Manga Art Theory: Undefined and Overlooked?

[@defnotanny]

Wow I honestly watched this to the very end and scrolled down expecting to see the usual video essay 100k views, I'm surprised that its much lower. Honestly really great video, deserves more views :) Glad that this landed on my Homepage/Explore

[@2ArtistsEXPlain]

Thank you a bunch! You have no idea how much your nice comment means. This is still a new channel so we're just getting started!

[@danielg.w5733]

It's so interesting when you look at comics theory/criticism in other countries like France, Italy, and even the US

[@zakpostsrandomstuff7154]

I was never really into manga but this was really interesting

[@2ArtistsEXPlain]

Glad you found it interesting! Thanks for watching~

[@johnwise9811]

I'm surprised this doesn't have more views. Great video. I think this topic expands beyond Japanese manga and applies to the comic/graphic novel medium as a whole. Literature has existed for so long that a professional analysis or critique was practically synonymous with higher education. It existed in the form of academics, although the expansion into the discourse of fictional works occurred seamlessly over time. With comics, we don't really see any university level courses dedicated to the medium, or even scholarly texts for that matter. There may be circumstances such as a professor assigning a specific work (such as "Watchmen" for example) as a book to read, but beyond that there is no school or degree that focuses on the medium in particular. I feel part of the problem is how closely tied the medium is to entertainment. Film has carved a spot in the corner of academia in this aspect, since film schools exist. I have no idea when (if at all) comics will graduate from the entertainment space but I imagine it won't be for a while. For now we'll just have to deal with self-proclaimed critics (both amateur and "professional") as they create reviews for series they like and dislike.

[@2ArtistsEXPlain]

Thanks for the thoughtful comment. You've got some great thoughts here and I totally agree with everything you've said. My day job is as a university prof and I'm trying to build a case for examining more pop culture titles (video games, manga/anime, comics) at the post-secondary level.

[@onetimeweeb]

there are a number of universities that either offer programs to aspiring artists or manga scholars nowadays in Japan iirc. The book cited is almost two decades old after all so there's been quite a bit of change, I wouldn't be surprised if there's a lot more serious analysis over there that we just haven't seen yet in the West

[@2ArtistsEXPlain]

We certainly need to have more scholars working both in Japan and abroad to spread translated discourse on the subject. Fortunately, there has been an increase in Western-based scholarship in the last few years too. Hopefully this will mean we see more academic anime/manga content soon!

[@Eterrath]

I've been out of the anime and manga loop for about 2 years now. Still, I'm always ready for interesting meta content like this one. It was nice to recognize every anime and manga shown in this vid, and I loved the way you used clips from them for comedic effect. A manga analysis framework where reader experience should take priority over quality of craftsmanship is certainly an interesting approach. It's funny how Ito Go's perspective is the perspective many of us carry when we first start reading manga because we don't have any knowledge about the craftsmanship so personal enjoyment is all we have to judge it. However, many of us are flamed in online threads for having the "All anime/manga is great" opinion and we gradually shift to being somewhat pretentious douchebags who're always concerned with things like art style, paneling, composition, negative spacing and other fancy terms. I think both sides have value to them, and one should give more or less priority to both.

[@2ArtistsEXPlain]

I completely agree with you in that both sides have value ("all manga is great" vs "only select titles for select reasons are good")-- I think it's just all about realizing the overall context and taking that into account too. Thanks for your thoughtful comment!

[@TaliaOutwrong]

This video goes so hard, thank you for offering up such a useful resource and referencing well! Thank you and hell yes to you!!

[@2ArtistsEXPlain]

Thank you!

[@angiematas]

Wow, what a great video. Certainly interesting to see a seemingly mainstream topic with such few views. I hope you get the recognition you deserve, from the research to the editing it is obvious the amount of work you put into it!

[@2ArtistsEXPlain]

Thank you so much! We hope to make more videos in the same style so maybe more folks will find us yet. :]

[@IAMA1]

Another banger video!!! I wasn't very aware of thus discrepancy in manga criticism and historical accounts of the medium. I don't read much manga, so this video kinda furthered my resolve to reflect on what I do read based on the medium's own merits. This topic somewhat brings to mind the anticipation for the recently debuted Chainsaw Man anime; how it is the first manga title (as far as I know), that had garnered a massive global fanbase without a single anime adaptation. When I finally read it myself, I immediately understood why. It just stands out as a great piece of art that takes advantage of manga form. It's cool that we now have an anime to appreciate as well, and hopefully new fans realize that it isn't a substitute for what the manga is able to provide as a manga!

[@2ArtistsEXPlain]

Love your thoughts on the Chainsaw Man manga in relation to the theory in the video! That's a super relevant example of the success of the medium in its own right. You're right, it'll be interesting to see how the fandom develops with the release of the anime (which had a pretty great first episode, I must add). Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment!

[@IAMA1]

@@2ArtistsEXPlain No problem. Can't wait for the next video!

