kavitagujarati

[kavitagujarati]

After reading you post, I really understood a lot more about what the text was about and the symbolism behind it. The incest that occurred between the father and daughter. The daughter breaks free, and it symbolizes that she has broke free from patriarchy. She is now liberated and her father "is just another man". She managed to cut the familial ties she had with her father. I found it disgusting and disturbing, but also symbolic of how women were in control of the own bodies and how it brought reform to Japan.

Noble Deaths & Goodbye

Noble Deaths

This manga was so infuriating to read. It demonstrates backward ideas pushed by the Japanese government that aimed at convincing their own people to die needlessly. The continuous need to die a glorious death pushed by the captain was extremely frustrating. Rather than try to find a way to save his men or better yet, go back home to their families, he is fixated on dying in the most respectable way possible. And in the process of pushing this idea, forces others around him to do the same no matter if they truly want to or not. It was sad watching death be taken so lightly as well. Over and over they say “X amount of men have died” and the higher-ups react as if they’ve stubbed their toe and are inconvenienced by their death. Additionally, the scene where a man wonders what happens after death and then is immediately interrupted by another saying he wants a papaya is indicative of how nonchalant they are about death. But at the same time, maybe this is on purpose to avoid feelings of fear and existentialism. Visually, this manga is extremely interesting. Although it has unrealistic cartoony characters, after serious scenes, it suddenly hits you with an ultra-realistic image of piles of bodies on the ground. Moments like this take you out of the manga and force you to remember that this probably happened in real life during World War 2. How the piles of bodies on these real beaches maybe also had no control over their life, and could also be considered victims despite being on the “bad side”.

Goodbye

For being so short, this manga definitely touched on many important topics. The fact that this is mostly from the perspective of a woman is very interesting. So far we haven’t been able to read very much about what happened to them after the war, so it was interesting to see how this conflict impacted them as well. Overall this manga made me think that at least some Japanese women both literally and metaphorically “sold” themselves to their occupiers for lack of a better word. This was made clear by the panel where the soldiers are on a jeep with Japanese girls having fun, while on either side of them are sad and stressed-looking Japanese men. The panels following this are also similar in nature. The purpose of this was I think to show the sense of betrayal felt by the Japanese men by how some women “choose” the Americans over their own people. But at the same time, it’s clear by the ending that this is a very superficial relationship on the side of the American soldiers. The majority don’t actually care about these women and just use them. But despite this, there are still women that fall into this relationship, either for monetary reasons or possibly because the foreigners can be an escape from the tough conditions of life in the post-war. Another thing that was touched on was the Japanese Soldier. From the character of the father, it's clear the loss has stripped him of the roles that usually go towards men, especially in this era. Not only is he stripped of the title of father, but also of provider. This leaves him with “just being another man” who in the eyes of our protagonist are bastards and idiots who didn’t fight for their women. In other words, the word emasculated the father, and as a whole Japanese men in the post-war era.

[kavitagujarati]

1/29 Post

I found today's text "Goodbye" to be confusing, interesting, and a bit hysterical all at the same time. It was strange to me how a woman who seemed to adopt traditional values and morals, such as wanting to get married and bear children in the future completely changed her life and was sort of like “I am over this” and decides to no longer be obedient. She gave up on believing that the man she loved would come back and intend on marrying her and said “all men are b*stards”. I found it disheartening to see that he betrayed her and kind of was submissive to the West, or Americans, but at the same time, I am a bit perplexed as to why she just randomly starting drinking even after the man left her.

It seems like they try hard to attempt to be more Americanized because they view Americans as being rich and likely having a more luxurious lifestyle. It was also interesting how they called Americans “big.” The Americans seem to make fun of the Japanese as well throughout the comic, by saying “you don’t even have the guts to fight for your own women.”

Moreover, I was a bit confused on the second page as to why the small children are calling the woman named Mary “a slut” and a “whore”? Is she an American and did the Japanese view American women as sluts and whores, and if so, how are small children in Japan aware of the stereotypes that Japan has towards Americans? Was propaganda that prevalent?

