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3.
So what was Ribon again?
Ribon is a magazine
read mostly by girls in Grades 4-6. It is extremely popular, and
often anime(cartoons) series based on its stories are aired on TV.
4.
First the comic comes out, then the cartoon?
Yes. This is
an extremely common way for a TV series to start in Japan, usually animated,
but sometimes live-action as well. If a story is popular with readers,
there's a good chance it will be popular on screen. Also, by using
a story with an existing audience, TV producers are almost assured of having
at least a few watchers.
5.But
doesn't that mean that people know what's going to happen already on the
show?
Well, kind of.
Shows are often different, with extra stories, slightly different timelines,
or other changes that keep it from being all the same. And sometimes
people will watch the show even if they know what will happen just to see
the story in motion. But enough about anime, this is about Ribon!
6.
Okay, what's all the fuss about Ribon? It's for kids, right?
Heh heh. The
simple answer is yes. But that doesn't mean it's not interesting.
The stories, while a bit juvenile, are engaging and well-done, with beautiful
art and characters that are easy to relate to. Though the typical
reader is a Grade 5 girl, reading it is fun for anyone who is interested
in Japan, who likes anime, or who just enjoys simple love stories(and who
doesn't like romance?^_^) It is an excellent way to learn more natural
Japanese than that learned in the classroom(anyone who has tried to take
in a real Japanese TV show or newspaper can attest to the difference) and
because it's geared to children, the kanji all have furigana.
7.
Uh? Furigana?
OK. Kanji are
those Chinese characters that look really complicated. Well, the
Japanese language has them as well, and they have different meanings depending
on how they're used. Furigana are symbols above the kanji which spell
out how it sounds, and makes it much easier to understand(or look up in
a dictionary). Because Ribon always has furigana, a non-Japanese
reader like myself can understand the stories fairly well, given enough
time and a good Japanese dictionary, though knowing basic Japanese grammar
is also a must.
8.
Hmmm...Well, even if you like Ribon, what's with the webpage? What
are you trying to do?
Err...I'm generously
spending time and effort so that even people who don't know Japanese at
all can enjoy Ribon?
9.
Yeah, right. What's the real reason?
Really, that's it!
Well, partly. What do I get out of this? Well, my own Japanese
skill has gotten considerably better, and summarizing the stories each
month force me to look things up and understand the conversations more.
When I originally made the webpage, my intention was to create what I would
have wanted when I first got Ribon. I wanted to explain the stories,
as well as provide information for people who were interested but not sure
if Ribon would be right for them. Getting new people hooked on it
would also be great. One side benefit I hadn't really expected was
getting e-mail from other people who read Ribon(I love it!), and now I'm
making the site fun as well as useful and improving layout and stuff(well,
I hope anyways).
10.
I guess Ribon sounds interesting, what will I find on your site?
HO HO HO!!!
What won't you find? Story chapter summaries, pictures, author self-pictures,
polls, links to other great sites, what more do you want? Actually,
I'm in Japan right now on an exchange, so I don't have as much time as
before. So after August 1999, the only Ribon story I'm updating monthly
is Double Pinch by Azuki Ryou(my favourite mangaka). For info and
stuff on Ribon stories after that time(and before) check out my links page
for other wonderful Ribon pages! Mine is definitely not the only
one!
11. Hmph! Well, I guess I could check it out. Take me to Ribon!
12.
I still want to know more about this manga stuff.
Okay, go
here to learn more about many authors and stories!
If you want to know more about shoujo manga
in general, check out Matt Thorn's page(er, as soon as I find the link
I'll put it here^_^;;). If you haven't been there before, go before
you ask anything(well, you don't have to, but it really is a great page),
because there's a good chance you can find it there. Even if you
don't find it, there's lots of interesting things there, check it out!
I have a page on shoujo
manga in general as well, with info on some other magazines(Margaret,
Crimson,
and Young
You) as well as an list of current
shoujo manga stories from Shueisha that I try to keep updated.
13.You've
convinced me. How do I get my own copy of Ribon?
I love it when people ask me this!
But I understand that some people don't want to e-mail me and ask because
they're shy or too busy or whatever, so I'll tell you here. I get
my Ribon(when I'm in NOrth America) from Sasuga
Bookstores, a great on-line store that has lots of books and magazines
from Japan and about Japan. I've also gotten a lot of manga from
them, and they have always been helpful and responsive. I subscribe
to Ribon through them, and I get it in the mail about 1 week after it's
released in Japan, which I think is pretty fast. You also might be
able to get a subscription through your local Japanese bookstore, if you
have one nearby. Sasuga also now offers single copies of Ribon if
you want to try it out, and again, your local Japanese bookstore might
have them for sale as well. Well, I hope this clears things up, and
everybody run out, buy Ribon, and join in the fun! ^_^
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