Autism and manga

Manga can cover many topics in life that prefer not to be said. It can cover issues of war, politics, Gender roles, discrimination and much more. But there is one topic in particular I would never thought I'd see in manga format. Autism. You didn't see that one coming did you? Neither did I. For me this is a very intriguing topic to see in manga, mostly because I can relate it it a lot. My niece, who's turning three in may, is diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD-NOS) and I have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) since I was three. Both my niece and I are part of the Autistic spectrum (ASD). Surprise!
Funny thing, I've learned from past experiences that anything associated with the word "Autistic" is a conversation-stopper. Like one time, In Japanese class I had to tell my teacher to be patient with me and my need for extended time on tests because I had ADHD. I could tell she rarely worked with special students. Or another time, I was arguing with my art teacher over my involvement with the art show manager and I yelled "Does she have an Autistic niece that she helps take care of?!", his expression was priceless and automatically he shut up and listened to me. I find it funny to see their faces.
As you can see, seeing the topic of autism in manga is very interesting to me. I've only seen hints of it in manga, but I've never seen it as a major part of manga. For example, in the popular manga "Death note" the detective "L" has certain actions and body language, like holding his knees in a chair and being very intelligent but social inept, points to Asperger syndrome. It's only a rumor but it's very likely that "L" has it. But aside from that I've rarely seen characters with special needs in manga. That is, untill I discovered this manga book that widened my eyes.


MANGA REVIEW: With the light: Raising an autistic child

Art and story by: Keiko Tobe

This is probably the first manga I read that focuses on autism as part of the comic. Which is a big deal to me. It's a beautiful story. It centers around Sachiko, who gives birth to her first born child Hikaru (japanese for "light"). As a baby she notices how he isn't developing like a normal baby and seeks a doctor to help. The doctor diagnoses Hikaru with autism. Sachiko goes through many trials and errors taking care of Hikaru, first her mother in law was frustrated with Hikaru because she couldn't understand why he was like that, and sachiko's husband was too busy with work to notice. But eventually, the husband is forced to take notice and instead of distancing himself from Hikaru, he begins to spend more time with his family to help his wife and understand Hikaru. As Hikaru grows up the mother begins to learn more about him like his fear of loud noises, his high sensitivity and the things he does like, like trains. Eventually Hikaru has a little sister and starts to take to her like a big brother. The manga progresses with Hikaru going through everyday life and going to different schools. At times the story seems dark by the reactions and protests of other people to Hikaru's actions. But there are light and funny moments. Like when one he is in junior high, he invites some of his friends to his house. Sachiko comes in the room because she's excited to see her son's friends and how they're doing. Hikaru then holds his mom's hand and starts to lead her. She wonders with excitement where he is leading her to. They step out of the room, Hikaru let's go of her hand and goes back inside. She then realizes her son was embarrassed by her and escorted her out, Just like a regular kid!
I really like this story because when I read it I wonder about my niece Violet. It makes me wonder how she sees and feels the world. And by the way Hikaru talks, it gives me hope that Violet will also talk. Right now she usually hums, shouts, giggles or signs with her hands. But I wait for the day Violet walks up to me with a piece of paper and a pencil and says "Draw mickey mouse." (I did the same thing to my big sister. I always asked her to draw sonic the hedgehog) I wont mind if she doesn't say "please". "With the light" is a very beautiful story, I once cried after reading it. I really like the manga for portraying Autism in a realistic manner. It shows Japan's special education services and their manner of teaching. It shows the many difficulties with taking care of an autistic child, but it also shows the hidden joys that comes with it. A good example of this, is when Hikaru, randomly walks up to Sachiko, grabs her apron and says in a clear voice "Mommy". Now all I have to do is make Violet say "Auntie". Which is hopefully very soon.

Can you even make manga "Realistic"?

