Manga and Philosophy

Edited by Josef Steiff and Adam Barkman

Volume 52 in the Popular Culture and Philosophy series

This is a collection of 14 essays about the Japanese graphic novels called manga. Arguably the most important pop culture import from the East to the West, manga is a phenomenon that can no longer be ignored. Yet just as much as it is a source of visual splendor and riveting storylines, manga—the herald of the exotic and über-hip stimulates intense philosophical interest. This, coupled with the incredible-but-true fact that no complete book in the West has yet engaged with manga’s philosophical side, makes this book, Manga and Philosophy, all but indispensable for fans and scholars alike.

Because manga isn’t restricted to a single genre much less to a single series or a single author, the possibility for stories and ideas are endless. From the wild theories about gender found in a romantic comedy like Ranma 1/2, to the existentialism of a sci-fi western like Cowboy Bebop, to the smorgasbord of esoteric religious beliefs as discoverable in Neon Genesis Evangelion, manga has no limits to what it can discuss.

And the same is true for Manga and Philosophy. “Can demons be good?” “Is it morally wrong to sexualize schoolgirls?” “Can manga help lead us to Heaven?” “What do giant robots teach us about the ethics of war?” All of these questions, and more, are dealt with professionally, yet accessibly.

Imagine a world without Superman, Captain America, or Wonder Woman. Instead, the fate of humanity rests with Astro Boy, Sailor Moon, or Naruto. Rather than heroes who fight crime in costumes that hide secret identities, a disillusioned teenager writes the names of criminals in a black notebook with devastating consequences; a mechanical boy protects the human race from robots; a monkey-tailed extraterrestrial uses martial arts to defend the world.

Rather than stories told through a sequence of images being confined to children’s fantasies, imagine a respected visual medium for all ages, where good and evil are not black and white, where comics explore erotic desire, anxieties about reproduction, the trauma of maturing, mass extinction, and questions of just what one would (or should) do to change the course of history or to make the world a better place.

Imagine the world of manga.

Drawing from Japanese art traditions, influenced by the impact of World War II, and a significant player in cross-cultural exchange, manga has rapidly become a literary force not just in Japan but worldwide. Readers of all ages eagerly await the next installment of their favorite manga series and delight in discovering new manga titles. Fans blog, convene, and analyze. Manga and Philosophy joins the lively discussion about manga by examining some of its major forms (lolicon to shonen to shojo), series titles (Death Note to Space Battleship Yamato to Gunslinger Girl), and cultural factors from a philosophical vantage point.

Josef Steiff is Associate Chair of the Film and Video Department at Columbia College, Chicago, Illinois. He is the author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Independent Filmmaking (2005) and the co-editor of Battlestar Galactica and Philosophy (2008) and Anime and Philosophy (2009).

Adam Barkman is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Redeemer University College, Ancaster, Ontario. He is the author of C. S. Lewis and Philosophy as a Way of Life (2009).