In order to help its own cartoon industry, China has bolstered its ban on foreign cartoons during primetime hours. Apparently, the cartoonists in China are struggling to compete with Japan's anime aritsts and America's disney and other cartoon artists. Here's the link:http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-02/20/content_7634415.htm
I also want to add that many of the Anime artists of Japan are also artists from Korea. The anime movement is also huge in Korea and many of them get drafted into the Japanese mainstream anime culture.
I just wanted to let you know that I've seen how many of my kids are starting now days to draw cartoons that have the Manga style. It seems really interesting since many of them are Latinos, but it also surprises me how good they are. I've been thinking about creating a Manga strip and having them use it in a way of explaining a math concept, since that is wath I teach. It is really hard to get middle school kids to do anything but I'm working on it. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Murakami seems to cover this dynamic.
For the person who wanted to introduce anime/manga to your math class, there is a 20 minute video on the Animatrix DVD that covers the history of Anime and manga. Its very interesting, but you will need to record to another source and edit out about 15-20 seconds due to discussion of adult content. Check my most recent posts in the books and movies section for more.
YES!! That 20 minute doc. is terrific. I've showed it in class to setup Barefoot Gen, just so that my students get a better appreciation of the history of anime. It helps them to see it as more than "cartoons".
I teach English and I often provide students with a variety of ways to complete an assignment, especially if it has to do with creative writing or literary response and analysis. Some of my students have opted to make a manga version of a novel or story we are reading, or a manga interpretation of our current studies. These projects have been spectacular and are usually copied for student samples.
Well economic protectionism has worked for the Chinese so why stop with televisions. If I wanted my homegrown talent to grow and have a space to be successful I would limit the amount of foreign competition as well. Why do we always think that if people or countries do things differently then they are somehow strange. I like the fact that the Chinese are more concerned with their own than with the outside sometimes that is what is needed to maintain an economy.