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My
History:
Helen McCarthy
I’ve
been writing about animation, comics and Japanese popular culture since the
1980s. In 1991 I helped to found the
UK
’s first professional magazine devoted to Japanese animation, or anime. I
edited ANIME
UK
for six years. Along the way I wrote the first book in English devoted to
anime, and then another, and it just snowballed from there.
Now I write fulltime, and speak to people of all
ages, all over the world in schools, libraries, at conventions and academic
meetings.
I started to get interested in kamishibai when I realized
how influential it has been in the development of anime and manga. There’s
very little material available, but even that small amount of material reveals
an art form that came from the streets, as a response to the effects of a
terrifying global recession, and survived despite all the changes that
threatened to destroy it.
The story of kamishibai is a story we can all
understand, regardless of nationality or culture – a story of how the urge to
get together and tell stories, to make art, to create something for others to
share, can overcome financial, technical and social obstacles and reach out to
the child in every human being.
Akiko Yanagisawa brought the Mu:Arts kamishibai
tour to the Barbican as part of our September 2009 season devoted to Osamu
Tezuka. Tezuka was an SF writer, animator, comic artist, designer, essayist,
translator and one of the most influential figures on 20th century
culture in
Japan
. He loved kamishibai, so Mu:Arts gave us a wonderful opportunity to show the
art form that inspired him in childhood alongside his own work for the first
time.
Yassan and Chakomaru captivated the audience with
their wonderful performances. A group of volunteers made their own amazing
kamishibai. By the end of the evening, we were all kamishibai fans.
Through this site I hope to learn more about
kamishibai, help others to enjoy it, spread awareness of its history and help it
go forward into the future.
www.helenmccarthy.org
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