Afghanis-tan
Encyclopedia
or Afghanistan is a Japanese yonkoma
manga
, originally published as a webcomic
, by Timaking (ちまきing). It is also the name of the heroine of the manga. The manga is nicknamed
and its neighboring countries, starting from the imperialist era in the 19th century, through moe anthropomorphism
. The title character, a short and clumsy bishōjo
, is a national personification
of Afghanistan
. Other female characters personify the nearby nations of Central Asia
, such as Pakistan
and Uzbekistan
. Nations that have fought wars in Afghanistan at various times, such as Britain
, the Soviet Union
and the United States
also make appearances. The Taliban government and Al-Qaeda
terrorist group are also represented in the comic.
Each yonkoma
strip is accompanied by an "Afghan Memo" that explains in prose some of the background and history of the nations depicted. Additional pages give short biographies of the characters.
The fact that it is a moe manga depicting international conflict, and the fact that it personifies countries, have drawn a little criticism. However, it has also drawn attention for its attempt to blend an appropriate depiction of the history and background of each country with the personality of its characters.
Afghanis-tan has finished, and work on its sequel, "Pakis-tan", was suspended after four editions.
At the end of June 2005, it was discovered that the PC used by the writer had been infected by a computer virus
spread through the P2P
software "Winny
". This created much discussion on the Internet.
On July 26, 2005, after several delays, the series went on sale as a comic book, "Afghanis-tan" (ISBN 4-86199-009-2).
Since it was discovered that personal information had leaked out due to the above virus, no further updates were made to the official website (apart from the removal of several links). No statement has been made in response to questions surrounding the events related to the leak. The writer has not appeared at the comic market
events he was scheduled to attend as part of a club activity, and current information about him is unavailable. Since April 6, 2006, the website has been unreachable.
There is criticism that using the style of "moe" trivializes the situation. In particular, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 were depicted as "an incident where a cat called Al-Qaeda bit America", a fact which was severely criticized in the secondary work, "".
Yonkoma
thumb|right|150px|Traditional Yonkoma layout, a comic-strip format, generally consists of gag comic strips within four panels of equal size ordered from top to bottom...
manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
, originally published as a webcomic
Webcomic
Webcomics, online comics, or Internet comics are comics published on a website. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers or often in self-published books....
, by Timaking (ちまきing). It is also the name of the heroine of the manga. The manga is nicknamed
Background
Afghanis-tan illustrates the modern history of AfghanistanHistory of Afghanistan
The written history of Afghanistan can be traced back to the Achaemenid Empire ca. 500 BCE, although evidence indicates that an advanced degree of urbanized culture has existed in the land since between 3000 and 2000 BCE. Alexander the Great and his Macedonian army arrived to Afghanistan in 330 BCE...
and its neighboring countries, starting from the imperialist era in the 19th century, through moe anthropomorphism
Moé anthropomorphism
is a form of anthropomorphism where moe qualities are given to non-human beings, objects, concepts, or phenomena. In addition to moe features, moe anthropomorphisms are also characterized by their accessories, which serve to emphasize their original forms before anthropomorphosis...
. The title character, a short and clumsy bishōjo
Bishojo
is a Japanese term used to refer to young and pretty girls, usually below university age. Bishōjo is not listed as a word in the prominent Japanese dictionary Kōjien...
, is a national personification
National personification
A national personification is an anthropomorphization of a nation or its people; it can appear in both editorial cartoons and propaganda.Some early personifications in the Western world tended to be national manifestations of the majestic wisdom and war goddess Minerva/Athena, and often took the...
of Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. Other female characters personify the nearby nations of Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
, such as Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
. Nations that have fought wars in Afghanistan at various times, such as Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
also make appearances. The Taliban government and Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
terrorist group are also represented in the comic.
Each yonkoma
Yonkoma
thumb|right|150px|Traditional Yonkoma layout, a comic-strip format, generally consists of gag comic strips within four panels of equal size ordered from top to bottom...
strip is accompanied by an "Afghan Memo" that explains in prose some of the background and history of the nations depicted. Additional pages give short biographies of the characters.
The fact that it is a moe manga depicting international conflict, and the fact that it personifies countries, have drawn a little criticism. However, it has also drawn attention for its attempt to blend an appropriate depiction of the history and background of each country with the personality of its characters.
Afghanis-tan has finished, and work on its sequel, "Pakis-tan", was suspended after four editions.
