On this episode of the Japan Station podcast, Tony talks to Dr. Patrick W. Galbraith about Japanese erotic comics (eromanga) and related issues such as censorship and Japanese obscenity laws.
About Patrick W. Galbraith
Dr. Patrick W. Galbraith is a lecturer at Senshu University in Tokyo. He is one of the world’s leading experts on the topic of Akihabara and the related subcultures that are often associated with this famous district of Tokyo. Galbraith is the author of man y books and articles, including Tokyo Realtime (2010), The Otaku Encyclopedia: An Insider’s Guide to the Subculture of Cool Japan (2014), The Moe Manifesto: An Insider’s Look at the Worlds of Manga, Anime, and Gaming (2017), and others. His most recent solo book, published by Duke University Press Books in 2019, is Otaku and the Struggle for Imagination in Japan.
Topics Discussed
- What obscenity is in the eyes of Japanese law
- The masking of genitals in Japanese media such as anime and manga
- The push and pull cycle between creators and efforts to censor depictions of genitals
- The case of the Japanese artist Rokudenashiko
- Manga artists using creative techniques such as sound effects to imply sexual situations
- The link between censorship and things like tentacle hentai
- How mainstream manga and anime influences the world of erotic manga and vice versa
- The influence of major manga creators like Osamu Tezuka, Hayao Miyazaki, and Rumiko Takahashi on erotic manga
- How Naoki Yamamoto was influenced by Hayao Miyazaki’s work on Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
- How Urusei Yatsura helped establish a trope that would come to be popular in erotic manga/anime
- The world of dōjinshi (independent fan made comics)
- How independent fan comics help push the popularity of mainstream anime/manga properties
- The way some manga creators go back and forth between the world of erotic and mainstream manga
- The erotic imagery of Food Wars/Shokugeki no Soma
- CLAMP’s erotic treatment of Captain Tsubasa
- How manga creators usually do not interfere with fan comics based on their properties
- Efforts b the Japanese government throughout the 2010s to limit and further censor erotic manga
- Japan’s Ordinance Regarding the Healthy Development of Youths
- Japan’s decision to not ban illustrations depicting underage characters in sexual situations in 2014 despite pressure from other countries
- Incorrect stereotypes about erotic manga creators and readers
- The diversity that exists among readers and creators of erotic manga
- Australia’s decision to ban certain types of manga
- Who Kaoru Nagayama is
- Concerns over international laws regarding erotic manga
- And much more!
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Links, Videos, Etc.
To pick up a copy of Erotic Comics in Japan: An Introduction to Eromanga, please consider using the Amazon affiliate link below. It will support JapanKyo.com and it won’t cost you anything extra.
To listen to Dr. Galbraith’s previous appearances on Japan Station, use the links below.
- Japan Station 30: Understanding “Otaku” and Akihabara w. Dr. Patrick W. Galbraith
- Understanding Idols and the Success of AKB48 (Dr. Patrick W. Galbraith) | Japan Station 38
To listen to the latest episode of Ichimon Japan, use the link below.
You can support the show by picking up a t-shirt from KimitoDesigns.com. The latest shirt design was inspired by episode 36 of the Ichimon Japan podcast which was all about samurai topknots.
Special Thanks
Opening/Closing song: Oedo Controller (大江戸コントローラー) by Yunomi featuring Toriena (Used with permission from Yunomi)
To listen to more of Yunomi’s music, check out his Soundcloud page or YouTube channel.
Japan Station cover art: Provided by Erik R.
Featured image: Courtesy of Donna Burke
Featured image: Courtesy of Patrick W. Galbraith
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Full Show Notes