At the end of the comic, what appears to be the sergeant who wanted to see his daughter, says this is hell? Is he referring to the post-war condition Japan is in or something else? Is he saddened by the fact that he has not seen his daughter?

Overall, there were quite a few parts in the comic that confused me and I look forward to discussing it in class as I did find the text intriguing.

[kavitagujarati]

Hi Jamayah! I also found it very heartbreaking to read about the defeat of Japanese soldiers, and I agree that it is disgusting and sad to read that some were taught to believe that committing suicide was a better option that surrendering. In my opinion, I would even call it a form of indoctrination. I felt that the emperor was cruel for putting people in that sort of position and claiming to take on the pain of people.

1/24 Post

Learning about the state of Japan post-war was very heartbreaking. I could not fathom how they were able to put forth a fight for so long, with the country’s position and condition. Also, the idea that some of the Japanese held that made them feel guilt for not meeting the emperor's expectations. The emperor stated that his subjects should, “endure the unendurable and bear the unbearable”, which, in my opinion, they did. It hit even more when the text mentions how Americans were perplexed at how Japan was able to continue fighting while the country was devastated. The text reminded me of Momotaro because of how being a soldier was presented as the highest of honor. Japanese soldiers would commit suicide rather than surrendering, this shows how much of a commitment being a soldier was and how highly this was regarded as. The story about the woman who waited 3 years to see if her husband had survived was also disheartening; that was a reality for so many as well. Also, the emperor claimed to take on the pain that the Japanese had suffered, but I think that's bs. War uses people as pawns to fight the issues between government powers, and that is exactly what this case it. It is crazy that the emperor had the audacity to make others have empathy for him, when it was the people of Japan who had to endure the war.

Astro Boy gives us this view of society where technology was extremely advanced, to the point where you see conflict between humans and robots. Astro Boy’s story was sad to see, but he was able to rise from a sad beginning and become someone fighting for peace. I also questioned whether this central idea could have been seen as propaganda. This manga gives the perspective of a post wartime that is heavily inspired by a need for technological advancements. I liked how it included scenes where Tezuka is giving his own spotlight, which shows how manga could be used as a lens into the author's mind.

[kavitagujarati]

Post for 1/24/2024

Japan lost WW2 and so when I initially read the title “Embracing Defeat” I thought this would be about how Japan dealt with the war loss from an economic and emotional perspective. From the title, I thought it would be about how the Japanese people. When we discussed “Unholy alliance” from, a lot of comics were used as propaganda to convince young children to become soldiers when they grow up. The comics were used to persuade young children Japan was the best country and to promote patriotism for Japan. After reading the text, I realized that it was more so about the overall Japanese morals and embracing the defeat as a nation.

Aihara in the text recalls days from when she was in school. “Should any emergency arise, it went”, offer yourselves courageously to the State. She knew the country’s situation was desperate and could imagine that the emperor was going to exhort every Japanese to make even greater efforts to support the war – to be prepared, indeed, to fight, to the bitter end.” I believe that promoting patriotism is good, but it seems here that people are being forced to fight, perhaps without their consent or will. I wonder if it caused anxiety and fear amongst the overall Japanese population, or among citizens. How did they deal with the possible anxiety that their country was losing the war or that they would be forcefully made to fight in the war and compromise everything that they had? The image of emperor Hirohito’s subjects also has a caption that states that people should be prepared to “endure the unbearable.” As a reader, this makes me sad and a bit disgusted, because while I believe that it is good to support one’s country and fight for freedom and righteousness, I don’t think that these values shouldn’t mean that government officials should be allowed to treat citizens or those that fight in an unjust and cruel manner. For example, under the “coming home” title, it states that “approximately 6.5 million Japanese were stranded in Asia, Siberia, and Pacific Ocean area. Roughly 3.5 million of them were sailors and soldiers.

Image of Japanese soldiers during WW2. Taken from Reasons for Japan joining World War 2 – Banyan Tree (wordpress.com).

[kavitagujarati]

Hi Christian!

