Comic Books in America and Japan Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Comic Books in America and Japan - Case Study Example However, children are also the most sensitive group within the society because they are at a developmental stage that is highly susceptible to influence. Moreover, children are also the most active in leisure activities because they require socialisation to develop intellectually. The development of children is dependent on the presented values within the family and the environment in which they live, with different societies presenting different traditions. The group relations and activities that children engage in during their leisure time are particularly influential on their developmental attributes (Turow 2011, p. 162). An excellent example of this is the influence of comic books. Comic books are either locally created or imported and often follow a similar fictional plot that children can identify with easily. Comic book popularity has recently been boosted by advances in technology, as children can now access comic plots through the internet on their computers and/or mobile ph ones. In both America and Japan, the increased trend of comic books use in children is obvious, although the regions depict a variation in child behaviour in response to comic books. Thus, this paper will present a discussion of the phenomena in both countries, and offer some comparison to show how comic books affect children intellectual development as well as on aspects pertaining to their social behaviours. Japanese Manga and American Comics Overview Since the Second World War, America and Japan have experienced similar developments, and have participated in a great deal of cultural exchange. For the purpose of this paper, the common prevalence of the comic book in the two countries will be addressed. In America, the term is ‘comic books’, and in Japan, it is ‘manga’ (Burton, 2008, p. 3). Comics were developed in America in the thirties, at which time the super hero aspect gained popularity. Since then, comics have influenced the creation of Japanese man ga, which has borrowed heavily from such super hero fictions as Batman and Superman. In both countries, the fictional worlds created have offered entertainment to an increasingly broad audience of children. Indeed, both comics and manga are significant to the publication industry (Bresler & Thompson 2002, p. 51). Japanese production of manga has been larger as compared to the American comic industry, occupying forty per cent of total publication production in Japan (Schodt, 1996, p. 19). This is because the composition of manga is dynamic and has grown to cover an increased scope as compared to comics. Interest has therefore increased among consumers, who have incorporated Japanese manga into their entertainment. This has prompted the publishers of American comic books to seek developments in plot that increase the creativity and involvement of the youth and children. However, Japanese manga continues to have a greater influence as compared to comic books because, unlike their comic s, the target audience is much wider. Considering these differences in audience reach, despite the similarities of the manga and comic book genres, the influence on children in Japan as compared to in America has been recorded to vary. This may be related to differences in plot development in the stories and the reflections they offer of societal norms (Burton, 2008, p. 3; Schodt 1996, p. 20-22). Comics among American Children In the 1930s, when