Plea for help- culture/manga/comics

Ladies and gents, respected ZU members, honourary associates..

As some of you know, I am currently struggling through my final few university months and am swimming in my thesis. Today, I call on you for help to help and contribute to my highnesses' research.

I need as many of you as possible to answer this questionnaire I've put together. However, I'll first give you a quick preview of what my thesis is about. I believe that if countries communicate with each other, there'll be less tension and suspicion, however much the cultures may differ. We, as humans, fear that which we do not know.
I'm going to be concentrating and comparing how 2 cultures have made use of comics to communicate to the rest of the world. The Japanese - in their varied forms of manga, and the Arabs : in their varied forms of nothing particular.

Why the arabs you may ask? that is because for the past few years a lot of tension as a result of middle eastern conflicts, 9/11 and miscallaneous figures have brought forth a "clash of cultures" between the arabs and the westerners, and I'm looking to see if that could in any way be rectified through better communication in the form of graphic novels/comics.

You might now be wondering ( like the logical intelligent person you are) .. what will I get out of doing this questionnaire? You get 2 main things : 1. The distinct bubbly warm feeling that you have contributed to the success of my dissertation and 2. You might be chosen if your name gets picked out of a hat (from participants) to request from me an image which I'll draw just for you. Bribery? naaaaw. Ok. Just a wee bit.

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The Questionnaire:

1. What is your favourite type of comic/graphic novels?

2. How do you perceive the Japanese culture?

3. How well do you think manga has contributed to your knowledge of Japanese culture?

4. How do you perceive arabs? ( arab muslims) ( be blunt with this question, and tell me truthfully what you think when you hear the word "arab" =p )

5. Have you ever read a comic feating islamic culture/characters? if so, which?
6. Do you think if arabs created graphic novels/comics to introduce their culture, there'll be less tension?

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Please please take a few moments of your time to reply.
I would be eternally grateful to each and every person who helps me out in this

1. American independant graphic novels

2. I see japanese culture as a false happiness to mask their economy

3.Not all that much, the closest graphic novel I've read that even comes close to explaining some facet of japanese culture is Lone Wolf and Cub, which was made awhile ago (70's)

4. I preceive arab muslims as people with generally loud voices, market places, aladin and the genie kind of thing ya know?

5. Yeah, the Ultimates had an issue (sorry I can't remember which one off the top of my head at the moment) But captian america and quicksilver are "taking down" a terrorist cell facility is afghanistan.

6. I very much think so, after 9/11 muslims have been used in the media as a symbol of evil related to faith i.e fundamentalism, and well, I'm pretty sure most muslims aren't fundamentalists

(I hope your thesis goes great!, I love the comic also, it's deep roots in different cultures and such)

1. Well drawn Japanese manga and the Funny Pages (Calvin and Hobbes, Boondocks, etc.)

2. A culture with a great deal of beauty, poise, and grace. A culture plagued by racist/nationalist supremism. People who are currently masking severe economic and social shortcomings with flamboyant - sometimes irrational - optimism, even in the face of crippling impoverishment, and belief in their own potential. They have the capacity to show zen-like patience, wisdom, and manners while also showing flagrant failings in similar areas by the youth and outcasts of society.

3. Not much. Most manga I've come across were simply popular gate manga where little knowledge of Japan was necessary to appreciate the humor/action/drama. Those comics relying on heavy knowledge of the culture aren't as successful in the States, and so I haven't read many of them.

4. Oh my, you want it straight? Here it is then: Now, at this very moment, when I hear 'arab,' images of Israel/Palestinian conflicts spin through juxtaposed with names and faces of tyrannical, bloodlustful, unenlightened kings, sheikhs, mullahs, and imams while the reasonable are branded as heretical traitors and killed in the next suicide attack. You may thank the media presence for this lovely image. For my self, I perceive a culture and people who are capable of incredible things; who did incredible things in their time. Yet now they cling to outreasoned irrational ideals and concepts self-inflated past its glaring shortcomings all under the authority of a religion pushed upon the people without thought and without candor between true intellectuals free of political and social self-interest. The people have suffered under the evils of imperialism, fanatical dogma, pathetic economic balance between rich and poor, lack of education and freedom to choose and discuss, tyranny, and violence, violence, and more violence. Too much pride, not enough pride to see their own problems for themselves. If we could only stop for a moment and evaluate our own right and wrong, free of outside interference from incorrect assumptions and outside influence, then the Arabs will once again be the model of human civilization. It hurts to chastise my own peoples and cultural heritage, but there it is.

