Thursday, February 07, 2008

HTSMC Step 5: Make Dojinshi

This would have been more useful if I put it up earlier, but I didn't realize until last night that Fruits Basket revolves around the Chinese Zodiac, thus making it the perfect theme for my Manga club meeting on Chinese New Year!

For the uninitiated, Fruits Basket is about a girl who decides to live in a tent so that she won't have to inconvenience anyone even the teeniest bit after her mother dies. However, she is discovered by a family of boys who turn into animals of the Zodiac everytime they're hugged by members of the opposite sex. They invite the girl to keep house for them (Snow White and the Seven Dwarves much?) and help them keep their secret. If she doesn't keep the secret, her memory could be erased by the mysterious head of the family. Woo-ha-ha-ha!

So today at Manga Circle we will be discovering our own Chinese Zodiac alter-egos and writing Dojinshi (which I explain here). That's right: I'm going to have them write themselves into Fruits Basket. Ed Young has a really gorgeous picture book about the Legend of the Chinese Zodiac which focuses on the interaction between the cat and the rat, which is also essential to the plot of Fruits Basket. I'm using that to diagnose people.

I, by the way, was born in the year of the Boar. Some books say the year of the Pig, but I prefer Boar. It's more distinguished. I get along with Rabbits and Goats, but not other Boars. Grrrrr.

Wait, do boars growl? They don't just oink, do they? How embarassing.

1 comment:

Amy Barlow said...

Because I am an old-school believer that all children’s stories need a moral, I say…

Fruit Basket’s Lesson: too much daughterly obedience might lead to bad choices in men and a lot of housekeeping.

BTW: I am a Monkey, the year of the erratic genius. Can I get one?