| Manga Recommendation: Doraemon |
[Sep. 2nd, 2004|03:39 pm] |
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This week I've put up the 13 pages of "TwinSide", as well as the assorted bits and pieces. I've also been doing a colour wallpaper or two, but won't be putting it up yet - though my output may slow down a bit because of this.
Doraemon (Fujimoto Hiroshi and Motoo Abiko)
Has been around since 1970
Now for another very, very famous manga you'll never have heard of if you live in an English-speaking country - Doraemon, the story of a blue robot cat from the future and his human "owner", Nobita. It's no exaggeration to say Doraemon is one of the most iconic manga characters of all time - not as famous as Astro Boy or Hello Kitty, but in some countries just as recognisable. Show a picture of him to children in any East Asian country and they instantly know who he is. What seems like zillions of children grew up on this manga and anime series in the 70s, 80s and 90s.
Plot
Since this is a children's comedy series, the characters remain static, and the plot is relatively simple and episodic. The main character is Nobi Nobita, a fourth-grader who is a failure at everything he does. He is so hopeless his great-grandson from the future has to step in and send him a robot companion, Doraemon. Doraemon is a free-thinking robot with a wide array of futuristic high-tech toys, which he attempts to help Nobita with in everything from passing tests to winning fights with the local bullies. However, as the gentle moralistic nature of children's stories dictate, the toys are often misused, resulting in alot of laughts and a few subtle lessons. In the end, everything works out okay - this is a comedy series after all.
Why I recommend this story
I used to dislike this story when I was a teenager - I thought I was too grown-up for "childish" stories. Well, you might as well say "TinTin" is childish. The truth is, children's stories can be wonderfully entertaining for adults to read, and many have things in them which adults may understand better than the target audience. Doraemon is such a story.
Apart from the endlessly amusing gadgetry and all the goofy ways they are misused, there are also some surprisingly touching scenes in the story. The moral content is subtle and rarely preachy, and the more recent stories have an sociological or environmental bent. This makes it educational and entertaining in the best possible sense, and while children may not necessarily appreciate everything in this series, adults certainly will. I, for one, appreciate the way the author is able to work so much into the material without making it seem pretentious.
Then there is the protagonist Nobita; which works as a point of identification for children, and as a metaphor for the flaws adults sometimes find in themselves. Nobita is one of those archetypical characters that everyone can see something of themselves in. He's lazy, stupid and cowardly, yet has a kind heart and can be counted to make the right choices at the end of the day. Nobita's inner battles between his slovenly self and his nobler self is often the driving force of the story.
In the end, Doraemon is a rare gem, and one of the few children's manga I can recommend to adults. However, be warned: even if you're able to find an English version of this, it's a story best read in large batches. Reading one or two stories isn't going to impress. Needless to say, people looking for sweeping epics better look elsewhere, because the drama in this is defintely small-scale, though no less entertaining.
A good link is: http://www.nephco.com/doraemon/
Picture from: http://www.time.com/time/asia/features/heroes/doraemon.html |
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| Comments: |
From: (Anonymous)
2004-09-06 01:10 am (UTC)
Scanlations for Doraemon | (Link)
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Aku Tenshi is scanlating this manga.
www.aku-tenshi.com
![[User Picture]](http://p-userpic.livejournal.com/19134460/4324245) | From: ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) queeniechan
2004-09-06 09:27 am (UTC)
Re: Scanlations for Doraemon | (Link)
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Well, there ya go. (thanks, but I already own the whole set in Chinese)
I don't know whether I should be supporting scanslations, but you know where to get it if you want it. *whistles*
You! *points* You have a livejournal now!
'The Life and Times of Queen Chan: A Documentary'
*points back*
And if my life was *really* turned into a movie, this will be the only high point in it. *audience is catatonic after such a boring movie*
If my life were made into television, it'd be a Soap Opera. ^_^; *imagines singing bubbles*
And hey. . . I LIKE documentaries. :d
I like documentaries too :) - I see an awful lot. Not just the David Attenborough National Geographic documentaries (which I love), but anything of interest. There's been a resurgence of leftist documentaries attacking right-winged interests lately, namely Michael Moore's. He's good because he manages to make documentaries entertaining and accessible to a wide range of people.
Good documentaries I would REALLY recommend to people is... heck, I'll do a post about this.
Oh, its great to see the twins again! I like what you have up of TwinSide so far.
I've never seen Doraemon... It seems so cute though. :3
Glad you liked it! And you WILL see the twins yet AGAIN! XD
From: (Anonymous)
2005-02-28 01:40 pm (UTC)
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What?? Doraemon is a robot from the future?? Gee!! In the past 15 years or so I've always believed Doraemon was an alien............
I guess that's what happens when you skip the first episodes keke - Kids!! Don't do this at home!!
Oh... this is funny... XD
From: (Anonymous)
2008-06-01 01:49 am (UTC)
Doraemon rocks! | (Link)
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I love Doraemon. It's one of those series I wish would get published in English even though that's not going to happen in a million years. It's not preachy, it's funny without going "low-brow" on me, it's art and story simple but expressive, it's imaginative (I love the gadgets), and it touches my heart. There's a very kind, comforting, feeling about it. It can be deep or fun, but impacts you in some way. In fact, I didn't realize they were "moral stories" until I looked back on it when I grew older, but I know it did help me to a degree. I remember comparing myself to Nobita and wanting to strive like he did, because I reasoned if Nobita was so lazybut still wanted to try, I should too. It's like Snoopy to me, only in some ways, better. It amazes me the creators were warning about global warming in the 1960's (is that when it was published?)
I also really enjoy the "Doraemon Long Stories" written after the original creators split and one worked on it...It's still very moving, fun, and teaches you without being preachy, but it's more exciting, and I get to see things drawn out, like I sometimes wished in the short stories. I absolutely adore all the worlds Doraemon Long Stories created.
And did I mention how cute Doraemon is?
Hi, lovely to hear from another Doraemon-appreciator.
Yes, that a non-preachy story is why Doraemon is so popular. I have to say though, the Doraemon long stories were good to me only as long as BOTH creators worked on it. When one of them died (not sure which one), the quality of the art AND stories dropped. Oh well... that's the reality of being 1-half of a dream team. :)
And Doraemon, I believe, was published in the late-1970s, though I can't be sure. It ran for a very long time, so maybe that's why the global warming issues snuck into it.
From: (Anonymous)
2008-06-05 02:43 am (UTC)
Re: Doraemon rocks! | (Link)
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I thought that one creator worked on it after they split. I wasn't aware the long stories was started before. In either case, I didn't notice any difference. It's still very good, though I haven't read them all. The long stories are harder for me to find for me than the original stories. (I'm Vietnamese). I just can't seem to find a place to buy the collection.
I see... Wikipedia says it's from 1969 to 1996. That explains its. Still, I think Doraemon shows a rare awareness and didn't "dumb down" the material for children, while retaining charm and innocence. I think that's a reason why it still sticks to me.
Pity the manga never had an actual ending. | |
