Comic books are no laughing matter in Japan, whose diplomats have announced an international award to promote the art — and with it, they hope, the country.
Japan said it was creating the International Manga Award for one foreign artist and three runners-up to be conferred in July.
PHOTO: EPA
Comics and cartoons, referred to as "manga" in Japan, are hugely popular among both adults and children.
"With this award, it is hoped that the understanding of Japanese culture among foreign comic artists will be further enhanced," a foreign ministry statement said.
The award will be annual and entail a visit to Japan but will not include prize money, a foreign ministry official said.
The award is the brainchild of Foreign Minister Taro Aso, a gruff 66-year-old former businessman known to be an avid manga reader.
In a speech last year, Aso called for "the equivalent of a Nobel prize in manga" and hoped recipients would feel a bond with Japan.
"Manga, as a genre originating in Japan, is truly unique in its form of presentation and expression. In manga, it is possible to depict the realities of life or convey to the reader a person's innermost thoughts," Aso said at the time.
"With all due respect to Mickey and Donald, if you look at J-pop, J-anime, or J-fashion, the competitiveness of any of these is much stronger than you might imagine."
(AFP)
在日本，漫畫書是不可玩笑視之的東西，為了推廣這項藝術，當地外交官員宣佈設立一項國際大獎，並希望藉此宣傳日本國際形象。
日方表示，針對國外優秀漫畫家成立的「國際漫畫賞」將選出一部優勝作品及三部佳作，並於七月舉行頒獎儀式。
連環漫畫與卡通（日本統稱為「漫畫」）廣受成人及兒童喜愛。
外務省在一份聲明中表示：「希望藉由這個獎項讓國外漫畫家更進一步了解日本文化。」
外務省一名官員表示，年度「國際漫畫賞」的獲勝者將應邀赴日，但不會獲頒獎金。
想出這個計畫的是現年六十六歲的外相麻生太郎，過去經商且不苟言笑的他是個超級漫畫迷。
麻生太郎去年在一場演說中呼籲設立一個「漫畫界的諾貝爾獎」，並期許獲獎者能更貼近日本。
當時麻生太郎說：「起源於日本的漫畫，呈現及表達方式自成一格。漫畫可以描繪現實生活狀況，也能傳遞個人內心深處的想法給讀者。」
「我無意冒犯米老鼠和唐老鴨，但日本流行音樂、日本動畫和日本流行時尚全都比你想像的更具競爭力。」
（法新社／翻譯：林倩如）
★ Bilingual Story is a fictionalized account. 雙語故事部分內容純屬虛構。 “Any New Year’s resolutions?” he asked. Lena put her coffee down. “Yeah,” she said. “To get in shape.... round is a shape, right?” Mark chuckled. “I support this. Fully achievable. Low risk.” “Thanks,” she smiled and lovingly rubbed her round belly. “I like a resolution I can’t fail.” “Funny thing is, I was thinking about getting round too.” Lena nodded her head in approval, “You could put some meat on those skinny bones of yours.” Mark shook his head, “Not that kind of round. Wheel-of-Life round.” She raised an eyebrow.
詞法—不定詞的誤用 1. 我得記住星期五要把報告寫好。 ˇ I must remember to finish my report by Friday. χ I must remember finishing my report by Friday. 註︰remember 後面跟動名詞或不定詞表示兩種不同的概念，與 forget 相類似。 試比較下列句子： I remember meeting him somewhere.（我記得曾經在某處見過他。） I must remember to meet him at the station at six this evening. （我必須記住今晚六點得去車站接他。） He remembered turning off the light when he left the room. （他記得離開房間時曾先把燈熄了。） Remember to turn off the light when you leave the room. （記住離開房間時要把燈關了。） 2. 他提醒她做好她份內的事。 ˇ He reminded her to do her job. χ He reminded her of doing her job. 註︰remind ... of ... 後面跟動名詞，表示「使人想起做過某事」。若是「提醒某人應做某事」，應用 remind ... to do ...。試比較下列句子： He reminded me of my attending the lecture last Friday. （他讓我想起我上星期五去聽過那次演講。） He
Skating is a popular recreational and competitive activity that involves sliding over surfaces using specially designed footwear. Its origins date back over 1,000 years to Northern Europe, where people first strapped animal bones to their feet to move across frozen lakes and rivers. In the 17th century, the Dutch transformed skating into a leisure activity. They also replaced bone blades with metal, leading to the creation of modern ice skates. Today, ice skating is enjoyed as a global sport and an exciting pastime by people of all ages. Figure skating is one of the best-known and most graceful forms of skating.
對話 Dialogue 清清：最近天氣越來越冷，感覺很容易感冒，要不要一起去吃薑母鴨或是羊肉爐？ Qīngqing: Zuìjìn tiānqì yuèláiyuè lěng, gǎnjué hěn róngyì gǎnmào, yào bú yào yìqǐ qù chī jiāngmǔyā huòshì yángròulú? 華華：最近我覺得有點累，想吃薑母鴨，可是又怕一下子吃太補會上火。 Huáhua: Zuìjìn wǒ juéde yǒudiǎn lèi, xiǎng chī jiāngmǔyā, kěshì yòu pà yíxiàzi chī tài bǔ huì shànghuǒ. 清清：那我們去喝香菇雞湯吧，不太容易上火，喝了也會很暖和。 Qīngqing: Nà wǒmen qù hē xiānggū jītāng ba, bú tài róngyì shànghuǒ, hē le yě huì hěn nuǎnhuo. 華華：聽起來不錯！你們家平常冬天都吃什麼進補？ Huáhua: Tīng qǐlái búcuò! Nǐmen jiā píngcháng dōngtiān dōu chī shénme jìnbǔ? 清清：我家都煮麻油雞，吃完整個人手腳都會熱起來。我也很久沒喝香菇雞湯了，正好可以去打打牙祭。 Qīngqing: Wǒ jiā dōu zhǔ máyóujī, chī wán zhěnggè rén shǒujiǎo dōu huì rè qǐlái. Wǒ yě hěn jiǔ méi hē xiānggū jītāng le, zhènghǎo kěyǐ qù dǎ dǎ yájì. 華華：可是我最近在減肥，會不會吃得太補，肉又長回來了？ Huáhua: Kěshì wǒ zuìjìn zài jiǎnféi, huì bú
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