More Corona Cartoons, Japan

Ryan Holmberg continues his series on work influenced by the coronavirus outbreak, with a look at manga and manga-adjacent media, from manga- and anime-based memes and single-page comics-format parodies, to charming cartoon diaries, admonitory medical manga, classical political cartoons, and revivals of older pandemic-themed comics.

Corona Cartoons, Japan

Ryan Holmberg takes a look at manga and manga-adjacent media dealing with the coronavirus outbreak, from manga- and anime-based memes and single-page comics-format parodies, to charming cartoon diaries, admonitory medical manga, classical political cartoons, and revivals of older pandemic-themed comics.

Proto-Gekiga: Matsumoto Masahiko’s Komaga

One could say that Matsumoto Masahiko was the true innovator of gekiga and today’s manga. Sakurai Shōichi (cartoonist, publisher, brother of Tatsumi Yoshihiro), 1971-72 As an aside, let me point out that, around the time that the term ‘gekiga’ was born, some people used ‘komaga’ instead. In my opinion, it would be more appropriate to… Read more »

Enka Gekiga: Hayashi Seiichi’s Pop Music Manga

If his autobiographical reminisces are true, then Hayashi Seiichi’s literary life began with falling tears. As he recalled the early 50s in “Azami Light” (“Keikō,” 1972): “‘Look at you sniveling like a little girl,’ said my mother. She turned her back on me and got into bed. The book I was reading was so sad… Read more »