The Daily Yomiuri December 11, 1996, Wednesday SECTION: Pg. 3 LENGTH: 874 words HEADLINE: Manga's appeal not limited to Japanese fans BYLINE: Junko Hanna Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer ; Yomiuri BODY: The country's obsession with comics is a fairly well-known phenomenon. Japanese comics and cartoons are referred to by their Japanese names, manga and anime, even among the increasing number of international comic book afficionados. But few realize how manga made the leap from Japanese pop culture to international popularity. To answer this question, Frederik Schodt, the author of a number of books about Japanese comics, including "Dreamland Japan," said one needs to look at manga as "a full-fledged medium of expression, on a par with novels and films." During a recent presentation on the theme of manga as Japan's new international culture, the U.S. writer defined manga as "a fusion-art that entertains." He spoke at the Foreign Press Center following a special lecture at Tokyo University on Nov. 27. Japanese artists successfully incorporated the Western comic book format into genres ranging from fantasy to eroticism, Schodt said. But unlike superheroes in U.S. comics, the hallmark of manga lies in its depiction of commonly experienced situations that "reflect the Japanese id, the subconscious," he said. According to Schodt, the origins of manga can be found in the humorous illustrations of Toba Sojo (1053-1140) and Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849). Sojo is believed to have created "Choju Giga" (Scrolls of Frolicking Animals), a satire on the clergy of the period. Hokusai, best known for his woodblock print series of Mt. Fuji and other landscapes, also created manga (literally, "whimsical sketches"), from which the name comes. Schodt said Hokusai also contributed to the development of manga as we know it today by using panels to indicate time transition, long before the advent of Western comics. By the 1930s, Schodt said, the art of Japanese comics--having absorbed influences from European political cartoons and U.S. newspaper comics--had begun to show some unique characteristics. At about the same time, Schodt said, children's comics became popular and were serialized in children's magazines. These serialized comic strips such as "Norakuro" (Black Stray), by the late Suiho Tagawa, set the precedent for successfully serialized magazine works being compiled into books. Schodt cited two turning points in the development of modern manga: Kamishibai (paper plays) and the work of the late Osamu Tezuka. Kamishibai helped people become familiar with sequential art. Kamishibai artists, who flourished immediately after World War II, rode their bicycles to such places as temple precincts to give illustrated narrative demonstrations to children and sell candies. The work of Tezuka, a god-like figure in the manga world, represented another turning point. Tezuka is considered a pillar in the development of Japanese comic strips, Schodt said. "He decompressed story lines and made them very long, running up to 2,000-3,000 pages. This made it possible for Japanese artists to depict emotions in a sophisticated manner. "For Tezuka, a true intellectual, manga was just one avenue for him to express himself. He inspired many people who, like himself, would otherwise have gone into film and other industries," Schodt said. Tezuka's works include "Phoenix" and "Faust," good examples of his novelistic approach. Tezuka also created "Jungle Emperor," which was later made into a television series called "Kimba, the White Lion." In 1994, Walt Disney Co.'s hit animation film "The Lion King," sparked controversy when some artists accused it of copying the 1960s television series. Schodt said Tezuka also paved the way for female artists with his piece "Princess Knight." Schodt credited Tezuka with developing some of the characteristics of manga designed to capture the female readership, noting that he drew the princess with big, round eyes in exotic, foreign settings. "Manga has become very visual, mainly due to Tezuka and many of his compatriots who extended story lines to go way beyond the effects of describing stories in words," Schodt said. This is one of the reasons that manga gained universal appeal, he said. Around 1955, manga began to be distributed in an omnibus format, in which a variety of serialized comics were carried in weekly magazines. "The first weekly omnibus comics magazine, 'Shonen Magazine,' quickly reached a circulation of 1 million," Schodt said. 'Comic Amour,' erotica for women, sells 400,000 copies a month, a number that should make anyone involved in the publishing industry drool," he said. With its internationalization, the manga world appears to be entering a new phase. Schodt said "fan-genes," comics drawn and put together by amateurs, are also translated and sold in the United States. Schodt referred to the amateur manga conventions that have sprung up as "mini-Woodstocks taking place on a regular basis throughout Japan." A comic strip called "The Dirty Pair" is drawn in Japanese style by a U.S. artist, Schodt added, and manga is also making a stir in Paris. U.S. film director James Cameron, who made "The Terminator" and "Aliens," is interested in working with Japanese animators. The broad base of manga appreciation will surprise many who have only considered manga in light of its entertainment value.@: