Mangasia: Stories and Storytellers
A look at the ways storytellers have used their stories to subject sexism, stereotyping and patriarchy in the media and manga.
Stories & Storytellers
We rarely stop to wonder who makes the comics we enjoy, and the labour involved in the creation of each comic. Behind every story lies a storyteller; many comics self-reflexively focus on the creator, whether that be charting their path to becoming a comics artist, their challenge to create this particular work, or their success or failure at making a living from this most demanding of professions.
Kusumoto Maki
Since the late-1980s, Kusumoto Maki has worked to subvert what she sees as sexism, stereotyping and patriarchy still common in Japan’s mass media, even in the manga produced by women.
Akashiro-tsurubami (2014/2014) by Kusumoto MakiBarbican Centre
Working since 2009 on her serial Akashiro-tsurubami for the mainstream women’s magazines Chorus and then Cocohana, Kusumoto, operating without assistants or editorial constraints, composes eight pages per month – with exquisite precision and nuanced characterisation – to challenge patriarchal gender norms.
Akashiro-tsurubami (2014/2014) by Kusumoto MakiBarbican Centre
Goddess (2013/2013) by Junko MizunoBarbican Centre
Mizuno Junko
Another artist to play with these conventions is cult artist Mizuno Junko, who first started publishing in the early 2000s.
Mizuno re-mixes the big-eyed traditions of ‘kawaii’, or cuteness in girls’ comics, with a retro style inspired by the classic manga of Tezuka Osamu.
Goddess (2013/2013) by Junko MizunoBarbican Centre
This combination produces her distinctive – and disturbing – flights of fancy, far removed from the traditional expectations of manga produced by women.
Goddess (2013/2013) by Junko MizunoBarbican Centre
The Man Next Door (1956/1956) by Masahiko MatsumotoBarbican Centre
Post-war manga, such as ‘akahon’, or ‘red books’, were mainly aimed at younger readers. In the 1950s, an alternative system of rental libraries, supplied by specialist publishers of less cartoonish comics which catered to older readers, took off.
Gekiga Baka tachi! (1979/1983) by Masahiko MatsumotoBarbican Centre
Matsumoto Masahiko
Matsumoto Masahiko was a pioneer of these realistic manga, which were influenced by ‘noir’ movies, and became known as ‘gekiga’, or ‘dramatic pictures.’
The Man Next Door (1956/1956) by Masahiko MatsumotoBarbican Centre
By the early 1960s, their creators were being hired by the mass-market magazines for their darker styles and subjects, revolutionising Japanese comics, and enabling them to mature with their readers.
The Man Next Door (1956/1956) by Masahiko MatsumotoBarbican Centre
The Man Next Door (1956/1956) by Masahiko MatsumotoBarbican Centre
Takashi Fukutani
The rise of ‘gekiga’ led to an explosion in the 1970s of ‘seinen‘ comics for men. This genre’s hits included the edgy urban comedy Dokudami Tenement, about “a left-behind man, late o the starting line of life”, much like its author, Fukutani Takashi.
Midnight Mover from Dokudami Tenement Volume 1 (1979/1979) by Takashi FukutaniBarbican Centre
Midnight Mover from Dokudami Tenement Volume 1 (1979/1979) by Takashi FukutaniBarbican Centre
He wrote about what he knew; not only his personal issues with poverty, over drinking, and sexual frustration, but also the idiosyncrasies of his chosen profession, with the constant deadlines and his clashes with his unhelpful, incompetent assistant.
Mangasia: Wonderlands of Asian Comics at Le Lieu Unique, Nantes, France (2018/2018) by Barbican CentreBarbican Centre
Mangasia: Wonderlands of Asian Comics is a Barbican International Enterprises exhibition, curated by Paul Gravett, touring globally. Mangasia presents a vivid journey through the art of Comics and visual storytelling across Asia. From its historical roots to the most recent digital innovations, the exhibition looks to popular Japanese ‘Manga’ and beyond, highlighting key creators, characters and publications.
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