Archive for the Now This Is Only My Opinion Category


Love on the Edge of Admiration and Desire – Proto-Yuri Manga: Sakura Namiki (さくら並木)

January 17th, 2013

Everyone who pays attention to the historical context of manga and anime has at least some knowledge of the better-known periods of Japanese history. We know the Heian period for being the background to ever so many ghost/magic/supernatural tales. Of course the Edo period plays host to any number of samurai epics. The Meiji period was a time of intense upheaval and saw a rather abrupt “westernization” of Japan. The Taisho period was a time of economic growth and nationalism. Post-WWII Showa Japan is shown in a million fragmented ways, from emotional tales of war life to the most idealized (and deeply fetishized) backgrounds possible.

In the early 20th century, magazines for young women created a whole new feminine ideal. How to dress, act, what accomplishments were expected, all of these melded into a culture half focused on physical perfection and half on emotional well-being. Take a look at any rack of “women’s magazines” in America or Japan (and most other countries) you’ll still see the same pressure expressed through whatever is the fashion of the day.

In pre-war Japan, readers were introduced to idealized romance between girls in Yoshiya Nobuko’s works (Wasurenagusa, Yaneura no Nishojo, Hana Monogatari). Sakura Namiki (さくら並木) is a post-war look at the same themes. The book begins with art and design familiar to readers from the magazines they consumed. These artistic stills accompanied by narration were a direct descendant from Edo-period Ukiyo-e prints, especially those of the popular Utagawa artists. These prints, the pop culture of their time (which were, you might be interested to know, so popular that they were copied and sold illegally) often had a portrait image with accompanying text.

A child of  the post-war boom, Sakura Namiki is balanced deliciously between Ukiyo-e prints and modern manga, with both narrated stills and panels with dialogue.

We are told by the author, Takahashi Makoto, of the emotional trials and joys girls encounter at this particular private school. We are then introduced to our protagonists, Yukiko, first-year, her beloved onee-sama Chikage, a third-year and the conniving second-year Ayako, who gets between them. For a very excellent summary and discussion of the story, I’ll refer you to Katherine H’s post Marimite in the 50s. ^_^

I would like instead to talk about something else, as I so often do. ^_^ Today I am talking about the human ability to notice connections between things. (A habit that leads us to create connections where there are none. This is why conspiracy theories exist and remain powerful long after anyone who was affected is gone.)

Sakura Namiki is a tale instantly recognizable to any fan of Yuri. The hothouse environment of Akiko’s YWCA, Nagisa’s St. Miator, Yumi’s Lillian, Rie’s St. Azaria is once again explored in the guise of Sakuragaoka Girl’s Academy in, we are told, Osaka.

I’ve seen this setup so many times that it frankly had no effect on me at all this time. I remained wholly  unmoved until page 18 when we learn that Yukiko is currently in the middle of a sports match with Ayako. What a modern girl!

You know I’m always pining over the lack of sports Yuri. But if you’re a regular reader here, you know there is one recent sports Yuri manga…can you guess what sport?

Here’s today’s lecture punchline:

No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.

– John Donne, Meditation XVII

So there I am, with the one sports Yuri manga I know of sitting on top of the “to be reviewed” pile and I start to read Sakura Namiki. At which I realized that no Yuri manga is an island entire of itself, either. ^_^

Without Akiko, we would not have Yukiko. Without Yukiko we would not have Nagisa, or Yumi…or, well…click here  for the next chapter in this saga.

In the meantime, we can relax and be happy with the knowledge that Yukiko and Chikage move into the future together as so many young women have.

Sakura Namiki, by Takahashi Makoto is available as a deluxe edition, packaged with another shoujo manga from the 1950s by Takahashi. It’s currently available on  Amazon JP in limited quantities. If you can find it, it’s worth it for another island in the Yuri archipelago. ^_^

Overall – 8

Futher Reading: Prolegomena to the Study of Yuri, Part 1





What, How and Why of Writing a Query Letter for Manga

December 16th, 2012

From time to time here on Okazu I post opinion and perspective about publishing manga. If you are an aspiring artist or writer, please read this first: Top 7 Things Every Young Artist or Writer Needs To Know.

When you write to a publisher or agent with a proposal, hoping that it will get you published, what you are sending is called a “Query Letter.” Recently, I am once again reminded that the concept of the Query Letter is vague and ill-defined for aspiring manga artists.

