Friday, July 23, 2010

The sublime underdogs.

Nowadays Japanese manga and anime enjoy much popularity and a high respectability. Manga and anime are considered the primary cultural exports out of the island nation. They are also epitomes of "cool Japan". Manga and anime are extolled by culture lovers and government officials alike.

The situation was completely different when the pioneers of modern manga and anime cultures, led by the creative genius of Osamu Tezuka, made their headways. The reaction from the "established" circles were sneers, disgust, disregard, or mild tolerance at best. For a long time, manga and anime were considered to be catering to children's pastime, and were not considered to be serious subjects for grown-ups.

Thus, history repeated itself. It once happened there, and here again. The cold reaction from the society towards the underdogs, and then the growth of popularity and eventual coronation is a well-known pattern of acceptance. No praise could do justice to the immense courage and hard work of the pioneering underdogs. They deserve all the appreciation now bestowed upon the genre.

Now the Japanese manga and anime are in the danger of being too established. The sublime underdogs will be probably somewhere else, in another country or cultural domain perhaps, being sneered by the establishment but silently doing their home works.



Pioneer of manga and anime. The great Osamu Tezuka

3 comments:

Green Caterpillar said...

Zhuang-zi said it is easy to overcome adversity, but hard to step over prosperities.
We often hear of artists in misfortune, I think maybe some of them were experts in keeping their prime joy.

yuzu said...

Dear:Mr.Mogi
Your mean that if somebody believe in something is awful good, just do it,isn't it?

I don't think that the Japanese manga and anime are in the danger of being too established. Because the Japanese manga and anime will collaborate Japanese traditional things or historical place well.
It will change Japanese culture,I wish.

Anyway, I grown up with Osamu Tezuka's manga and anime. It was very lucky.I still can not forget the day when he past away.
I won't forget all of my memories with Tezuka's manga and anime.

Anonymous said...

Indeed, the pioneers of modern Anime and Manga it seems are being looked down upon due to the necessities of our age; namely glossier art, the expansion to more dynamic 3-D and perhaps even cel-shading within the realm of video games, which I consider highly related.