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Why Does Manga Succeed Where American Comics Fail?

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the mahou-shoujo-and-beyond dept.

Otaku_0245 writes "I read a really interesting article at slushfactory.com entitled 'Why Does Manga Succeed Where American Comics Fail?' discussing/comparing the comics industries in Japan and the US. It's basically a 3-way conversation including Frederik Schodt (author of 'Dreamland Japan' - one of my favorite books about Japanese pop culture), and very thought-provoking."

6 of 383 comments (clear)

  1. You too, huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic
    It's kind of funny that this was brought up today; it reminds me of something that I was just discussing with a friend not too long ago. It seems that back in the late 1800's in America (I mention this for those /.ers who don't happen to live in the U.S.) there was this saloon in the West that was kind of a run-down, ramshackle joint that was frequented by a few loyal patrons and not too many others. I think it was California, but it could have been Oregon or someplace similar -- well, the location isn't really relevant to the story but if you're really interested you might be able to dig a bit on Google to find out. Basically, while the saloon didn't go out of its way to publicize itself to out-of-towners (not much point given that it was in a fairly remote area) it managed to do a fairly steady trade despite the occasional brawl that caused property damage and the persistent requests from a particular fellow for free drinks.

    More nights than not, the proprietor of the saloon would watch this drunk come wandering in through the doors, sit down, and lay a line on him about how he's trying to pull things together and how he'd just make enough to keep himself in beans and couldn't the bartender just pour him a shot or two to fuzz the edges and whatnot. And again, more nights than not, the bartender would take pity on the poor guy and pull out the whiskey.

    Now, this went on for some time, and while the bartender was an easy mark even he had his limit. So one night, after the bartender already gave the fellow three shots on the house, he decides to cut the guy off.

    "Look," he says, "while I'm really sorry to hear that things still aren't working out for you I don't think that I can keep giving you free drinks. I've got to make ends meet too, you know."

    So the drunk says, "I don't suppose you've got anything I can do to get another drink tonight?"

    The proprietor, not particularly wanting the fellow to hang around all night and certainly not expecting him to take him up on his proposition, says "Well, you see that spittoon over there? If you take a swig out of that I suppose I could give you a drink to wash it down."

    No sooner did he finish his last sentence than the drunk walked over to the spittoon and hefted it off of the floor. Before the bartender could stop him, the fellow put the rim to his lips, tipped the bottom of the metal container up into the air, and began to swallow. To the bartender's dismayal, the guy continued to slowly chug the thick contents of the spittoon. When he had finally gulped the final remnants of the container, he threw it to the ground, wiped off his lips with his shirt cuff, and gagged, "So, do I get the drink?"

    "You can have the bottle!" exclaimed the bartender, immediately pouring the first shot. "But tell me, why did you swallow the whole damn thing? You only needed to swig it to earn the drink."

    The drunk replies: "It was all one long string."

    Troll 50 of 208 from the annals of the Troll Library .

  2. You guys are lame by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Nine posts in as many minutes? What ever happened to all nighters? I've got a trashcan full of mostly melted ice, the remainder of my Jolt supply, and salsa. My desk is littered with empties, tortilla chips, and skittles. All this from an old man.

  3. Huh? Why does eating succeed? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Maybe as a species were all hungry?

  4. IN SOVIET RUSSIA . . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    IN SOVIET RUSSIA, American comics succeed where manga fails! The most popular cartoon, however, is Worker & Parasite.

  5. Re:Better stories... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    You've been here 3 years? Me too. Don't suppose you work in a certain IT company which has an employee turnaround of less than a year for system staff, do you? :-D

  6. Douglas Adams?! by ArsSineArtificio · · Score: 1, Offtopic
    Don't get me wrong while manga is not really a style I enjoy, some of it is quite good in terms of stories and in artwork, but Douglas Adams was perhaps one of the greatest writers in our time, comparing him to manga is like comparing Archie to Shakesphere.

    Look, I like Douglas Adams as much as the next man. I've got everything from a hardback of _Last Chance to See_ to a DVD of The Pirate Planet.

    Yes, he was well-educated. Yes, he was a clever writer.

    But if Douglas Adams was one of the greatest writers of our time, that says a lot more about our time than it does about Douglas Adams.

    --
    All employees must wash hands before seeking equitable relief.