Forum - View topicINTEREST: Libre Publishes Political Parties Personified Manga
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InnocentSorrow59
Posts: 156 Location: Los Angeles, CA |
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First thing that came to mind?
Hetalia. I'm not saying it's a rip-off by the way. They're just kinda similar. I look forward to seeing if it's any good. |
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einhorn303
 Posts: 1180 |
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If something that exist that was like this but:
1. Focused on US political parties. 2. Was bishoujo instead of bishounen. ...it would be my favorite manga ever. Well, we're one step closer to that. I'm not sure my body could take it. |
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dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor
 Posts: 9902 Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC |
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Try this. |
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peachsncreamsoda
 Posts: 270 |
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First thing that came to my mind was Hetalia too.
And while I won't say that Hetalia or anything related to it had anything to do with this whole idea, i'm personally thinking its not just a coincidence. It just can't be. Not only is something 'personified', and both are/look bishonen-like, but its by a BL author and if anyone knows about Hetalia then they know where i'm going with this. I won't say its a rip off either, but I think they're more than just 'kinda similar'. The idea of it anyway since I havn't read this so I actually could be wrong about it. But really... And while I do think it'd be an understatement to say that maybe Hetalia was just used as an inspiration for it, I can't say its a bad idea. In fact I actually like the concept and might even decide to take a look at it oneday. A while ago I actually contemplated the same thing, political parties and what-not being personified as well. But only after seeing that the UN apparently was in Hetalia. And after seeing what I'm pretty sure was a doujin on Youtube where Uncle Sam and John Bull were aswell. Then there was I think Japan's terroitories or something too... Anyways. So while the idea might not be canon in APH, I think its safe to say the Hetalia has got to be somehow involved here. Like it was with others who had similar ideas. Which I don't mind since I like APH and all, but even so I can't decide whether I like the idea of this being a new theme in the future or if i'm a little worried. Too many personified things might actually kill me... Computers. Countries. What next? Restaurant chains? Cause' I can totally see a Micky D's taking out a Burger King in a fist fight. All over who's the more deserving one of little Wendy's love. (BTW, ditto on the whole 'Focusing on US parties'. I would love to see a US version of this.) |
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rowsdower
Posts: 83 |
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Actually, don't. God, I hate Afghanis-tan. Say what you will about Hetalia, but at least it generally omits discussion of atrocities (whether or not this is a good thing is open for argument). It certainly doesn't portray an event that killed almost 3000 people and wounded 6000 others as a wicked, psychopathic little girl getting lightly scratched by a cat. No, really, that's how Afghanis-tan portrays the 9/11 attacks. |
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dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor
Posts: 9902 Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC |
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An expected knee-jerk reaction. For an average Japanese person (I'd say Timaking included), 9/11 is nothing more than "I feel sorry for those victims; let's pray for them." Hard line right-wingers would even compare 9/11 with Tokyo firebombing and two atomic bombs -- adding up 100 times of casualties. |
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BassKuroi
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Hetalia, Afghanis-tan, and this last manga makes me very depressed. A biological view of politics is right-winged and absolutely wrong, countries and parties aren't biological organisms, that's a kind of social-darwinism.
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ptolemy18
Manga Reviewer/Creator/Taster
Posts: 357 Location: San Francisco |
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I love political anthropomorphism manga, even though, of course, they're inevitably total simplifications. The same kind of stuff has always existed in American political cartoons, after all, just without the moe/bishonen element. -_- Political bias is an inevitable part of it too, unless you're going for totally shallow apolitical jokes, or talking about events that happened so long ago people don't care about them that much anymore (both of which apply to Hetalia... and Hetalia still takes care to avoid the most offensive subject matter).
I love "Afghanistan" and I'd really like to see Timaking's followup manga "Pakistan" translated. |
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ptolemy18
Manga Reviewer/Creator/Taster
Posts: 357 Location: San Francisco |
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Eh. I don't find them any more offensive than Uncle Sam. Political humor is always going to be a simplification of reality. It doesn't have anything to do with right-wing or left-wing. Of course since the Hetalia characters represent nationalities, not political parties, there's the borderline element of racism too, but I think Hetalia gets away with it because they're all really old cheesy inter-European racial stereotypes (Italians like pasta, har-de-har) that people aren't that offended by anymore. On the other hand, there is no 'Jewish' character... and the Turkey and Greece characters, which were involved in massive racially motivated Greeks-vs-Turks violence during WWI (imagine if there was an 'Armenian' character!), are perhaps wisely kept offscreen most of the time... and Koreans are still offended by the portrayal of the Korea character... and so on and so forth.... |
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einhorn303
Posts: 1180 |
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It's a cartoon: it's obviously not supposed to be realistic. Kinda seems to me like something getting all riled up over Krazy Kat advocating animal cruelty, in the form of throwing bricks at cats. Or at Persona for encouraging gun suicides. |
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rowsdower
Posts: 83 |
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I don't see what you're trying to convince me of here. Do I think 9/11 is worse than the Tokyo firebombings or the atomic bombings? No. But I don't subscribe to the whole "It's okay to make light of Atrocity A because it has fewer casualties than Atrocity B" form of thought. And I do think Afghanis-tan's take on 9/11 is making light. I find it an insulting and poorly considered. Surely I'm allowed to have an opinion. Maybe it's because I lost a friend in that harmless little catscratch. |
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dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor
Posts: 9902 Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC |
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As I guessed; sorry to hear that. However, for an average Japanese citizen it would be much easier to feel emotionally attached to victims of the three WWII bombings I mentioned than those who perished in 9/11. Besides, East Asians (yes, myself included) are notorious for being ignorant of tragedies of other races/nations e.g. the Holocaust. I was fortunate enough to have a Jewish American friend who taught me a lot; most people -- even with college or above education -- don't even know where Auschwitz or Dachau is. Both Taiwan and South Korea had had Nazi-themed restaurants; both were closed down after Israeli representatives protested. While I haven't heard Japan has the equivalent shop or service, Waffen-SS -- condemned as a criminal organization by Nuremberg Trials -- is still highly praised by Japanese military otaku, including the famous manga artist Motofumi Kobayashi. I can feel your anger and I wish I could apologize on behalf of those ignorant East Asians -- but I can't. If you really have to find someone to blame, don't blame those average citizens -- as they were not taught in classrooms. Blame textbook editors instead. |
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CCSYueh
 Posts: 2707 Location: San Diego, CA |
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You don't like it. Other do. It's that simple. Distance (Time & miles) usually make these things easier as does personal outlook. I hate people putting 21st century morality on events or stories that happened/were written in the past. Huck Finn is a product of its time. Vlad Tsepesh was a product of his time. It's really pointless judging them by modern morality. 9/11 was bad. Hiroshima was much, much worse, however the Filipinos I work with have a lot of nasty to say about Japan. It's all perspective. Bottom line is humans are really, really great at creating attrocities & human suffering. I swear I've seen this done before outside of Japan so it really doesn't scream Hetalia. I wish I could remember, but I have 50 yrs of pop culture in my head. Maybe it is a lifetime enjoying political cartoons. Hetalia works because it's friendly jabs. The "racism" is more like catty comments between friends at worst & frustrated realizations at the other. It's the friend who never buys beer, but you don't stop being his friend over it no matter how much it may frustrate you. Also it manages to remove some of the nastiness of the attrocities by referring to the US Pres, Hitler, etc as the various countries' bosses. |
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