5. "Persepolis" and "Simoon"

6. I don't know about less tension, but it will bring to front many viewpoints and ideas. It'll certainly bring back Kalam, since Ijtihad worked out so well for the Muslim world after the Turkish caliphate banned the printing press.

(I know your thesis will be great! And do please work on that comic of yours - I'll be working on mine and hopefully I can catch up.) ;D

1. American comics for me. If you want more specifics, American superhero comics, preferably from the company DC.

2. I don't know. I truthfully don't care or know much more about Japan's culture than any other country. I know it's definately no where near as wonderful as it's made out to be in the comics or by manga fans. I'm actually somewhat sickened by those that see Japan as some sort of holy land, as quite a few people I know do.

3. I've only read a few manga, and I wouldn't use them as a source of Japanese culture information. I don't read manga anymore.

4. Uh... "Arab" brings up the thought of... well, my mother and her side of my family. It makes me think of camels and desert and oil and religions. I don't think of the fighting that much, really. I view Arabs just as a veiw everyone else. Equally. No higher or lower than me. I also view half of my "race" as Arabic of some sort.

5. No, I don't believe I have.

6. It may not ease tension, but it may catch the interest of younger folk, and if it shows Arabs in a favorable light, it might change some opinions. I can't really say for sure, though. An Arabic comic might be interesting.

1. What is your favourite type of comic/graphic novels?Japanese,like shonen jump.hardly read normal ones...

2. How do you perceive the Japanese culture?well...

3. How well do you think manga has contributed to your knowledge of Japanese culture?really well,i at least know SOME japanese.

4. How do you perceive arabs? ( arab muslims) ( be blunt with this question, and tell me truthfully what you think when you hear the word "arab" =p )i think about a crab with rabies and doing rap at the same time.

5. Have you ever read a comic feating islamic culture/characters? if so, which?whats islamic?
6. Do you think if arabs created graphic novels/comics to introduce their culture, there'll be less tension?no.

1. What is your favourite type of comic/graphic novels?
I didn't read comics that often, but the style of the marvel comics was always a favorite.

2. How do you perceive the Japanese culture?
It's very diverse, but it seems fairly unaccessible to me. I haven't made much of an effort to learn about it, but it seems that to know the ins and outs of it classes or instruction would be needed. Also I would think they don't take kindly to english speakers.

3. How well do you think manga has contributed to your knowledge of Japanese culture?
Ehh... not too well, haven't read much, and from what I've watched it has mostly been action and futuristic type scenarios that aren't immediately plausible to the culture.

4. How do you perceive arabs? ( arab muslims) ( be blunt with this question, and tell me truthfully what you think when you hear the word "arab" =p )
When I hear the word arab I think of my friend Mark (he's Egyptian, but speaks Arabic). Many of them are good people, but I've been told by Mark that the Arabic people from the Middle East aren't as open to Americans and foreigners as the Arabs that live in different parts of the world ie. France, England, America, etc.

5. Have you ever read a comic feating islamic culture/characters? if so, which?
No.

6. Do you think if arabs created graphic novels/comics to introduce their culture, there'll be less tension?
Possibly, although, instructional comics probably wouldn't help. I think that if comics with Arabic characters and settings that captured interest with a hero were presented then yeah, it would be plausible to slowly introduce certain aspects of culture.

1. Translated Japanese Manga. I also love marvel comics (and any other super hero related comics), but they don't compare to the beauty of well drawn magna.

