September 22, 2015, 10:56p.m. – THE UST Literary Society, in partnership with
the UST Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies (CCWLS), hosted a
lecture titled “Shakespeare in Today’s Japanese Pop Culture” last Sept. 22 at
the Beato Angelico Auditorium.
Yukari Yoshihara, visiting associate professor
at Japan’s University of Tsukuba, cited the parallelism between the works of
Shakespeare and Japanese manga, in particular their experimentation with gender
stereotypes.
“What do Shakespeare and manga have in
common? Gender-bender,” Yoshihara said. “In a way, these
gender-bender classics parody these stereotypical images of ‘girliness’ or
‘boyness’,” she added.
The Japanese scholar also traced the
international and cross-cultural reach of Shakespearean works, in which the
written prose has become part of the global consumerist culture.
Cristina Pantoja-Hidalgo, director of the
CCWLS, noted the similarities between Filipino comics and Japanese manga.
“The Komiks have managed to bridge the gap
between what is considered high art and mass art, like the movies, which no one
can possibly look down on today,” said Hidalgo. Cedric Allen P. Sta.
Cruz
