Forum - View topicREVIEW: Manga Biographies: Charles M. Schulz
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SlimeDrawsNear
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If anyone is wondering why there is a manga biography about Charles M. Schultz at all: Peanuts, and Snoopy in particular, are very popular in Japan.
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Cho_Desu
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I saw lots of Peanuts merch when I lived in Japan. It makes me wonder if it's simply a case of the characters being popular (i.e. Snoopy and Woodstock are cute, and that's enough), or if the translated newspaper comics were a big hit in Japan. Newspaper comics of this sort are more culturally steeped than your average graphic novel IMO, which on one hand seems like it'd make it tougher for Peanuts to catch on overseas (especially with so many native 4-koma to compete with in Japan) — but on the other hand perhaps the glimpse into folksy Americana would be a core part of the appeal of Peanuts? Curious how much the manga delved into the comic strip's reception in Japan specifically.
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Tenchi
 Posts: 4555 Location: Ottawa... now I'm an ex-Anglo Montrealer. |
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It's probably coincidental but this review was published on October 2nd, which is also the 74th anniversary of the day the first Peanuts comic strip appeared in newspapers (October 2nd, 1950).
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shosakukan
Posts: 334 |
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As to the popularity of Peanuts in Japan, maybe there would be at least two major reasons. ・Cuteness. The Sanrio got a licence and started to make and sell Peanuts-themed stuff already in the 1960s. ・The translation was good. Über-famous first-rate poet Tanikawa Shuntarō translated Peanuts, and publishing firm Tsuru Shobō started to publish tankōbon of the translated version of Peanuts already in the 1960s. (Tsuru Shobō also published the 1st manga tankōbon by Fujiko Fujio and the 1st edition of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time by Tsutsui Yasutaka.) When Tanikawa Shuntarō met Charles M. Schulz, Tanikawa's first impression of Charles M. Schulz was that Mr Schulz was like a philosopher, rather than a manga-ka. Schulz treated Tanikawa to beefburgers at a café in Santa Rosa. As to the comic strip's reception, from the 1960s to the 2010s, some magazines and a newspaper in Japan carried the Peanuts comic strip. As for the Manga Biographies: Charles M. Schulz book, since it is a manga which belongs to an educational manga biography series aimed at primary school pupils and junior high students (In fact, the Japanese edition of those manga has some notes for parents who buy those books for their children), when a grown-up reads the manga, he/she may think that it is rather 'lite'. Japan has a long history of biography books aimed at boys and girls, and then big-time publishing firm Hakubunkan published biography books for boys already in the Meiji 20s. In the 1970s, publishing firm Gakushū Kenkyūsha started to publish biography manga books mainly aimed at primary school pupils. After Tsuru Shobō's bankruptcy, Kadokawa Shoten took the publication of Peanuts tankōbon over from Tsuru Shobō. It may be one the reasons why Kadokawa has added the manga about Charles M. Schulz to Kadokawa's educational manga biography series. On a side note, Kōdansha has published the bilingual edition of It's Tokyo, Charlie Brown in 2015. It seems to be still in print. |
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Cho_Desu
Posts: 242 |
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Thanks for the insight, shosakukan. There being a push from Sanrio that long ago certainly explains a lot.
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Snomaster1
 SubscriberPosts: 2936 |
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A manga biography of Charles Schultz and "Peanuts." I'm going to be getting this as soon as I can. As someone who also grew up and enjoyed this,I think I'm going to love this as well.
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Tal-Khoraash
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That's interesting, a manga biography of Charles Schultz.
I wonder if the Charles Schultz Museum here, next to Snoopy's Ice Rink will pick up a copy. As a kid about 35 years ago, I would sometimes see Mr. Schultz when skating at the ice rink (I grew up in and live in Santa Rosa). Thank you for reviewing this. I didn't know Japan made manga biographies, that's a really good way to try and interest students in the material. |
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shosakukan
Posts: 334 |
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It's a pleasure.
You have a good point. In a talk about Peanuts, television writer Yamada Mihoko and illustrator Hirasawa Mariko have said that in their girlhood they enjoyed seeing American things in Peanuts. Yamada also praised the translation by Tanikawa Shuntarō in the talk. Familiar, a well-known Japanese company (it's a purveyor to the Imperial Household) which makes children's clothes, started to make and sell Snoopy stuffed toys in the 1970s, and they sold well. A building in Kōbé, which there is the headquarters of Familiar in, has a stone statue of Snoopy. The statue has been moved from another building which Familiar had. |
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Ultimatum
 Posts: 165 |
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Oh this looks adorable! Definitely have to check it out. I also know little about Schultz despite reading Peanuts reprints in the paper with my parents (or having them read them to me) since before I could read.
Also really happy about all the regional Snoopy-branded goods in Japan since they make for adorable presents for the aforementioned lol. I wonder what a Tove Jannson (Moomin) creator manga would be like. Probably a super-introspective seinen/josei..... |
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