Japan Lawmakers Scolded for Reading Comics

[On the Road]

TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi scolded rookie lawmakers Thursday for reading comic books and talking on their cell phones during legislative sessions, according to a newspaper report.

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"You can be seen very clearly from the prime minister's seat. You should really stop that — it's disgraceful."

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Comic books, often with adult themes, are common reading material for middle-aged men. Japan's younger generation also is hooked on using cell phones to send e-mail.


The country's youngest lawmakers sit in the front of Parliament, while their elders sit in the back of the chamber.

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This is wonderful stuff. Considering some of the horrible legislation that's passed recently, I think some our own Congressmen were reading comics during debate.

[MadinMD]

1. Manga Sucks

They shouldn't even be elected if they're reading that trash.

Really, there is no individual style to the art, and all the stories seem to end with something getting raped by a tentacle monster and copious amounts of whatever liquids raping tentacle monsters spew.

[Kagemusha]

2. Uh, I don't know what you've been reading...

I translate non-"adult" manga professionally as part of my work, though I also do novels as well. For the "adult" works you may have a point.

But for many of the rest, "no individual art style"...!?!?!?!

It's a far broader industry than US comics. Paint with a broad brush at the peril of coming off as an uninformed bigot. As you have.

[MadinMD]

3. Wait

I'm an uniformed (edit, meant to type uninformed, but can't bear to edit the word itself because it's funny in context) bigot because I hate manga?

That's like saying someone's a bigot because they hate tacos.

Manga sucks. Period. I have still yet to read a single issue of Manga that I like, including the horrid marvel foray in manga with the marvel Mangaverse. Everything just looked stupid, and the storylines were incredibly horrible.

If you want good comics, go with Y the Last Man, The Ultimates, Fables, Waid's current run on the Fantastic Four, Blankets, Creature Tech, or a host of other comics. Manga really really blows though, add to that the fact that you have to read a good chunk of them backwards and you have a product that shouldn't be made.

[Kagemusha]

7. Look, you don't need any help hanging yourself,

so I'm going to stop providing any.

[TrogL]

4. Reading manga is a national pastime

It's the equivalent of our politicians reading newspapers etc.

[truthisfreedom]

5. and considering the winger content of many US newspapers, the value is

probably about the same.

[denverbill]

6. Actually, I'd applaud Bush for doing that.

One comic book is probably more than he's read during his entire term.

[struggle4progress]

10. ROFL

[damnraddem]

8. Well, the Japanese produce the world's best comic books, not to mention

cartoons. I guess the feel that they should sample their own nation's wares.

Well, after all, many an American politician has believed that the US produces the world's best bourbon ...

[Kagemusha]

9. All that's true, but it's a reflection on boring speeches mainly.

Or so I seem to gather, which is why the PM was annoyed in the first place.

I mean, people used to pay attention to his speeches, which was itself unusual...