So, Matt Blind just posted news that the first two volumes of the Lucky Star manga from Bandai have been spotted on Amazon (for May and August of this coming year). I’m a fan of the anime, so this is good news for me!
In his post, he brought up the whole high-school-students-drawn-like-little-kids thing, and I admit that was weird for me at first (though I’ve gotten used to it), but I was thinking about that recently, as we’ve just started watching Shugo Chara! which features fifth graders who (in my opinion) look like high school students, and wondering what does it all mean? I know that the high school students who look like eleven-year-olds are supposed to appeal to twenty-something men who are into cuteness, but who are the eleven-year-olds who look like high school students supposed to appeal to? Shugo Chara! is a shojo series, so I suppose the answer is young girls. Is it because (as one friend suggested) young girls wish they looked like teenagers? Or do the kids in Shugo Chara! really look authentic to their age, and my perspective has just been warped from too much moe?
I’d love to know people’s opinions on this. I like both series, so I find it all pretty interesting. Also, speaking of Shugo Chara!, I had purchased the first volume of the manga a while back, read it, decided it was too “young” for me to really get into as a series, and passed it on to the daughter of a co-worker. Now that we’re watching the anime, however, I’m finding it really charming, and I wonder about that decision. Can anyone tell me how different the anime is from the manga? Is it that I really do just enjoy the anime more (rare for me), or have my tastes broadened since I originally read the manga, which means I should probably start picking it up again? Thoughts?
Matt Blind says
December 29, 2008 at 8:29 pmOh.
A command performance.
I also like both series, happen to own 4 volumes of the Shugo Chara manga (and had previously reviewed volume one — it’ll take me a minute or ten to import that from the Comicsnob.com archive)
hang on a sec…
http://www.rocketbomber.com/2007/04/22/review-shugo-chara-vol-1
there ya go.
…and may or may not have up to 40 episodes of the Shugo Chara anime saved to a hard drive. I mean, it’s not like I do that sort of thing [*cough*] not when there are legal alternatives like Crunchyroll that can provide enough cover to allow me to do a review on fansubs without admitting to… well, Admitting to Nothing, Actually: I saw it on Crunchyroll, right? So I have source material for both versions and some passing familiarity with the franchise.
Time for 13 eps of anime plus 4 vols of manga, plus a write up… I have to be at work in 16 hours… sleep… beer…
analysis of age appropriateness of characters vis a vis depiction of such vis a vis the audience, and the approach taken toward one as it relates to both of the others, considering not only the ‘target’ Japanese audience but also how it has been presented to the American fan base…
hm.
Well, I can make no promises. But I might have something for you by lunchtime Tuesday. Might I be permitted to post such an analysis (w/ links back to this post, of course) to my own blog?
—
And I thought I gave you permission to just call me Matt. ;)
Melinda Beasi says
December 29, 2008 at 10:39 pmMatt, hi! :)
First of all, I’d love it if you posted analysis on this topic, and look forward to reading it!
Secondly, it was interesting to read your review of the first volume of Shugo Chara! and it seems to me like you had a very similar reaction as I had when I read it, particularly regarding the age range it is targeting. I was really confused about the rating on the book, and actually passed my copy on to an elementary school student who enjoyed it very much. I’m confused about why it would be rated 13+ (despite the fact that I think the characters look more like 13+ than they do like 11-year-olds). Yet you also seem to have stuck with the series in both forms (thanks to, you know, Crunchyroll of course, uh, just like us), so you obviously fell for its charm eventually. I really should revisit the manga, I think.
Matt Blind says
January 1, 2009 at 12:40 amtyranny of numbers:
I’ve got other pots a boiling, with manga ranking charts weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly that all of a sudden are all ready at the same time — if I can keep up. So I’ve had to put this thought (these thoughts) on a back burner for a while… but I’m still working on it.
I plan to set aside 4 hours for this on my next day off (whenever that is) (a quick check shows that to be Friday, actually) so thank you for your patience.
speaking of the charts: when did my little, out of the way blog and very odd hobby become a part-time job? hm. well, I suppose it’s OK so long as I still enjoy it.
Melinda Beasi says
January 1, 2009 at 1:16 pmNo worries, Matt! It’s a busy time for everyone! I hadn’t even realized so many days had passed. It’s all a blur. :)
Heh, my blog feels the same way to me, and I haven’t been doing it nearly as long as you have. :D
Matt Blind says
January 10, 2009 at 10:37 pmThat one took a while. Oofah. but only 2 weeks late.
http://www.rocketbomber.com/2009/01/10/5by8-29-the-blind-men-and-the-elephant-in-the-room
Melinda Beasi says
January 11, 2009 at 7:41 amAh, awesome! I look forward to reading! :D
Tyciol says
May 30, 2009 at 2:55 amThe whole reverse of young looking old may appeal to the young who have big visions of who they are becoming, like they want to be larger than life, stuff like that. It’s almost kind of western with the way girls dress themself up or guys want to become muscular or something like that.
Heck even with something relatively standard like Naruto, if you think about how him or Rock Lee look like when they’re powered up, they look like they could tear a normal adult in half, and even the girls are somewhat developed or distracting for preteens.
Melinda Beasi says
May 30, 2009 at 1:33 pmThe whole reverse of young looking old may appeal to the young who have big visions of who they are becoming, like they want to be larger than life, stuff like that.
That’s a good point!