2. Eh, I can't say I have a very valid opinion of japanese culture. I don't know much about it, save small details I pick up from history books and the occasional article on the internet. Manga and anime are the only piece of japanese culture I actually observe regularly, I'm afraid.

3. Probably not at all. I read magna because it is usually well drawn, and is a wonderful type of art, not because it derives from japan. Apart from seeing small tidbits of japanese information in magna, I probably have never learned anything about japan or it's culture from reading magna.

4. Turth be told, when I hear "arab", I can't think of an exact definition. The first thing that I think of is the desert, or relatively desert-like climates. I believe they live in desert-like conditions, but I'm about as knowledgable as a three year old on the suject. I don't have any opinions on arabic people, either. I can't say I've ever met an arabic person, and if I have then I was unaware. They're just people to me, I suppose.

5. Hm, now, there's a question. I can't say that I have, but perhaps I have read some sort of super hero comic with arabic civilians, but nothing really comes to mind. I can't say that I actually know what "arabs" look like. I'm rather dull, I suppose. But no, I've never read any comic with arabic people who stood out.

6. That would depend on how far the novels/comics/whatever spread. If they had built tension with another country and that country suddenly took a liking to an arabic super hero, then you can imagine that it would spark some sort or relationship between the two countries. It would also revolve around content, as well. If other countries were pleased with it, then wouldn't it surely lighten their way of looking at arabs?

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Heh, I know next to nothing about arabs, but figured I might as well let you see that I can sound smart even when I don't know what I'm talking about.

1. Japanese Manga that has been translated.

2. To me, they are people whose introduction into gaming technology has branched much influence over the known world.

3. Well, to me it has shown that there is a type of honor code involved, like in Naruto. It seems that there is a perception that dying in battle is more honorable than dying in bed.

4. I think of a desert immediately. Then I see people moving across it with a turban on their heads.

5. Well, if you consider the Ishbalans in FMA an islamic-type, then yes and that would obvously be the FMA manga.

6. Possibly. The children might read through it and take a liking, but parents and adults may not be so forgiving and/or caring about it. Since children are molded by the society in the idea of existentialism, they may catch on with this. If the world were truly idealistic, then the tension would quickly lessen, but in this world, the tension would slowly lessen as the children who read it grow and learn from the mistakes the adults make.

1. Japanese Manga.

2. In a word, uber1337.

3. Pretty much everything I know about Japan has been from manga or anime.

4. Asian pride (heh)! I treat Arabs like I treat everyone else -- like crap. No, JK (mostly). Arabs to me are like everyone else, no difference.

5. Erm... no.

6. Hmm. Possibly, but I'm not sure that it would change, say, white supremacists' view on the culture.

Originally Posted by Anime_Queen

1. What is your favourite type of comic/graphic novels?

2. How do you perceive the Japanese culture?

3. How well do you think manga has contributed to your knowledge of Japanese culture?

4. How do you perceive arabs? ( arab muslims) ( be blunt with this question, and tell me truthfully what you think when you hear the word "arab" =p )

5. Have you ever read a comic feating islamic culture/characters? if so, which?
6. Do you think if arabs created graphic novels/comics to introduce their culture, there'll be less tension?

1. Mostly webcomics like VGCats and 8 Bit Theatre.

2. Hmmm, that's a toughie. When I think of Japanese culture, I think of codes of honour, the samurais of old, video game companies, Buddhism, Shintoism, and an interesting bland of the two (I once read that the Japanese are 80% Buddhist and 80% Shinto), big pagoda's, and that's all I can come up with right now. Basically, I think of all the stereotypes.

3. No. I've hardly read manga and anime, and none of what few I have read/seen really provided insight in the Japanese culture.

4. Well the first thing to come to mind is the stereotype: Guy in robes, wearing one of those things on his head of which I don't know what they're called, on a camel, going through the desert.
Other then that, I think of a great culture that has made astonishing acomplishements on the areas of architecture, medical science, astronomy, and more. I think of the Islam, a beautiful religion, though often getting the blame for things, because a few misled individuals think they have to commit cruelty in the name of Islam.
As for the actual Arabs, I percieve them the same way I percieve other people: as people.

