My mom emailed me today wondering what the word “manga” meant after reading an article on CNNgo.com that reported on an interesting development in US/Japan relations. I told her it basically was the word the Japanese use for “comic books.” But the story she linked to fascinated me. Turns out the ongoing stress caused by Futenma Base, the US Navy base in Okinawa, has inspired the US military to hire manga artist Yukio Hirai, who, AnimeNewsNetwork.com reports, is best known for “Magical Marine Pixel*Maritan” (a manga/CD set that apparently teaches you how to swear like a US Marine.) Hirai-san, along with others involved in “Maritan” will do four issues of a pro-US/Japan Alliance propaganda manga (propamanga?) meant to help Japanese readers better understand and like the close relationship Japan has with the US.
Now, I don’t have my finger on the pulse of the Japanese people, but my understanding is that they don’t really like the tight connection between their country and the US. In fact, I thought the winners of the last national election got that way because they had promised to loosen those ties a bit. When they didn’t, there was a public outcry and Naoto Kan was immediately offered up as the replacement PM. So, this manga seems like an amusingly desperate attempt by the US to appeal to the Japanese.
Sadly, my Japanese is still too lousy to allow me to read and understand the “Our Alliance - a Lasting Partnership” manga, but I really don’t think it will make much of a difference in Japan/US relations. That’s just my ¥2, of course.
Check out the manga for yourself here: http://www.usfj.mil/manga/
There’s no PDF on the site, but I made one that you can grab here (I claim no copyrights!! If you’re the USMil and want me to take it down, just let me know!).
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