Manga Tackled at NY Comic-Con
By Michael Rogers -- Library Journal, 4/1/2006
The first New York Comic-Con swallowed Manhattan’s Jacob Javits Center, February 24–26, attracting a crushing crowd of 35,000 over three packed days of panel sessions, author/artist signings, and film/TV screenings. The show floor burst with comics and graphic novels of every description, action figures and models, DVDs, and artwork.
About 100 librarians attended an LJ-sponsored panel session, moderated by LJ’s Ann Kim, “A Nosebleed Means WHAT?: Sexuality in Japanese Manga.” Explaining the difference between the subject matter and American comics, librarian Martha Cornog observed that Japan is a non-Christian country with vastly different morals, where “sex by default is considered good.” Japan’s age of consent is 15, and its pop culture includes sexual references in products aimed at teens. Although sex is prolific in manga and its assorted gay offshoots, the genre deals equally with the emotional side of relationships. “It’s an acceptable way to play out sexual emotions without getting hurt as well as a safe way to play out sexual fantasies,” said Lilian Diaz Pryzbl of Tokyopop.
Librarians revealed that the biggest hurdle to collecting this oft-misunderstood and oft-questioned format was not parents or politics but “other staffers.” “'How could you buy this?’ is the usual reaction,” said one audience member. Few said their libraries offer a separate manga collection for adults and that all manga generally is lumped under YA, whether it’s kid/teen-friendly or not.
Rating standard needed
Librarians carped that most publishers offer inadequate rating systems and said they needed more than simply age recommendations. “Why is it appropriate for that age and not others—does the book contain violence, real sex, just mild nudity, or simply someone in their underwear?” asked a YA librarian. Publishers responded that, with no national standard in place, each publisher and distributor must operate separately. Publishers suggested that librarians work on the issue.
There’s little manga truly for children in North America. Chris Oarr (ADV Film) said that there’s little money in G-rated titles, so Japanese publishers don’t produce them, and most in the few existing series lack the bite that makes the genre popular. Pryzbl said that Tokyopop is working with American authors/writers to develop “all-ages-friendly titles” beyond popular Pokemon.
Librarians also questioned physical durability. Jaime Starling (Stone Bridge) recounted a story from staff at the San Francisco Public Library. They told her that Stone Gate’s titles were the most often stolen—a testament to their popularity—but the bindings were so poor “that thieves stopped taking them because they fell apart so quickly.”