Hey guys, long time no see. I haven't been blogging too much because I'm hard at work on my art portfolio for college. A few days ago I had to overcome one of my many weaknesses in art. Proportions. I have never been so frustrated to get a single pose anatomically correct in my LIFE. I've been really hitting the books on my anatomy (including one book and a male art mannequin that my brother got for me) and I've been really studying proportions. I've learned that the average human is about 8 1/2 heads tall. So now I've been working on my figures and measuring them to make sure they're 8 1/2 heads tall. So I guess I've been making my characters more "Realistic". I've also been looking at how to draw comic and how to draw manga books for figures and they don't follow regular proportions. Some characters are only 7 heads tall (which is the size of a 12 year old) and some are 9 heads tall (like the super buff American super heroes).

I think it's very hard to make characters "Realistic" when you're trying to maintain a manga style, which is characterized by insane proportions and super deformed characters. The manga I've seen that follows realistic proportions are mostly Senin or "Mature" manga. Like "Ninja scroll" or "Vagabond". Manga gears towards mature audiences generally follow a realistic style that to be comically deformed like manga for younger audiences. I've seen only a few teen manga that follow realistic proportions. But it's hard to follow realistic proportions, because it's a lot of work. But I think realistic proportions can make the characters seem more realistic and more believable than a small chibi character. It may have nothing to do with manga but the movie "Avatar" follows very realistic proportions in their design of the Na'vi. The bodies are over 9ft but they are proportional like a human. Even their faces can mimic real human expressions. It goes to show you that by making your characters realistic, the reader can relate to them as if they were real. Here's one manga that follows that.

MANGA REVIEW: Death Note

Story by: Tsugumi Ohba

Art by: Takeshi Obata

Anyone who knows manga definately knows this super popular series. For those who hate it, I won't force you to read the rest. For those who don't know it, it's about a teen, Light Yagami who stumbles upon a black notebook called a death note. When he reads it. He learns it is a tool used by Shinigami, Death gods, to write the name of a fated person and kill them by natural causes or accidents. Light is forced to use it when a person is in danger and then has to bear the weight of killing a human being. But as he begins to use it more often to kill criminals, he begins to become a godlike figure called "Kira". He is then Visited by the owner of the notebook, Ryuk, who is amused by light and how he has used the notebook. Light tells him how he will use the death note to create a new world order filled with justice. As bizarre killings go on in japan, a special detective called "L" investigates and tries to track down the man called "Kira". The whole manga is a super natural game of "Cat and mouse". The story is good and the scenes do get talkative but what I really like about the series is the art. Obata uses a realistic style of manga to help draw the story and match it's mature themes. The charatcers are drawn in realistic proportions with no distortion (except for the shinigami, who scream "Hot topic") and the settings are hyper detailed. Like, Light's room looks like a real room, not too tall, not distorted. It almost reminds me of the detailing in Hirohiko Araki's "Jojo's bizarre adventure". The facial expressions do have a "manga" feel, but they're also realistic. Obata's style of "Manga Realism" really brings out the mature capabilities of manga (the manga itself is for 16 and up), That it can accurately portray human figures and human emotion correctly. That's what makes Death note a good read for aspiring manga artists hoping to go for a more realistic style.

Let's do manga the american way!

Oh Japan...the birthplace of manga... but then again, japan isn't the capital of all comics and graphic novels in the world, just it's own, manga. Here in America we have a manga explosion; One that has lasted for a while (since the 70's) and grew from an underground source into one of the most popular medias out there. I know 'cause I grew up on manga. There was something about it's style that just seemed more appealing then American comics. Don't get me wrong, America is home of the world's top comic industries MARVEL and DC, but I liked manga because it was different. The lines were simple but detailed. The chibi characters were cartoony but not "Hannah Barbera" cartoony. Manga often divulged into more mature themes and had a variety of genres, each with it's own style to attract different audiences. This is why manga's so popular, and why Japanese culture is so popular. Other American artist like myself saw this genre and said "I'd like to make something like this, but my way" and thus OEL (original english language) manga was created.

