Thread: Critical Manga Trend

I was reading Team Medical Dragon, and I thought about Akumetsu all of a sudden, and then I started thinking ablut the common theme of how they're both criticizing the Japanese government and the establishment. Both are all about severe misuses of power in everyday Japanese life, and both have badass (in their own way) characters who fight the corrupt system. I mean, Team Medical Dragon finishes every arc with a last page saying "The illness of Japanese medicine: ~~~".

Is there anyone else who has noticed this sort of thing in these or any other comics? And is it just me or is there an emerging trend here?

it is very hard not to notice the criticism of the government/health system in akumetsu/TMD.

i dont think 2 manga about that topic is allreaedy a trend. and even if it were 10 it wouldnt be, since there are a fuckin many manga out there.
of course a few of them critizise the system

Originally Posted by Archadion

comics

manga

Chit Chat

General Manga/Anime Discussion

DUDE! Mangos and animus are SRS BSNS!

and DON'T BELONG IN THE CHITTER CHATTER!

Gtfo. . . . . .

Prinny!

Oh got nothing to say here...
But maybe the Chit Chat description should be changed to Talk about anything exept manga/anime here.
I mean as help for the... less gifted.

*cough* Well, going back to the original topic...

I think it results out of two factors:
1) Manga/anime, although widespread, can still be considered a subculture in Japan. As such, it deviates from the current status quo, so anything arising from a subculture is likely to have a value-clash with the main culture.

2) Seinen manga, which the two series you mention above fall into, cater to a specific demographic - namely, males ranging from about 17 - 30. That's usually the age where the audience is at the peak of their aggressiveness and willingness to take on new challenges... young warrior-archetypes looking for someone to fight. This "youthful passion" and "boundless energy" can of course, find expression through a variety of outlets - patriotic service in the military, "yuppie-ism" in the business world, adventures in the natural or social environments (mountain-climbers, playboys), volunteering for NGO work, etc. And sometimes, especially when mixed with the manga subculture which may perceive itself as a deviation from mainstream society, it focuses on "fighting the system", "sticking it to The Man", "<insert favourite Rock music quote here>".

It's not just Japanese manga. ANY medium (from action movies to video games to graffiti art to Western comics to music) which caters to the same demographic will have elements of the same. Either that, or they will play to other parts of the "hot-blooded alpha male" stereotype.

-Dizzy-

It's not really a trend, both of the stories you've just are Seinen (young men's manga), so their primary appeal is emotional. Both of them just rely on hotbutton issues to draw in fans. Besides, since when have stories NOT have social commentary?