I've noticed a lot of western manga fans complain about western artists "attempting manga". Many believe if you're not a Japanese artist, you're no good at manga, no matter how hard your try. And then, if you're no good at manga, you don't have the right to call yourself a "manga artist", manga style artist", "anime style artist" and so on.

Do you think that's true?

Personally, I also want to try more realistic styles. I love the way realistic (both traditional as cg) art looks.

And AA Gill is one among many [he also criticises Bruce Lee as a psychopathic Michael Flatley. Yeah, I'd love to see him say that to his face if he were still alive]. These idiots have no idea of what they criticise, since they are too talentless to try it for themselves. Long rein the talented, and long may the critics live in slavery. Amen.
Getting back to the point, I think art is supposed to accessible to everyone. In terms of both artist and viewer, anyone is supposed to be able to carry out either role, regardless ESPECIALLY of nationality. So, to all those fans that think only Japanese people should draw anime/manga, Shut. The. Fuck. Up.

[ 18-06-2004: Message edited by: Angelo ]

Fact is that "Manga" doesn't exactly have an official definition in the English dictionary last time I checked, and even if it did, you still get some elitests trying to belt out the difference on the boards. It's not like everybody on the planet has ever agreed on anything before, they definitely aren't gonna' start with this. Anyway, it always goes by who's definition. The Japanese don't really have a classification divide between cartoon and anime and manga and comic, but the american Otaku like to make one, so that's just how it is.

Anyhow, I say screw the manga buzz word and just make entertaining drawings that follow in a sequential order to make a story, let the fans duke it out over what it is, as long as you know that someone will enjoy it. Don't even bother trying to pigeon hole your style, people just love their dualities when it comes to making sense of the universe.

Personally, I don't think I draw in manga style, I was trained in Disney methology after all. I just happen to like drawing cute things with big eyes and colorful hair, but because most people tell me that it is anime/manga style, I'm not going to argue with the majority

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But western people like to use these words to describe something specific, for example cha, in the US as far as I heard is used to describe Tea with milk and some spices mixed in (thats the way tea is made in india mainly). Cha however is just the asian word for Tea nothing more nothing less.

As for the question if western can draw japanese styled comics ? ofcourse its just a bunch of lines afterall, and we can draw lines right?
Can western draw good japanese styled comics ? well read an Adam warren comic and that should answer that question.

But I would never call myself manga artist (I would never use the word artist to describe myself in the first place) - But my drawing style is heavily inspired by the drawing style you find in some japanese comics (they dont look all the same anyways) .

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Wer nicht vom Meister lernt, lernt nie etwas.

As I like to joke about art and entertainiment with a dash of truth, "The difference between art and entertainment is that one was made by a poor dead guy with no friends, and the other is produced by a living rich guy with lots of friends."

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www.xynthica.com

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Originally posted by Bomu:
- Otherwise it would be similar to say you can't be into rap and hip-hop music unless you're black and living in America!

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you cant, can you?

oh yea, now to add to the topic

i couldn't call myself an artist lol im not that good....yet but im all into the manga style stuff, i find it easier to draw in this way than trying to draw something mroe realistic, like i tried drawing a ninja earlier today and it ended up anime style lol, because i couldn't draw the eyes very well and make it look realistic

[ 21-11-2004: Message edited by: Si13Nt ]

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Ezekiel 25:17

I don't think the artist's origin is what people should recognize as to whom makes a better artist in this particular issue,but the artist's influences and general artwork that they've incorportated into their preferred style. On another note you can't please everyone.

I think that a Japanese manga artist most likely would have a slight advantage due to the more heavily influence about what they draw surrounds them in a bigger way compared to a western manga arstis.However, that doesn't mean their artwork in manga is more or less always superior to any other artist that draws manga.

A western artist who draws manga can be just as good or even better than the Japanese manga artist and vice versa. It depends on their drawing talent and influences, not where the artist come from.

[ 27-11-2004: Message edited by: Hiltz ]

That being said, the term "Manga Inspired" has become quite popular in western graphic novels, and it has been proven often that westerns can draw in "Manga Style" quite effectively with proper devotion, sometimes adding on western influences that make for interesting combinations and unique styles, such as exhibited by artists like Jill Thompson in "At Death's Door".

Retorting back to my "Messay", I just think western drawn manga is kind of like "American Chinese Food", it's different, it's value in comparison is interpretive, but there is little doubt that they are not the same with very different connotations.

A lot of manga enthusiasts in North America that I know of like to switch hands entirely from their native roots to the Japanese style when it comes to drawing... it might be what the fans want, but in the end, you'll always be just a pale clone of the original unless you put your individuality and uniqueness into it to make it somehow different. I just feel that a lot of people lose so much of themselves when trying to emulate manga successfully, and I suppose I was guilty of such a charge not so long ago... It's a shame too, since countries like the USA, Italy, and Great Britian have a great but often forgotten history of graphic novels, and even Manga's Korean and Chinese cousins have been ignored as of recent times... had it not been for the American mentality as a result of the book "Seduction of the Innocent" by Frederick Werham, and the highly limiting comic code that followed, American comics might have continued to have flourished to the day.

In the end, "manga" is only a convenient label for lack of a better way to describe the phenomenon outside of Japan (Or annoying buzz word that echoes like a bloody parrot), so as with everything art, it's interpretative to the artist and his/her audience. If both audience and artist accept that the work is manga, then there are no problems at all.

Errr.... but I suppose I have gone on one of my rants again, did I? Hahaha, but here is what I really think at the bottom line beyond flimsy definions and labeling:

Yes

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www.xynthica.com

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Originally posted by Bomu:
- Some would argue that the basis of the typical manga style was based on western cartoons

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In fact, manga/anime godfather Osamu Tezuka was directly influenced by Western animation, specifically Disney. Of course, post WWII when manga/anime really became the cultural establishment we know and admire, Japan was pumped full of American military bases, and Japan was, and to some extent still is, absolutely in love with Western culture. I think it is fair to say that it rubbed off a bit.

* as a side note in the same East/West influence vein, Kia Asamiya of Silent Mobius fame has done a wonderful Batman graphic novel. My favourite Western comic hero married with one of my favourite Eastern artist/writers? I nearly orgasmed then and there

Metaphorically, Japan grows rice and the west grows wheat and only recently has rice become popular, if only because of the cultural homefield advantage... it does not measure the individual strengths of the farmers on either side and there are always the exceptions to the rule... that is why I say don't practice the mantra of "We can draw manga/anime just as good as them!" but rather "I like this! Let's add some of that to our style!". I'm sure the Japanese feel this way towards western graphic entertainment and film as well. Afterall, a perfect shadow is just a shadow in the end without the essence of a soul... and in unrelated news, sushi looks really easy to make, but it actually takes years of training for a professional sushi chef to reach the epitome of their art if only to learn apparently useless cultural protocol... as such, the cultural connotation of anime and manga is not something to merely be disgarded for the imitator, but something to be improvised by the innovator, which begs the questions... I wonder if it's true that the California Roll was actually invented in Vancouver?

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www.xynthica.com

(Feels great saying that instead of a 3 paragraph lecture)

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