Presentation Summary
The topic of this presentation is the differences and similarities between Manga and Anime art forms. Manga, an art form founded in Japan, is similar to our understanding of graphic novels where stories are told not only by means of words but also a series of drawings that advance the narrative. There are two main branches of Manga, Shonen and Shojo, catered to boys and girls respectively. As educators, therefore, we must be vigilant of our choices in manga and which of these branches we are supporting.
Anime, on the other hand, is an animated audio-vidual art form which usually springs from a successful Manga series. The characters in Manga are drawn and follow the same modes of expression as those in Manga.
Another aspect for educators to consider is the many fan-fiction websites online where users can read other’s stories and create their own. Among many of the demographics of Vancouver high-school students take part in this writing culture. Teachers can easily engage the students to bring their passion for manga and anime into classrooms.
An issue to be considered with these websites are the appropriateness of the contents and the locations where they are hosted—many are hosted in the US.
CITATION OF BC MINISTRY DOCUMENTS REQUIRED HERE The BC Ministry of Education curriculum for English Language Arts places due emphasis on the understanding, exploration, and analysis of a variety of visuals texts and visual arts. Thus, Manga can serve as an appropriate art form, while and exploration of Manga in concert can bridge the study of visual text to audia-visual studies and film.
Bibliography
Chandler-Olcott, K., & Mahar, D. (2003). Adolescents’ anime-inspired “fanfictions”: An exploration of multiliteracies. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 46(7), 556-566.
Fisher, D. (2004). Using graphic novels, anime, and the internet in an urban high school. The English Journal, 93(3), 19-25.
Mahar, D. (2003). Bringing the outside in: One teacher’s ride on the anime highway. Language Arts, 81(2), 110-17.
Ruble, J., & Lysne, K. (2010). The animated classroom: Using japanese anime to engage and motivate students. English Journal, 100(1), 37-46.
Reflections:
The highlight of this presentation for me was the small group discussion in which I took part. I was amazed as to depth that we were able to engage with the material in so short a time. Most noteworthy was our realization of Anime’s limitation when it comes to characters expressing their personal thoughts. Since most complex thoughts are more easily conveyed through language, which in turn can most easily be presented through speech in anime, the sequences of thoughts tend to take an unrealistically long time. This is especially evident in the midst of intense action-based battles. In manga, however, a complex thought can be easily conveyed in a block of text and in a single frame. And since frames within the page in manga represent the pace in the narrative, a single complex thought, can be easily conveyed in what is perceived in the general narrative as an instant—much similar to how a new strategy might come to one in a fast-pase battle.