Caucasian Eyes in Japanese Manga and Anime

[Hil Hughes]

There are a few possible explanations for this:

1) As post-war Japanese manga developed, it was originally separated into 2
fields: shojo (girls' manga) and shonen (boys' manga.)  Although both were
primarily written by men, the content varied drastically.  The shonen manga
dealt basically with sexual themes, war, and some politics; the shojo
contained "softer" themes of romance and relationships.  The shonen manga
even today has smaller, more "Japanese" eyes, and the shojo manga is more
similar to what is described below.  One major reason is the function of the
eyes- eyes are relied on to convey emotional states and attitudes.  This is
obviously far more necessary with the more internally motivated shojo manga,
so the equivalent is rarely found in shonen manga (at least, not to the same
extent.)

2) During the Occupation, American comics found their way into Japanese
artists' hands, and of course some "bleed-over" occurred.   Of course,
especially in the late 80's and 90's, Japanese manga began to have a
stronger influence in the US.  Artistic styles, such as the eyes, less
linear story boxing, and even plot are fairly easily recognizable as
originating in Japanese manga.

3) A way of looking at Japanese theatre/art/etc was suggested in the (not
certain about the exact time frame, please correct if incorrect) 1920's by a
German named Brecht.  Brecht proposed that the Japanese prefer
non-identification with characters and therefore create what he calls
"aesthetic distance"- an exaggeration of the imagery to a point where direct
association (which is the standard for Western films, i.e. you become the
hero, etc) becomes impossible.  This holds quite true for Kabuki and
Takarasaka, so it seems quite plausible for anime as well.



>
> Thins inquiry appeared on some other lists a few days ago, but I have not
> seen many good answers so far.  Anyone have some ideas?
>
> ---------------- Begin Forwarded Message ----------------
> From: John_R_Groves at ferris.edu
> Subject: Caucasian Eyes in Japanese Manga and Anime
>
>
> Dear H-Asia and H-Japan people: does anyone have an explanation for the
> Japanese manga and anime artists drawing Japanese with
> non-Japanese-looking
> eyes?
>
> Randy Groves
> Associate Professor of Humanities
> Ferris State University
>
>
> ----------------- End Forwarded Message -----------------
>