Free Essay - Japanese Children's Drawings

Describe the type of assignment that the student participants in Brent Wilson’s research were given.

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Wilson says that the students were supposed to draw illustrations of a story in graphic form. The instructor required the students to draw an illustrated story that would show what happened, what happened next, and what follows. Most of the students wrote a representation of manga cartoons.

Brent Wilson does not know whether to look at the modern influence of comic models or to look at their past significance. The industry grew significantly in the postmodern period. The author has options to either describe the present classification of manga or to read the graphic narrative that describes the children’s art. (Wilson, 2003).

What were the reasons given by the author for the classification of children’s graphic narratives, after collecting samples of Japanese children’s drawings?

The author says that the children drew illustrations of manga and anime. According to the author, the graphic illustrations that the students drew differed in terms of the types of manga characters. The classification was easy since the author was able to the sources of the characters in the drawings. He only needed to observe the shape and configurations of the body parts of the pictures. The author says that the characters differed in shapes and configurations for bodies, heads, eyes, hair, limbs, etc.

Describe the meaning of specific types of manga characters illustrated in Fig. 1. – “Doll Types,” Animals and Cyborgs. What kind of messages did each type in Fig 1 convey to children who used those characters in their drawings?

There are different types of manga characters that the author described. One of the types of manga characters that the children drew was doll-like. The doll-like characters have a heart-like face or a flat chin. Manga characters which are doll-like represent the shape of the Japanese. Their eyes resemble those of the Japanese. The female doll-like manga has blonde hair representing the Caucasian shape. The other type of manga cartoon represents non-Japanese people. A different class of manga illustration that the children drew was animals and birds. The most common type of anime is rabbits and Monkeys. The monkeys represent playful human beings. Cyborgs and superheroes are other types of manga that the children brought. Cyborgs are of different types and represent extra-humane capabilities within mankind (Lent, 2010).

What three (3) possible general explanations relating to the child, to child art, and society and culture, can you provide for Japanese children's narrative drawings?

According to the graphic illustrations that the children drew, the Japanese children interacted well with the manga cartoons. The research that was conducted by the author shows that the environment greatly influences the child art. Because the children had associated well with manga, most of them drew the types of manga. Manga has gradually changed the culture of the Japanese and made a long-lasting impact on the minds of the readers.

Describe what non-manga drawing classifications typically include.

The children who chose to draw non-manga illustrations drew things like sports representations. Other students who did not draw manga comics brought automobile features. The automobiles include ships that were visible alongside the manga comics.

Why did the author decide to classify them as non-manga types?

The author described the features as non-manga because the elements had never appeared in comic books. The items are neither comics nor are they cartoons. Ships and architectural features are not mostly found in comic books.

Give two (2) reasons why the author claimed that, “The influence of manga is probably even bigger than the data reveal."

The author believes that manga has a higher than what the media thinks that in Japan, every child reads manga books. As a result of reading manga books, a Japanese child always thinks of reading more manga books. The author says that comic books make up over forty percent of all books sold in the country.

Which category of Manga and Non-manga Types from Table 1 has the lowest percentage of usage and the highest percentage of usage by Japanese children in their narrative drawings? What reasons can you provide to explain the low and high percentage usage?

Monster and comic manga had the lowest percentage of use. The students did not like using those manga cartoons. For monster ones, students could have been scared of them. Some people associate monster manga with evil and may not be willing to read them.

What is your understanding of the term semiotic? Why does the author argue that Japanese children's drawings are easy to understand in the context of semiotic analysis of multiple signs?

The term semiotic analysis means the interpretation and analysis of signs. The drawings of the children contain a lot of symptoms that need an explanation to understand. Each type of graphic expression contains some language hidden in the drawing. Some types of manga express beautiful stories while others tell sorrowful stories. The comic representations might express issues like love, heartbreak nudity, or death.

Describe the connections between pre-texts, texts, and post-texts in the process of interpreting Japanese children’s narrative drawing. Why do we need to look at antecedents when studying children’s art?

Pre-text refer to where by the reader of a text might fail to get the real meaning of the written text. On the other hand post text is the hidden message in an abbreviation or a simple. In every drawing that the children draw, there is a description of some activity or event. The illustrations represent what the child is trying to communicate. When one interprets the pictures, they bring a clear message that the children try to pass through the art. There should be a connection between what the interpreter sees and what the children indented to say.

In what ways do the actions of Japanese children and youths drive and sustain the industry of manga?

Children in Japan read a lot of manga books. The manga industry grows significantly. According to Wilson, a Japanese teenager learns a new album every week. Manga makers, therefore, have to produce the papers every week. The manga industry thus grows significantly. The increased use of manga comic books has made the comic industry in Japan sell about forty percent of all books sold in the country.

How do Japanese children create conditions that fuel the adult manga industry? Provide two (2) examples to support your answer.

Japanese children motivate the adult manga industry significantly. The children come up with their comic books, therefore, making the adult publishers get the idea of children's tastes. Another way in which children influence the adult manga industry is by creating the standards that the adult industry should follow by producing several publications.

How does the appropriation of manga characters enable us to gain insights into Japanese and their values and culture?

The characters of manga and their actions reflect the real nature of Japanese culture. When looked closely, the art shows some elements of authentic Japanese culture.

What two (2) possible explanations can you give for the Japanese obsession with the doll-type figures in their manga representations?

The reason why the Japanese are obsessed with the doll-like manga is that the comic design somehow is appealing to the children. Another reason why a doll-like manga is typical in Japan is that it ultimately represents the japan people and their culture.

Describe three (3) purposes for the broad classification of “Other Manga Types” including Monsters presented by the author.

Other manga types are also consequential as they assume some characters that show human behavior. The monkeys, for example, are used to indicate their playful nature. Some other animal characters represent a class of people. Rabbits, for example, are used to describe young children. Cyborgs are used to playing parts that normal humans might be unable to do. Doraemon, for instance, is associated with superhuman wisdom.

Why is the author saying that manga characters used in Japanese children’s art should be analyzed on a collective rather than on an individual basis?

The manga should have a general interpretation because they all serve a common purpose despite being of different classes. The comic characters, generally describe the Japanese, their culture and the way they behave. All Japanese manga tries to explain the same content.

In your own words describe four (4) advantages that manga drawings offer Japanese children that children from other countries and cultures do not have.

Manga drawings are beneficial to a Japanese child. The comic illustrations provide the children with continuous entertainment. The use of comic books provides an ample environment for people who wish to learn Japanese language. The comic characters also help in making the children busy. Almost every Japanese child draws manga and non-manga characters for leisure. The manga characters also help to enhance human nature (Lent, 2010).