Description
Book SynopsisThis book defines tōjisha manga as Japan’s autobiographical comics in which the author recounts the experience of a mental or neurological condition in a unique medium of text and image. Yoshiko Okuyama argues that tōjisha manga illuminate otherwise “faceless” individuals and humanize their invisible tribulations because the first-person narrative makes their lived experience more authentic and relatable to the reader. Part I introduces the evolution of the term tōjisha, the tōjisha movements, and other relevant social phenomena and concepts. Part II analyzes five representative titles to demonstrate the humanizing power of tōjisha manga, drawing on interviews with the authors of these manga and examining how psychological or brain-related symptoms are artistically depicted in approximately 40 drawings. This book is highly recommended to not only scholars of disability studies and comic studies but also global fans of manga who are interested in the graphic memoirs of serious social issues.
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Conventions
Preface
Part I: Foundations
Chapter 1: Tōjisha
Chapter 2: Tōjisha Narratives
Chapter 3: Essay Manga
Part II: Case Studies
Chapter 4: Okita Bakka’s Gaki-Tame Series (2011-2013): A Memoir of a “Troublemaker” Aspie Girl
Chapter 5: Nonami Tsuna’s Akira-san Series (2011-2017): A Memoir of a “Cassandra” Wife
Chapter 6: Tanaka Keiichi’s Utsunuke (2017): An Ode to Depression Tōjisha …………………………………………………………………………………
Chapter 7: Hosokawa Tenten’s Tsure utsu Series (2006-2013): A Couple’s Lived Experience of Depression
Chapter 8: Shiramizu Sadako’s Uchi no OCD (2015): A Collaborative Memoir of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Afterword
