But what I am not is a manga fan; i.e. fanatic. I seem to meet those a lot- people who think that everything would be better as a manga. I know a junior high teacher who believes all texts should be in manga form. I, emphatically, do not buy that.
One of my biggest issues with manga in Japan is that women rarely come off well in them. Many manga feature exaggerated bodies, with gigantic eyes and bosoms which I don't find aesthetically pleasing and I find morally disturbing in children's books. Most of the popular series aimed at teen girls that I have seen feature love stories between boys. Not that this is a bad thing by any means, but if decent girl characters don't (or rarely) exist in that field, where are they?
This isn't meant to be an attack on manga, I just want you to know where I am coming from. For me to consider a manga to be good, there are hurdles it probably wouldn't have if it were a novel. For me to consider a graphic novel great, well, it would have to be Emiko Superstar.
Emiko Superstar (CDN, JP, USA) is a graphic novel in the Minx line, written by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by Steve Rolston. I was originally drawn to this Cybil Award winner because of the name. Emi is one of my favourite names ever, and my daughter was a single kanji stroke away from this name. The girl on the cover, a freckled Asian, sealed the deal. I thought that even if I hate it, my kids will see a book with a cover featuring someone who looks like them.
Turns out there is no way to hate this book. Emiko is not just relatable, she is emminently likable. In no way a Pollyanna, she tries hard but sometimes does some bad things, like anyone. She's not too good at her crappy fast food job, but needs something to fill up her summer since her friends are away. I've been there and I bet most of you have too! She starts with babysitting but is looking for more. She needs something to help her let her inner freak flag fly free. A chance encounter with Poppy, the headliner at a Warholesque freak show gives her a peek into a world she wants to be part of. But she lacks the confidence to get involved, so she borrows some of her grandmother's style and some drama from her babysitting charge's mother. She makes some friends, has some good and some scary times, and becomes a short-lived superstar in a way only a child of the 2000s can.
Remember how I told you how many reservations I have about graphic novels? This book stomped on those reservations. Good story? Check. Likeable female character? Check. Realistic bodies and eyes that do not take up half a character's face? Check. Illustrations that add to the story? Check.
I liked this so much I read it twice in two days. Then I went out to search for Skim, another Mariko Tamaki-authored graphic novel, others illustrated by Steve Rolston, and more in the Minx line. The only bad thing about this graphic novel is the damage done to my credit card afterward.
This was my 13th book for the 5th Canadian Book Challenge
I think most English speakers still refer to manga as manga. I'd consider manga a type of graphic novel, but I certainly wouldn't consider the terms interchangeable.
ReplyDeleteEmiko Superstar looks like fun - amazon jp doesn't have it in stock so might try and get hold of it when we go back to the UK next month.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a massive manga/comic/graphic novel fan these days but I did dabble when I was younger ;) I loved Jhonen Vasquez and Roman Dirge when I was in uni.
I also really recommend Egg Story by J. Marc Schmidt if you ever come across it!
I always meant to read the Buffy comic but never got around to it... hmm something else to add to my list that I probably won't get to till she's in school...
John, thanks for the clarification. I left before manga or graphic novels really made their mark in North America, so I seem to have missed a lot. I really am ignorant about this type of work and I am happy to have my misconceptions corrected!
ReplyDeleteUmebossy, thanks for the reccomendations, I'll look for those. If you can't find Emiko Superstar in the UK, try book depository.com. Free worldwide shipping!