Embracing The Victimhood: A History Of A-bomb Manga In Japan
This paper examines the representations of the A-bomb and its victims in Japanese manga. While Keiji Nakazawa's Hadashi no Gen (Barefoot Gen) stands tall in this genre, the brief look at the history of A-bomb manga in Japan will reveal that the nuclear bombs that killed more than a quarter m...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Penerbit Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM Press)
2011
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| Online Access: | http://eprints.usm.my/40468/ http://eprints.usm.my/40468/1/AbombManga-MasashiIchiki.pdf |
| Summary: | This paper examines the representations of the A-bomb and its victims in Japanese
manga. While Keiji Nakazawa's Hadashi no Gen (Barefoot Gen) stands tall in this
genre, the brief look at the history of A-bomb manga in Japan will reveal that the
nuclear bombs that killed more than a quarter million people in Hiroshima and
Nagasaki have been a popular topic in Japanese manga and has manifested in
variety of manga genres. In overviewing the history of A-bomb manga in Japan,
this paper aims to explore the social connotations of A-bomb manga. I wish to show
that Japanese manga is a major vehicle in promoting and proliferating the
Genbaku Otome, or A-bomb beauties myth. This myth lies at the centre of the
Japanese imagination of the A-bomb victims and which contributes significantly to
the establishment of the social notion of victimisation in post-war Japan. |
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