Anyone else annoyed with the fact that the manga catagory is divided into only "Digital" and "Traditional" sub-catagories instead of say...oh I don't know, GENRES? I figure that's more important, don't you think?
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This was the first page to a manga-style adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid," that I was working on Fall 2006. Now that it's 2008, I figured it was about time I upload this...haha.

Even though I was adapting the story for a manga format (and changing the setting to feudal Japan), I ultimately stayed very loyal to the original story. If you haven't read the more original version, it's much more heartbreaking than the Disney version we're all so familiar with, and if you ask me, much more beautiful even with the tragic elements.

And for the people out there who are quick to cast a judgment on anime/manga and their fans...I did NOT change the setting to feudal Japan because I watch too much Inuyasha (which I don't, btw) or because I'm a Japanophile or because I assumed that only Japanese settings work with a traditionally Japanese medium. I made the conscientious decision to change the setting because I saw that many of the themes in Andersen's story ran parallel to a lot of Japanese Aesthetics, particularly in literature/poetry and art.
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Please do not use or redistribute this image in any way (especially without crediting the work back to me) unless you have asked me for permission and I have given my consent. Thanks.