만화 『시마과장』과 현대 일본의 샐러리맨 보수주의

Abstract

This essay examines a Japanese story-comic sequel on the life and work of a salaryman, Kōsaku Shima. Serialized in a major adult comic magazine, the Moningu, from 1983, the Shima story still enjoys popularity in contemporary Japanese society. By visualizing and narrating the story of Shima, the series represents the desire and attitude of the first baby boom generation (dankai generation) who provided the major work force during the postwar economic growth. In doing so, the story-comic reconstructs salaryman conservatism at the social level that is 1) embedded in “corporatism” of the high growth period 2) maintained through gendered work society and 3) based on the reified Asia.