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Date: | Fri, 27 Aug 2010 11:56:22 -0400 |
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The professor to the rescue
A cartoon strip takes on the repatriation of treasures from the
British Museum
The Economist
Aug 26th 2010 | TOKYO
“THE Stonehenge megaliths have been stolen!?” So exclaims Professor
Munakata at the outset of a rollicking adventure set at the British
Museum, in the form of a manga, or Japanese cartoon. Over the past
five months, readers of Big Comic, a Japanese fortnightly magazine,
have followed the exploits of the fictitious ethnographer as he gets
embroiled in a bizarre plot to force the repatriation of the museum’s
prized objects.
The strip, called “The Case Records of Professor Munakata”, was
introduced 15 years ago by Yukinobu Hoshino, one of Japan’s most
notable manga artists. Portly, bald and impeccably dressed with cap,
cape and cane, the professor is Japan’s anti-Indiana Jones. He does
not invite danger but bumbles into it. The strip does not follow any
set formula but takes on serious issues.
In previous escapades the professor barely survived after uncovering
an ancient burial ground in Japan’s hinterland. He also risked his
life leading an archaeological survey of an island between Japan and
Korea that both countries claim. The current saga, which reached its
tumultuous conclusion on August 25th, marks the first time that the
brave hero (and his 56-year-old creator too) has paid a visit to the
West.
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