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Comic Work in Japanese Society and its Impact in an Africa Context Comic films in the Japanese society gained popularity especially after the war period. A close look at these films reveals that cartoon films are used to take the viewer into a dream or fantasy world that is filled with lack of reality. These films also try to bring out the opinion that these fantasies can become a reality. Take for example the film called Paprika which was directed by Satoshi Kon in 2006. This film is a Japanese animated science fiction film based on homonymous novel that was written by Yasutaka Tsutsui in 1993. This book is about a psychologist who used a device to enter patients mind with an intention of freeing them off bad dreams. In the paprika plot, a revolutionary device called the DC Mini is used for psychotherapy treatment which is also referred to as dream therapy. Doctor Atsuko Chiba takes the persona of team leader and has to see patients outside the research institute because this activity is illegal. Paprika is doctor Chibas alter ego, the persona she assumes in the dream world. Detective Toshimi Konakawa is paprikas first patient. He suffers from a recurring dream which results to great anxiety for him. This activity is kept secret. Doctor Chibas closest colleague is Doctor Kosaku Totika who is a genius and inventor of DC Mini. Before this technology is made legal, three prototypes of DC Mini are stolen. It is possible to enter other peoples minds with this device which makes it a risk to the public if it finds its self in the hand of evil people. The plot goes on as doctor Chiba discovers that a fellow colleague stole the device.

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In the Japanese television drama train man which is composed of 11 episodes, we see a story of the life of Yamada. More light is shed on the part that describes how Yamada rescues Saori from a drunken man in the train. As a sign of gratitude Saori sends a gift to Yamada which is composed of a set of hermes tea cups. Yahama is encouraged by online friends and eventually confesses his feelings to Saori. This story is filled with dream fantasies and the possibility of these dreams merging with reality. The 11 episodes were broadcasted in the Fuji television between July and September 2005. The first episode is entitled A Love Being Watched Over by a Million People and was aired in July 7 2005. Yamada saves Saori from a drunken man in the train and later Saori asks for Yamadas address. Saori sends a set of hermes tea cups and Yamade describes Saori as hermes to the online friends or users. The online friends encourage Yamada to gather courage and call Saori and thank her for the cups. The episode ends while Saoris phone is ringing. Episode 2 is called Im Off my First Date; Big Transformation and entails how they meet up for dinner. The episode ends while Saori shows up at the meeting place. Huge First Date Crisis is the title of episode 3 where Yamada thinks that the date was a disaster but Saori thinks otherwise and intends to come with a friend in the next meeting. The following episodes describe Saori and Yamada love life which flourishes for a long time. Yamada undergoes a hard time to ensure that his love for Saori is true and long lasting.

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Osamu Tezuka is a drawing artist and publisher of comic books and was born in Osaka japan in 1928. He studied medicine but instead practiced drawing. He began drawing at a young age in grade school. In 1946, while still in medical school, Osamu published his first manga which was a comic manga called Ma-Chan Diary which was preferred by children. He later sold an amazing 400,000 copies of his new manga called New Treasure Island in 1947. Other successful publications to come where: Such a Lost World and Next World. In 1951, he created Mighty Atom which was later known as Astro boy to the English speaking world. Osamu influenced Americas cartoons for the early and mid century including those of Walt Desney. Tezuka established his own animation studio in the early 60s where he used to make anime films and television versions of his many manga. Tezuka has won many awards which include the Japan cartoonist association special award for excellence and has worked as a director. Foreign visitors to Japan often find it difficult to understand why Japanese people like comic so much. One explanation for the popularity of comics in Japan, however, is that japan had Tezuka Osamu, whereas other nations did not. Without Dr. Tezuka, the postwar explosion in comics in japan would have been inconceivable. (Asahi Shimbun newpaper). Some of Tezukas work was left incomplete after he succumbed to cancer in 2010. Yukio Mishima was born in 1925 and was a Japanese author, poet, play writer, actor and film director. He was known to display a modern blending to traditional aesthetics which broke cultural bondages with respect to sex, death and political change.

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Mishima was brought up in Yotsuya district in Tokyo. His father was a government official and his mother a daughter of a school principle in Tokyo. His childhood was surrounded with violence and morbid outburst and this is occasionally felt in his work. From this we can find out his fascination with death. He was not allowed to play outside nor get into the sunlight. His father used military tactics to punish him and raid his room to destroy his works. He began writing at the age of six and was invited to write a prose short story for Peers school magazine. Mishima was an active writer, actor and model in the post war period. He will be remembered for an attempted coup and ritual suicide. He died in 1970 at the age of 45. In a summary the Japanese society in the post war period was characterized by violence, brutality and fear. However, based on comic stories, the society got time off to have a piece of mind. Unrealistic thinking or fantasy was used to create a peaceful society. Individuals like Satoshi and Murakami used this avenue to find meaning and integrity in that society. These bodies of art express constructive and destructive rebellion in a society that seeks conformity by drawings, acting, story writing and animation. Unrealistic thinking like the DC Mini is used to raise issues that oppress the citizens. These works of art would be meaningful in an America context. This can be proven by Osamus work at Walt Desney but in this case issues that are to be themed include moral value. The political climate in America can allow an artist to speak freely unlike the case in Japan.

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Works Cited Arnott Luke. The Life and Work of Osamu Tezuka-The God of Manga Sparked Japans Postwar Manga & Anime Explosion. Graphic Novels/Comics@ suite 101. Mishima Y. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Inc 30 Nov 2006. Web. 13 December 2011. Paprika (2006). Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Inc Web. 13 December 2011. Train Man. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Inc . Web 13 December 2011.