I don't even know how to title this

[effex]

So Nick Simmons released a statement about his plagiarism charges saying, in effect, that it was a homage, he's sorry we're offended, and all manga looks the same anyway.

And then there were (trolling) comments about how he's right, manga does all look the same, what's the problem and I had some kind of fannish!rage blackout, fired up google images, and started planning a really epic rage!post about how manga is not a genre, you can't lump an entire country's creative sequential-art output together like that, and all manga doesn't look the same, dammit.

That was 24 hours ago. I'm feeling much better.

But now I've got these nicely edited images so you're still getting the picspam.



















~

And that's mostly really mainstream stuff, you know? And I barely tapped that, never mind most children's manga, salaryman manga, josei manga, horror manga, historical manga, hentai, boyslove, biographical manga, and the underground stuff. Plus it's pretty light on the shojo, really. And it's all Japanese, never mind the work coming out of South Korea, Taiwan, China, Singapore, Indonesia, etc that also gets tagged (from the outside) as 'manga'.

And it's mostly (color) cover art, not the even more diverse interior b&w art.

Mostly (how many times can I use that word?), this exercise has served to remind me that I've totally got the figure based on that picture of Seres, I should figure out which box she's in and get her out. And I forgot how much I liked One Piece (which is hilarious, considering most of the crew watches me while I sleep). And I still have that ridiculous crush on Usopp (why?).



The images are pretty big and my layout doesn't really support that, so here's the format=light version

So this post isn't completely ridiculous, here. Have some links:

The Face of the Other by Mark Thorn

Are Anime Characters Caucasian or Japanese? on Youtube

Naruto 10th Anniversary Tribute Drawn by Other Popular Manga Artists | Holy heck it's been 10 years. I started reading Naruto when I was 15 and the first, like, 20 chapters were all that was up on Toriyama's World. Yikes.

Also, a signal boost: PSA: "Can I talk to you?" troll

Comments

[nepenthe]

So. Nick needs to srsly be schooled in the dif between allusion, homage, and motherfucking PLAGERISM. That, or the dude srsly needs his head checked.

LOVE your background setup. 'Tis beautious.

[effex]

Seriously. His statement was totes weaselly and morally bankrupt, the asshole. I'm still boggling.

Thanks! I spent a couple hours yesterday (when I wasn't rage!google imaging) setting it up and tweaking it. Mmm, plaid... now I just need a header image.

[elspethdixon]

And then there were (trolling) comments about how he's right, manga does all look the same, what's the problem

*flails* That's like saying that all comics art looks the same! I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but *flail* There are distinct differences between different genres, different eras, and different writers/artists. You can tell an 80s anime apart from a modern one just by looking at it, and not because of the clothes people are wearing. And you can tell the difference between Miyazaki and CLAMP and Yue Watase and Minekura and Riyoko Ikeda at a glance, the same way you can tell Gene Colen art from Jim Lee art from Alex Maleev art from Mike Mignola art from Kirby art.

Um, except that there are a lot more women in that list of anime/manga creators.

Plus, if all manga really looked the same, Simmons' blatant plagarism wouldn't have been so obvious.

[effex]

[headdesk forever] It's an 'argument' that I used to run into a lot when I was still an active anime/manga fan and seeing it here was like some kind of trippy flashback. I mean. I mean. It's an 'argument' that can only be made by the willfully ignorant and the asshole [flails].

Um, except that there are a lot more women in that list of anime/manga creators.

Aha, yeah. There are even female types who write for ~boys~ (Clamp, Takahashi, Arakawa, Hayashiya), it's a topsy turvy world. (#thishasnothingtodowiththeconversation)