15 feb. - Manga si Anime - Doua lumi preferate unora

Ne cerem mii de scuze pentru aceia dintre dumneavoastra care urmariti cu interes stirile despre blogul nostru si ati trait surpriza sa gasiti mai mult invitatii la intalniri in ultima vreme decat informatii concrete pe anumite teme de cultura japoneza.....

Minunat ar fi sa sa puteti lua parte alaturi de noi de fiecare data, dar stim ca pentru unii este imposibil, in primul rand din cauza distantei care ne desparte, de aceea ne vom stradui sa revenim cu informatii concrete de la evenimente!

Asadar:

Pentru moment :

***English version bellow: ****

On February 15^th a meeting  long awaited by our loyal participants and the members of the Club, finally took place. The theme was that part of the Japanese culture that introduced many ofus to Japan and made ​​us fall in love with this country: the anime and manga culture.

                   The meeting began, like usual, with the presentation of the guests. This time, they had to tell everyone what their favorite anime was, a tough choice to make, most of them failing to name just one anime. The participants were people not familiar with anime, but also people who met with this kind of entertainment from an early age.

                   Currently, the manga and anime industry is well developed, with genres for all ages and all tastes, though the industry is relatively new. Japan has a long history of storytelling through paintings, but manga as we know it first appeared after World War II. Among modern manga predecessors and a sources of inspiration  we can mention Chōjū-jinbutsu-giga (Animal Caricature from XII century) and Kibyoshi (books with funny or satirical pictures, dating from the eighteenth century). Modern manga appeared in the years '40 - '50 during the U.S. occupation as a source of amusement, becoming very popular. Two mangas which have contributed greatly to the promotion of the industry is Astro Boy which is very popular even today, and Sazae-san.

                   The first anime appeared in 1907. It was a 3 seconds animation called Katsudō Shashin (Moving Picture), in which a young boy, dressed in a sailor uniform, who writes the kanji for Katsudo Shashin and then turns to the audience and greets them, is depicted. The industry advanced slowly until after the Second World War, when the first modern anime, a feature film with color and sound appeared. In the 70's anime started running on TV and became very popular.

                   The presentation continued with a list of types of anime and manga that exists today. There are four categories of anime, concerning demographics: Shojo (for teenage girls) , Josei (for girls over 18 and mature women) , Shounen (for teens) , Seinen (for boys over 18 and men). In addition, anime and manga are divided into types, genres that relate to the story: slice of life, school life, gender bender, harem or reverse harem, mecha, magical girl, etc . An anime has more than one genre and we can say that there are genres of anime for every taste.

                   Manga and anime are intended for a Japanese audience, and there are some Japanese symbols that only a Japanese person or a connaisseur of Japanese culture can understand. Many of these symbols are used to express an emotional state. The most common symbol known in Europe as well is blushing. However, there are many symbols that are hard to understand by the Western culture.

                   Another element that makes reading a manga or watching an anime a unique experience is the characters. They are usually well defined, with a story behind them which explains their actions. But they are not clearly classified as good or bad,so the difference between good and evil is often very hard to make. However, there are some features that define a positive or a negative character. The eyes have a great importance, because they can express various caracteristics such as innocence, purity, youth, or a dubious, painful past, an evil character. There are many types of characters: the cool character (handsome and usually aloof), the genius, the hero, the sage, the delinquent, the foreigner, Tsundere, Yandere, etc..

                   In addition to the presentation, the organizers prepared a small exhibition of manga, giving the audience the opportunity to experience the unique way to read it. After the presentation ended, the guests had the opportunity to look through these books, discuss about manga and anime, and to serve the tea and sweets provided by the organizers.

                   Thanks to the imagination and humor of the Japanese people, manga and anime are an original and unique experience, which can sometimes be hard to understand by a Western audience. But if one manages to get over the differences in mentality and culture, will find it worthwhile.