I’ve noticed that the power of friendship is way more common in anime and manga than in most western shows and comic books. Why is that and is in a reflection on society?
https://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/160eo2b/why_is_friendship_such_a_common_theme_in_anime/
4 comments
This is probably an example of selection bias. I’d say it depends on the demographic the work in question is targeted towards. Naruto, Demon Slayer, Bleach, One Piece, etc. are all shonen manga aimed at tween boys. I’m sure you can imagine how that sort of theme would resonate with kids, especially in a society that’s less individualistic than America. Shonen Jump, the magazine the aforementioned manga are serialized in, even has a slogan/mantra, “Friendship, effort, victory”, that more or less encapsulates the formula that made them the best selling comic in the world.
But if you go outside that demographic you’ll find that friendship is much less of a theme—seinen (young man) and josei (young women) magazines don’t hammer that home nearly as much. Most current American comic books from Marvel and DC, though they feature characters that were originally intended for a similar demographic, have since shifted towards catering to an increasingly more insular market of older comic fans due to the collapse of newsstand distribution* in the late 70’s and the emergence of direct market distribution. No longer do comics cater to the 10 year old who has two dimes to rub together and wants something to read while buying a candy bar. They cater to adult fans who have been reading the same characters for decades. There’s just a different sensibility.
Of course, there’s the growth of the young adult graphic novel with publishers like Scholastic and the works of Reine Telgemeier, Dav Pilkey, and Kazu Kibishi which certainly have a focus on the same sort of coming-of-age friendships. But those seem to go ignored despite the fact that, for example, the collective works of Dav Pilkey alone were responsible for 10% of the comics industry’s sales in 2021. But I guess his stuff doesn’t sell action figures.
*there are other forces at play like having to compete with television and eventually video games, but this is a Reddit post, not a dissertation, so I’ll leave them out
Lots of kids read them.
I disagree. Lots of bande dessinées are about friendship. It’s just a universal theme.
Can I add that students do not go to the roof of the school to hang out and talk with their friends.