Abstract
In the best-selling comic book Sensōron (1998), Kobayashi Yoshinori (b. 1953) develops his own “discourse on war” through the medium of manga, using a provocative discourse that has since been widely criticised for its potential to incite attitudes of exclusionary nationalism. Kobayashi’s discourse on the Nanjing Massacre in Sensōron criticises the illiberal tendency of Japanese media, newspaper-publishing companies in particular, to select information they prefer and distort the past by using suspicious photos and captions. It is thus of value to reconsider this war-related debate from the perspective of Ien Ang’s concept of “emotional realism,” which refers to the tendency of viewers to be moved emotionally and empathise with the human events presented by TV dramas, regardless of whether or not they are accurately grounded in historical facts. Through close readings of Sensōron and related critiques of the volume, I will examine how Kobayashi Yoshinori challenges the dominant World War II narratives in Japan, which tend to overlook the actual wartime period and instead focus on the prewar and postwar periods. Then I will argue that, although Sensōron might lack meticulous research when compared to general academic scholarship, it functions to a certain extent as an alternative voice that critically points out contemporary Japan’s neglect to reflect on World War II and apply the lessons of the past to the present.
Highlights
Kobayashi Yoshinori (b. 1953) is one of several manga artists who have been actively involved in debate on the topic of postwar Japan.1 He has been mostly successful both commercially and critically since his debut in 1976 as a cartoonist of gag manga, which mainly targeted young readers
I will argue that, Sensōron might lack meticulous research when compared to general academic scholarship, it functions to a certain extent as an alternative voice that critically points out contemporary Japan’s neglect to reconsider World War II and to apply the lessons of the past to the present
Kobayashi argues that this photo of dead bodies shows neither the victims of bombing committed by the Japanese army nor the Nanjing Massacre, which demonstrates a neglect for doing research before exhibiting and publishing on the part of both Peace Ōsaka and other sources (Kobayashi 1998, 156)
Summary
ISSUE 1 – Between Texts and Images: Mutual Images of Japan and Europe ISSUE 2 – Japanese Pop Cultures in Europe Today: Economic Challenges, Mediated Notions, Future Opportunities. The illustrations and photographs, in particular, are reproduced in low digital resolution and constitute specific and partial details of the original images. They perform a merely suggestive function and fall in every respect within the fair use allowed by current international laws. OTMAZGIN, Department of Asian Studies, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel); ŌTSUKA Eiji, The International Research Center for Japanese Studies, Kyōto (Japan); WONG Heung Wah, School of Modern Languages and Literature, The University of Hong. Alternative narratives of Japan in contemporary media: Kobayashi Yoshinori’s Sensōron
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