Wednesday, February 20, 2008

A quick post, relating to my Nana obsession

I just read this post on Manga Xanadu, and I felt like I had to point it out and offer my own commentary. If you're interested in Nana, I suggest reading the post (unless you haven't read the eighth volume yet; it's got spoilers!), since it brings up an issue that I never really considered: namely, that the series was probably dropped from Shojo Beat due to possibly controversial subject matter rather than sexual content. While there was a pretty risque scene (which I excerpted in my review of the volume), it wasn't really any worse than previous sex scenes. Instead, the issues raised by the direction of the plot may have been considered too "adult" for the teenage audience, at least to the point where the editors probably worried about parental complaints. However, as "manga mom" Lori Henderson mentions in her post, this was exactly the wrong moment to stop teenagers from reading; it's the point when the series breaks from its lighthearted tale of girly soap operatics and starts considering the consequences of a sexually promiscuous lifestyle. I hadn't even considered this idea, but I think I'm in total agreement; if you're going to show teen (or young adult) sexuality, it's better to show the consequences instead of hiding them behind a protective (shrink-wrapped) barrier. I guess it's another example of the weird attitude toward sexual matters in the United States. Ah well, it doesn't affect me too much (I'll still be reading the series!), but it's an interesting issue. Make of it what you will.

2 comments:

  1. I told you a little while ago that I was going to read Nana thanks to your raving about it.

    Turns out my awesome library has all of the volumes, so now I can read it for free!

    I just got the first three today. If you can't tell, I'm quite excited.

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  2. Awesome! If you feel like it, drop by and let me know what you think. I hope you enjoy it.

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