Manga News and Information
A Tradition in Plagiarism
When it comes to manga and plagiarism, things never end well. Sometimes manga found guilty of plagiarizing are suspended and recalled, and some authors even stop working. There are also times when people, or even an entire nation, get away with nothing. The world of manga plagiarism is full of interesting, sad, and sometimes funny tales. Joustar vs. CLAMP et al. China is known for its laid back copyright law, which resulted in many interesting plagiarism stories. In one case, Futabasha found themselves infringing the trademark of their own property. Just recently, teen novels published by one of China's most popular publisher Joustar have been discovered plagiarizing CLAMP and many other Japanese and Chinese artists. Almost every single one of CLAMP's works (X, Card Captor Sakura, Tsubasa, and more) were copied, both in artwork and text. Comparisons of artworks can be found at Lost Magician's album. Joustar is a relatively new publisher that publishes novels aimed at teens. Despite its late entry into the market, Joustar quickly became one of the most popular publisher among teens, praised by many for its high quality release.        References: Chinese Novelist vs. CLAMP et al. When it comes to plagiarism in China, one cannot be more unlucky than the 23 years old Chinese novelist Guo Jingming, who was one of the most commercially successful young writer in China, and was ranked 100th on the 2004 Forbes Chinese Celebrity list. Guo's debut work in 2003, City of Fantasy, sold over 1.5 million copies in a year, but was later criticized for copying CLAMP's RG Veda. In May 2006, Guo's second novel, Never Flowers in Never Dream, was again found guilty, this time by the Beijing People's Supreme Court, of plagiarizing novelist Zhuang Yu's In and Out of the Circle. Afterwards, Guo received the nick name "Copy Boy." According to a news report:
However, Guo never paid the fine, refused to apologize, and instead released a third novel. Guo's third work, Rush to the Dead Summer, tells the story of a young artist who discovered that someone has been copying his work. Later in the courtroom, the protagonist's friend killed the plagiarizer to defend his friend. It was widely believed that Rush to the Dead Summer was Guo's way of asking for forgiveness and to show his resolve to change. However, soon after Rush to the Dead Summer came out, fans again accused it of copying Ai Yazawa's Nana. In the end it was discovered that not only did Rush to the Dead Summer copy the popular shojo manga's story, characters, but even entire dialogues were lifted. With all of his works found guilty of plagiarism, will Guo still be able to continue working as a writer? References: FCC vs. Doraemon Not to be outdone by China, the U.S. has its own plagirism stories... Doraemon, a blue robot cat created by the late Fujiko F. Fujio, is loved by children and adults throughout the world. It is is one of the most well-known and loved manga in the world. On the other hand, Broadband, the U.S. Federal Communications Commissions's mascot for educating children about FCC, can be found waving happily on FCC's Kidszone. A blatant rip-off? You decide (Note that in the manga, Doraemon originally had ears, but was bit off by mice before the story began).  References: Samurai Zombie vs. Blade of the Immortal Samurai Zombie by Hendra Wahjudi, one of the 20 finalists in Tokyopop's 2006 Rising Stars of Manga People's Choice Award, was accused of plagiarizing Hiroaki Samura's Blade of the Immortal. Later during Tokyopop's first U.K. RSOM competition. Dojo Dynasty by Patrick Warren was also accused of plagiarizing Daniel Cross's Lore.  References: A Random Photo vs. Nana Walang Utak points out in a Blackstones livejournal entry that a photo looked strikingly similar to Ai Yazawa's Nana. Hmm...   References: Eden no Hana vs. Slam Dunk et al. And now we're in Japan, home of the four legendary kings of manga plagiarism. Before we get to the king, let's take a look at some other interesting cases first. In October 2005, users on 2ch pointed out similarities between Yuki Suetsugu's Eden no Hana (Flower of Eden) and Takehiko Inoue's Slam Dunk and REAL. In no time Kodansha released their statement regarding the issue:
Suetsugu also expressed her view:
