Japan’s new hit: "Mein Kampf", Manga-style

“Unlike the Germans, the Japanese don’t have much hindsight on World War II”

Thomas Bertrand is a freelance writer who lives in Kyoto, Japan.

I’m not surprised this book is a hit. War-lovers, ignorant people or fans of Japanese militarism are clearly attracted by this kind of publication, even if they don’t necessarily believe in the Nazi ideology. If there’s only 45,000 people out there reading it, that’s still reasonable. I also heard about revisionist mangas, which glorify Japan’s military past. I think they’re actually much more popular than the Mein Kampf one.

The West tends to criticise mangas every time they touch on a sensitive topic. But it’s important to realise that mangas are just a prop that supports all sorts of themes. There are mangas for children, for adults, for teenagers, for sick people, for paedophiles. The original Mein Kampf doesn’t carry a special "This book contains dangerous content" mention; why should the manga need one?

On the other hand, it is true that Japan hasn’t developed as much hindsight and critical analysis of World War II as Germany has. Nazism isn’t really studied here. Japanese schoolbooks don’t cover that period of history as much as European textbooks do.

I live near a little printing shop owned by a old man who works with his son. He uses an old printing press from the 1930s. It’s a German machine, decorated with III Reich symbols. The old man is a huge fan of that period, and he doesn’t hide it. His little motorcycle has an SS logo on it and he wears a German army helmet. He doesn’t see any problem with that and nobody seems offended by his shop."

Comments

Hitler was a genious. Too

Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Tue, 06/10/2009 - 19:43.

Hitler was a genious. Too bad he was evil. (My opinion)

Unregistered user

Looks Cool!

Submitted by John Connor (not verified) on Fri, 25/09/2009 - 20:46.

Yeap this looks cool! We need to take down communism and capitalism, AGAIN... so.... HEIL HITLER!

DAMN YOU'RE SO EDGY BRO

Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Tue, 06/10/2009 - 02:07.

Manga looks great! So nice

Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Fri, 25/09/2009 - 06:17.

Manga looks great! So nice to see that the Japanese are not afraid to tackle history the way the neutered west is. Keep on leading the way in free thinking, Japan!

I am Japanese. My great

Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Thu, 17/09/2009 - 10:10.

I am Japanese. My great grandfather fought in that war. I live here in Tokyo, Japan and this Manga is great. I find it very interesting. And I have purchased a copy of Hitler's original "Mein Kampf" except it's an English print sense I only speak Japanese and English and do not know any German.
But it is seriously amazing if you ask me. More people should read it.
I liked it a great deal, and though I wouldn't ever call myself a Nazi, it has given me a new view of Adolf Hitler not as a bad man but as a man with a great vision.

I agree

Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Fri, 25/09/2009 - 06:24.

Good comment, I agree with you completely. I am not Japanese, but I respect Japanese very much for their determination to keep their people and culture intact. I wish western countries would learn from Japan, and take steps to clean up and strengthen our culture as well. Being proud of your race and wishing to preserve it is nothing to be ashamed of. The people who want to open all the world borders and destroy thousands of years of culture and ethnic heritage are the ones who should be ashamed. Long live Japan, and long live Europe!

a man with a great vision?!

Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Wed, 23/09/2009 - 11:14.

are you serious?
a vision of what? controlling the world and exterminate anyone who is not pure?

The fact that your country was an ally with Nazi Germany,doesn't mean you must not admit that Hitler was a sick bastard.

Hitler was a genius, despite

Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Thu, 01/10/2009 - 00:40.

Hitler was a genius, despite what he did. If you deny that, you need to brush up on your history.

Perhaps you should read the

Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Fri, 02/10/2009 - 14:14.

Perhaps you should read the book and you will find out that this "genius" is quite a psychotic, but rather average intelligent man. I have read the German original, and all I can say is that I wonder how anyone could still vote for him nearly 10 years after this manifest of crazyness came out. Hitler writes that he never ever changed his views, once he took something as true, he sticked to it his whole life. His antisemitism, hate for democracy and lust for war are dripping all trough this book.

There sure were clever people around him, like Joseph Goebbels, who was a master in tricking people's minds, but what made him Führer, was a mixture of violent street fighters, protest-voters, hunger and desperation, and last but not least, german racial arrogance and antisemitism, which was there since the first "national" literats appeared in late 18th century. He had rhetorical talent and knew how to appeal to the unsatisfied masses of the time, though.

