Would Manga have ever exploded into the Japanese mainstream WITHOUT the “Train” and “Ideogram” factors?
Talk about these two factors and how they have specifically impacted the popularity of Manga in Japan. SCHODT: I think that Manga would be popular in Japan even without trains and without influence from the Japanese writing system, but probably not as popular. Japan’s cities are very crowded, and Manga magazines and books are a great way to entertain oneself. They’re quiet (very important in Japan), and don’t take up much space, and after working all day in an office or studying at school, they’re a nice light form of reading material. Also, they’re very portable. It’s no coincidence that audio books are far more popular in the United States, where people spend long hours in the cars commuting, than in Japan, where most people in cities commute by trains. Manga are also great for reading at coffee shops, barber shops, noodle eateries, and in other crowded places. Maybe if we had more coffee shops and ramen stores in America we would read more comics! TAMAI: Whats weird about the whole