5. No.

6. Possibly. If the comic were to provide good insight in the Arabic culture while maintaining a mainstream appeal, then possibly it might help, yes. Though I'm not really optimistic about that happening anytime soon.

1. What is your favourite type of comic/graphic novels?
Boondock Saints-esque comics. Otherwise manga or HK comics

2. How do you perceive the Japanese culture?
Polite, clean, efficent. However very stubborn.

3. How well do you think manga has contributed to your knowledge of Japanese culture?
About 60%. The rest actually came from research, and talking to friends who have experienced it.

4. How do you perceive arabs? ( arab muslims) ( be blunt with this question, and tell me truthfully what you think when you hear the word "arab" =p )
A friend who is a avid comic lover and is also a muslim. I find it quite interesting how they can integrate a fairly strict praying routine into their daily lives.

5. Have you ever read a comic feating islamic culture/characters? if so, which?
Not read a comic, however the Cowboy Bebop movie featured a mishmash of middle-eastern cultures.

6. Do you think if arabs created graphic novels/comics to introduce their culture, there'll be less tension?
Possibly.. However no matter how many viewpoints are given, the same stubborn people will hold their old mindsets.

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Congratulations on taking up such a project =) I'm curious as to how you're gonna render your characters.

This had ought to be some fun.

Originally Posted by Anime_Queen

1. What is your favourite type of comic/graphic novels?

American comics.

Originally Posted by Anime_Queen

2. How do you perceive the Japanese culture?

They're a bunch of people who make up for their diluted culture by polluting their minds with garbage that makes FOX News look like BBC World.

Originally Posted by Anime_Queen

3. How well do you think manga has contributed to your knowledge of Japanese culture?

The sad part is that it's the largest influence on my views of the culture, but I perceive much more through manga as a product than I do through the stories, settings and characters within.

Originally Posted by Anime_Queen

4. How do you perceive arabs? ( arab muslims) ( be blunt with this question, and tell me truthfully what you think when you hear the word "arab" =p )

Living in Toronto, a society that prides itself on its supposed multiculturalism, I can truthfully say that there are actually very few if any negative connotations associated with the word for me. I do realise the conflicts in less fortunate parts of the world are quite serious, and have caused effects on our corner of the world, but it's much the same that when I see a black person, I don't think "oh man, remember Rwanda?"

Originally Posted by Anime_Queen

5. Have you ever read a comic feating islamic culture/characters? if so, which?

No, none. I don't read comics, but I can be quite sure that, with a quick analysis of our society, they are not common things to find, and it is very likely that you would have to go out of your way to find them.

Originally Posted by Anime_Queen

6. Do you think if arabs created graphic novels/comics to introduce their culture, there'll be less tension?

I very much doubt the problem lies in that these things aren't being created, because I'm sure they are. The problem, then, is not producing said graphic novles, but selling them. If this is in relation specifically to manga, I doubt that these will be highly successful unless there is an apparent butchering of the culture in place that is quite prevailant in the Japanese comics.

1. What is your favourite type of comic/graphic novels?
Manga.

2. How do you perceive the Japanese culture?
The civilisation of the future o.o

3. How well do you think manga has contributed to your knowledge of Japanese culture?
Quite alot. Although i mainly read SciFi mangas o.o

4. How do you perceive arabs? ( arab muslims) ( be blunt with this question, and tell me truthfully what you think when you hear the word "arab" =p )
The term 'People' comes to mind. I hit my friends when they are racist towards people with words like 'Paki'

5. Have you ever read a comic feating islamic culture/characters? if so, which?
nope, cant help you there, although I have watched an anime filem which features the main character walking around a moroccan town on the planet mars.

6. Do you think if arabs created graphic novels/comics to introduce their culture, there'll be less tension?
Yes, I think that would be the case .

