Comic Books And Cartoons

In many countries, there are well-known comic books and cartoons. Some have become very popular worldwide, so much so that merchandise of those comics and cartoons sell like hotcakes. Today, Japanese comics and cartoons have become well-known across the globe, and many people visit Japan to buy such related merchandise. Many people have gained an interest in Japanese culture through this medium. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say Japanese comics and cartoons are an important and valuable aspect of Japanese popular culture.

Comics in Japan are known as 漫画 (manga) and have a long history that dates back to the 12th century. The first comic said to have been made in Japan is the 鳥獣人物戯画 (chōjū-jinbutsu-giga). This particular work was made from the end of the Heian period (794-1185) to the beginning of the Kamakura period (1185-1333) and is a set of four separate picture scrolls. It doesn’t look much like the comics produced nowadays in Japan, but the techniques used to draw each of the characters on this set of scrolls are said to be very similar to those used to draw comics in Japan nowadays. The Chōjū-jinbutsu-giga was said to have been drawn in a Buddhist temple known as 栂尾山高山寺 (togano-oyama kozanji) in Kyoto City, Kyoto. Some may know this, but it looks as if several people drew this picture scroll. It’s hypothesized that several Buddhist monks who lived in Togano-oyama Kozanji Temple worked together to complete it.

Initially, comics made in Japan didn’t have any words, it was just pictures. Over the years, as with comics in Japan nowadays, words were written alongside as well. In 1923, the comics ノンキナトウサン (noniki-na-tōsan) and 正チャンの冒険 (shōchan-no-bōken) were serialized in a newspaper, and not only did they include words as well, but also utilized the allotment of frames and ballons around words to help indicate somebody talking. This style of writing comics hadn’t been seen before, but comics now started to look more like they do nowadays. In the Showa era (1926-1989), comics switched from being drawn with a brush to a pen. This was supposedly a big change in how comics were produced in Japan.

Cartoons in Japan are known as アニメーション (animeeshon), which is often shortened to アニメ (anime). Translating as “animation”, Japanese cartoons have a relatively short history, first appearing around the 19th century. In 1919, 芋川椋三玄関番の巻 (imokawa-mukuzō-genkanban-no-maki) was produced and was said to be the first cartoon to be released in Japan. Unfortunately, the film used for this cartoon supposedly no longer exists, so it can no longer be seen. Soon after its release, the cartoon “Astro Boy” (made by the famous cartoonist Osamu Tezuka) was released, and from there, many other highly praised cartoons have been released over the years. Some cartoons in Japan started as comics, and some have only ever been cartoons. There are even some comics in Japan that started as cartoons.

One of the most distinguishing features of comics and cartoons in Japan is how each character is drawn. Specifically, many of these characters are drawn with big, round eyes. There are a few reasons why this style of drawing characters in Japan has stuck, the first of which is said to be in part to Osamu Tezuka. In his cartoon “Astro Boy”, he draws the characters with big eyes. Many cartoonists in Japan were influenced heavily by Osamu Tezuka’s work; they copied his drawing style. Osamu Tezuka was not the first cartoonist in Japan to draw characters with big eyes. After WWI, other cartoonists chose to draw characters with big round eyes. However, it wasn’t until Osamu Tezuka came along that the big eyes in cartoons became the mainstream.

Another reason big eyes are said to have become the norm in comics and cartoons in Japan is the Disney movie “Bambi”. Released in 1942, Bambi is one cute character. As those who have seen this movie will know, Bambi and all the other characters were drawn with big eyes. Most likely to make their characters look cute, too, many Japanese cartoonists were said to have copied the drawing style used in this movie.

Similarly, there is said to be a “cute culture” in Japan, and anything that is considered cute is loved by the Japanese. They say that many cartoonists would like the characters in their stories to be portrayed as “cute”, which (with no relation to Bambi) is why they choose this particular style of drawing eyes.

Another reason for big eyes in Japanese comics and cartoons is that many cartoonists in Japan use these eyes to make the emotions and expressions of their characters easier to express. With bigger eyes, it’s likely much easier for the emotions of each character to be understood too.

Throughout the articles below you can learn more about Japanese comics and cartoons. Some of the cities, buildings, and so on in these works can be seen in Japan, so these articles will also help you to find out exactly where these locations are. We at MORIKOBOSHI hope that by reading these articles one will find a deeper appreciation for and become more interested in comics and cartoons produced in Japan.