I really liked how you made the connection between the phrase "keep your friends close and your enemies closer" to the propaganda displayed in the text and connected symbolism. I agree with the statement "I also found it very ironic that despite carrying a fundamental dispute with western ideology at this point, Japan internalized western influences as a means of promoting its own nationalism", because I also found it quite ironic and perplexing as well. If Japan was trying to boost the morals of citizens and it's people during wartime and having pride in being Japanese was important, then why do you think propaganda included anthropomorphic characters which is a very Western or American concept? Was it to make fun of American characters, or did this stylistic choice have some effect on propagating Japanese nationalism during the warm through means of manga?

Blog 3- 1/22

While I was watching Momotaro: Sacred Sailors, it was evident that the anime was heavily influenced by external sources at the time, not only in subject matter but in style. Being that this film was released in WWll, only months away from Japan’s eventual defeat, it was interesting to see the propaganda being produced to keep the morale and esteem of the country high, despite facing hardships. While I watched, I thought about the rise of anime, and the fact that throughout the 30’s and 40’s, many manga and anime produced contained anthropomorphic characters, which helped solidify my understanding of the notion that manga and anime was in fact influenced by western cultures. While kibyoshi were illustrated stories, they lacked the noticeable trend of human-like animals that were being seen in this early-modern manga. I also found it very ironic that despite carrying a fundamental dispute with western ideology at this point, Japan internalized western influences as a means of promoting its own nationalism.

After reading Ōtsuka’s Unholy Alliance, everything seemed to start clicking and making sense to me. It seems that manga and anime after the 20’s organically became a platform for propaganda as other countries began forming their creative industries around the voice of their government.  Otsuka asserts that during the 30’s, creative minds would gain inspiration from not only the west as previously mentioned, but also the likes of Sergei Eisenstein, a russian propagandist, and his principles that form montage theory, which is a method of adopting meaning from through connected symbolism. This reminds me of the quote “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer,” as Japan would continue to produce content that aligned with pushing a political narrative combined with the innocence of cute cartoon to portray sensitive subject matters through a positive and engaging lens, as evident through creations such as Momotaro: Sacred Sailors, and Norakuro. While watching Momotaro, I was intrigued to see that there were elements of learning layered within the depiction of war, such as the scene where everyone sings the alphabet, or the “history” scene where the white man takes over an island ruled by the peaceful King Goa. Even though this was intended for children, there were still some aspects that I thought was unsettling, such as when the sailor monkey sat in the field and had a flashback of parachuting into war while looking at the dandelions falling, or when the battalion flew through the storm.

[kavitagujarati]

Post for 1/22

Growing up as a kid, I used to watch Mickey Mouse Club House and remember how Mickey Mouse was recognized for his disproportionately large eyes, huge ears, and overall, warm, welcoming appearance that appealed to a child audience.  I am not sure if it is also global, but in Western media and pop culture, we associate large eyes with perhaps with innocence, or childlike characteristics. Babies are usually born with large eyes for their small faces, and the same thing can be said while looking at Mickey Mouse. Looking at “An Unholy Alliance of Eisenstein and Disney: The Fascist Origins of Otaku Culture”, pages 255-256 depict images that almost look identical to Mickey Mouse. I recall from one of our class discussions that disproportionately large eyes relative to one’s face was something that the Japanese adapted from Western society and culture. But why would something like large eyes appeal to a Japanese audience when the prevalence of monolids are quite common in East Asian countries? I found it interesting how they labeled this influence on manga as the “Disneyfication” of manga. I felt that the term was very fitting for the role Disney animations and characters had in manga.

I also noticed that in the Japanese comics shown as figures, the usage of guns and other machinery is quite prevalent. The so called “cartoons” didn’t seem playful, innocent, or childlike like I am used to seeing Mickey Mouse in Western culture. The comics use guns and other armed machinery which lead me to believe that perhaps it was more of propaganda by the Japanese government and the usage of “innocent” looking faces helped mediate that propaganda. I also enjoyed how the author of this piece makes a contrast between how the machinery in such comics are drawn realistically, while the animations and characters are not. Does this stylistic choice of drawing facilitate the propaganda in any way or is it solely the influence of Einstein and Disney that paved way for the distinction between the drawing choices of the machinery and characters?

