Table of ContentsIntroductionWhat is an Art Form?BackgroundManga as an Art FormManga as LiteratureCritical AnalysisConclusionWorks CitedIntroductionThough Comics have been appreciated by the general public for decades, it was not until the release of the first official comic strip that things changed in 1933. (South Florida Reporter) Since then, the world has been graced with the presence of comic books in a much more centralized form, no longer relying on daily newspapers to enjoy panel sources of entertainment. With each country and artist bringing something unique and personal to the comics writing scene, it is expected to see the development of a variety of unique styles that each time bring something new to the table, which in turn allows them to transcend the boundaries of the world. literature and develop their own characteristics that set them apart among the pool of such a widely celebrated form of entertainment. This also causes them to split into their own respective subgroups with followers bordering on a sect. I found this particularly noticeable in the case of Japanese manga. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get an original essay As someone who grew up fascinated by the versatility of the art world, ranging from an obsession with literature and graphic novels to a deep appreciation of Stop Animation, I discovered and became obsessed with anime. Captivated by the emotionally evocative storylines and art styles of anime such as “Yuri!!! » by Sayo Yamamoto. On Ice” and Shinichirō Watanabe’s “Cowboy Bebop,” I was immediately intrigued by the beauty and versatility of the Japanese entertainment world, especially the seemingly endless varieties of anime. This interest only deepened when I became a higher level IB art student, with this course allowing me to further explore the world of art from a much more holistic and appreciate art beyond paintings and sculptures. Having gained a better understanding of visual art and its elements, I was deeply inspired by the artistic elements of anime and wanted to know more about its origins and history, thus leading me to the vast manga world. Although I don't necessarily read traditional Japanese manga often, I can definitely say that they have heavily influenced my artistic style when drawing digitally, adding an expressionistic touch to my art while adding a sense of movement and fluidity. It also inspired me in a sense of storytelling, moving me away from my typically verbose way of speaking and allowing me to tell stories in a much more creative and succinct way. In this essay, I will explore and define the defining aspects of manga. where it stands in relation to traditional (and non-traditional) methods of categorization in the fine arts. What is an art form? As this essay will focus on distinguishing manga as an art form, it is necessary to identify what exactly an art form is. is, which, according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, is "an unconventional form or medium in which impulses considered artistic may be expressed" or "a form or medium of expression recognized as art." (Merriam Webster) This specific definition can be extended to any form of self-expression, thereby establishing literature itself as an art form. However, I will use the term "art form" to refer exclusively to the artsvisuals. It is also important to note that objective views and definitions of what art is are also crucial in determining what can be “qualified” as art. Therefore, I will also apply my own definition of an art form to determine to what extent manga can be considered an art form in itself. From my point of view, I would define an art form as the expression of something; whether it is emotion or any other message, via a non-verbal medium. It can serve as an opportunity for the artist to “speak” using another voice and do something to attract the audience's attention, produce something exclusively for aesthetic purposes, or convey a powerful message. It can also serve as a tool to encourage and inspire the artist's respective audiences and give themselves or others a new voice in the face of injustice. I believe art can be found in all things and is an incredibly crucial part of Indigenous life. and modern cultures. This is particularly linked to manga's central role in the development and dissemination of Japanese pop culture, being both easily identifiable and long-established. While I may not be able to find a definitive answer, my goal is to construct a more comprehensive definition of manga's place in the art world. Background Manga are Japanese comic books that gained popularity in Japan after World War II and served as a source of inspiration. entertainment and comfort for Japanese audiences while recovering from the war. I found it would be beneficial to investigate the origins of manga and potentially develop a deeper understanding of its development over time and the important characters who contributed to its creation and evolution into what it became. it is today. Machiko Hasegawa: Respectfully considered the "grandmother of Manga", Machiko Hasegawa was a Japanese cartoonist born on January 30, 1920 in Kyushu, Japan. Originally publishing her trademark series "Sazae-San" in a newspaper in 1946, Hasegawa is known as one of the first mangaka of all time, making her work a source of light entertainment for audiences in Japan according to the Second World War, still recovering. By providing a unique and unusual satirical portrait of the ordinary Japanese housewife, Hasegawa managed to break Japanese societal norms of the time, both by living what was considered an "unconventional lifestyle" and by giving herself a voice through her art and humor. Described in her obituary by The Independent as a somewhat antisocial woman who did not necessarily seek the company of others, having never married (which was rare in itself at the time), it is obvious that Hasegawa could have using her art as an extension of herself and a voice to criticize and question the functioning of her society, one of the countless functions of art. Osamu Tezuka: Born in Toyonaka, Japan on November 3, 1928, Osamu Tezuka is one of, if not the most important figure in the development of manga to date. Honored as the “Grandfather of Manga and Anime,” Tezuka grew up as an art-loving person whose interests ranged from performing arts to collecting and drawing insects. Considered a natural storyteller from a young age, Tezuka placed great importance on the balance between a good story and good art and believed that a beautiful illustration could never save a terrible story, thus emphasizing their codependency. A very versatile artist, Tezuka created manga of all genres and drew over 150,000 pages of manga during his life. Just like MachikoHasegawa, Tezuka began by publishing his comics in a newspaper, however, he went beyond the scope of