was illuminating. Furthermore, I learned that shōjo manga is popular with all ages and genders in Japan, with almost twice the number of girls’ magazines compared to boys’ manga. The article taught me about the Western perception of manga, recent scholarship on shōjo manga, and its popularity in Japan.
Terminology
The author used formal academic language in the article and some specific terminology used in manga and anime scholarship. Shōjo manga means manga for girls, shōnen is for boys, and seinen is for young men. Yaoi manga depicts male homoeroticism. Terms used to denote cuteness are mentioned as appearing in one chapter but not explored in detail, such as “betobeto, barbabara, mojamoja, and wakuwaku” (Aoyama, Dollase, & Kan, 2010, p. 6). The only technical terminology used in this article is English transliterations of Japanese words for manga subgenres.
Conclusion and Question
In conclusion, this was an immensely interesting and informative article providing the sociocultural and academic context for shōjo manga in the West. Even though the media has sidelined superficial girls’ comics, it is seen as a subversive artistic genre that bends social norms and restrictions in academia. However, given the gender-bending and homoerotism that is very common in female-produced fan fiction, perhaps that is not so surprising. If I met the authors informally in a cafe, I would ask them the following question: “Why are female works, in comparison to males, more likely to be innovative and transgressive regarding gender and sexuality?”
References
Aoyama, T., Dollase, H. T., & Kan, S. (2010). Shōjo Manga: Past, Present, and Future—An Introduction. US-Japan Women’s Journal, 38, 3-11.
Wagenaar, W. (2016). Wacky Japan: A new face of orientalism. Asia in Focus, 3, 46-54.