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Jason Thompson's House of 1000 Manga - Eagle

He's kind of like the Tom Clancy of manga

And don't be fooled by Kawaguchi setting the protagonist of Eagle as a Democrat; he's as right as, if not more so than, Tokyo Governor Ishihara.

And don't be fooled by Kawaguchi setting the protagonist of Eagle as a Democrat; he's as right as, if not more so than, Tokyo Governor Ishihara.

"First, over the next eight years, I will order that all U.S. bases abroad be shut down. Second, unless the lives of American citizens and the territory of the United States itself is under threat, it will be the policy of my administration to forego any future U.S. military action. My administration will work to make the United Nations what our ideals meant it to be…a true collective security organization for a world of freedom…that transcends any need for military nationalism…including our own! In other words, I want to dismantle the military-industrial complex!"

Ellery Clinton, the wife of President Bill Cliff. Ellery—I have no idea who this is a caricature of, honest—is an ambitious politico with a hunger for power. "There's a compelling force in this house. You can feel it in your body…it comes from politics itself! It's erotic…bestial…I thrive on its brutality!"

In light of recent politics I think the article needed more clarification on the candidate's eligibility to run for the office of POTUS. The only thing I see is the opening phrase "son of an immigrant", which does not necessarily mean that our candidate was born in the USA, which as we all remember is a major prerequisite for the office.

In light of recent politics I think the article needed more clarification on the candidate's eligibility to run for the office of POTUS. The only thing I see is the opening phrase "son of an immigrant", which does not necessarily mean that our candidate was born in the USA, which as we all remember is a major prerequisite for the office.

In light of recent politics I think the article needed more clarification on the candidate's eligibility to run for the office of POTUS. The only thing I see is the opening phrase "son of an immigrant", which does not necessarily mean that our candidate was born in the USA, which as we all remember is a major prerequisite for the office.

Quote:

"First, over the next eight years, I will order that all U.S. bases abroad be shut down. Second, unless the lives of American citizens and the territory of the United States itself is under threat, it will be the policy of my administration to forego any future U.S. military action. My administration will work to make the United Nations what our ideals meant it to be…a true collective security organization for a world of freedom…that transcends any need for military nationalism…including our own! In other words, I want to dismantle the military-industrial complex!"

This guy sounds like Relena Peacecraft from Gundam Wing. Relena Peacecraft was most assuredly not a right-winger.

Whether or not you believe that the US should end its foreign wars, this plot development is ridiculous; a presidential candidate who said something like that would soon be an ex-candidate.

Plus, I wouldn't vote for this guy. Gun control? A very Japanese way of thinking. The UN? The UN is an impotent collection of gaseous windbags with all the authority of a water flea. Dismantle the military-industrial complex? Man, I work for the military-industrial complex (Hey, I gotta make money somehow, I mean, it's not like you can get anime for free...uh, well, you know what I mean).

Echo_City wrote:

In light of recent politics I think the article needed more clarification on the candidate's eligibility to run for the office of POTUS. The only thing I see is the opening phrase "son of an immigrant", which does not necessarily mean that our candidate was born in the USA, which as we all remember is a major prerequisite for the office.

"Son of an immigrant" pretty much implies that he was born in the US, which would make him eligible to run even if his parents are not US citizens. If he hadn't been born here, he would be considered an immigrant too, thus there would be no reason to designate him as the "son of" one.

Good write up.

Eagle certainly has its weaknesses - and it is excruciatingly naive in places - but it's a far, far better manga than the other overtly political titles that have made it into English (First President Of Japan, say, or Revenge Of The Mouflon). Less unintentionally funny and / or revealing of dubious Japanese geopolitical attitudes, maybe, but definitely a better read.

It took me ages to track it all down for reasonable money but I'm very glad I went to the trouble.

(Of course, I have to admit, to me as an American, coming from a Japanese author, it does seem clear that Kawaguchi is not just saying through Yamaoka "This would be better for the world at large" but also "This would be better for *Japan*. Let's close those American foreign bases in Okinawa! If Japan has no military, why shouldn't America also not have a military? Our way is best! etc. etc." It's impossible to separate Kawaguchi's (apparent) political self-interests in this story from his (supposedly) realistic depictions of the American political structure and the Yamaoka character. However, it's human nature to want every other country to act in a way that is like your own country and/or favorable to your country, so I can't blame Kawaguchi for doing this, although it does come across as more wish-fulfillment. It would have been nice to see a scene where Yamaoka screws over Japan in some uneven trade deal or something. -_- ("Enjoy your world peace! Remember, I'm Japanese-AMERICAN, suckahh!")

In light of recent politics I think the article needed more clarification on the candidate's eligibility to run for the office of POTUS. The only thing I see is the opening phrase "son of an immigrant", which does not necessarily mean that our candidate was born in the USA, which as we all remember is a major prerequisite for the office.