*Girl's* comics?
I was talking with a friend earlier today, and we got onto the subject of manga. While listing some recommendations, I mentioned Banana Fish, and my friend tells me he's never heard of it. Then, when I explain that it was published by a group that specializes in girls'/womens' comics, he's like, "Oh, that's why. I don't read anything if it's for girls." Nothing of the subject matter or execution of Banana Fish implies it's for girls, and I tell him this, but he's like, "Even so, just the fact that it's for girls..."
Wow. I just can't wrap my head around that kind of mindset. I mean, to dislike a common feature of girls' comics like romance, or the focus on human relationships is fine--I don't even prefer love stories. But to discount something just because it's supposedly geared at young women just boggles my mind. I mean, Rumiko Takahashi's Ranma 1/2 was run in a boys' comics magazine, but it carries the common themes of her comics like in Inuyasha, etc. that I tend to avoid. Now that I think of it, I should've asked him if he would read Ranma because it was in a boys' mag, or would he connect the "girly art" to *girl stuff* as well, I wonder. (Personally, when I was younger, I could easily find myself immersed in Ranma 1/2, but I'm not really a fan of her work).