Exploring Japan's passion for anime, their biggest pop culture phenomenon, and largest export

From Tokyo, the comic capital of the world, comes an exploration of Japan’s passion for anime, their biggest pop culture phenomenon, and their largest export.

A documentary about Japan’s biggest pop culture and deepest underground, filmed in the comic capital of the world, Tokyo. More people read comics in Japan than any other country. Comics account for 40% of all total books and magazines published in Japan.

MANGA MAD gives insight into contemporary Japanese culture through the iconography of its biggest pop culture and explains why comics are not just for children, as depicted by the compulsive consumer obsessiveness of the otaku adult manga and anime scene. The tradition of graphic narrative is traced in Japanese art history through to the post WW2 boom of comics. There is extensive coverage of cyber-sex, ‘electronics town’, Akihabara.

The virtual reality, manga-anime-mecca, for otaku, and most popular tourist attraction in Japan. In addition, Comiket Market, the biggest comic and cosplay event in the world is featured with an interview with its founder,

Mr Yonezawa, who recently passed away. Candid interviews with artists, animators, publishers, historians, retailers and otaku fans punctuate vivid fantasy graphics and cartoon-clad, bustling, metropolis vistas, segued with an exotic, electro sound track.

MANGA MAD opens the window behind the Japanese mask, to reveal what’s really going on in the collective imagination, and explains why manga is so ubiquitous, mesmerising, virtually uncensored, and is now contagiously popular world wide.

Watch Film

Buy DVD

Snag

Running Time: 59 min
plus commercial breaks

Availability: US Only

Snag This Now!

Support

Fact Check:
donations have raised of

Learn More >

If you like this ...

2008 | 59 min

From Tokyo, the comic capital of the world, comes an exploration of Japan’s passion for anime, their biggest pop culture phenomenon, and their largest export.

A documentary about Japan’s biggest pop culture and deepest underground, filmed in the comic capital of the world, Tokyo. More people read comics in Japan than any other country. Comics account for 40% of all total books and magazines published in Japan.

MANGA MAD gives insight into contemporary Japanese culture through the iconography of its biggest pop culture and explains why comics are not just for children, as depicted by the compulsive consumer obsessiveness of the otaku adult manga and anime scene. The tradition of graphic narrative is traced in Japanese art history through to the post WW2 boom of comics. There is extensive coverage of cyber-sex, ‘electronics town’, Akihabara.

The virtual reality, manga-anime-mecca, for otaku, and most popular tourist attraction in Japan. In addition, Comiket Market, the biggest comic and cosplay event in the world is featured with an interview with its founder,

Mr Yonezawa, who recently passed away. Candid interviews with artists, animators, publishers, historians, retailers and otaku fans punctuate vivid fantasy graphics and cartoon-clad, bustling, metropolis vistas, segued with an exotic, electro sound track.

MANGA MAD opens the window behind the Japanese mask, to reveal what’s really going on in the collective imagination, and explains why manga is so ubiquitous, mesmerising, virtually uncensored, and is now contagiously popular world wide.

Comments

Posted 09/11/08 by Linda Nelson

I just read this great article about Otaku on MSNBC.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26639577

Posted 08/12/08 by Linda Nelson

I knew nothing about manga or otaku before seeing this film and was totally amazed and mezmerized by the whole concept, especially the fact that 40% of printed material in Japan is MANGA! Comic book culture is really a sub-culture in America, but in Japan, it is totally mainstream. I was also fascinated by the fact this is so much of an adult activity in Japan. Also, I found the cosplay quite bizarre and totally interesting. I couldn’t stop watching it.

Posted 07/28/08 by David Jackson

Thanks for your comments! The film is a look into a culture-within-a-culture, and the filmmaker is obviously knowledgeable about otaku (and probably is one!)

More Comments >