[@tophatgeo]

Really lovely video on Ito Go's ideas! Manga and comics do tend to get overlooked, learning to get a deeper appriciation of them is something I'm excited to see happen! Keep up the awesome work, first time seeing your channel and it's a hidden gem for sure!

[@2ArtistsEXPlain]

Aw, thank you so much!

[@hyperfox7882]

great job! really interesting and refreshing point of view on manga we all know its influence is huge but ive never read anything scientific about it as a new genre of content thanks for your video!

[@2ArtistsEXPlain]

Thanks for watching!

[@HappyTheNeko]

This is why I find it so interesting that booktubers are getting into manga. They come at it from a completely different viewpoint.

[@2ArtistsEXPlain]

Thank you!

[@conbandit]

Continue to love your thoughtful and even-handed commentary and analysis. It's a real breath of fresh air!

[@PackagedFoodGourmet]

Your channel is fantastic. I hope algorithm senpai notices you

[@2ArtistsEXPlain]

Thanks, PFG! 🙏

[@krisu0100]

I'm so baffled by Japanese saying that manga (or anime) isn't art and it's even weirder when that opinion comes from the mangaka itself. It's like saying that only thing that can be art is paintings. Yes, some of it is "cheap fun" like some movies are but lot of the cinema is considered art, and there definitely is lot of different kind of manga that can consider as art like so many of the seinen manga (I have to admit that I also limit myself with reading mostly manga with seinen label, but I don't dismiss outside of that if synopsis sounds interesting).

[@2ArtistsEXPlain]

There's certainly a division between what's considered "high art" (important art like paintings) and "low art" (popular art like manga/anime) in Japan and more globally. Sadly, I think these categories rob us of a lot of knowledge and experience. I'm a big proponent of understanding and appreciating *all* art, so discovering Ito Go's writing on manga was very interesting to me-- I thought his ideas were certainly worth sharing!

[@wreetgupta6135]

Wonderful video. I came across this after I read the aforementioned paper. You have explained it to us, so very well❤ it’s sad that the book hasn’t been translated yet. As someone who wants to study manga, i am realising the importance of learning the language. Nevertheless, keep up the great work!

[@2ArtistsEXPlain]

It's very cool that you also read the paper! It's super interesting, isn't it? It means a lot to us that you think we translated it into video well. Thanks for watching. 💖

[@willcomputer9978]

This is definitely underrated! I love video essays and I'm def saving this one.

[@2ArtistsEXPlain]

Very appreciated~ thanks for watching!

[@Negu23]

You have changed my perspective on manga as a medium with this video thanks c:

[@2ArtistsEXPlain]

Glad to hear the video was helpful! :]

[@shadesinrose8828]

Great takes as always! Thank you for your thorough analysis on a widely misunderstood topic

[@2ArtistsEXPlain]

Thanks for your thoughtful comment!

[@onetimeweeb]

interesting to hear from the Japanese side, I did remembering reading a bit about him and in his initial studies from someone else's research into manga history in some ways the western audience's relationship with manga is a bit stuck in mainstream titles, even more so than it may have been for Japan back then. But I gotta admit, I don't really get the idea of the postmodern analysis of manga still. When people give reviews, they're still giving their own personal experiences and ideas, just organized in an easy to understand way through characters, story, and art right? There are a few people who believe in "objective" art analysis, but for the most part I think people understand it's generally subjective. When they write reviews or talk about manga, their personal thoughts and experiences are frequently reflected in what they write or say.

[@tacomusical1404]

best channel i found this month

[@2ArtistsEXPlain]

Thanks! ❤

[@Rachel-Pham]

this channel better get big so i can act like a hipster

[@2ArtistsEXPlain]

Haha, thanks for the support!

[@JohnJohn-ss5vj]

I was probably the first person this was recommended to lol

[@2ArtistsEXPlain]

Thanks for being first! Haha

[@michelleacostarodriguez7426]

This was amazing! ❤

[@2ArtistsEXPlain]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@li0nna]

Great video! Would you consider adding subtitles? I sometimes skip videos video no subtitles, and i feel like it would attract more viewers

[@2ArtistsEXPlain]

Thanks for the feedback! Yes, I am certainly willing and able to add subtitles. Funny enough, this is the only video I've posted to date without them-- I wasn't sure if anyone valued them until you mentioned it.

[@tyroneroberts67]

Great video

[@2ArtistsEXPlain]

Glad you enjoyed

[@JohnJohn-ss5vj]

Fun video to watch, not really sure what 'a new framework' means though. I subed

[@LarsEspen]

01:00 what anime is this? Also this video was genuanly interresting to watch!

[@krisu0100]

Comic Girls (I think)

[@LarsEspen]

@@krisu0100 Aight, thanks

[@2ArtistsEXPlain]

Thank you! And yes, @krisu was right, the anime was Comic Girls (2018)

[@EspeonaSparkle]

Great video!!! :D

[@2ArtistsEXPlain]

Thank you! ❤

[@EspeonaSparkle]

@@2ArtistsEXPlain You're welcome! :D

[@MayaBenDavidMBD]

art school hates manga or anything stylistic

[@2ArtistsEXPlain]

Yupppp