Re: "Okay two questions: What's the deal with Isekai manga? And…"
In: s/Japan
Context? In the anglosphere, I don’t think people really care about what manga/anime you consume. People just do some friendly jabs at each other as memes. Although, this is just my experience from small communities. I don’t use twitter or reddit for anime discourse.
🌙 manat
May 18 · 5 days ago
🚀 Ashnar · May 18 at 08:34:
Compaing UK/JP and Manga/Comics I think that there is less stigma in the UK if people are seen reading Manga in comparison to a trade paperback of Marvel or Batman. Possibly because it has an air of "otherness" and "cool Japanese thing" about it.
🍀 knshow [mod] · May 18 at 13:41:
@manat Ah, that reminds me. Back in the 2000s here in Japan, the media used to blame the influence of anime and manga whenever a major murder case happened (even though I don't think that was actually the case). Because of that, the public stigma against anime/manga fans was much harsher back then.
Even back then, geeks like me had the exact same mindset as people in the anglosphere today—just enjoying them lightly and messing around with memes. Nowadays, ordinary people still don't understand that vibe, which often leads to overblown, manufactured internet drama. It's like, "We geeks don't even think that way, but the internet is blowing it out of proportion."
On top of that, even among fellow geeks, the younger generation only knows the era from the 2010s onward. For them, the current landscape is just the default norm. So, there's definitely a gap in our perspectives there.
But despite that, we really live in a great era now. When someone asks about your hobbies, you can proudly say you like anime or manga. It's truly wonderful.
🍀 knshow [mod] · May 18 at 13:49:
@Ashnar Seriously!? That’s actually a huge surprise to me! In my mind, American comics look so cool. Compared to the Japanese art style, they focus more on coolness rather than cuteness, so I would never have thought they'd carry any kind of stigma. Especially in Japan, people have a strong sense of respect and admiration for the UK and Western culture, so it never even crossed my mind that the situation would be like that over there.
🌙 manat · May 19 at 13:56:
@knshow It’s such a norm now that I wouldn’t call watching anime or reading manga a hobby anymore. I have not seen anyone I know (which are people like me, so bias) read comics. Its just manga or manhwa. So at this point I would also look at people weird if I see them reading normal comics.
🍀 knshow [mod] · May 20 at 09:55:
@manat Thanks for sharing! Since I'm in Japan, it's hard to get this kind of information.
By the way, how does the translation process work now? When I checked before, it seemed like back in the 2000s and 2010s, localized versions weren't released until a long time after the Japanese launch.
As a fellow fan, it used to break my heart. I know there's nothing I can do about it as an individual, though.
🌙 manat · May 20 at 13:11:
@knshow To my knowledge, almost everything gets released with translations instantly, not just English but Russian, Arabic, and a lot more languages. Dubs still take time, but more and more anime are released with both dubs and subs together. The only exception I remember is Girls Band Cry, where it wasn’t released with subs and fansubbers had to take the slack. I think at this point, studios and publishers keep the overseas audience in the forefront of their minds because thats (what I assume) where the money is at.
Manga is a little different. It's not as popular as anime, so you will find works that are not officially translated. But, fans bridge that gap most of the time.
At first, anime was only there on specialized streaming platforms like crunchyroll, but now it's on all major streaming services, with a lot of them having really good exclusive anime too.
🍀 knshow [mod] · May 20 at 13:36:
@manat We don't get that kind of information reported here in Japan, and nowadays it's hard to know what news to trust. That's why I'm so happy to hear your real thoughts! Thank you!
Original Post
🌒 s/Japan
🌲 Half_Elf_Monk:
Okay two questions: What's the deal with Isekai manga? And more broadly, what's the deal with being embarassed or made fun of about which manga you read/don't? I guess I don't get the social dynamics. I'm asking as a total foreigner, and so please don't read any condemnation into the question. I may not be phrasing it the best way. But I'm curious.
💬 9 comments · 1 like · May 18 · 5 days ago