The monthly manga magazine Garo (published by Seirindō 1964–2002) has gained a certain visibility outside of Japan throughout the past few years: more and more of its authors have been translated and recognized, exhibitions are being held [1] and articles released, even in non-specialized magazines.[2] While Garo authors and their work attract increasing attention outside of Japan, the magazine itself doesn’t seem to be a popular topic within manga studies despite – or precisely because of – its link to the so-called “alternative manga” (Asagawa 2015), the 1960s counterculture, the rise of a new readership and its role as an aesthetic forerunner during its first decade of existence. Bearing this in mind, this column will try to give an overview of the sources currently available on the magazine itself, identify those which can be used as proper academic references and demonstrate the possibilities afforded by studying the magazine itself, going beyond the focus on its authors.
Tag Archives: kashihon
Manga Studies #9: Studying Garo, the magazine by Léopold Dahan
Posted by HannahMiodrag on 2015/07/13 in Guest Writers, Manga Studies
Tags: 9e Art, adult readership, alternative manga, antiwar orientations, autobiography, Ax, Béatrice Maréchal, Big Comics, Claude Leblanc, counterculture, dōjinshi, educational comics, Frederick Schodt, Garo, Garo Mandala, gekiga, government criticism, Hayashi Seiichi, Japan, Japanese manga, Japanese Society for Studies on Cartoons and Comics, Jean-Marie Bouissou, kamishibai, Kamui-den, kashihon, Kashihon manga Kenkyūkai, Kure Tomofusa, Kōbunsha, Le Monde, mainstream manga, manga, manga criticism, manga studies, Mangashugi, Media Studies, Mizuki Shigeru, Nagai Katsuichi, Ninja Bugeichō, Paul Gravett, post-war period, reverse-importing, Ryan Holmberg, Sai Comics, Sasaki Maki, seinen, Seirindō, Shirato Sanpei, Shōgakukan, Takita Yū, Tatsumi Yoshihiro, The Comics Journal, The Comics Journal Online, Tom Gill, Tsuge Yoshiharu, watakushi shōsetsu, Ōshima Nagisa
Manga Studies #8: Shōjo Manga History: The Obscured Decades by Dalma Kálovics
Previously on Comics Forum, Monden Masafumi shed light on the fact that Japanese shōjo manga discourse tends to prioritize a gender-related perspective, disregarding the majority of graphic narratives which do not fit a subversive reading of the genre, or even dismissing them for their allegedly conservative representation of femininity. But this is not the only one-sided approach to shōjo manga, there is also a historical bias at play. Shōjo manga of the 1970s, notably works by the so-called Magnificent 49ers (see below), have been the main focus of discussion, overshadowing other eras, both before and after. In the following overview, I will outline how the 70s and especially the 49ers ended up as the center of attention, how this favoritism has obscured other periods, and finally how views on shōjo manga history are beginning to change.
Posted by HannahMiodrag on 2015/06/11 in Gender, Guest Writers, Manga Studies, Women
Tags: A history of postwar shōjo manga, adult readership, Aim for the Ace!, authorship, cross-dressing, Dachs, Eureka, French revolution, Fried burdock for maidens in full bloom, Fujimoto Yukari, Gender, gender roles, Hagio Moto, haha-mono, Hashimoto Osamu, History, Igarashi Yumiko, Ikeda Riyoko, Ishiko Junzō, Iwashita Hōsei, Japan, Japanese manga, kashihon, Magnificent 49ers, Maki Miyako, manga, manga criticism, manga studies, Mizuno Hideko, Murakami Tomohiko, Nakajima Azusa, Osamu Tezuka, Princess Knight, Puff, Satonaka Machiko, sexuality, Shōji Yōko, shōjo, shōnen, Shūkan Margaret, Takemiya Keiko, tankōbon, Tezuka Osamu, The Rose of Versailles, The world of shōjo manga, Watanabe Masako, watashi-gatari, Westernization, Yamagishi Ryōko, Yonezawa Yoshihiro, Ōgi Fusami, Ōshima Yumiko, Ōtsuka Eiji
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