Historical Significance:
Manga as a Literary Work
The Background on Japanese Comics
REBECCA WOO
FALL 2013
TEACHER’S ASSISTANT: ADRIE KOEHLER
Help: Navigation
Hello! My name is Shiori! This is how to get around this interactive research
project!
This button goes to the previous slide
This button goes to this slide
This button goes to the next slide
And I’m Jenner! If you click on me,
I’ll give you tips and hints as we go
along!
Shh, don’t tell your professor!
Return to where you
were!
What is the purpose of this project?
To get a good background of Japanese
literature, we are going to study the impact of
historical events on manga and the Japanese
culture.
This project will be graded, so do your best!
Review
As we learned in the beginning of the unit, events
and new technologies – along with the people’s
mindsets – greatly affect the literature that is
produced.
Remember: Click on me to get
a hint!
A great example is Huckleberry Finn! Remember how it
discusses slavery and civil war – people were split on
whether slavery was right or wrong, but it also tells the story
of a boy and his friend?
Exploration Menu
Explore all three parts! Start with any one you wish.
It really does not matter which one you choose
first! Just make sure to look at all of them. You
also should try to remember the information. It’s
important for the rest of the project!
I finished looking
at all of the
sections! Now
What?
The Word “Manga”
The word “manga” (mah-ng-ah) is written, in Japanese, as
漫画. These characters, which are called Kanji (and are
actually originally Chinese characters), can be translated
as “whimsical drawings”.
Here is a step by step guide to how to write manga in kanji!
1
3
2
4
5
6
Now you try writing
the word manga in
kanji on your paper!
The Word “Manga”
What is the name of
the Chinese
characters the
Japanese use?
漫
画
What does the word
“manga” mean in
literal terms?
The Word “Manga”
Major types of Manga include:
Shounen
Shoujo
Click on the banners
to see a description!
Science fiction, technology,
sports, and the supernatural.
Usually geared towards boys
super-heroines, romance, selfrealization, and entertainment
industry. Usually geared
towards girls
The Word “Manga”
Which manga seems to be the most
There is no shame in liking either! Be
interesting: shounen or shoujo? truthful; this is just your own reflection.
What aspect of that kind of manga appeals to
you?
Where Did it Come From?
There are two ideas on how manga started:
1. Due to the occupation of 2.
Japan by the United
States, many Japanese
saw the comics that the
GIs would have and saw
U.S. cartoons such as
Disney, and copied them.
The Meiji era’s culture and
art started the manga
business, so as to continue
Japanese cultural and
aesthetic traditions.
Where Did it Come From?
Which one do you think is the most likely? Why?
(3-4 sentences)
Hmmm…
Occupation or
Meiji?
Timeline
Click on the box of a time down below to see an event
1868—1912
Meiji Era (“Enlightened Rule”) – Japan
becomes modernized
1945—1952
United States Occupies Japan after World War
II
Two main marketing genres are established:
shounen and shoujo
1950—1969
1970s—1980s
United States fans begin to read manga and
watch anime
Timeline
Here’s a list of the
events you read:
1. Meiji Era
2. US Occupation of
Japan
3. Two Main
Marketing Genres
4. US fans read and
watch
Summarize the historical timeline you just looked
at and explain why these events are significant
Now What?
Now that you know the background of where
manga is from, you will be doing a small project in
which you study a manga and determine why it is
significant (according to the history and events
surrounding it).
Quick Overview
Pick a manga to study
2. Learn how to read manga
3. Read the first chapter or two to get an idea on
what it is about, taking notes on literary devices
that are used
4. Research when it started and see what events are
related
5. Create a cartoon, draw a picture, write a song, or
make a video (something creative) with this
If you
have an idea that is not listed here, check with your professor!
information.
1.
Pick a Manga
Click the boxes to see each manga’s difficulty rating
Barefoot Gen
The World God
Only Know
One Piece
Moderate
Difficult
Moderate
Detective Conan
Astro Boy
Difficult
Moderate
Make sure to remember it or write it down
Pick one that
you think will be
fun! Even if it says
it’ll be easier to
do, it doesn’t
mean it will be
graded the
same!
Pick a Manga
Now that you have decided on a manga, decide what
kind of project you will do.
Brainstorm ideas!
Back to Step Five
Only use this button if you
have finished up to step 5!
When you have decided, get approval from your professor.
How to Read Manga
Watch this video to
learn how to read
manga!
For the extended version:
http://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=_y_1imZ51TI
How to Read Manga Pt. 2
What direction do you read manga? Click on the red box of your answer.
A
D
G
B
E
H
C
F
How to Read Manga Pt. 2
You are incorrect. Try again, or watch the video again
first!
Watch Video Again
Try Again
How to Read Manga Pt. 2
You are correct! Manga is from East Asia: thus, it reads the opposite from our
Western writing.
