Anime and Manga

Anime and Manga
Caitlin Bergan
Daniel Burkhalter
Laksamee Putnam
Anime, According to Merriam Webster:
Function: noun
Etymology: Japanese, animation, short for
animēshiyon, from English
Date: 1988
: a style of animation originating in Japan that is
characterized by stark colorful graphics depicting
vibrant characters in action-filled plots often with
fantastic or futuristic themes
Usually TV shows with 13, 25, or 50 episodes (though
more popular shows run longer). Movies and straight
to DVD specials are also common.
Manga, According to Merriam Webster:
Function: noun
Etymology: Japanese, comic, cartoon, from man-
involuntary, aimless + -ga picture
Date: circa 1951
: a Japanese comic book or graphic novel
Most manga is released serially as chapters in
magazines and then put together into books later. A
chapter is usually about 30 pages and 5-7 chapters are
usually in a book.
Shojo, shōjo, or shoujo:
Translates as “girl.” It is used as a classifier for
anime or manga aimed primarily at school
aged girls. Shoujo anime and manga tend to
have plots that focus on characters and their
relationships and can range in
appropriateness level from grade school to
high school.
Examples: Red River (fantasy), Skip Beat
(contemporary), Crimson Hero (sports),
Fruits Basket
School Life: Boys Over Flowers, Hana Kimi,
Kare Kano, Lovely Complex
Magic Girl: Magic Knight Rayearth,
Cardcaptor Sakura
Shonen, Shōnen, Shounen:
Translates as “boy.” It is used as a classifier for
anime or manga aimed primarily at school
aged boys. Shounen anime and manga tend
to have fast-paced plots that are often
spurred on by combat or competitiveness
and can range in appropriateness level from
grade school to high school.
Examples: Naruto (fantasy), Bleach
(fantasy), Prince of Tennis (Sports), Tsubasa:
Resevoir Chronicle (fantasy)
Seinen:
Translates as “young man.” It is used
as a classifier for anime or manga
aimed generally at males over the age
of 18. Seinen anime and manga tend
to have complex characters and plot
development. It is more likely to have
mature content, such as sex or
violence.
Examples: le Chevalier d’Eon,
Hellsing, xxxholic, Monster
Resources:
Gravett, Paul. Manga: Sixty Years of Japanese Comics.
London: Laurence King Publishing Ltd., 2004.
Poitras, Gilles. The Anime Companion: What’s
Japanese in Japanese Animation? Berkeley, CA: Stone
Bridge Press, 1999.
Poitras, Gilles. The Anime Companion 2: More What’s
Japanese in Japanese Animation? Berkeley, CA: Stone
Bridge Press, 2005.
Japanese Honorifics 101
-kun – this honorific is usually directed at young boys or teen boys by their equals or
superiors
-chan – this honorific implies is informal and implies closeness – more often used
towards females
-san – this is the most general honorific, it shows respects towards someone you
don’t know well
-sempai – used for someone who is more experienced than you – especially
underclassmen to upperclassmen.
-kouhai – used for someone who is less experienced than you – especially
upperclassmen to underclassmen
-sensei – for a teacher or expert in a field
-sama – a more formal version of “-san,” it is used for someone much higher than
you or to someone towards whom you want to show great respect
-dono – becoming antiquated – mostly used in historical contexts – it is roughly
equivalent to “lord” or “lady”
How do I read these?
Most Japanese is written vertically and is read from right to left,
the reverse of most western languages. Most American
translations of manga now maintain the original orientation of
the pictures, so one starts on the right side of the right page and
reads to the left and down, the opposite of how you would read a
comic book written in English. Because of this, most manga
open “backwards” – the main cover is on the “back” of the book.
A manga the looks like it is oriented left to right might have been
originally produced in America before the decision to use the
original Japanese orientation, or else the writer was not Japanese
but Korean. Korean reads left to right, and so it is set up more
like an American comic book.
An interview with Teen Librarian Betsy Su
When and Why did anime/manga start being
introduced to the collection?
“I was hired as the full time teen librarian in March of
2004 and the anime/manga collection was my first
project”
There was a high demand for it from the middle school
kids, they were constantly going in between the adult
and children's sections to find what they wanted
The print collection was
first
When you started the collection how did you
choose?
