What is considered a serious art form? Perhaps it is artwork that has a general standard of what the subject matter should be and the style in which it should be presented. An example of a serious art form may be mandalas because they are supposed to reflect spirituality, as well as have patterns and geometric shapes. However, anime, which is Japanese animation, and manga, which are Japanese comics, do not appear to have “rules” about what they should look like. The exhibit Krazy!: The Delirious World of Anime + Manga + Video Games at the Japan Society showcases a wide variety of anime and manga genres and styles. The Japan Society’s collection of manga is more diverse than that of anime though. The manga displayed there feature human characters and even machines as the main characters, whereas the anime there only has people in it. Both manga and anime use many art styles, but manga appears to combine more styles than anime. Therefore, manga can be practically based on any subject and style. There is no clear set of “rules” to adhere to in creating manga. Hence, manga is not a serious art form.
Yuichi Yokoyama’s “New Engineering” manga is quite different from most other manga. In most manga, the main characters are humans, robots, androids or animals. However, in this manga, the geometric shaped machines appear to take more prominent roles than its human characters. The machines are constantly making machine sounds, while the humans rarely talk. One of the few phrases that the men say in the manga is “Mission accomplished” and that is only towards the end of the story (Japan Society). The manga is also set in a series of dreamlike occurrences, which is unusual for manga (Japan Society). As a result, this implies that manga does not need to have conventional subjects to be considered manga. People still respect it even though it may be slightly strange. In other words, manga is open to new ideas and creativity.
Junko Mizuno’s “Pure Trance” has a very distinct art style. Mizuno’s manga combines European and Japanese gothic style, Lolita Japanese fashion subculture and S+M pornography influences for her characters (Japan Society). As a result, the gothic influences make the characters scary in that they have blood splattered over their bodies and they carry bloody chainsaws. Despite this, the characters’ huge, sparkly, traditional manga eyes and small, round faces make them look cute and innocent. Thus, Mizuno’s combination of extreme styles produces cute gothic characters. This indicates that manga includes all types of art styles, no matter how peculiar they may be. Manga does not have to be limited to purely Japanese culture, such as in Moyoco Anno’s “Sakuran.” Rather, manga art can be influenced by Europeans, as in “Pure Trance” or influenced by Americans, as in “Afro-Samurai.”
Overall, there is a lot of room for creativity and flexibility in manga. Therefore, it is not a serious art form. It does not appear to need specific elements or qualities to be recognized as manga, except that Japanese artists create them. Otherwise, the subject matter can be about anything- from humans to machines, based on the manga exhibit. The drawing style can be a fusion of different cultures or just one culture. Over time, manga will continue to draw many fans through its diverse themes and styles.