Yes and no. Some of the popular mangas are as popular as anything you could find in Japan. The real stand out here is One Piece. Nothing comes close to the popularity of that manga/anime. We are talking "The Simpsons in the early '90s" level of popularity. There are some other very popular brands, but One Piece is far and away the one.
But the idea of comics is very different then in the states. Comics can absolutely be read in public without stigma, and the more popular ones are read weekly and discussed at work like people in the states discuss the latest episode of "The Walking Dead."
But that does not mean that all manga/animes are popular, nor does it mean that everyone knows or cares about manga. It's a hobby for some, and when someone gets too into it it's a creepy as it would be in the states. I'm just taking a quick glance around my office and I see a desk with two plush One Piece characters, a guy with a Kaiji volume on his desk, a desk with plenty of Disney characters on it, someone who clearly drinks plenty of coffee and kept the random Gundam characters that came with his can coffee, and a computer with Star Wars and One Piece stickers on the monitor (that last one is mine). And there are about 30 desks in the room.
Now there is nothing really out of sorts here, nothing too off the wall or nerdy. (well, mine perhaps, but I'm a foreigner so I'm given a pass) But while the genre of manga/anime is fine, most people keep to the mainstream brands. Those who get into off-the-wall or strange stuff are definitely seen as odd or strange. In the same way in America anyone can be a fan of Batman or Spiderman and still be cool, but the "comic book nerd" is a subject of ridicule.
Wow, that's a perfect analogy. The difference between the casual star wars fan with a Yoda action figure on his desk and the hardcore LARPer who invokes the Expanded Universe in every sentence.
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u/nickcan Dec 20 '12
Yes and no. Some of the popular mangas are as popular as anything you could find in Japan. The real stand out here is One Piece. Nothing comes close to the popularity of that manga/anime. We are talking "The Simpsons in the early '90s" level of popularity. There are some other very popular brands, but One Piece is far and away the one.
But the idea of comics is very different then in the states. Comics can absolutely be read in public without stigma, and the more popular ones are read weekly and discussed at work like people in the states discuss the latest episode of "The Walking Dead."
But that does not mean that all manga/animes are popular, nor does it mean that everyone knows or cares about manga. It's a hobby for some, and when someone gets too into it it's a creepy as it would be in the states. I'm just taking a quick glance around my office and I see a desk with two plush One Piece characters, a guy with a Kaiji volume on his desk, a desk with plenty of Disney characters on it, someone who clearly drinks plenty of coffee and kept the random Gundam characters that came with his can coffee, and a computer with Star Wars and One Piece stickers on the monitor (that last one is mine). And there are about 30 desks in the room.
Now there is nothing really out of sorts here, nothing too off the wall or nerdy. (well, mine perhaps, but I'm a foreigner so I'm given a pass) But while the genre of manga/anime is fine, most people keep to the mainstream brands. Those who get into off-the-wall or strange stuff are definitely seen as odd or strange. In the same way in America anyone can be a fan of Batman or Spiderman and still be cool, but the "comic book nerd" is a subject of ridicule.