There are a lot of reasons why most aspiring manga artists are confused when it comes to Query Letters. Let’s start with a few reasons why this is:

You are not a Japanese manga artist – Take a look at your collection. Do you see many non-Japanese names in your manga collection? You may well have some indie comic artists, and a few OEL from when Tokyopop was publishing them, perhaps a few bandee dessinee, but realistically, when manga fans are looking for manga, they mean stuff drawn and published in Japan. Because of this simple reality…

Few American manga publishers are accepting submissions for…anything. Most manga publishers license Japanese properties, and aren’t looking for anything outside that. Because of this…

There is no established path from amateur to professional manga-style artist in the West. We have no manga magazines, no apprentice path, no companies hiring artists. Because there is no formal path, there is no reason for artists to learn to write Query Letters.

What does this mean to you? It means that if you want your manga to be published you have incredibly limited options right now.

When people ask me about which company they should approach, I always say the same thing – forget waiting to be discovered.

Do it yourself – (The Advantages and Disadvantages of Self-Publishing Your Manga) You have unprecedented options in terms of self-publishing right now. Webcomics, Print on Demand, Pixiv and DeviantArt give you access and ability to create, promote and publish in ways that never existed before. Use them. Work on your art and build your audience.

If you’re looking to a publisher to be your springboard, you have pretty limited options for getting your work seen:

Portfolio Reviews – Some publishers do what is called “portfolio reviews” at events. Check out major comic and anime/manga events to see if a manga publisher is sending editors to do this. At the Overseas Festival portion of this past Comitia, the “Kaigai Festa“, several Japanese publishers were doing portfolio review for overseas artists. Portfolio reviews are your absolute best chance to get a manga editor to look at your work and tell you the truth about it. It might, potentially, be very painful. This pain can be life-changing. Don’t run from it. Learn from it, grow from it.

Japanese Magazines Looking For Overseas Work – Morning Magazine does a International Comic Contest every year. The caveat here is that they aren’t actually looking for manga-style art. They are quite specifically looking for your own unique style. Kochi Indies Magazine also did a contest soliciting overseas work. This kind of thing is still pretty rare, so you should take the opportunities where you can find them.

Which brings me to the Query Letter. When you are taking the initiative and writing a publisher with a pitch for a story, you are writing what is known as a Query Letter.

I have written an article about rejection. Why Your Story Was Rejected – The Query Letter Conundrum that discusses some of the main failures in query letters. In a nutshell, here is the major problem in most query letters I receive:

You have to sell yourself to me. The idea of a Query Letter is to make your work sound relevant and appealing to that publisher and profitable for them. It is, in effect your job interview with that publisher and your goal is to convince them that your story is good for their business.

(The other, unwritten, rule of Query Letters is that there is no magic formula. What will appeal to one person will put another off. The best you can do is to try and avoid being too clever. Just say what you have to say as compellingly and unpretentiously as you can.)

Here are some tips to writing a decent Query Letter – this is my perspective and may not work for other people at all. I invite other publishers, agents, editors to weigh in with your own preferences here!

Read and understand the publisher’s submission guidelines before you write your letter. Don’t write the publisher asking if you can be the exception to the rule.

Be polite, even (especially) if you are rejected – Nothing good will come of you writing in anger. Ever. Chances are I won’t read it anyway, because remember, you are trying to sell your story to me.

Be concise – Find the simplest, clearest, most compelling way to describe your story. Don’t give me hints, imply twists, or rest on cliched vagueness.

Be Complete – State plainly how many pages your story is, whether it is complete or in process, how often you are currently releasing it online, if that is applicable.

Be Valuable – Let the publisher know why you would be a great match for their business. You have a popular webcomic and will be bringing an established market to their publication, or you have great promotional efforts you’ve used in the past. A previous book sold well, you have a name in the industry, any awards, citations or achievements.

Now that we’ve covered some general tips, let’s take a look at the final piece of a Query Letter – the descriptive copy.

Today I came across an item online that had the most pretentious description I’ve ever read. I would never buy the item because by the time I was done reading the description, I still had no idea what it was – and because that kind of pretentious writing annoys the hell out of me.

Writing descriptive copy is not at all easy. If you love your story, it’s actually incredibly difficult. You know what happens, you know why. And now you need to tell me – and I don’t care. Until you make me care. You need to convince me that your story is worth reading and is worth publishing. Your description must include the following:

What is the story about? Ad copy usually ends with a question or an ellipsis, but the publisher needs to know what actually happens. “…chaos ensues” is not an adequate description. “…the rats take over the shop, but as they drive away from their past, the girl gets the girl” is better.

