Li, I Shiuan

OUSSEP

Reflection Paper 4
Discussion Questions:
1. Nakaba’s works could be classified as “Popular Literature.” What are the merits
(if any) of reading his works?

While I was reading the story of “Kaoru-chan of Kishiwada”, there wasn’t a

moment that no image was formed in my mind. With an abundance of vivid
description, I can easily portrait the appearance, silhouette, and attire of the
characters, as if I was watching animation. For instance, Kaoru-chan, who is the
merciless scoundrel in the story, was depicted as a muscular, giant in stature and
invincible demon. He can smash one’s joint in a second by his diamond-like fist,
thrust one’s shoulder deeply by his fingers large as bananas, and bore holes in
one’s face by his murderous glance. What makes Kaoru-chan even more dreadful
is that his hearing is sharp enough to hear someone speaking ill of him at two
kilometers, and his vision, keen enough to spot a dirty look at three kilometers.
The image of Kaoru-chan is nearly completely displayed in my imagination, and
this undoubtedly makes my reading experience more entertaining and impressive.

Moreover, the brawling scenes in the story are all so dramatic and lively that make
the readers agitated from the beginning to the end. For instance, “If they wanna
send a rocket to the moon, ain’t no need of that expensive rocket fuel. Just have
Kaoru-chan give it a kick, and it’ll go at least as high as the moon.”; “Grabbing
the prostrate Hattari-kun by the hair, Kaoru-chan lifted him up and threw him
heavily onto the table. His sense of direction completely paralyzed, Hattari-kun
trembled on the table, like bonito shavings on hot okinomiyaki.”, just to name a
few. These scenarios are so comic that truly amused me and made me laugh.

I strongly believe that these unique features mentioned above are the primary
reasons why Nakaba’s works are popular among the readers and could be
categorized as “Popular Literature”.

2. What is the importance of the visual element in reading manga? Comment on the
effect on the reader of the different drawing styles of the three manga works.

In “Can of Coffee” The art focuses on facial expressions of the characters and
some of the characters have a very comical appeal to their expressions.
Li, I Shiuan
OUSSEP

“Cattleya Morning” has a softer type of visual and gives the main character a
friendly appearance.

“Yodogawa Embankment” has more focus on the background then on the main
characters. The style of the characters looks more realistic than the other two
manga works.

While reading manga, readers can have a more overall and detailed image in their
mind, including the appearance of the characters, the setting of the background,
and the interaction between role and role. However, the interpretation and
understanding of the story aren’t limited. In fact, it can vary widely from person to
person. The same person can even get different feeling and observe different
elements while reading it the second or more times.

3. Can manga legitimately be considered as works of literature?

There is a category so-called popular literature, which is a type of literature that is

enjoyed by a massive group of people, and also possess broad and consistent
acceptance among the readers. It is undoubted that manga has those features
above. Moreover, it is believed that the definitions of literature can vary over
time, and also it is culturally relative. Since manga has gained popularity and
exerted its influence around the world breaking through cultural barrier, I would
as much consider manga as literature. I believe that manga has the same ability as
literature that is to let its readers experience social and political issues from
different perspectives.

4. Can these particular manga be considered as works in the “Osaka Tradition”?

Manga is a part of Osaka tradition because some of the first manga appeared in
Osaka and Tokyo, which then lead to the development of manga all over the
country.