Reframing Disability in Manga

by Yoshiko Okuyama

Reframing Disability in Manga analyzes popular Japanese manga published from the 1990s to the present that portray the everyday lives of adults and children with disabilities in an ableist society. It focuses on five representative conditions currently classified as shōgai (disabilities) in Japan—deafness, blindness, paraplegia, autism, and gender identity disorder—and explores the complexities and sociocultural issues surrounding each. Author Yoshiko Okuyama begins by looking at preindustrial understandings of difference in Japanese myths and legends before moving on to an overview of contemporary representations of disability in popular culture, uncovering sociohistorical attitudes toward the physically, neurologically, or intellectually marked Other. She critiques how characters with disabilities have been represented in mass media, which has reinforced ableism in society and negatively influenced our understanding of human diversity in the past. Okuyama then presents fifteen case studies, each centered on a manga or manga series, that showcase how careful depictions of such characters as differently abled, rather than disabled or impaired, can influence cultural constructions of shōgai and promote social change. Informed by numerous interviews with manga authors and disability activists, Okuyama reveals positive messages of diversity embedded in manga and argues that greater awareness of disability in Japan in the last two decades is due in part to the popularity of these works, the accessibility of the medium, and the authentic stories they tell. Scholars and students in disability studies will find this book an invaluable resource as well as those with interests in Japanese cultural and media studies in general and manga and queer narrative and anti-normative discourse in Japan in particular.

Genres: Nonfiction

335 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 31, 2020

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so happy that this book exists! I've been wanting to learn more about disability in Japan and love analysis of pop culture. Importantly, the author handled the topic of disability with respect and knowledge.

Her thesis felt like a systematic review in which she selected 15 manga from a large of body of manga that have main/major characters with disabilities. Okuyama's inclusionary criteria were deafness, blindness, mobility impairment, autism, and gender identity disorder. Okuyama's exclusionary criteria were 'supercrip' depictions, using disability for comedy, trying to elicit pity from able-bodied readers, and inspiration porn. Okuyama acknowledges emotional and mental disorders as well as stuttering. However, at the time of her study she could not find enough manga to discuss these topics and had limited space in the book.

Here are some highlights:
- shougaisha is the term for disabled person whereas toujisha is a stigma-free term that activists in the community use
- Some culture factors that shape modern Japanese views of disability include inga (karma), kegare (impurity of defilement), folklore such as fukugo the benevolent child, ijin (other) concept, ideology that family is the primary caretaker of these individuals and not the government, and well-known fictional characters with disabilities.
- Some educational institutions have a room filled with objects to touch and sense for blind people called a shokusatsu-shitsu
- Contextualizing two events from 2016 in Japan: a blind man falling on train tracks and a mass murder of residents in a special home for adults with severe disabilities.
- The nuances and opinions in Japan's trans community regarding status as a legal disability and general lack of genderqueer representation in Japan
-Okuyama's excellent analysis of Wandering Son or Hourou Musuko in regards to gender fluidity and genuine portrayal of daily life


My one qualm is that the author wrote "According to Autism Speaks..." to state there is not one specific cause of autism and gave a reference to their webpage within the main body of the text without qualifying that there is a controversy around the organization. A more appropriate reference material or at least an additional reference material would be the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (https://autisticadvocacy.org/) as the organization has autistic board members and better represents the viewpoints of autistic people.

As a whole, I would recommend this book to any of my friends. The book provided necessary background information that makes it accessible for readers with varying knowledge about Japan, disability, and/or manga.

Side comment: I think Okuyama really likes X-Men!

[Spudpuppy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so informative and engaging. Highly recommended if you're at all into manga.

[Kathryn Hemmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reframing Disability in Manga contains seven chapters in addition to a short Introduction and Afterword. The first two chapters establish a theoretical framework for discussions of media and disability, and each of the remaining five chapters focuses on a broad category of disability.

Understanding that many readers may not be familiar with the manga under consideration, Okuyama has structured each chapter to include short “case studies” that are visually distinct from the main text. Each case study introduces a specific manga title, profiles its artist, and includes a high-quality cover image. The well-structured organization of each chapter renders the monograph accessible to non-specialist readers interested in representations of disability in manga and other forms of popular entertainment media, including transnational cinema and superhero comics.

Any of the chapters in the monograph could stand on their own as teaching materials, particularly as supplements to curricula on global approaches to disability or the portrayal of minority identities in popular media. The clarity of Okuyama’s writing and the well-defined structure of each chapter contribute to the accessibility of the monograph, which is of interest to experts in the field of Japanese Studies as well as to readers with broader research interests.

[Mary L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reframing Disability in Manga is a great introduction to disability studies/disability justice, Japanese culture, and manga. Though I am somewhat informed about autism, I don't know as much about other disabilities and the challenges that society creates for those individuals with disabilities until reading this book. I also found it interesting to see the ways in which Japanese culture views disabilities and how I can see reflections of those perspectives in American culture.

Another reviewer mentioned this, but I don't love the way Okuyama casually cites Autism Speaks in defining autism. Autism Speaks is essentially a hate group, so the organization should not be legitimazed in any way.

Otherwise, Reframing Disability in Manga is a compelling read for people who like to examine social issues and media.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting and accessible! This is a great resource for anyone interested in disability, Japan, manga, or all three!