What makes the story unique? I’ve written 2300+ posts here, so you gotta assume I’ve watched and read a lot of anime and manga. And that’s not including stuff I read and don’t review here. I’ve pretty much seen every possible story ending, so what about your story makes it stand out from everyone else’s? Romeo and Juliet, coming out, Crime and Punishment; what’s your take on your story?

What are the most important elements of your story? Finish this sentence, “The most amazing thing about my story is….”   That’s what will sell a publisher, if anything. Nail that…or don’t send that letter.





Typical Okazu Thanksgiving Post

November 22nd, 2012

Over the last few years it has become my custom to write a Thanksgiving Day post here on Okazu. This more important than it might initially appear. Being consciously grateful is a profound skill. It makes us take stock of the gifts we already have and helps us to realize how amazingly blessed we are. It helps provide perspective.

***
In the wake of hurricane Sandy, I find myself grateful to still have my cute little putty-colored house on the hill. More now than ever before.
I am ever grateful to JManga and Nozomi/RighStuf for being two companies that are willing to invest in Yuri and act like our money counts for something – and to acknowledge that our enthusiasm counts for even more. This shift is so enormous after all these years of being basically ignored at best by fanboy-run companies who want our money, as long as we shut up. These two companies solicit our feedback and want to know what we want! I’m incredibly grateful to Robert, Yae, Alison, Shawn, and all the folks working at both companies for long talks over phone and Skype and lunch. ^_^ You all are amazing, truly and I appreciate all your hard work!
Thank you to all my friends and family everywhere – to my family of course,  to Sparkle, who came to NYCC and ended up keeping me company in the hospital, to Sean, to Serge, Donna, Kelli, to all my friends too numerous to list here, you all keep me laughing and glad to be alive.  I’m so lucky to know you all. ^_^
This year I want to make sure I say how grateful I am to all my friends living in Japan. I cannot express to you how much I enjoy your company. Simona, Tei-chan, Ana, Bill (sorry I missed you his time), Ransui-san, I had a blast this last trip because of you! And thank you to Bruce, our constant companion when we travel. You slay me and make every trip 300% better when you’re with us.
Very special thanks to Komatsu-san. I have no words to thank you for everything you have done to enrich my life. You are a very special person and I’m so glad we are friends. ^_^
As always, I want to express my appreciation for you, my Okazu readers. I say this all the time  – you are the best readers in the world. You help make Okazu more than just a blog, you make it a community.  Please keep up the good work – always being ready to tell me when something needs fixing, and helping to fix it. Thank you for writing for Okazu. Thank you for reading Okazu. Thank you.
This year, when middle age has kicked my ass thoroughly, I want to say that I am thankful for the relative health I enjoy. And I am very grateful for my day job, which provides me money and freedom to do many things, and wonderful people to work with and for.
Last, but never least, I am always, especially thankful for my wife. I could write reams of thanks for everything she does, but it would become tedious, so I’ll wrap up here and go give her a big kiss instead. ^_^
Feel free to add your thanks in the comments – it’s important and good to take a moment and appreciate what we have.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you today and every day. Thank you all.




Okazu/Yuricon New York Comic Con Schedule

October 7th, 2012

It’s time once again for us to squeeze ourselves into the poorly-laid out Javits Center in New York and run from corner to corner following an ever thinner trail of Manga and Anime presence at New York Comic Con.

NYCC has “absorbed” New York Anime Festival…in a Borgian sense, There is still a decent anime/manga presence on the schedule this year. What really got killed dead was last year’s fantastic LGBTQ chunk of programming. This year there’s a big 2 LGBTQ related panels, one about sexuality in comics and Prism-sponsored “Gay Marriage in Comics: Revolutionary or a Step Backwards?”.

First and most important – if I am not anywhere else, you will find me at the Prism Comics booth – Table 1875. Find me there if you can, because I’ll be giving away free Yuri doujinshi as long as supplies last.

Rica Takashima will be at Prism too, signing and sketching on promotional postcards designed for the digital release of Tokyo Love ~ Rica ‘tte Kanji!?. Here are the confirmed times when she’ll be there:

Thursday – 3 – 4 pm
Saturday – 4 – 5 pm

We’ll have Friday and Sunday times as soon as Prism gets back to us.

If I’m not at the Prism booth, you might want to look for me over at the JManga booth – Table 856.

