Japan explained- FAQs and SAQs Part Nine
Why are adults quite happy to been seen in public reading manga comics?
First of all, the vast majority of Japanese adults would in fact be highly embarrased to be caught reading a manga, let alone a pornographic one, in public. The salarymen you seeing reading dodgy comics and magazines on trains are the same who slurp their pasta, spit on the ground etc. in ways that well mannered Japanese never would. Manga does remain more popular amongst adults than in other countries, though. Amongst the salaryman population, this is because they hardly have the energy to read anything more demanding, especially as reading difficult kanji can put a strain on even strong readers. There is also no social pressure to spend your free time productively and an acceptance of reading manga etc. for nostalgic reasons.
See http://japanexplained.wordpress.com for much more of the same
August 17th, 2007 at 3:00 am
One funny thing I’ve found increasingly with manga and anime, is the fact that while it’s ok for a lot of adults to still read manga (whether it be salaryman or women reading romance/adult manga or others) as soon as you start telling Japanese people that you (a foreign adult) still watch Anime, you’re seen as a bit weird (or downright freaky depending on the person).
Which personally I find quite funny. As in Europe, it’s often the other way round - it’s ok to watch animation/cartoons as an adult (to an extent) while still reading comics is a sure sign that you’re a no life having geek, for most people anyway.
I find their attitude to childlike entertainment (or entertainment primarily designed for children say) pretty interesting - it definitely varies on who you talk to, what generation they’re from etc…, but by and large i get the feeling that manga is still ok as an adult and anime is not really, lest you’re an otaku.