Monday, November 17, 2014

On the Coffee Table: Twin Spica, Vol. 3

Title: Twin Spica, Volume 3
Writer and Artist: Kou Yaginuma
via Amazon
Twin Spica tells the story of Asumi, a student at Tokyo National Space School.  My posts about the first two volumes of this excellent manga series can be found here and here.  The two most interesting characters so far, aloof fellow student Marika and Mr. Sano, the physics teacher, both get significant development in this third installment.

As noted in my first post about the series, Twin Spica is classified as seinen, meaning the target audience is men, ages 17-40.  This is a little surprising - at least from a Western perspective - considering the highly sentimental aspects of the story.  American movies targeting men, by contrast, are generally not renowned for emotional depth.  Thinking back in my own experiences in Japan, the men I knew were, indeed, less shy about expressing certain emotions than their American counterparts.  This is not to imply that the macho image isn't a significant part of the culture because it certainly is.  It's just shaped a bit differently.  Wistful longing for elements of the past - school chums, mom's cooking and, especially, those passed on - is part of what it is to be a man.

So, a teenage girl weeping over her long-dead mother?  Chick-flick material in the States.  Totally fair game for seinen manga.

14 comments:

  1. I would like to start reading manga. My students have mentioned these types of books.

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    1. The great thing about manga, as opposed to English-speaking comic books, is the seemingly endless variety. Comics are not a niche market in Japan. They're mainstream literature so there's a series or 12 to suit every interest. So, I recommend you start with your own usual reading preferences and find the manga to match.

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  2. I've never read manga, but I've read everything else so I should really give it a try. I do love the illustrations. :)

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    1. The art is very different from western comics, too. Japanese comics have developed their own sophisticated aesthetic over many decades.

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  3. This is on my list. Must as daughter if she has this one.

    cheers, parsnip

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  4. I also need to get some manga to read. I've seen some on Amazon.

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    1. I've found Goodreads gives me pretty reliable recommendations.

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  5. I haven't read any manga- but this does sound different. I think it is interesting that the target age group is men from 17-40. I wouldn't have guessed that. Thanks for sharing. :)
    ~Jess

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  6. It's funny how different content is in other parts of the world. Great review Squid.

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  7. American teens love angst, so this would probably do well over here!

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    1. Actually, manga sell pretty well in the US. I don't know how this series is doing commercially but I've certainly enjoyed it - a Goodreads recommendation.

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