The panels and events I’ll be attending are:

JManga Panel on the Future of Digital Manga
Saturday, October 13
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Location: 1A07

Vertical Presents Moyoco Anno Panel
 Date: Saturday, October 13
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Location: 1A06

Rose of Versailles anime premier and Susan Napier’s discussion of Rose of Versailles:
Saturday, October 13
12:15 pm – 1:15 pm
Location: 1A04

Vertical, Yen Press, Viz, Kodansha and Funimation all have booths and, I presume panels, but generally industry panels are of little interest to me and every blogger in the anime/manga sphere will attend those hoping to be the first to break the news of…whatever, so I’ll be skipping them.

I will update Rica’s signing sessions asap. We hope to see you there!





Prolegomena to the Study of Yuri

September 2nd, 2012

(This article is not for reproduction. No portion of this article may be reproduced, in part or whole, without the express permission of the author. You are of course welcome to link to it, but if you want to quote chunks, please be so kind as to contact me first. Thanks.)

Introduction

Some time ago, I made an off-hand remark about 2011 being the beginning of the “Fourth Age” of Yuri in a post and immediately, some of you wanted to know what I meant by that. I spend a lot of time thinking about Yuri, obviously, and that got me thinking what, in fact, did I mean by that off-hand remark? Well, after pondering it for some time, I realize that it’s not as simple as saying any one date range equals “an era” of Yuri, but that there are definitely trends to be understood in the evolution of Yuri as a genre. Before we can understand what those trends are, or what they mean, we really need to be grounded in where they came from.

In my articles for Hooded Utilitarian, “40 Years of the Same Damn Story“ Part 1 and Part 2, I discuss some of the common tropes of Yuri, tracing them from their literary roots through to modern examples. Each one of these articles puts a pin in a moment in time, a single work of literature or art, that defined the tropes that grew from those works.

Yuri, the grandchild of Class ‘S’

To my mind, the moment when “Yuri” was born is the moment that Yoshiya Nobuko’s Yaneura no Nishojo was published. This story told a tale about a girl trying to understand the world she inhabited and her place in it. Akiko starts the story as a hesitant young lady, with dreams of grandeur, who finds herself slowly drawn into society precisely because she is isolated.  In the end of the book, no longer unsure, Akiko makes a decision to live her life the way she wants to – the kind of decision that was unheard of when the book was published. (This, despite the fact that the author of the book, Yoshiya herself, had made that same decision already and became successful because of her decision.) The social and political implications of this story are clear; women do not need to have their lives defined for them and two women are perfectly capable of making a life together without men – and of wanting that for themselves.

When we read Yuri now, we start from that perspective and it rarely occurs to us that there was ever a time in which that would be revolutionary thinking. We often find ourselves referring to the early 20th century “S” school of thought, without recognizing that it was not about lesbians in private schools (as the genre of literature it spawned might make one believe,) but a proto-Feminist movement brought about by newly imported ideas of wealth and leisure, and with them, freedom. Women who were part of the”S” movement ran into many of the same dynamics the American feminist movement of the 1970s encountered – some women felt that they simply wanted to have their contributions valued, others that only a  separatist society could ever be fair to women, while others wanted male privilege, or simply the right to have their own gender’s privilege. And, just as with the later American feminist movement, the inclusion of sexuality and gender in the mix caused a split between the straight women, who felt that political equality was more important that social liberalism and women who felt that there was no separation between the two. (See Voices from Japan, Eds. McLelland, Suganuma and Welker and Tales of the Lavender Menace by Karla Jay)

Now, nearly 100 years later, we look back at Akiko’s decision to leave Catholic school and live with Akitsu as a personal decision, one that any woman might make. It’s equally important to recognize that, at the time, it was a political decision. Even more importantly, a woman making a decision to step out of the traditional path assigned to a woman to make a life on her own, is effectively cutting herself off from her family and society. Every personal decision become political, as Carol Hanisch said, when the body politic states that that decision is not a viable alternative. (I have many times explained in conversation that, in Japan, taking a female lover and “being gay” are almost entirely unrelated things. To identify as gay, lesbian or any sexual minority in Japan is to take a political stance, much as the same was true for the members of the Mattachine Society or Daughters of Bilitis in the America of the 1950s. Saying “I am gay” in an apparently homogeneous society is to label one’s self as “other,” and “minority.” This is, in any society, a political act.)

As Hafl and I discussed in our review of Yaneura no Nishojo, this novel set up many of the tropes of what is now known the as Class S genre. These tropes will later be appropriated by male authors, but are arguably most effectively used by women who will write stories for girls and women later in the 20th century.

For those of us interested in Yuri, reading Yaneura no Nishojo gives a distinct impression of being witness to the birth of something great. And so, I start our chronology in 1920, with the publishing of this novel by Yoshiya Nobuko and I honor her as the grandmother of Yuri.