MANGA!

MANGA means "Japanese Comics" to non-Japanese. More than just comics however, their appeal extends far beyond Japan's young people. There is a manga for every imaginable (and unimaginable!) taste. Gaining popularity following WW2, "Astro Boy" is one of the earliest manga characters, and is still popular today.

                                             Astro Boy as he first appeared in 1952

JOSEI MANGA are for young ladies and housewives looking for a romantic getaway in the privacy and comfort of their own brain. Grab a glass of wine and curl up with a copy of "Midnight Secretary"......

                                 Despite secretary Kaya's discovery that her boss is a vampire,
                                                 a "personal relationship" develops.....

Not adventurous enough? Women who like to keep their minds (and sexual options!) open may prefer "Maka Maka". "Maka Maka" means "friends with special benefits" Do I need to spell it out?

Gentlemen are not left out of the action. Adventure, space travel and sports are common themes in SEINEN MANGA popular with boys and men. The "Akira" series from the 1980s is still popular in Japan and abroad. Like many manga, it went on to become an "anime" movie.

SEIJIN MANGA are equally popular but involve activities of a more...umm..."explicit" nature.

                         Real or implants? My money is on silcone, this is fantasy after all....

Outside of Japan, the term "HENTAI" is often used to describe hardcore manga and anime (movies). It roughly translates in Japanese as "pervert" or "weird". Pretty much anything goes. Think you've seen it all? I was feeling all worldly until curiousity won out, and I (blush) started clicking on the links to "tentacle sex". You'll have to find your own images, friends! I was uncomfortable looking at them, let alone including them in our blog...

               This is a a friendly tentacled creature. Smiling, cute and clearly uninterested in
                                           sexual relations with humans. This I like!

Some see porn, some see art. While some manga readers seek a kinder, gentler world; perhaps others need a place to unleash their inner demons? Interestingly, Japan is a very safe country with a low incidence of violent crimes against women. It is not at all unusual for a man to read extremely sexually graphic manga while sitting next to a schoolgirl on the subway.

Chances are the schoolgirl is lost in her own manga anyway....SHOGO MANGA is for girls. Look! It's Ichigo.....

Never fear! Ichigo ("Strawberry") will save the day!

"Tokyo Mew Mew" is a popular manga that has crossed the Pacific to be recently released as an animated YTV series called "Mew Mew Power". So the story goes, a girl called Ichigo ("strawberry") is infused with cat DNA during an earthquake at a science fair. Apparently she can now transform herself into a heroic "Cat Girl" who fights alien parasites that are trying to infect animals, turn them into monsters and....you guessed it, take over the world. Helping in the battle are her friend "Lettuce", who was exposed to the DNA of the finless porpoise at the same event...

                  The finless porpoise. The inspiration for a manga heroine named "Lettuce"....

                                              See the similarities? Nope, me neither.
Keeping with Sanbiki's blog's culinary theme, there are kitchen heroes too. Addicted to curry? You're not alone....

Sometimes I just don't get it. And maybe don't want to....

And on that note, we'll close the Sanbiki blogging book. For tonight anyway! Ideas always welcome, have a great week and hope to see you soon!