Abstract
The researcher completed a qualitative multimodal content analysis of teen manga that examines how adolescents are portrayed within manga and as the intended audience. An analytical tool was developed using multimodal, semiotic, social semiotic, and youth lenses to understand representations of adolescents in teen manga for the publishing company Viz Media. The rating system Viz Media uses to label its manga is used to identify what is in the contents of the stories. The researcher discovered that some manga are not rated correctly based on how Viz Media defines teen manga. Further, depictions of adolescents are potentially problematic due to various factors including the mistreatment of adolescents by adults, toxic masculinity, and sexism.
TopManga Censorship, Stigma, And Decision-Makers
Comics have a reputation for being enjoyed by adolescents while having little educational potential (Hintz & Tribunella, 2019). Beyond this, comics are thought to be easy to interpret and are not worthy of further study or interpretation to qualify their merit by educators (Gardner, 2012). However, comics as a literary medium are beginning to gain recognition for their value in a multimodal context (Serafini, 2014). For example, the graphic novel Maus by Art Spiegelman won a Pulitzer prize in 1992 for its representations of the holocaust. It made a case for the literary merit of comics and graphic novels (Chun, 2009).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Gore: Blood and gore that comes from violence.
Mode: A way of communicating information.
Social semiotics: The way someone’s cultural influence allows them to make meaning of the world around them.
Comics: A literary medium that uses images and text to tell a story. It is read from left to right.
Manga: A literary medium that uses images and text to tell a story. It is read from left to right.
Censorship: The removal of material because it is thought to be inappropriate or harmful to its potential viewers.
Youth Lens: A theoretical lens that examines how youth is portrayed by society and what these portrayals mean.
Crude Humor: Humor that is sexual or vulgar.
Preemptive Censorship: The exclusion of material without potential viewers knowing it has been excluded.