Editorial introducing 7 articles and 1 interview with Italian manga artist Elena Vitagliano.
What is it about?
The 7 articles feature topics that deal with sexuality, the world of intimacy and genre definitions. Their representational politics in the media is set against the background of the adaptation of popular culture expressions to changes in society, whether this be in 1990s Japan or in China, Korea and Taiwan today.
Why is it important?
The articles on subcultures among youth in Japan and China covered by Winge, Reisel, Song and Lee, reveal how media politics can manipulate their yearning for social acceptance among peers. Explorations of metrosexual lifestyle and gay masculinity in manga text (Baudinette) can promote changing attitudes and new identities. Bae shows why Korean webtoons are testing and stretching the definition of comics. McKissack's samurai warrior masculinity and Su's open-ended transnational romances are underscored by the theme of war, memory and discourse of apology on the big screen in Japan and Taiwan.