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Manga is Japan’s ubiquitous art form; a kind of comic book equivalent that illustrates everything from tax preparation to hard-core fantasy. But it is its growing success outside Japan that’s highlighted a new utility, what Japanese politicians are calling ‘manga diplomacy.’ Roland Kelts, author of Japanamerica, explains why politicians are recognizing the form as a powerful cultural export.
You raised the question of no mouths, but WHAT is the deal with the huge eyes? It's true that Mickey Mouse's eyes weren't exactly realistic either, Peanuts characters' eyes are dots, etc. -- there's quite a lot of variety in Western comics, but Manga eyes are pretty much always huge. Does this make them more attractive? Is this the way Japanese "see" their eyes? If not, doesn't this give Japanese somewhat of a complex about their non-huge eyes?
I'm writing to suggest a topic for one of your investigations. Some web-based news sources, such as http://abcnews.go.com/, enable readers to comment on stories. I've noticed that in at least one case, ABC News, reader comments are often censored (i.e., deleted) by ABC. Since they own the website, I don't think anyone would question their right to delete comments, but your listeners might be interested to hear a censor explain their censorship guidelines.
Thanks,
Roger
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