Vacumgod - Thank you very much, you brought up a lot of points I had been meaning to bring up in the thesis like other cultures trying to represent a culture (i.e Disney's Aladdin) and therefore reinforcing stereotypes. Thank you for your feedback sir

Virtigo - What can I say? trust you to be blunt and interesting every time. You point out a lot valid reasoning concerning the arabs being a main cause of their demise and the outcast position they fill at the moment. Discouraging and even frowning on communication espECially artistic communication. Valuable input from another point of view. Thank you very much.
(I'm working on 2 graphic novels, so you better get your act together quick or eat my dust hehe ~__^ )


Miniblin - thanks for your honest views. You mention if it "shows arabs in a favourable light" then it may have the capacity to change some opinions. Does that stem from the general idea propagated by media that the arabs are always the "baddies"? =) similar to how russians were often depicted in films for a while. Thank you for your time m'lady ^__^

Solink - very brief in your replies, but you were the first I believe to admit that most of your information about Japan has been taken or at least sparked by manga/anime, to the point of learning some of the words. Thank you very much for your contribution.

Matt - thank you very much for instantly answering me as soon as I mentioned the questionnaire - I won't forget in a hurry ^_^ . As for your replies; the most interesting point I believe was the way in which arab comics would/would not be effective. I, too, agree with you that instructional comics will not contribute. In fact, may even put off as they'd be regarded as sort of a lowly propaganda ploy. The idea IS to introduce aspects of the culture slowly to people who know zilch about it =p The same way in which marvel/DC comics take superhero stories with distinct american culture background flavours. Thank you again

Aerixeth - Then you did a good job, and did sound intelligent =) Some of what you said goes against my arguments but it is nevertheless very much valid. I admit I laughed when you said you didn't even know what arabs looked like. The thing I find intriguing is that no one knows anything about them even though they span 23 countries =) Thank you very much for your feedback.

DarkZeroHyrule - Brief but valuable answers. You even gave an example of something about the culture you learn (i.e honour code from Naruto) thank you. You're the first to mention the length of time it may take to change perceptions and ideas about another culture. I agree with you that even if arabs started producing brilliant comics it'll take at least another generation before notable results can be picked up as the children of today become the adults of tomorrow. I thank you very much.

Hayden Jenz - *laughs* "uberl337"! xD (I'm sorely tempted to use this if I wasn't sure only a minority of the lecturers marking this would understand the word ;p ) most of your answers supported my arguments, but I found it interesting that you regard arabs as Asian mostly =) My thanks to you for the time you took to complete this

Sacred Sturgeon- Insightful answers =) You seem to be well clued in on your cultures, knowing a lot more about the history and background when others were pretty much ignorant of what "arab" even relates to and you've made very good points. One- you're the first to say webcomics. A growing side of comics making things a lot easier and accessible to all. Two - "maintaining a mainstream appeal" and that is another thing I was looking into. If arabs were to use the manga style for their comics, would that be false? or would the already accessible and appealing manga style ( or "language") contribute to the comics sliding mainstream from the beginning? something I have pondered and backed up by your comment. Thank you very much, I appreciated each word =)

Sir Chuc - always to the point =p 60% is still a considerable percentage to be given off by comics/manga. But would you say that manga/anime/Japanese games is what would have sparked knowing about the other 40%? I agree with you about stubborn people staying stubborn but here's hoping that that is not the majority. And thank you very much =)

Searanox - you replied! ^___^ hmm.. would I be correct in saying that your thoughts about the Japanese culture and manga have changed to more negative thoughts after a long time of reading and analysing the "product"?
I also disagree in that I believe they are NOT being made. I have scoured arab countries, France and the Uk to find examples and have found next to nothing. Butchering the culture in the process of creating the comics/graphic novels would defeat the whole purpose behind the idea. Thanks again for expressing your thoughts.

Dom - Thank you =) Hehe, you back my general idea about Manga and it's readers, but you have taken it a step further by stating you believe it to be the civilisation of the future ( as I'm sure people like Sear, Virtigo and Mini would disagree =p ) and I'm pleased you think an honest arb/Islamic comic can contribute in lessening tension =)

Everything so far has been valuable, and any feedback is duly appreciated. In return, I'll keep you all updated with the graphic novel(s) ^__^