Now click on the manga you chose and start researching your project!
Barefoot Gen
When you go to your
manga page, click on
the help button if you
need help with the
character names!
The World God
Only Knows
Astro Boy
Detective
Conan
One Piece
Characters:
Barefoot Gen
Gen Nakaoka: the main character, 6 years old.
Daikichi Nakaoka: Gen’s father. Against the war.
Koji Nakaoka: Gen’s older brother. Joins the war.
Help
You have chosen Barefoot Gen! This manga is easy to figure out in
terms of significance. However, if you get any information wrong,
you will lose more points than in the other manga. Keep this in
mind!
To read Barefoot Gen, go see your professor. This manga is
unfortunately not available online.
While you read, take notes on the next slide. When you are done,
copy and paste the table into a word document and take it
home (you will need it!)
Characters:
Barefoot Gen
Gen Nakaoka: the main character, 6 years old.
Daikichi Nakaoka: Gen’s father. Against the war.
Koji Nakaoka: Gen’s older brother. Joins the war.
Help
Keep track of your notes while you read!
Literary Devices
Background
Significance
Connection to
Manga
The World God Only Knows
Characters:
Help
Keima Katsuragi: a video-game addict who can “capture any girl’s heart” as long as they are
in a video-game. Also known as the Capturing God.
Elsie de Lute Ima: a demon from Hell whose purpose in the living world is to capture “runaway
spirits” that have escaped Hell and hope to ruin Hell as it is.
You have chosen The World God Only Knows. This means you will be graded
a bit more loosely as it is difficult to figure out its significance. However, this
does not mean that you can make things up! Back your claims with
evidence.
To read The World God Only Knows, go to:
www.tenmanga.com/chapter/TheWorldGodOnlyKnows1/152872
Note that these are fan translations, so the names may be misspelled. For the true spelling and a
quick summary of the characters, see the Help button above.
While you read, take notes on the next slide. When you are done, copy and
paste the table into a word document and take it home (you will need it!)
The World God Only Knows
Characters:
Help
Keima Katsuragi: a video-game addict who can “capture any girl’s heart” as long as they are
in a video-game. Also known as the Capturing God.
Elsie de Lute Ima: a demon from Hell whose purpose in the living world is to capture “runaway
spirits” that have escaped Hell and hope to ruin Hell as it is.
Keep track of your notes while you read!
Background
Literary Devices
Significance
Connection to
Manga
Characters:
One Piece
Monkey D Luffy: a child who wants to be the
king of the pirates just like in the stories.
Shanks: Luffy’s idol, a powerful pirate
Help
You have chosen One Piece. This means you will be graded
moderately as it is not too difficult to figure out its significance.
However, this does not mean that you can make things up!
Back your claims with evidence.
To read One Piece, go to:
http://tenmanga.com/chapter/OnePiece1/174880/
Note that these are fan translations, so the names may be misspelled. For the true
spelling and a quick summary of the characters, see the Help button above.
While you read, take notes on the next slide. When you are
done, copy and paste the table into a word document and
take it home (you will need it!)
Characters:
One Piece
Monkey D Luffy: a child who wants to be the
king of the pirates just like in the stories.
Shanks: Luffy’s idol, a powerful pirate
Help
Keep track of your notes while you read!
Literary Devices
Background
Significance
Connection to
Manga
Characters:
Shinichi Kudo: A famous 17 year old detective.
Ran Mouri: Shinichi’s childhood friend. Amazing at karate
Kogorou Mouri: Ran’s father, a failure of a detective
Conan Edogawa: Shinichi’s fake name after taking APTX
4869, a drug that miniaturizes him.
Gin and Vodka: two men of the evil Black Organization who
drug Shinichi after he discovers them
Detective Conan
Help
You have chosen Detective Conan. This means you will be
graded a bit more loosely as it is difficult to figure out its
significance.
To read Detective Conan, go to:
http://www.tenmanga.com/chapter/DetectiveConan1/139805/
Note that these are fan translations, so the names may be misspelled. For the true
spelling and a quick summary of the characters, see the Help button above.
While you read, take notes on the next slide. When you are done,
copy and paste the table into a word document and take it
home (you will need it!)
Characters:
Shinichi Kudo: A famous 17 year old detective.
Ran Mouri: Shinichi’s childhood friend. Amazing at karate
Kogorou Mouri: Ran’s father, a failure of a detective
Conan Edogawa: Shinichi’s fake name after taking APTX
4869, a drug that miniaturizes him.
Gin and Vodka: two men of the evil Black Organization who
drug Shinichi after he discovers them
Detective Conan
Help
Keep track of your notes while you read!
