Assignment+1+-+Comic+Analysis

Eric Liu Professor Mike Jones CCT300H5 15 October 2009 A Girl’s Fantasy The comic series I have chosen for this assignment is __Skip Beat!__, a Japanese //shōjo manga// by Yoshiki Nakamura. The story follows Mogami Kyoko, the protagonist in her journey for revenge and reconciliation. The story begins with Kyoko being in love with Fuwa Sho; her childhood friend, roommate, and popular Japanese singer. Learning his true motives in using her as a lackey, she seeks revenge by beating him in show business. After much difficulty, she finds herself in a different stream of show business; acting. The story then follows Kyoko’s journey to climb in the entertainment industry to beat Shōutaro, but also to regain the love that she had lost to him. Scott McCloud’s __Understanding Comics__ suggests that Nakamura’s __Skip Beat!__ is able to function as a successful //shōjo manga// through its ability to relate to the female audience’s emotions, and its ability to attract female audience with fantasy-like elements. Nakamura uses various elements in order to draw the female audience. She accomplishes this through the use of cartoon characters, visual metaphors, and subjective motions. McCloud suggests that the de-emphasis of mimesis of the physical world creates cartoons and transforms the ideas into concepts (McCloud 1993, 41). Nakamura’s simplified and cartoon-like versions of Kyoko reveal to the reader how she is feeling, and puts the reader into the same position. This is accomplished by McCloud’s premise on how readers see themselves in the faces of cartoons as opposed to another being (Figure 1) (McCloud 1993, 36). This notion can be applied in the real world with the phenomena that “=]” is an equivalent to the real-life signifier of a happy mood. In comics, it becomes easier for readers to relate and put themselves in the same position of the character when the character has been simplified or made absent of detail. Note that Nakamura uses only uses art on the reality and meaning side of The Picture Plane (Figure 2) (McCloud 1993, 53). This further reinforces to the audience the idea that Kyoko is a real girl, because of her realistic features, but also that she is another part of the reader in that she can be related to when she transforms into her cartoon version. The second element that Nakamura uses in order to relate to the audience is through visual metaphors. These visual metaphors include the use of backgrounds, and the use of texts and text balloons. McCloud proposes that visual iconography is about giving people roles and not goals (McCloud 1993, 59), and that those visual icons communicate to the audience like language (McCloud 1993, 128). Nakamura effectively demonstrates Kyoko’s anger with the demons which she “summons” (Figure 3). The dark expressions, elf-like features, and flight abilities indicate to the reader that these are demons. Further more, she writes //kanji// characters on these demons, signalling to the reader the specific emotion these demons represent. //Kanji// characters, in essence, carry no meaning just as how letters are arbitrary to the actual signified they represent. Just as how text is language, Nakamura’s symbols are also language. She also uses the text, text balloon, and background to convey emotion to her audience. Nakamura has a good grasp on showing emotion as she uses text, text balloon, and extraneous visual imagery to convey Kyoko’s nervousness (Figure 4). While many American comic artists use style in word balloons to represent the essence of sound (McCloud 1993, 134), Nakamura adds on even more detail with various elements. The squiggles in the text, the “unsteadiness” of the word bubble, Kyoko’s “aura”, and even sound effects shown by the small text all indicate towards Kyoko’s shakiness, which the reader picks up as nervousness. Through the use of both the text and imagery, Nakamura displays what McCloud refers to as an “additive combination”, using words to elaborate on the image (McCloud 1993, 154). When Kyoko reminisces her past, we see a frame surrounded by darkness (Figure 5). This is an indication that the particular instance is closed off from time and space. The reader is able to tell that this is the past as opposed to the present, by the text on the panel, demonstrating the use of “interdependent combination”. Another element which Nakamura uses to draw her audience into Kyoko’s character is through subjective motion. An example of this is when Kyoko rushes to get Shōutaro’s poster from the music store (Figure 6). Subjective motion is a common technique that Japanese //mangaka// use in action scenes such as racing in order to induce the feeling that the reader is “in the driver’s seat” (McCloud 1993, 114). Essentially, subjective motion makes one feel like they are involved and part of the story. The use of cartoon characters, visual metaphors, and subjective motion allows Nakamura to successfully draw in the audience, by inducing the feeling that they are part of the story. Being a //shōjo manga//, __Skip Beat!__ targets the female audience. Nakamura uses fantasy-like imagery and allusions to show the image of fairytales; presumably what the female audience looks for in a story. To accomplish this effect, she uses various tools such as real textures, the language of comics, and paneling. According to McCloud, Japanese //manga// often make objects very realistic to show detail and alert the reader to think of the object as something with weight, texture, and physical complexity (McCloud 1993, 44). Kyoko’s treasure, given to her from “Corn” is an example of an object that resembles a “real-object” (Figure 7).While the gem looks like it exists in both time and space, the associated text and the background imagery suggests that there is something magical about Corn’s stone. Comics use both text and imagery to convey a story to the reader. McCloud claims that readers need unified language to be successful. He notes that images are received information that do not require education and is processed instantaneous. On the other hand, writing is perceived, and takes time to learn and decode (McCloud 1993, 49). The language of comics is consisted of the embedded texts and images. Nakamura effectively uses both in order to build a phantasmagorical experience. When Kyoko is tricked into carrying Ruriko to the set, she jumps into a fantasy realm (Figure 8). Note how Kyoko is carrying a heavy load while being whipped by a demon from hell. In addition, Kyoko acts as if she were a knight protecting a princess. By using symbols and diction relating to common fairytale tropes, Nakamura allows the audience to feel a sense of fantasy in __Skip Beat!__. Nakamura’s effort in paneling is another factor which develops a phantasmagorical sense, attracting the female public. She uses techniques such as timeless space and merged frames in order to achieve this effect. Like many comic artists, Nakamura uses bleeds. According to McCloud, bleeds are not constrained by time, and represent timeless space (McCloud 1993, 103). She also uses merged frames in order to give a sense of surrealism (Figure 9). In this scene, it appears that the president tunes into Kyoko’s emotions, demonstrating the foreshow component of a fairytale. Nakamura further explores these two techniques by combining the two (Figure 10). The series starts off devoid of space and separate from time. Furthermore, the panels connect, giving the feeling of time passing by slowly. The combination of these two elements facilitates an otherworldly effect, giving __Skip Beat!__ a fantasy-like setting. __Skip Beat!__ is able to function as a successful //shōjo manga//, because Nakamura puts great detail into making the story relate to the female audience’s emotions, and attract female audience with fantasy-like elements. She is able to accomplish these intended effects through the use of cartoon characters, visual metaphors, subjective motion, real textures, language of comics, and paneling. The proof of Nakamura’s success if shown by the //anime// serious, and 147 chapters of printed //manga//. In addition, __Skip Beat!__ has reached an international level as the live-action drama will soon be premiering in Taiwan. These achievements demonstrate Nakamura’s extraordinary technique in being able to grab such a vast audience.

Works Cited McCloud, Scott. __Understanding Comics The Invisible Art__. New York: HarperPerrennial, 1993. Print. Nakamura, Yoshiki. "Skip Beat!" Comic strip. //One Manga//. Viz, 23 July 2007. Web. 06 Oct. 2009. . Nakamura, Yoshiki. "Skip Beat!" Comic strip. //One Manga//. Viz, 23 July 2007. Web. 06 Oct. 2009. . Nakamura, Yoshiki. "Skip Beat!" Comic strip. //One Manga//. Viz, 23 July 2007. Web. 06 Oct. 2009. .