Amanda Dabney

MANGA: What is it? Where did it come from? And why does everyone in Japan love it?

I have a friend, Blair Sterrett, who spent a few years in Japan when he was younger, and he often recalls his experiences there with appreciation and longing for the culture he grew to love. Interestingly, it revolves around reading books they call manga. They aren’t novels, or informative texts, but comic-like books that prevail as Japan’s main media. Most everyone reads them, that is, if you are Japanese – your parents, their friends, your classmates, neighbor, boss, cousins…

There is something for everyone; they do not focus, as comics of other countries do, on recognizable plot-structures, polarized characters, and brevity. Instead they cover a wide variety of interests, hobbies, stories, cultural traditions, conflicts, styles, and lengths. One can find a comic book on cooking, hunting, or women’s tennis. Some comic series have lasted years. Industries depend on the manga market for advertisements and publicity. For the animation, and much of the motion picture industry, everything starts with manga. It turns into movies, translates into costumes and clothing, toys, bags, is shown on the sides of busses and all through subway systems, and appears all over the streets in signs, billboards, and flags. It is everywhere and affects every aspect of life in Japan.

I received notice that I had been granted money from BYU’s Office of Creative and Research Activities in March of 2005. I had proposed a documentary project highlighting how the media is affecting children’s perception of their culture in Korea. After conversing with my friend Blair who had lived in Japan, I was interested in manga and did some research on what it is, where you can find it, and who makes it. I found some basic information on all ends, and became more interested. I had realized that because of my work/mentorship with KBYU, I could not schedule a trip anywhere until August of 2005. In addition, I found that plane tickets to Korea were about $600 more than they had been the year before.

Although I have more experience with the Korean language and culture, and I was very excited about doing a documentary on culture there, Blair and I decided to travel to Tokyo, Japan, to produce a documentary about manga. Luckily we were able to stay with his parents, who were serving an LDS Public Relations Mission at the time.

We realized very soon that the most important question behind manga as a media art form in Japan was one that no one could answer: the reason why it is so big. As we made our way around the city, filming ads, bookstores, and people reading manga everywhere, we found people to interview, but no one had a definite answer. Although everyone could attest to how immensely popular they are, no one could tell us why. Perhaps they are more visual than other cultures; maybe it is their tradition of visual art (The Tale of Gengi, one of the earliest story manuscripts known to man, was accompanied by grand scrolls that artfully depicted each part of the story in pictures for many who could not read). We found, after 9 days of filming and 5 months of editing, that it is simply a cultural phenomenon, one that combines culture, entertainment, learning, and people together through written word and pictures. Perhaps it is just as much a mystery as why people watch movies or read books anywhere. Maybe it is a mystery of the human mind.

With my documentary, I wanted to define and describe the subject of manga as an culturally-enhancing art in Japan. I offer it as a phenomenon that has many implications, some of which, I feel, define a very centralized- but varied- culture and people. Manga is a medium with thousands of angles making up one large identity. This project is intended to introduce and then encourage questions in the viewer’s mind, such as, “Why is there a need for written media in most cultures?” “Which has a larger influence on the other- media on culture or culture on media?” “Why do I enjoy the media I return to every day?” and “What sorts of media defines me as an individual and my society?”

I am very grateful to my best friend, Blair Sterrett, who encouraged me to do the project and then helped me produce and edit the piece. My mentor was also key in the development of this project. I am thankful to him for his positive encouragement and helpful suggestions I needed badly during post-production. I’m also indebted to Brigham Young University and ORCA for giving me this opportunity, and of course Wells Fargo Bank, who was my primary grant distributor.

The following pages outline details of my documentary project. I will be visiting the ORCA Office on Monday to turn in my final DVD. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Amanda Dabney
1685 West 740 South
St. George, Utah 84770
435-862-7784
801-221-9570