Literary Devices
Background
Significance
Connection to
Manga
Characters:
Astro Boy
Help
Tobio: a boy who was killed
Dr. Tenma: a scientist who created Astro Boy in order
to replace his dead son
Astro Boy: a robotic boy created by Dr. Tenma
Professor Ochanomizu: the man who takes Astro Boy
in.
You have chosen Astro Boy. This means you will be graded a
bit more harshly as it is easier to figure out its significance.
However, this does not mean that you can make things up!
Back your claims with evidence.
To read Astro Boy, go to:
http://www.mangastream.to/astroboy-chapter-1.html
While you read, take notes on the next slide. When you are
done, copy and paste the table into a word document and
take it home (you will need it!)
Characters:
Astro Boy
Help
Tobio: a boy who was killed
Dr. Tenma: a scientist who created Astro Boy in order
to replace his dead son
Astro Boy: a robotic boy created by Dr. Tenma
Professor Ochanomizu: the man who takes Astro Boy
in.
Keep track of your notes while you read!
Literary Devices
Background
Significance
Connection to
Manga
Summarize Your Notes
Write a summary of the notes and conclusions you have
made about your manga’s significance.
Back to Step Five
Only use this button if you
have finished up to step 5!
Step 5
Use the summary you wrote along with your notes to complete step 5.
Keep in mind that these projects will be uploaded to our class webpage! Do
your best!
See your brainstorm
ideas
See your summary
Quiz
Quiz time! You are being quizzed on what you learned today. Then you will
give your professor feedback on how to make this project better. Good luck!
When you answer the questions, type your answer in the
box on the right hand side and then click the box of the
answer!
Worth 20 points
30 minutes
Everyone will be doing this together. No notes!
I told you to remember the
information from the
beginning! Hopefully you
did!
Quiz Question One
What does the word “manga” literally mean?
A
Whimsical drawings
B
Japanese comic book
C
Fighting novel
D
East Asian literature
?/2 points
Put your
answer
here
Quiz Question One
0/2 points
Incorrect!
Manga literally means “whimsical
drawings,” remember?
漫画
Quiz Question One
2/2 points
Correct! Good job!
Awesome! You remembered!
漫画
Quiz Question Two
?/2 points
The two major types of manga
are:
I.
Shounen
II.
Shoujo
III.
Hentai
IV.
Shoko
V.
Ecchi
VI.
Maiko
VII.
Shouma
A
I, V
B
IV, VI
C
I, III
D
I, II
Put your
answer
here
Quiz Question Two
Incorrect!
0/2 points
Remember, they are shounen and
shoujo? Boy’s manga and girl’s
manga! Fistfights or swords and
romance or self-realization!
Quiz Question Two
2/2 points
Correct!
Awesome! You remembered!
I knew you would!
Quiz Question Three
What happened from 1868 — 1912?
A
Manga started to appear
B
Japan became modernized
C
The US Occupied Japan
D
US fans began to read
?/5 points
Put your
answer
here
Quiz Question Three
Incorrect!
0/5 points
From 1868 to 1912, the Meiji era
occurred, which caused Japan to
become modernized.
Quiz Question Three
Correct!
5/5 points
Awesome! You remembered!
Even the small details like years can be
important to know!
Quiz Question Four
What happened from 1945 — 1952?
A
US Occupation of the Philippines
B
French Occupation of Japan
C
The US Occupation of Japan
D
English Occupation of Hong
Kong
?/5 points
Put your
answer
here
Quiz Question Four
Incorrect!
0/5 points
It was the US Occupation of Japan!
Remember, this was right after World
War II!
Quiz Question Four
Correct!
5/5 points
Awesome! You remembered!
Those GI Joes must have helped you!
Quiz Question Five
?/6 points
How did manga begin? Pick the two
ideas:
A
III, V
I.
Americans brought comics to Japan
II.
Japan created manga in the Yamato
dynasty
B
II, IV
III.
The Meiji period’s art spawned
manga
C
IV.
The Chinese introduced manga to
the Japanese
I, III
V.
The Mongolian Empire brought
drawings to Japan
D
None of the above
Put your
answer
here
Quiz Question Five
0/6 points
Incorrect!
Aw, I guess you couldn’t remember.
The two ideas are:
1. US soldiers brought comics to Japan
2.
a
3. The Meiji period’s art spawned
manga
Quiz Question Five
6/6 points
Correct!
Awesome! You remembered!
You’re amazing!
Quiz Completed!
That’s all of the questions! Stop and wait for others to finish.
How did you do? Be honest!
Why do you think you did poorly/well?
Put your
score in the
box down
below
/20
Project Feedback
What did you like about this
project?
How can your professor make
this project more clear?
What do you think could be
improved?
Thank you for providing
feedback!
Your professor, Shiori,
and I all greatly
appreciate it!