Growing Up Manga Style
Growing Up Manga Style

Mythological Reception in Yoshikazu Yasuhiko’s "Arion" Manga

Author(s): Ayelet Peer
Subject(s): Pre-WW I & WW I (1900 -1919), Interwar Period (1920 - 1939), WW II and following years (1940 - 1949), Post-War period (1950 - 1989), Transformation Period (1990 - 2010)
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: growing up; manga; mythology; Yoshikazu Yasuhiko; Arion; adolescence; Olympus
Summary/Abstract: Is Olympus our paradise or our cage which we must ruin? In children’s and young adults’ literature, growing up narratives or coming-of-age stories occupy a considerable part of the genre. The young hero is faced with difficult challenges, some of them life-threatening, which he must overcome in order to save others and be saved him- or herself. In order to become truly an adult, he or she must also find his or her way – alone, or with the help of friends. The crystallization of our hero’s character is constantly refined (and redefined) through his or her relations with the surroundings – measuring up to his or her rivals – as well as through interaction with his or her friends. This literary trope is very common in the Japanese medium of manga, especially the one aimed at young boys (shōnen manga). The prepubescent hero often finds himself alone (orphaned or as a cast-aside in a dysfunctional family) and he must prove his worth by gaining strength and, along the way, growing up. In this paper, I shall review how "Arion", an adolescent boy, the alleged son of Poseidon, is fighting his inner and outer demons on his own, in his quest to save his mother in Yoshikazu Yasuhiko 1980’s manga, "Arion". In the story, Olympus is a symbol of power, corruption, a broken promise. Our hero must break free from Olympus in order to form his own identity.

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