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Adult Manga: Culture and Power in Contemporary Japanese Society
Adult Manga looks at the rise and fall of Japan's mammoth comic industry since the 1960s. In this stimulating and refreshing work, Kinsella documents the structure and history of the manga industry, probes into its related subculture and the anti-nerd otaku panic, and examines the difficult and fascinating relationship between the artists and editors who create manga. In the process, she argues that Japanese comics have shifted from being a lower class medium for marginal citizens to become a novel form of official communication, recently embraced by big business and national institutions. This ascent of manga through various layers of postwar society reflects the wider transformation of politics and social organization in Japan during the last years of the twentieth century.
228 pages, Paperback
First published April 28, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 1, 2021
I appreciated how informative this book was but I was a bit disappointed by the lack of explanations of some realia for non-Japanese (or non-Japanese studies) audiences who might not be familiar with the social and political climate of Japan in parts where it was crucial to understand. Nonetheless a very good book.
May 26, 2012
Non ci si faccia ingannare dal titolo! "Adult manga" non parla di pornazzi giapponesi!!
Piuttosto, è uno dei migliori saggi mai scritti sul fumetto giapponese, un classico nato, assolutamente imprescindibile.
In Italia, per ora, libri così ce li sogniamo: nel senso che nessuno ha le capacità di scriverli, e nemmeno, eventualmente, la volontà di tradurli...
Piuttosto, è uno dei migliori saggi mai scritti sul fumetto giapponese, un classico nato, assolutamente imprescindibile.
In Italia, per ora, libri così ce li sogniamo: nel senso che nessuno ha le capacità di scriverli, e nemmeno, eventualmente, la volontà di tradurli...
March 16, 2014
This book is an academic overview into the pop culture phenomenon of adult manga consumption. As an adult who consumes manga, I was immediately curious to see if my experience correlated with that of the study. Mostly, this book focuses on the "adult" part of "adult manga" (as in R-rated manga that deals with deviant behavior) which is not so much what I read (I am an adult who grew up reading manga and have continued to do so as an adult). It gives the history of manga and censorship and then delves more into societal reactions to manga and otaku (rabid fans of manga). It is an academic book (as opposed to a novel). I think that the fact that is 15 years old dates it somewhat, but if you're interested in a discussion on manga that isn't about children's manga, this is a good overview.
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October 2, 2013Pretty interesting, although there wasn't much effort put into making a connection between the various different subtopics it covers, despite claiming the existence of much.
Another weakness: it was published in 2000, and therefore has nothing to say about manga after that year.
Another weakness: it was published in 2000, and therefore has nothing to say about manga after that year.
May 14, 2007
an interesting and sympathetic study.
May 24, 2008
Manga industry
July 5, 2013
I gave up reading this some of the way through. A bit hard to read
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews