IndexIntroductionWhat is an art form?ContextManga as an art formManga as literatureCritical analysisConclusionWorks CitedIntroductionAlthough comics have been enjoyed by the general public for decades, it was only when published the first official comic in 1933 the game changed. (South Florida Reporter) Since then, the world has been graced by the presence of comics in a much more centralized form, no longer relying on newspapers to enjoy sources of entertainment. As each country and artist contributes something unique and personal to the comic writing scene, expect to see the development of a variety of unique styles that bring something new to the table each time, which in turn allows them to transcend beyond the boundaries of literature and develop their own characteristics that distinguish them in the pool of such a celebrated form of entertainment. This also leads them to separate into their respective subgroups with borderline cult-like followers. I found this particularly evident in the case of Japanese manga. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay As someone who grew up fascinated by the versatility of the art world, ranging from an obsession with literature and graphic novels to a deep appreciation for stop animation, I discovered and became obsessed with anime. Fascinated by the emotionally evocative plots and art styles of anime like “Yuri!!!” by Sayo Yamamoto. On Ice" and Shinichiro Watanabe's "Cowboy Bebop," I was immediately intrigued by the beauty and versatility of the world of Japanese entertainment, particularly the seemingly endless varieties of anime. This interest only deepened when I became a student of IB higher level art, with this course it has allowed me to further explore the world of art from a much more holistic point of view and appreciate art beyond paintings and sculptures Having had a better understanding of. visual art and its elements, I was deeply inspired by the artistic elements of anime and wanted to learn more about its origins and history, taking me into the vast world of manga. Although I don't necessarily read traditional Japanese manga often, I can definitely say that they have strongly influenced my artistic style when I draw digitally, adding an expressionist touch to my art and also adding a sense of movement and fluidity. It has also inspired me in the sense of storytelling, moving away from my typically long-winded way of speaking and instead allowing me to tell stories in a much more creative and concise way. In this essay I will explore and define the aspects of manga that determine where it stands compared to traditional (and non-traditional) methods of categorization in the fine arts. What is an art form? Since this essay will focus on distinguishing manga as an art form, it is necessary to identify what exactly an art form is, which, according to Merriam Webster's Dictionary, is "an unconventional form or medium in which they can be expressed impulses considered artistic" or "a form or means of expression recognized as art". (Merriam Webster) This specific definition can be extended to any form of personal expression, thus establishing literature itself as an art form, however I will use the term “art form” to refer exclusively to the visual arts. It is also important to note that one's objective views and definitions of what art is are also crucial in determining what "qualifies" as art, so I will also apply my definition of an art form to determine the extent to which manga they can beconsidered art. be considered an art form in and of itself. From my point of view, I would define an art form as an expression of something; be it emotion or any other message, through a non-verbal medium. It can serve as a way for the artist to “speak” using another voice and bring something to bear, attract audience attention, produce something purely for aesthetic purposes, or convey a powerful message. It can also serve as a tool to encourage and inspire the artist's respective audience and give himself or others a new voice in the face of injustice. I believe that art can be found in all things and that it is an incredibly crucial part of both indigenous cultures and modern cultures. This especially ties into manga's central role in the development and distribution of Japanese pop culture, being easily identifiable and long-established. While I may not be able to provide a definitive answer, I aim to construct a more complete definition of manga's place in the art world. Background Manga are Japanese comic books that gained popularity in Japan after World War II and served as a source of entertainment and comfort for Japanese audiences while recovering from the war. I found that it would be helpful to investigate the origins of manga and potentially develop a deeper understanding of its development over time and the significant figures that contributed to its creation and evolution into what it is today. Machiko Hasegawa: Respectfully considered the "grandmother of manga" Manga, Machiko Hasegawa was a Japanese cartoonist born on January 30, 1920 in Kyushu, Japan. Initially publishing her "Sazae-San" series in a newspaper in 1946, Hasegawa is known as one of the first female manga artists ever, as her work serves as a lighthearted source of entertainment for audiences in Japan still recovering from the Second World War. By providing a unique and offbeat satirical portrait of the ordinary Japanese housewife, Hasegawa succeeded in breaking the norm Japanese socialists of the time, both living what was considered an "unconventional lifestyle" and giving herself a voice through her art and humor. Described in her obituary by The Independent as a somewhat antisocial woman who was not necessarily looking the company of others, having never married (which in itself was unusual at the time), it is evident that Hasegawa may have used her art as an extension of herself and as a voice to criticize and challenge the workings of her society , one of the countless functions of art. Osamu Tezuka: Born in Toyonaka, Japan on November 3, 1928, Osamu Tezuka is one of, if not the most important figure in the development of manga to date. Honorably referred to as the "grandfather of manga and anime," Tezuka grew up as an art enthusiast whose interests ranged from performing arts to collecting and drawing insects. Considered a natural storyteller from a young age, Tezuka placed much value on balancing a good story with good art and believed that a beautiful illustration would never be able to save a terrible story, thus emphasizing their codependency. A very versatile artist, Tezuka created manga of all genres and went on to draw over 150,000 pages of manga in his lifetime. Much like Machiko Hasegawa, Tezuka began by publishing his comics in a newspaper, however, he went beyond the scope of being published exclusively in newspapers and went on to create not only manga but also full-fledged anime such as Astro Boy (1963). Due to the limited number of frames per second, the animators had to place more emphasis on the movement and emotions of the characterscharacters, which is still seen today in both manga and anime. Nowadays, the manga industry is constantly expanding, ranging from iconic titles like Akira Toriyama's Dragonball to Eiichiro Oda's One Piece. With interest in Japanese culture growing during the Heisei Era (January 8, 1989 to April 30, 2019), the creation and distribution of manga became a very profitable business. While it may be difficult to generalize the sources of inspiration for any individual mangaka, it can be assumed that many artists have influenced each other to some extent, with the Naruto artist stating that he was "completely dependent" on the popular kids. “Dragon Ball” series. This further demonstrates the interconnectivity of the world of manga creation, something that is also present in the world of fine art. Manga as an art form As seen in Osamu Tezuka's first full-length manga, the narrative aspect depends heavily on images, as an overabundance of words can confuse the audience and does not necessarily build a good story. Linking to the definition of an art form mentioned earlier, this emphasizes the function of art to convey a message to the audience through a non-verbal medium. Manga also has its distinctive characteristics, both aesthetic and written. One of the most notable is the artistic style which varies from artist to artist. Human characters in manga are generally drawn with exaggerated proportions, particularly with regards to facial features which include larger eyes for easier portrayal of emotion. This allows for less reliance on dialogue and a narrator's voice and creates better immersion for the audience. Manga as Literature As consistently stated by Tezuka, an exceptional work of art could not save a poorly written story and would instead seek greater balance within his works. This balance is further explored in terms of storytelling by providing characters with a voice through dialogue and occasionally narration. In this way, the mangaka is able to create a connection between literature and art to provide entertainment to the respective audience. It is also important to note the tradition of publishing manga as books, automatically placing it in a gray area in terms of identifying its purpose. Generally, manga serve as a form of entertainment, much like most forms of literature, and are not generally created for the audience to solely admire the illustrations. Creating a greater sense of coherence in terms of carefully developing plots and characters, it increasingly emphasizes the role of storytelling in manga, as without the use of words there is a level of disconnection with the audience, almost completely eliminating the entire purpose of the manga. The role that literature plays visually in the composition of each panel is also an important area of ​​interest. Dialogue is often deliberately placed in negative space, thus giving the overall piece a sense of unity while maintaining enjoyment for readers. Critical Analysis This analysis serves to identify the artistic elements of manga and justify its categorization as an art form. For this essay I chose to analyze page 15 of the first volume of Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto. I chose this manga specifically because I have two digital versions of the book, both with slight variations in terms of release. One of these is a rougher and most likely illegal English version, while the other is an officially released copy. While both editions effectively tell the same story using nearly identical imagery, the most notable difference is the use of language. Since one of the versions isa less polished release, translated directly from Japanese, the dialogue in this specific scene is much more direct and harsh than in the official English translation. This creates a slightly different atmosphere than that of the officially published translation, further emphasizing the role of dialogue and language use in the manga's narrative, as introducing such a slight variation could misinterpret the author's original intentions. The selected page is from the beginning of the book and is at a point where the main character, Naruto, is rejected once again in his quest to become a fully realized ninja. I used this scene in particular because of the emotional meaning it has for the main character, which further translates into the imagery presented to the reader. Even though his failure is treated in a somewhat light-hearted manner, the audience is able to gain perspective on the main character's difficulties in pursuing his dream. This particularly struck me because Kishimoto's method of expressing strong emotions in his characters in this scene relied heavily on integrated illustration using minimal dialogue. In this particular panel, Kishimoto took care to integrate the words into the composition of the piece, serving as a backdrop and not necessarily a focal point for the reader. It is arranged in such a way that the black lettering provides balance within the piece, as the black lettering on both sides possesses similar dimensions. The darker value placed in the background also allows for more emphasis on the human figure in the foreground which has a lighter value, creating greater contrast. Since the character is positioned centrally, the black writing frames him so that the audience can focus on the action in the foreground, which is Naruto's reaction to being failed once again. The composition of this panel appears more balanced thanks to the symmetry of both the lettering and the character in the center. The lettering featured in both versions makes use of bold, prominent lines that give emphasis to the movement within the piece. Since the character depicted has been shown to have a direct impact on the movement of the rest of the setting, the artist made sure to show a variety of lines and textures to both frame the character and illustrate the surrounding environment. Due to the somewhat simplistic art style, there isn't much variation in texture shown in this panel, except for bits of debris flying overhead following the character's collision with the ground. In an attempt to look exclusively at the illustrated elements of the specific scene I selected, I removed every piece of writing on the foreground panel, including those that were part of the background and was interested to see that the overall composition of the page became severely unbalanced and in somehow empty or incomplete. This emphasized the overall reliance on maintaining balance through constantly changing values ​​and using both words and images to tell a story. It also allowed me to see the variety of values ​​used in the exclusively black and white piece, the black and white branding is typical of manga for both its economy and efficiency when it comes to printing. Because the character is centralized, the imbalance was not necessarily caused by asymmetry within the piece but was instead caused by the lack of variation in the values ​​of the piece. This is something that is typically provided by the differences in character designs that the creator chose to add, but this was obviously absent in this panel, as there was only one character. 15–15.