Essay Review: Comics Go Classic…Again - 0 views
-
Like Classic Comics decades earlier, the Manga Editions of Shakespeare suffer two fatal flaws inherent in most edutainment: one concerning the content and the other the medium. Regarding content, the Manga Editions do not simply adapt great works of literature to a modern form; they devastate them in the process. The result is an illustrated version of CliffsNotes
-
However, there is one major difference contained within the Manga Editions of Shakespeare. Whereas Baz Luhrmann’s modernized film Romeo + Juliet is designed to entertain, the Manga Editions aim to educate, or at least substitute for education.
-
The second overarching flaw of the Manga Editions concerns the medium. This I discovered via an informal focus group of ten manga scholars: students in the manga club at Martin Luther King, Jr. High School in New York City. These high schoolers are not mere manga fans; they are devoted researchers of the genre. They read, discuss, and debate manga in school, out of school, and in their sleep, I imagine. Moreover, they create their own manga and share their work with peers, just like Japanese youths thousands of miles away. Their first impression of the Manga Editions was voiced in unison: “It’s NOT manga!”
- ...3 more annotations...
-
Like Classic Comics decades earlier, the Manga Editions of Shakespeare suffer two fatal flaws inherent in most edutainment: one concerning the content and the other the medium. Regarding content, the Manga Editions do not simply adapt great works of literature to a modern form; they devastate them in the process. The result is an illustrated version of CliffsNotes