An image of Japanese propaganda in manga:

https://atomicink.wordpress.com/2016/07/03/norakuro/

[kavitagujarati]

Hello, Mason! I like you how you clarified the argument made in the text - that to associated manga’s origins solely with kibyoshi and ignore other precursors that lead to modern manga reduces the effect that other factors had an influence on manga. Western media and pop culture, namely comic books and strips played a crucial role in the development of current, modern, manga. The nature of manga is indeed not monolithic. I hadn’t previously draw the connection between Japanese conservatives and the text, but I found it really interesting how you were able to make those conclusions. Why do you believe that Japanese conservatives use a reductionist rationale? Is it nationalism, patriotism, or pride for one’s country, or do you think that it is an attempt to preserve parts of Japanese culture and history?

Post for 1/17

The arguments made by Kern in "Origins" that kibyoshi should not be considered a mere progenitor of modern manga, but rather, should be analyzed and interpreted as a separate entity worthy of distinction parallel similar discussions that we have been having in our Japanese Visual Culture class. In fact, as Kern claims, positing such a notion that there exists a transhistorical, monolithic manga culture that originated from kibyoshi inherently patronizes and even subtracts value from the individual worth of kibyoshi. Kern cites that a common reason for supporting this notion is to downplay the role that global and especially Western culture has played on modern manga, such as drawing inspiration from the physical comic strip or comicbook formats from the West. Some connections that I drew when reading about this rationale were concerned with the topics of essentialism and reductionism that were also discussed in class. We thoroughly mentioned how Japanese conservatives and foreigners outside Japan often adopt reductionist approaches in order to provide superficial – mostly untrue – explanations regarding the causes of various Japanese phenomena. In the specific case of modern manga, it would appear, at least from my interpretation, that when the aforementioned reductionist explanations are employed, they lead to the generation of false rationales such as, "The similarities between kibyoshi and modern manga are proof that transhistorical essences persist and resist the external influences of other countries!" Obviously, this kind of view is problematic and overlooks two realities: firstly that culture and creativity are not stagnant and do not necessarily require drawing influence from the nonexistent "essences" of previous works in order to be successful, and secondly that Japan is far from isolated, especially in the modern age, and is therefore susceptible to drawing inspiration from and being influenced by other countries. The image below displays the Japanese diaspora to reinforce the latter point that cultural idea exchange between countries is frequent and should not be ignored when accounting for the development of cultural phenomena.

Image from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_diaspora

[kavitagujarati]

1/17 Post

In response to Kern's "Origins" about the origins of manga in Japanese pop culture and media, I found it interesting how the reading was unable to truly define what manga is. In the West, we typically define manga as comics or graphic novels, but I believe that manga has a broader meaning in Japanese society than just comics or graphic novels. Although I have yet to read any manga, prior to our previous class discussions and this text produced by Kern, I have always perceived manga as something completely original and uninfluenced by Western culture or media. The text states, otherwise, "Until proof to the contrary comes to light, if anything occasioned the modern Japanese manga, it was the Western comic strip and comic book, not the kiboyishi (Kern)."

I knew that manga had a global influence and audience, however I thought that modern manga and traditional Western comic strips detailing the adventures of superheroes evolved separately. From what it appears in our class discussions, Japanese manga seems to span a multitude of genres, whereas when I think about traditional Western comic books, it mostly pertains to the lives of superheroes that possess some superpowers.

Upon reading the text, I am still somewhat confused on why the author, Kerr disproves of solely linking the origins of manga to kibyoshi or Western comic books. I found it a bit strange that Kerr argues that cultural commentators that trace the origins or manga back to kibyoshi to be distortful in nature. Was kibyoshi something that is solely Japanese as well or does kiboyoshi also derive it's origings from perhaps other cultures or prior events in Japanese history? Why did kibyoshi have a yellow cover? Does the color yellow signify something in Japanese culture or did it previously signify something in the Edo era?

Image of kibyoshi taken from: Kibyōshi – The Amazing Adventures of Frederick Luis Aldama (utexas.edu)