Australian fans back Aso's 'manga museum'

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minello7 at 09:34 AM JST - 30th July

Sorry,but I thought the building on Karasuma-Oike Kyoto was a manga museum,must be mistaken.
terebiko at 10:49 AM JST - 30th July

Isn't this the second time this story has been on JT? Maybe I saw it somewhere else. I think that this museum is a huge waste of money. Of course Anime/Manga fans would support this museum. Why not ask people who are not fans? Oh yeah, you'd get the wrong answer. Why not ask the taxpayers if they like the idea? I think this whole "let's promote Japan's anime/manga/otaku culture throughout the world" idea is a big mistake. I'm not saying it isn't a part of Japanese culture, it is actually a very strong part of modern Japanese culture, but they have to keep in mind that Japan's culture goes a lot farther than Hello Kitty. This project and the Kawaii Ambassadors project are a waste of money. I can't help but think that Japan just wants the Otaku of the world to come visit. I can imagine all the hentais coming out of the woodwork, lolicons searching for cute little girls in maid costumes. Sure, they'd find their fair share here, and yes they would spend money in Japan, but is that the image Japan wants to portray to the world? Used to be Fuji, Samurai, Geisha. In the near future it's going to be Akihabara, Hello Kitty, Lolita.
jefinner at 01:37 PM JST - 30th July

I live in the states and my daughter first read manga when it was offered at the school book fair seven years ago. Japanese comic books have filled a void here in the states when it comes to girls. Not all manga is made for perverts. This was her first exposure to anything Japanese and she has come to love the people and their culture..so much so that she is leaning Japanese and how to play the erhu. When we go visit Japan, Akihabara is not going to be one of the places we visit.
knowitall at 01:59 PM JST - 30th July

If the Australians want it so much, let them pay for it. While I admit to having had a bit of an otaku streak back in my school days, it doesn't rule my life and I don't want to pay for a museum to it. Hell, the country is full of manga cafes. If you need a manga fix that bad, just go read it. No need to go look at a display about it.
Gaijinocchio at 02:14 PM JST - 30th July

jefinner: It's nice that your daughter has interest in Japan, I have a similar story about myself; however, this is not about your daughter, this is more about MY tax money being used, once again, for a political pet project (Ishihara's Shinginkou bank anyone? Billions of yen gone.). Australians can back the museum idea all day, but they're not the ones paying for it.

125 million yen+ is still A LOT of money, and let's face it, J-politicians aren't known for their timing and rationale.

I feel as though Aso is trying to say: "Life's hard, you don't have money, a home, hospitals, safe food, child facilities, or a real job...but forget it, here's a nice and shiny new MUSEUM for you to enjoy! Douzo!"
SumoBob at 03:18 PM JST - 30th July

Hello, Mr. Aso? Don't you have an election coming up to lose?
Potsu at 05:17 PM JST - 30th July

Yes,all those Aussie fans,just so many of them...
Foxie at 07:33 PM JST - 30th July

If they are going to build that, they better translate everything into English as most of the visitors will probably be foreigners, just not me. Bye to my taxmoney!
NeoJamal at 09:12 PM JST - 30th July

Talking about Australians and manga, among the myriad of works out there, there is no single cricket manga to no surprise.
TumbleDry at 12:51 AM JST - 31st July

That is the same guy that says the DPJ is insane with its politic program.

Aso-san, you a museum for that? pay it with YOUR money. Not mine!
biglittleman at 07:36 AM JST - 31st July

More political stunts.
Betting at 10:20 AM JST - 31st July

"Prenc added that Canberra, the nation’s capital and political epicenter, is one of the company’s most reliable markets, with anime screenings there consistently selling out".

Ah yes, Canberra, one of the world's great cities, right up there with New York, London, Paris and Tokyo, with its population of about 300,000? This whole article seems to be just another fairly lame attempt at drumming up support for the hopefully soon to dumped, "manga museum" idea.

Out of a population of roughly 300,000 how many could you reasonably expect to go out and watch anime? And what kind of venue are they held in? Some little hall at a community centre? And how often? Probably once every couple of months would be my entirely speculative guess.
BurakuminDes at 02:45 PM JST - 31st July

Australian fans back Aso's 'manga museum'

Sorry, I don't back it at all. Comics are for 1-8 year olds.
illsayit at 04:33 PM JST - 31st July

What? Manga sure does have a lot of lip-service. How about checking where the mining connections are? Have you ever been in a pit?
rewetzel1 at 02:05 PM JST - 1st August

What the?! Can't we use this money for something USEFUL like qualified daycare facilities?