The Nazi's superficial economic success was stolen from expelled jews or lent from the prospect of war loot. The third Reich was bankrupt in 1939.

The war could very likely have taken another turn, if this "genius" hadn't forced his generals to do stupid things, like letting the English in dünkirchen flee, attacking the soviets, hoping for stuid "Wonder weapons",...

Without this "genius", the world of today would be a different one. I wouldn't be born though, so I don't know if it would be better^^
Still, he was no genius who was near to craziness, he was just plain crazy.

Wow

Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Fri, 25/09/2009 - 10:05.

Guy above me, im guessing you havnt ACTUALLY READ IT.

Unlike the person youre responding to.

Youre a retarded ignorant, nough said.

I think what he is trying to

Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Wed, 30/09/2009 - 19:02.

I think what he is trying to convery is that although it may not be in the context in which everyone takes it and it comes from a differnt perspective of the situation it is just a little touchy of a subject. I mean I am sure that it is entertainin, but you must look at the actions of the man from the whole scope of what history has portrayed and then you will understand why this is just disgusting to people from the west. My grandfrather fought in wwII to help destroy these horrible people and to see this glorrified in such a way is just well tasteless. Also if you think that it isnt a big deal then why dont you just give yourself a little history lesson.

I also heard about

Submitted by Huh? (not verified) on Sun, 13/09/2009 - 03:36.

I also heard about revisionist mangas, which glorify Japan’s military past.

"Heard about"??? So you really do not have first hand knowledge/experience. We hear a lot of things just about anything, but it does NOT means what you hear or heard is true.

"Japan hasn’t developed as much hindsight and critical analysis of World War II as Germany has."

Really? If "much hindsight and critical analysis of World War II" means absolution by attributing whatever went wrong to Nazis Germany, maybe you are right. We have yet to develop such a convenient belief system.

"Japanese schoolbooks don’t cover that period of history as much as European textbooks do."

Again, any evidence or data to support this claim? How much do you really know about Japanese education curricula or textbooks? Have you read a Japanese history textbook? And if not, do you get paid by writing something without much of substance, claim, whatever supports your "assumption"?

Also, if you think reading this will make them fascists, it is not only an insult to readers, but also undermining their intelligence. If I follow your logic, reading "Lolita" will make people pedophile, "Oedipus Rex" will result in patricide and incestous marriage, etc. Hope people are not that simple minded like the author of this article.

This Manga may make us Anti-NAZI

Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Sun, 13/09/2009 - 00:34.

I'm a Japanese, live in Japan.
This Manga inspired me the Nazi As a dangerous ideology. And made me think the reason why the war happened to this world.
Usualy, japanese literary evades these kind to publish. This writer might feel curiousity of publisher naturaly. But I don't say this good report.

better keep them away from Nazi ideology

Submitted by Asia News (not verified) on Sun, 13/09/2009 - 05:03.

the question that should be asked in my opinion ,
is it better to introduce them to nazi ideology inorder to make them stay away of such forms of nationalism or better to ban such books ?

it's a really hard question , each country should abord such issues in the way that suits it best

what?

Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Fri, 25/09/2009 - 06:28.

Yeah, Japan should be controlled just like western Europe, and should throw people in jail for debating WW2 history. Long live thought control!

Mr. Bertrand, you didn't

Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Fri, 11/09/2009 - 21:09.

Mr. Bertrand, you didn't write this article on the basis of only an interview with only a french writer, did you? did you read its reviews by japanese people? did you interview japanese people? do you know this manga version brings on active debates over its pros and cons in japan? if you collect several information, you find most of readers regard "Mein Kampf" as a classical writing, regard nazi ideology as very dangerous, and make a comparison between nazism and serious totalitarianism of which we have begun to get glimpses around the world, especially in nations in the northern hemisphere, because most japanese are willing to prevent japan from totalitarianizing. japan doesn't have a forbidden ideology book unlike europe, but in japan an insurrection related to racism (as well as other kinds of insurrections) doesn't break out unlike europe, as you know well. Mr. Bertrand, I strongly recommend you interview japanese people when you write a piece about japan.

whoever admire Hitler in any possible way

Submitted by David Cohen (not verified) on Thu, 01/10/2009 - 01:31.

whoever admire Hitler in any possible way, will die by the hands of his followers or like him like a rat in a bunker , if this is a genius you're
a) sick b) stupid