exclusive publication in newspapers and later created not only manga, but also full-fledged anime such as Astro Boy (1963). Due to the limited number of frames per second, animators had to place more emphasis on character movement and emotion, something we still see in manga and anime today. Nowadays, the manga industry is constantly expanding, ranging from iconic titles such as Akira Toriyama's Dragonball to Eiichiro Oda's One Piece. With the growing interest in Japanese culture during the Heisei era (January 8, 1989 to April 30, 2019), the creation and distribution of manga became a very profitable business. While it can be difficult to generalize about each mangaka's sources of inspiration, it can be assumed that many artists influenced each other to some extent, with the Naruto artist saying he was "completely addicted » to popular boys. “Dragon Ball” series. This once again demonstrates the interconnectedness of the world of manga creation, something that is also present in the world of fine art. Manga as an art form As seen in Osamu Tezuka's first full-length manga, the narrative aspect relies heavily on imagery, as an overabundance of words can confuse the audience and does not necessarily build a good story. Related to the previously mentioned definition of an art form, this emphasizes the function of art to convey a message to the audience through a non-verbal medium. Manga also has its defining characteristics, both aesthetic and written. One of the most notable is the artistic style which varies from artist to artist. Human characters in manga are usually drawn with exaggerated proportions, particularly with regard to facial features which include larger eyes for easier depiction of emotions. This allows for less reliance on dialogue and a narrator's voice and creates better immersion for the audience. Manga as Literature As Tezuka has consistently stated, exceptional works of art could not save a poorly written story and would instead strive to find more balance within his works. This balance is explored further in terms of storytelling by giving characters a voice through dialogue and sometimes narration. In doing so, mangaka are able to create a link between literature and art to please their respective audiences. It's also important to note the tradition of publishing manga as books, which automatically places them in a gray area in terms of identifying their purpose. In general, manga serves as a form of entertainment, much like most forms of literature, and is generally not created for audiences to exclusively admire the illustrations. By creating a greater sense of coherence in terms of precise plot and character development, it increasingly emphasizes the role of storytelling in manga, because without the use of words there is a level of disconnection with the audience, almost entirely eliminating the purpose of the manga. The visual role that literature plays in the composition of each panel is also an important area of ​​interest. Dialogue is often deliberately placed in negative space, giving the whole thing a sense of unity while still maintaining enjoyment for readers. Critical AnalysisThis analysis aims to identify the artistic elements of manga and justify its categorization as an art form. For this essay, I chose to analyze page 15 of the first volume of Naruto by MasashiKishimoto. I chose this manga specifically because I own two digital versions of the book, both with slight variations in terms of publication. One of them is a cruder, and most likely illegal, English version, and the other is an officially released copy. Although both editions effectively tell the same story using almost identical images, the most notable difference is in their use of language. Because one of the versions is a less polished release that was translated directly from Japanese, the dialogue in this specific scene is much more direct and harsh compared to the official English translation. This creates a slightly different atmosphere than the officially released translation, further emphasizing the role of dialogue and language usage in the manga's storytelling, as introducing such a slight variation could possibly misconstrue the intentions originals of the author. The selected page is from the beginning. of the book and is at a point where the main character, Naruto, is once again rejected in his quest to become a fully realized ninja. I used this scene in particular because of the emotional significance it has for the main character, which then translates into the images presented to the reader. Although his failure is treated somewhat lightly, the audience manages to gain perspective on the main character's difficulties in pursuing his dream. This particularly stood out to me because Kishimoto's method of expressing strong emotions within his characters in this scene relied heavily on integrated illustration while using minimal dialogue. In this particular panel, Kishimoto was careful to integrate the words into the composition of the piece, serving as a background and not necessarily as an element of interest to the reader. It is organized in such a way that the black lettering provides balance within the room, as the black lettering on both sides has similar dimensions. The darker value placed in the background also helps place more emphasis on the human figure in the foreground, which is of a lighter value, creating greater contrast. Because the character is placed in the center, the black letters frame him in such a way that the audience can focus on the action in the foreground, which is Naruto's reaction to yet another failure. The composition of this panel appears more balanced due to the symmetry of the lettering and the character in the center. The lettering featured in both versions uses bold, prominent lines that emphasize movement within the piece. Since the depicted character has a direct impact on the movement of the rest of the setting, the artist made sure to show a variety of lines and textures to frame the character and illustrate their surroundings. Due to the somewhat simplistic art style, there is not much variation in the texture demonstrated in this panel, with the exception of pieces of debris flying away as a result of the character's collision with the ground. In an attempt to exclusively observe the illustrated elements of the specific scene I selected, I removed all writing elements from the presented panel, including those that were part of the background and was interested to find that the overall composition of the page was becoming seriously unbalanced and somewhat empty or incomplete. This emphasized the overall reliance on maintaining balance through the constant variation of values ​​and the use of both words and images to tell a story. It also allowed me to see the variety of values ​​used in the exclusively black and white piece, the.. 15–15.