Japanese Influence
By using manga, Siku is not just influenced by the Japanese comic style, but also by its aesthetics and culture, with which manga is closely connected. One of those aesthetic concepts is a three-part development called shin-gyo-so. It comes from the Japanese calligraphy, where the formal alphabet of kanji is represented by shin. The semi-formal characters are called kana and stands for the gyo. Finally, the least formal script is the cursive and is represented by the so. This formula is also applied in other aspects of the Japanese culture, for example in gardens or tea ceremonies. Applying this concept to The Manga Bible, the book can be seen as an informal Bible, whereas the Bible in the church would be the formal one and the Bible people read at home would be seen as semi-formal. Within the manga itself, Siku also uses different levels of formality; there are pages, where he stays within the panels and other times where no panels at all exist. To illustrate the disorder of a war or the prophecies of the revelation, he also uses the technique of bleeding, which means that the drawing appears to continue over the edge of the page.
Another example for the close connection between the Japanese culture and its aesthetic is shown in the silent wandering of Jesus through the wilderness, triggering on the sensory memory of the reader. Siku describes the appearance of Jesus for example as “a Samurai stranger, who’s come to town, in a silhouette”. He also works with facial expressions of his characters. When the Egyptians are punished with the death of their first born, because the Israelites are not freed, Siku draws the characters with a facial expression that also elicits compassion in the reader, an effect that is often used in manga.
Read more about this topic: The Manga Bible: From Genesis To Revelation
Famous quotes containing the words japanese and/or influence:
“The Japanese say, “If the flower is to be beautiful, it must be cultivated.””
—Lester Cole, U.S. screenwriter, Nathaniel Curtis, and Frank Lloyd. Nick Condon (James Cagney)
“We could not well camp higher, for want of fuel; and the trees here seemed so evergreen and sappy, that we almost doubted if they would acknowledge the influence of fire; but fire prevailed at last, and blazed here, too, like a good citizen of the world.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)