Research from Libguides
http://www.koyagi.com/Li
bguide.html
http://www.angelfire.com
/comics/gnlib/
Publisher lists
Frequent requests from
the teens
“Anime can be tricky
because it is often more
explicit”
Self rating systems :
E, Y, T, OT, M
Have to had any parental complaints about
content?
There have been some
complaints, but no items
have had to be removed.
“Public libraries have it
easier than schools, we
can just move something
to adult if it’s deemed
inappropriate for a
younger audience.”
What are some of the problems you face with the
anime/manga collection?
The books take a lot of
damage, they are probably
the books with the highest
in library use
Not enough budget
Not enough background to
know about the culture
Teens don’t ask for help
very often, so difficult to
access user need
Has the library hosted any teen activities around
anime/manga?
Two years ago there was
a summer program
called “Animaniacs”
which had about 10-12
participants
The group met to watch
anime together
The ideas came through
“Operation Anime”
Ended because the
building was torn down
The library also hosted
Manga/Anime drawing
workshops which were
always very popular
http://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=qTQ
G9JyD03A
What is the most popular anime/manga checked
out now?
It really depends on the
teen. They are all
interested in different
types.
“It’s a special population.
The interests are not
universal. There is an equal
number of boys and girls
interested in many
different topics.”
Naruto, Fruits Basket, One
Piece, Dragonball.
Resources:
Three Manga in YALSA’s 2008 List of Best Graphic Novels for
Teens. “AnimeNation Anime Blog.”
http://www.animenation.net/blog/2009/01/29/three-manga-inyalsas-2008-list-of-best-graphic-novels-for-teens/
2009 YALSA Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens:
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/great
graphicnovelsforteens/09top10.cfm
Graphic Novels, Manga, and Anime: What’s New and Cool for
Your Library (YALSA):
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/RecMangaSeriesYALS
APresentation06.pdf
Resources:
YALSA Discussion & Interest Groups:
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/aboutyalsab
/discussion.cfm
Free Anime/TV Online & It’s Legal (YALSA):
http://yalsa.ala.org/blog/2008/09/25/free-animetvonline-its-legal/
Teen Read Week @ Your Library: Graphic Novels
(YALSA)
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/teenreading/tr
w/trw2002/teensspeakout.cfm
A survey of ten questions was distributed to the teens at
Champaign Public Library. We hosted this online at Survey
Monkey:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/
Anime
Conventions
Weekend Anime and gaming events planned by local
organizations
Find out what’s hot and what’s not, increase exposure
to your own local anime club
Get involved! Make sure your library has a both set up
with examples of graphic novels and DVDs in your
collection. Remind everyone that it’s FREE!
To find local conventions, visit
http://www.animecons.com/
What goes on at an anime
convention?
Anime Music Videos (AMVs) give
convention-goers a chane to show off
their audio-visual talents
Cosplay –dress up as characters from
your favorite video game or anime series
Karaoke – complete with contests and
prizes
Game rooms let attendees try out the
latest in console games, collectible card
games and tabletop roleplay games
Artists’ corner – Ever wonder what you’d
look like as an anime character?
Anime movie theaters!
Resources:
When I Get Bored, I Write Essays, by “Kate: Your Friendly
Neighborhood Otaku” – YALSA
http://yalsa.ala.org/blog/2009/01/12/when-i-get-bored-i-writeessays/
Anime convention Nexus http://www.animecons.com/
Anime clubs in the Illinois area: http://www.acen.org/getinvolved/animeclubs.html
Graphic Novels, Manga and Comics from Random House:
http://www.randomhouse.biz/libraries/pdfs/Graphic_Novel_Cat
alog.pdf
Staff Picks - Caitlin
Basara
by Yumi Tamura
Crest of the Stars / Banner of the Stars
Directed by Yasuchika Nagaoka
Staff Picks – Laksamee
Yotsuba&!
by Azuma Kiyohiko
Scrapped Princess
by Kari Wahlgren
Staff Picks - Daniel
Megatokyo v.1
by Fred Gallagher
.hack//Sign
Bandai Entertainment, Inc.