[Book review] “Jujutsu Kaisen,” “Demon Slayer” lead golden age of Japanese manga in S. Korea

Posted on : 2021-08-22 11:38 KST Modified on : 2021-08-22 11:38 KST
Japanese manga was once regarded as the preserve of “otaku,” but nowadays, Japanese manga is seen as something for people of all ages, which has greatly expanded the market
The cover of the Korean edition of the Japanese comic book series “Jujutsu Kaisen”
The cover of the Korean edition of the Japanese comic book series “Jujutsu Kaisen”

Japanese manga are flying off the shelves at bookstores nowadays. Following the roaring success of “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba,” the next big series is “Jujutsu Kaisen,” which means “sorcery battle.”

Partially thanks to a recommendation by volleyball player and YouTuber Kim Yeon-koung, the volleyball manga series “Haikyu!!” has also climbed to the top of the bestseller list.

“Demon Slayer” dominated this corner of the cultural domain in the first half of 2021. The series’ popularity showed no signs of slowing, both in the printed manga market, the TV series — available on streaming services, and an animation film released to theaters. That came despite complaints about an appearance of the “rising sun” flag and the distinctly Japanese slant of the programming.

Statistics provided by online bookstore Yes24 show that domestic sales of comic books rose 30% year on year because of the dominating presence of the 25-volume “Demon Slayer” series.

The cover of the Korean edition of the Japanese comic book series “Demon Slayer”
The cover of the Korean edition of the Japanese comic book series “Demon Slayer”

Set in Taisho-era Japan (1912-1926), “Demon Slayer” is about a boy whose sister has been turned into a demon. The series depicts the boy’s battles with various demons as he seeks to make his sister human again.

“Jujutsu Kaisen,” the latest blockbuster manga, is an action fantasy series about the conflict between Jujutsu Sorcerers, who can manipulate the “cursed energy” produced by people’s negative emotions, and the monstrous Curses created from that energy.

Both series have the typical characteristics of Japanese shonen manga — comics marketed toward young teenagers — offering an immersive reading experience to kids who are cooped up at home because of the pandemic. The two series also gained popularity while being serialized in the comic magazine “Weekly Shonen Jump,” leading to their publication as separate books, TV series, and feature-length animations.

Another notable feature of this golden age of Japanese manga is the rivalry between Haksan Publishing and Seoul Cultural Publishers, two of the leading South Korean publishers of the genre. Haksan Publishing appeared to dominate the publishing market in the first half of this year with “Demon Slayer,” but Seoul Cultural Publishers soon managed to launch a counterattack with the release of “Jujutsu Kaisen.”

Japanese manga was once regarded as the preserve of “otaku” — meaning nerds obsessed with some form of pop culture — but nowadays, more people are encountering Japanese animation for themselves through online screening services such as Netflix and Watcha. As a result, Japanese manga is now regarded as something for people of all ages, which has greatly expanded the market.

Bookstores’ data on their customers’ age and gender shows that both “Demon Slayer” and “Jujutsu Kaisen” are being bought by more women than men, and by more twentysomethings than teenagers.

I can’t help feeling ambivalent about the runaway popularity of “Demon slayer” and “Jujutsu Kaisen.” As a Korean, I feel jealous and hurt that Japanese manga seem to have taken over the Korean market. At the same time, I’m impressed by their popularity and curious how exactly they pulled it off.

Japanese manga have been turned into a global behemoth through a sprawling empire of proprietary media that’s tied to the reliable weekly serialization system, comic books, TV shows, feature-length animations, video games, toys, and collectible figurines, as well as through the redoubtable fandom culture that extends across national boundaries.

The popularity of “Demon Slayer” and “Jujutsu Kaisen” — just like “Dragon Ball” “Slam Dunk,” and “One Piece” before them — confirms once again that Japan remains a media powerhouse.

By Hong Soon-chul, book columnist

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]

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