So I'm talking with my partner yesterday and he brought up this interesting point. He mentioned that according to my blog it sounds like too much effort for a person to go buying Manga, or like I didn't approve of it. That is so far from the case that you could only find it on Mars! I love Manga and Japanese culture, I'm just often bewildered by it. But isn't that usually the case when learning something that's so very new? I think that any medium that gets kids and teens reading is a valuable one, and should be used as a tool in getting more to do so. Having Manga and comic books in a library is great because even poor readers can follow a few sentences and a series of pictures. My only worry is that some parents or librarians might object to some aspects of the story lines and may wish to self sensor. I only wish to provide a guide so that the Manga buying experience can be a happy one and to prevent people from deciding that there is nothing worth while in the genre and giving it up entirely.
So here is a self history, I started watching Anime with Sailor Moon, and moved on to the more available and cheaper format of Manga that same year. My friends and I wrote our own stories and comics about the show, placing ourselves as heroines and friends of the characters. It was sappy, but we were twelve, and there were a lot worse things that we could have been doing. Since then my love of Japan has brought me to a once in a life time opportunity to travel to that country and live with two families there. It has brought me to many new and interesting people to be friends with, and it has taught me many new things. I've leaned about cooking from Kitchen Princess, about football from Eyesheild 21 and about Norse mythology from Ah My Goddess. Above all this I've learned social tolerance for same sex relationships and other cultures moral norms. I consider it a broadening experience, and I think everyone should get a chance at that. So happy shopping, and happy learning. Get out there and read.
