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• In Japan, the average reader of Sailor Moon manga is a girl of about nine years old. In small groups, design a research project to find out:
  • what fiction is being read by nine year old girls in your local area;
    
  • what kinds of stories are being told in that fiction;
    
  • what kinds of characters are portrayed;
    
  • why the girls choose to read it.

• Then use Rosemary Iwamura's article in Hanabi (pp 37-38) and the following sites to find out about the stories told in Sailor Moon manga:
  

  http://www.angelfire.com/ca/smoonam/manga2.html
  http://www.kurozuki.com/takeuchi/smoon/
  

  Also look at copies of Sailor Moon manga in English if you have them. As a class, discuss the differences between the stories told in Sailor Moon manga and those read by nine year old girls in your local area.

• Use the previous discussion to help you write an essay which compares the stories told in Sailor Moon manga with those read by nine year old girls in your area. Comment about similarities and differences in the stories told and the main characters portrayed.

• Use the Internet to find out about some popular manga in Japan for nine year old boys. What sorts of stories do they tell? How do they compare with what is being read by nine year old boys in your local area? Research these topics in a similar way to the above.

• Read the interview with Frederik L Schodt at:
  http://www.ex.org/1.3/07-schodt1.html
  http://www.ex.org/1.3/08-schodt2.html

  Schodt is questioned about the influence of manga in the USA. As a class, discuss the influence of manga in Australia. Who reads them? What do they read? If possible, visit a shop where manga are sold and ask about the most popular titles.

  Schodt is also asked about 'the one fact about manga that is most unknown by Americans'. Look again at his answer and discuss whether the same comments could be made about the Australian market. Do you think manga are becoming more popular in Australia?

  For a comparison (and information about the popularity of manga in other Asian countries), read the Asiaweek article at:

  http://www.pathfinder.com/asiaweek/96/0105/feat1.html

• Schodt says that manga are 'on the verge of becoming mainstream [in the USA]'.
  
  • What would be the implications of manga becoming 'mainstream' in Australia?
    
  • Could the manga form ever replace the novel form?
    
  • Would newspapers have to change?
    
  • Are there things about Australian culture which would either encourage the popularity of manga or do the opposite?
    
  • What would be the advantages and disadvantages of manga becoming more popular?

  Write an argumentative piece exploring these questions.

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