Looking through the manga news and found something to debate about. Apparently local schools around Wicomico, in Maryland County, are taking out Dragon Ball Mangas because of nudity and sexual content.

“In cartoon format, it depicts nudity, sexual contact between children and sexual innuendo among adults and children,” Holloway told fellow council members during the comment period of Tuesday’s meeting.

Photocopies provided by Holloway detail several of the scenes.

I could argue Mr. Holloway’s overreaction over this whole thing, or I could rant on the writer and his terrible demonstration as a “journalist”. I think I’ll do the latter. Mr. Latshaw even though you are writing for a local paper, I’m assuming, write from both sides of the argument (it’s good practice for when you apply to BIGGER places). I also saw the followup article that came out today which you tried to put some research in, but failed based on the first line of the article:

Don’t let the bright-eyed, youthful heroes dancing through the pages fool you: Japanese graphic novels are often geared toward adults.

NO THEY ARE NOT! Manga, or Japanese graphic novels as you call it, are geared towards certain genders, ages, and “groups” just like any other graphic novel. It’s so sad to see that you had to bring in a professor in as a source material:

“In Japanese culture, it’s well understood that they are adult (-oriented) books, when in America, we still have the notion of a comic book as a kid’s genre,” said Adam Wood, an assistant professor at Salisbury University who has used graphic novels to help teach his American literature course.

How do I argue with a professor who has knowledge with “graphic novels” when I’m a lowly blogger who writes about manga, specifically, on a daily bases? I just can.

Professor Wood tries his best to be the “other” perspective from yesterday’s terrible article, but fails to bring a sound reason that represents manga with correct information. I agree with his last part that US audience still see comics as a kid’s genre, but he is so wrong about the first part. Again, Japanese culture does not understand what they are reading is “adult books” because it isn’t. It isn’t “adult” to them because they don’t see it that way; we do. God, doesn’t anyone in the professional world know anything about “cultural differences”? I can’t speak for the Japanese audience regarding their perspective on the matter, but neither should professor Wood.

Oh, I guess I should include Holloway somewhere:

“The drawings and story lines are disgusting,” Holloway said of the [manga].

Sorry, got tired of seeing “books” when it should be “manga” or “comics”.

I usually don’t rant, but this guy…man. Does he know what a storyline is or how to find one? Since it’s manga we are talking about, it is the narrative formed as a result from the juxtaposition of images from panel to panel (or something like that). In other words, you have to read the damn thing to get the actual story, which I know based on the report he did not do.

…

I’m done with this. Rants take up a lot of time.

Got something you want to say about the school, the manga, Holloway, or the badness of the articles? Say it.