I consider myself an OEL manga artist not because of my nationality but because of my style and themes. When I draw manga I don't want it to be the mirror image of a typical Japanese manga. I want it to have pop culture references I'm familiar with. Like American pop culture. Manga and american comic books are very different because of their cultural references. In a comic book it's typical to see rituals like holloween and 4th of july. In manga it's typical to see rituals like Harumatsuri (spring festival) or Goldenweek (a week of japan's national holidays). We often see manga as a way to peek into another culture. This is why my eyes stopped dead at this manga...or should I say comic book?

MANGA REVIEW: Karakuri Douji ULTIMO

Original Concept: Stan Lee

Story & Art: Hiroyuki Takei

Inker: DAIGO

Painter: BOB

Thats right, you saw it. Original concept by STAN LEE! I've heard of Stan working on a manga with Hiroyuki Takei A.K.A. The creator of Shaman King. I was astounded by the idea. An American comic book writer and a Japanese manga-ka (artist) working together! I haven't seen it untill I saw and read Karakuri Douji ULTIMO. The story isn't bad. It's about a teen boy Yamato, who finds a Karakuri Douji (mechanical boy) of the name Ultimo in a shop. He then activates Ultimo and learns that in his past life he met and fought many battles with Ultimo, mainly against Ultimo's evil twin, Vice. Both Ultimo and Vice were created by the mad scientist Dunstan (he looks familiar doesn't he?) in an effort to find out what would win in the world. Ultimate good or Ultimate evil?

While Yamato learns of his past he also runs into Vice in the present along with other new villains, all while trying to maintain his high school life and his companion ULTIMO. The main idea of the story is a tale of Good v.s. Evil that spans through time. So the idea sounds a little cheesy...and for the artwork you definitely see some shaman king influence. Plus, Ultimo's supposed to be beautiful, like the heart of goodness. But here he is very androgynous. Especially when he's teary eyed. Aside from that, reading the manga, it's an interesting story. I find it to have some American influence in the storytelling via Stan Lee. The dialogue can be heroic and reminiscent of superhero comics and the action and expressions are reminiscent of action manga. Personally I like it for the whole concept of it. Two major comic book creators from two different nationalities and cultures band together to make one solid "manga/comic book" lovechild. I even hear that Stan wants ULTIMO to be made into an anime, He's really Gung Ho for the series and very determined. I say go for it. I want to see what the future holds for ULTIMO.

Let me enlighten you

There are many things I can't live without in life. Family, Friendship, Food, Video games, the Internet and many others. But there was ONE thing in life I found and with it realized my true life's calling, Manga.

FREEZE! Before you think this blog is stereotypical what-so-ever. I am not a super saiyan japanophile weeaboo who only feeds off super popular comics like Naruto, Bleach, D. Gray-Man, Code Geass (more like Gay-ass) and other fanfiction spawners. I'm a girl who knows 3-years of japanese, wants to be the first female super saiyan and feeds of not-so-ordinary comics. Most importantly I see manga not as an article of reading leisure, but an art form and most importantly, my purpose in life.

I don't want drawing manga to be a hobby to keep while working at a crappy job. It's not going to be a guilty pleasure because there's nothing guilty about it. I want to be a manga artist. I want to draw comics for a living. It's rare to have a job that makes you more than happy to do it everyday. When I think of manga I think "If you love it so much, why not do it for a living?". I have many friends who are skilled at this art form, but downsize their skills as a "hobby". Often as a "When I have a stable job and get enough money then I'll pursue my dream" kind of thing. I refuse! I want--no--I WILL make my dream a reality. I love to create manga, and never in my life, have I had such determination to accomplish this dream. That is why drawing manga is not my hobby, but my life. I am a family person, though, so don't think I'm cooped up in a lonesome room using manga as my only company. That's another thing. I have a big family and I love them to death. So you can scratch off the "The socially inept manga artist" stereotype.

Basically I'll be blogging about Manga styles, techniques, family life and as an added bonus~
I'll be reviewing manga! And NO, It won't be ordinary super popular manga. I've grown a taste for a wide variety of manga, some classics, some new, each of them a different genre. It's nice to check out manga you might have never read before, no?
So let me be your akward-independent guide into the world of manga. Let me enlighten you without brainwashing you. So sit back and enjoy the ride.