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Reviewed by Barb Lien-Cooper In spite of my feeling that manga as a medium shouldn’t be exploited to espouse ANY particular dogma or spiritual point of view, somehow the Manga Bible has become one of my favorite manga guilty pleasures. Actually, to be more accurate, it’s one of my fave Mahnwa guilty pleasures, as its country of origin seems to be Korea. Why? Well, it’s certainly not the art. Oh, it’s serviceable, in a scratchy sort of a way, but it’s not going to keep Rumiko Takahashi up at night in terms of competition, if you get my drift. Instead, the Manga Bible has several good points going for it. The first is that the blessed thing takes an incredibly complicated subject (the Old Testament) and makes it understandable to kids and adults alike. So if you’re like me and you’ve always wanted to read about the history/mythology/spiritual beliefs of Jehovah’s Chosen People but were too lazy to bother getting beyond Exodus, this series offers what you’re looking for in a simple to understand Cliff Notes version. Secondly, while of course any book about The Bible is going to be preachy, The Manga Bible doesn’t actively oppress you with its dogma. It’s very straightforward, very well paced all things considered, fairly engrossing in places, and a breeze to read. Finally, the series is smart enough to know that most good manga has a sense of humor about itself. I’ve actually gotten a few (intentional on the author’s part) chuckles out of the series because the author understands that if manga doesn’t entertain, manga doesn’t get read. Now, this series isn’t for everyone. If you have no interest in the rather Oxymoronic term “Biblical History”, this series isn’t for you. If you’re looking for deep characterizations or deep analysis of the meanings/symbolism of these Bible stories, sorry, it doesn’t happen here. But the series delivers what it delivers in a painless, fun-to-read sort of a way. (Seriously, it's comedic... Isaiah has the burning coal touch his lips, preparing him to speak God's words, and then God asks "WHO SHOULD I SEND TO MY STUBBORN PEOPLE AS A MESSENGER?" and Isaiah's all got his hand raised: "Pick me! Pick me!" This sort of humor is rampant...) If you’re the type of person who has people in their family who question why you like manga because they can’t understand it or think that it must be bad or somehow morally suspect or what have you because it’s a relatively new medium to them or you have Christian friends who wouldn’t usually let their kids read manga, The Manga Bible might be your first step in (dare I say it?) making unbelievers (in manga, that is) into converts. [EiC's note: although I have labeled this "all-ages," the reading level probably stops down at about age 9, vocabulary-wise... in other words, the vocabulary might be pretty challenging for a 7 or 8 year old (interpret, decree, proclaim, captivity, etc), but I called it all-ages anyway because I wanted us all to understand that there's nothing in here that your kids' grandmother would object to if you left it lying around where your kids could find it... quite the opposite, really.] Interested in writing for MangaLife? We're always looking for talented reviewers and columnists, so drop us a line! Charles Webb Editor-in-Chief, MangaLife.com |
1 September 2010
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