The Chinese manga market may be a mess, or not*, but its pretty much assured that no one is tackling Uyghur separatism in Chinese manga. The closest I know is the comic adaptation of Ghost Blows Out The Light 《鬼吹灯》, the blockbuster online novel turned printed novel turned comic, and that basically gets as close as being in the Taklamakan Desert and the novel makes a passing reference to a Uyghur guide, nevermind a Uyghur character. But a manga-savvy friend pointed out the Japanese manga Eden by Hiroki Endo. In Volume 9, a new major character is introduced: Marihan Isaku (in Japanese translation), a Uyghur freedom fighter/terrorist/whatever you prefer. Remember to read right to left:
The interesting thing is that Uyghur terrorists make their appeal as displaced people…
But are told by their own people that they are still terrorists…
Of course they end being slaughtered by genetically modified mutant soldiers sent by a devious world government… it is manga, after all.The Eden series is now available in English, up to Volume 9, from Dark Horse Comics. Or you can read fan transcans here.
* The Chinese comic book market originated with the 连环画 or lianhuanhua illustrated books of the 1920s, which seem reminiscent of the Little Golden Books from Random House.
Best…Xinjiang…post…ever.
Argh! There’s just so many things I love about this. The hot spot behind the news anchor in the first panel appears to be in the middle of the Taklamakan – they struck the pipeline at a remote location, eh? The news anchor refers to “THE oilfield.” I love how the Uyghur leader is a woman and has a Japanese last name. I love how the geopolitics savvy author had the UN committee guy scream for MOSCOW, which presumably would be the next most relevant world power after Beijing should such a situation occur. I love how the fighters public appeal ironically looks like a Marxist “oppressed ethnicities of the world unite” bid rather than a religious insurgency. Building dams and flooding villages? Has that happened for Xinjiang or is Marihan conflating her people’s situation with the poor folks, Han Chinese and non-Han, who are being flooded out of the 3 gorges river valley? And finally – what the hell is going on in the last page?
This is great. I know I’m reading way too much into it and getting way too excited but this has got to be one of the first times I’ve ever seen a depiction of Uyghurs outside of China not done by Uyghur political exiles, tour companies, or National-Geographic-style documentary makers.
I wonder if the writer had a Uyghur consultant…
I guess I should just read the dang thing!
Vincent. Long time no see.
As I am Japanese,I am proud of the manga about Uighurs.
But I don’t know Japanese scholors explained the auther the fact or not.
And,Isaku is not Japanese name I think. I suppose it is Issac.
Hi Kok!
Thanks for the info – I ended up reading the Manga and I think it was translated by fans so it was interesting to see how the translators interpreted the various terms – especially the weird decision for them to render whatever the Turkic peoples were saying in Japanese into “the Uygur clan” and “the Kirgiz clan.”
I was talking with my Uyghur tutor the other day and she told me that if Uyghurs from Xinjiang go abroad one of their top destinations is Japan. She herself is learning Japanese. I’m curious to learn more about the relationship between Japan and the Uyghurs, but unfortunately I don’t know a thing about Japan or Japanese. 🙁
Vincent
Hey Vincent, Kok,
Yeah, these images are transscans – fan translated, much like fansubbing for anime. The official translation is sold by Dark Horse comics, though the original is probably fanscanned somewhere. I saw a Traditional Chinese translation of this volume as well, but can’t find the URL now.
Terms like Isaku’s name, and referring to Uyghur and Kirgiz “clans”, are probably a result of the original Japanese version. As for where the author got his information, I’m sure there’s some otaku magazine that interviewed him about it (this was released in Japan a couple of years ago, 2004 I think).
The only Uyghur-Japan connections I know, really, stem from the long standing Japanese interest in Buddhism in Xinjiang, from guys like Count Otani.
Hello,webmaster,and thanks for the reply.Vincent.
It was very impolite of me that salute to the webmaster.
Very sorry.webmaster
I was a heavy reader of Musing Under the Tenement Palm and am that of this blog. but I don’t have good command of English. so I couldn’t express my opinion.
Now, It is absolutely right that Japanese have much interst in Uighurs through Buddism.
And, there is another ones. Some Japanese believes a part of the origin of Japanese culture came from Uighur through the “Silk road”.and some of them supposes Japanese and Uighurs are brothers.
The theory was called Turanism
Kok,
No apologies necessary! And any reader of the original Musing is welcome any time. You may count yourself in an elite group of, oh, five or six people. And don’t worry about your English. There are commenters with a great command of English, but with nothing worthwhile to say. I’ll take a commenter with a “not good” command of English and something intelligent to say over those guys any day. And that’s you.
I’ve heard of Turanism before but never really learned about it. Does the idea of Japanese-Uyghur brotherhood have anything to do with both loosely being in the same language group?
Webmaster
Oh.I must correct my comment.
Uighur-Japan brotherfood is my exaggeration.
In fact Turks-Japan brotherhood.
Turanism was prevailed in Japan and Hunagry or another countries in 1920’s.
And I thind the theory influenced the ideology of Japnese invasion to Asia in WW2.
It is quite true that the theory links to ulal-Altaic hypothetical glouping.
But now,the theory is obsolete or totally forgotten.
Of course they end being slaughtered by genetically modified mutant soldiers sent by a devious world government…
So it’s true what the neocons are saying about the People’s Liberation Army!