Blog Love: Otaku Champloo

It's no secret that I love to read Asian literature, which includes a healthy dose of shoujo manga. Over on my friend Khursten's Otaku Champloo, she explores more of this industry and literary form from the international reader's perspective -- one who is both an academic and a fan.

According to Khursten:

Champloo stems from chanpurū, an Okinawan word for 'something mixed' but can also stand for 'easy-going'. Taking inspiration from Samurai Champloo, this site is a mish mash of things that makes Khursten an otaku.

A historian by profession, Khursten features news and trends in the manga industry, as well as delves into its cultural and social influences. She tackles issues that involve most manga readers through her light yet thought-provoking posts. She also highlights both new and established mangakas and series to broaden her readers' shelves. If you think that manga is just about the latest cartoon craze the kids are talking about, then prepare to be enlightened. Manga is not merely limited to action-packed series or love stories with wide-eyed heroines. There are a ton of themes and settings continually being explored in manga.

Part of my manga collection -- at least, the books I have here with me in the boondocks.
For example, from May 22 – 27, Otaku Champloo will be hosting a Moveable Manga Feast devoted to Oishinbo and Food Manga. In hindsight, maybe I should have posted a photo with Mixed Vegetables, the only food-related manga I have with me right now (though you can see one volume peeking out from beneath The Girl Who Leapt through Time). But I digress. If you're eager to learn more about manga in general and food manga (and by association, Japanese cuisine) in particular, you can head to Khursten's blog. It's guaranteed to be a gastronomic and literary feast!