Manga account for more than 30% of the total sales of all publications in Japan. Manga, which tell stories through pictures and words, are loved by people of all ages. To create a sense of immediacy, sounds made by characters and sound effects are expressed in words as well. Manga use this technique in a highly sophisticated manner.
The origins of manga can be found in a set of picture scrolls drawn about 800 years ago. Entitled "Scrolls of Frolicking Animals and Humans" (Chōjū-jinbutsu-giga Link1 Link2), the work depicts monkeys, rabbits, frogs, and other animals playing together. Here, a rabbit and a frog are grappling with each other just like human sumo wrestlers. Modern manga often include similar scenes, presenting unrealistic situations in a comical way. Developed for creating picture scrolls, the technique of telling a story through a series of pictures became the basis of modern manga.
Manga made great advances after World War II, and the artist who started the ball rolling was Osamu Tezuka.
I visited his museum in Takarazuka City near Osaka International Airport to kill time before departure, but the museum was not so good in comparison with his remarkable achievements. Though I dropped in at the museum to kill time, I felt ripped off. Next I headed for The Instant Ramen Museum.
(Vocabulary)
a sense of immediacy 臨場感
start/set the ball rolling 口火を切る、スタートする
I felt ripped off 損した気分
Chōjū-jinbutsu-giga 鳥獣人物戯画
スクーターのチェックインまでの半日を大阪観光に使うことにしました。大阪といっても正確には伊丹市周辺です。多分次の投稿で伊丹市周辺でないといけないわけがおわかりになると思います。まず立ち寄ったのが手塚治虫記念館。本当は和田岬砲台へ寄りたかったのですが、木曜日だけしか公開されていないそうで諦めました。手塚治虫の業績は認めますが、それに比べてミュージアムはつまらないものでした。わざわざ見に行く価値はないだろうと思います。がっかりしましたが、気を取り直してインスタントラーメン発明記念館へ向かいます。
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