At the end of June 2005, it was discovered that the PC used by the writer had been infected by a computer virus
Computer virus
A computer virus is a computer program that can replicate itself and spread from one computer to another. The term "virus" is also commonly but erroneously used to refer to other types of malware, including but not limited to adware and spyware programs that do not have the reproductive ability...
spread through the P2P
Peer-to-peer file sharing
P2P or Peer-to-peer file sharing allows users to download files such as music, movies, and games using a P2P software client that searches for other connected computers. The "peers" are computer systems connected to each other through internet. Thus, the only requirements for a computer to join...
software "Winny
Winny
Winny is a Japanese peer-to-peer file-sharing program which claims to be loosely inspired by the design principles behind the Freenet network, which keep user identities untraceable...
". This created much discussion on the Internet.
On July 26, 2005, after several delays, the series went on sale as a comic book, "Afghanis-tan" (ISBN 4-86199-009-2).
Since it was discovered that personal information had leaked out due to the above virus, no further updates were made to the official website (apart from the removal of several links). No statement has been made in response to questions surrounding the events related to the leak. The writer has not appeared at the comic market
Comiket
, otherwise known as the , is the world's largest self-published comic book fair, held twice a year in Tokyo, Japan. The first Comiket was held on December 21, 1975, with only about 32 participating circles and an estimated 600 attendees. Attendance has since swelled to over a half million people....
events he was scheduled to attend as part of a club activity, and current information about him is unavailable. Since April 6, 2006, the website has been unreachable.
Characters
- Note that most of the character names are written in Japanese the same way the country they represent is written, only with a katakanaKatakanais a Japanese syllabary, one component of the Japanese writing system along with hiragana, kanji, and in some cases the Latin alphabet . The word katakana means "fragmentary kana", as the katakana scripts are derived from components of more complex kanji. Each kana represents one mora...
emphasis on the "-tan" suffix
- The protagonist of the series, an unfortunate girl surrounded by neighbors with strong personalities. According to her character description, "she trips and falls a lot". Her design appears to be based on Sharbat GulaSharbat GulaSharbat Gula is an Afghan woman who was the subject of a famous photograph by journalist Steve McCurry. Gula was living as a refugee in Pakistan during the time of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan when she was photographed...
, an Afghan woman whose iconic photo appeared on the cover of the June 1985 issue of National GeographicNational Geographic MagazineNational Geographic, formerly the National Geographic Magazine, is the official journal of the National Geographic Society. It published its first issue in 1888, just nine months after the Society itself was founded...
.
- Boastful, and often feels lonely, especially without Kashmir. Likes Afghanis-tan.
- Stubborn and a sore loser. Often quarrels with Pakis-tan. idolizes "Older-Sister RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
".
- A salt-of-the-earth EdokkoEdokkois a Japanese term referring to a person born and raised in Edo . The term is believed to have been coined in the late 18th century in Edo. Being an Edokko also implied that the person had certain personality traits different from the non-native population, such as being assertive, straightforward,...
type, quick to argue and quick to make up. Has girlish tastes.
- Quick-thinking and sharp-tongued. Always riding on a wooden horse.
- A girl with a mysterious personality - one never knows her true thoughts. (Cf. Saparmurat NiyazovSaparmurat NiyazovSaparmurat Atayevich Niyazov; , was a Turkmen politician who served as President of Turkmenistan from 2 November 1990 until his death in 2006...
)
- The richest person in the neighborhood. Good in a fight.
- A group of feral catFeral catA feral cat is a descendant of a domesticated cat that has returned to the wild. It is distinguished from a stray cat, which is a pet cat that has been lost or abandoned, while feral cats are born in the wild; the offspring of a stray cat can be considered feral if born in the wild.In many parts of...
s causing trouble in the neighborhood. Come to live in Afghanis-tan's house while she is out.
Critical reception as a comic
As it makes it easy for readers to learn about the history and geography of Central Asia, topics which Japanese people are not very familiar with, it could be thought of as an educational text. Around the time when the book was published by Sansai Books, again, part of the intention was to provide information about the current state of Afghanistan.There is criticism that using the style of "moe" trivializes the situation. In particular, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 were depicted as "an incident where a cat called Al-Qaeda bit America", a fact which was severely criticized in the secondary work, "".
Collections
See also
- Hetalia: Axis PowersHetalia: Axis Powersis a Japanese webcomic, later adapted as a manga and an anime series, by . The series presents an allegorical trivialisation of political and historic events, particularly of the World War II era, in which the various countries are represented by stereotyped anthropomorphic characters...
— a series with a similar premise, but instead employs bishōnenBishonenis a Japanese term literally meaning "beautiful youth ". The equivalent English concept is a "pretty boy".The term describes an aesthetic that can be found in disparate areas in East Asia: a young man whose beauty transcends the boundary of gender or sexual orientation...
to represent ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and its interactions with other countries, particularly around World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.