     References: Korean TV Drama vs. Eden no Hana In a strange turn of events, after the Korean TV Drama One Fine Day was aired on 5/31 on the Korean channel MBC, many viewers began noticing uncanny similarities between the plot of One Fine Day and Yuki Suetsugu's Eden no Hana, leading to the accusation of the show plagiarizing the plot of Eden no Hana. According to Seoulnavi Pictures, the producer of the TV Drama, the original plan was to base the TV series on Eden no Hana, and a deal had already been sign between the Korean and Japanese companies (there were only minor edits to the plot due to the demands of the Korean television studio). But after Eden no Hana was found guilty of plagiarizing other manga and subsequently cancelled, the TV Drama could no longer base its story on Eden no Hana. Facing a crisis, the producers decided to make extensive changes to the plot of the already finished script. References: Slam Dunk vs. NBA After the Eden no Hana/Slam Dunk incident, in December 2005, the January issue of Cyzo magazine ran a report accusing Takehiko Inoue of copying NBA photographs. The news sparked huge discussions in Japanese bulletin boards, including 2ch, where close to a thousand posts were made overnight. According to Inoue, he created Slam Dunk based on his own experience with basketball, as well as memories of NBA photos from magazines and TV.    References: D. Gray-man vs. Trigun, Death Note, et al D.Gray-man is a popular shonen manga by Katsura Hoshino that is currently serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump. Despite its popularity, some are claiming that Katsura Hoshino plagiarized other people's works. Below are some samples. However, it's safe to say that some of the comparison made are a little out there.      References: Ikki Tousen vs. Tenjo Tenge Natsume Goushin Ryu dojo's Natsume Maya points out on MangaTranslation similarities between Yuji Shiozaki's Ikki Tousen (Battle Vixens) and Oh! Great's Tenjo Tenge, where certain scenes from Ikki Tousen seems just a bit too similar to TenTen's (not to mention both manga's story and scantily clad female characters).   .jpg)     666 Satan vs. Naruto When 666 Satan first came out, it was declared as a copycat Naruto. The accusation wasn't without base, 666 Satan and Naruto both share similar plots, characters, and style. So what's so special about this particular case? 666 Satan is created by Seishi Kishimoto, the twin brother of Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto. What's more interesting, fans have noticed that both manga seem to be "heavily influenced" by Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball. References: Cross Hunter vs. Dragon Ball So everyone copies from Dragon Ball, right? Of course! A manga titled Cross Hunter began serialization in November of 2000. Many readers accused it of copying Akira Toriyama's mega-popular shonen series. In response, Cross Hunter's creator argued that it's impossible for a shonen manga like Cross Hunter to avoid sharing similarities with Dragon Ball (which was true for most shonen manga that came after Dragon Ball anyway). As time went on, the similarities became a bit too close. As a result Cross Hunter ended in October 2001 without much fanfare. At the time many fans used the internet to spread Cross Hunter+Dragon Ball scans and videos, this was one of the first incidents where the internet played a major role in bringing justice to plagiarism cases which would have otherwise gone unnoticed.    References: The Four Kings of Plagiarism When it comes to plagiarism in Japan, perhaps no manga have been able to surpass the popularity of the "Four Heavenly Kings of Plagiarism" (パクリ四天王). The prestigious title of "The King of Plagiarism" was given by fans to four well-known series, they are: Samumrai Deeper Kyo (Later replaced by Monster Hunter), Flame of Recca, Black Cat and Rave Master. Samurai Deeper Kyo began serialization in Kodansha's Weekly Shonen Magazine in 1999, a time when Magazine's second golden age was coming to an end with the conclusion of popular series like Love Hina and GTO (After Shonen Jump's dominance faded in the mid-90s after series like Dragon Ball, Yu Yu Hakusho ended, Shonen Magazine managed to take Jump's throne between 1996-2001 with strong series like Love Hina and Kindaichi Case Files). Magazine editors concluded that their success was due to Magazine's appeal to different kinds of readers (Kindaichi Case Files to female readers, GTO to teens, etc.), so they tried to pull in the doujinshi audience as well by taking in Akimine Kamijyo, a former doujinshi artist. But what to draw? At the time, Rurouni Kenshin was Jump's flagship series. Since Magazine has never serialized a samurai manga before, the next step was obvious. After the first chapter of Samurai Deeper Kyo was published, fans immediately noticed uncanny resemblances between Kyo's story and Kenshin's. The editorial department received countless letters of complaint, and Kyo became one of the Kings of Plagiarism almost instantly. Later, after Samurai Deeper Kyo's story began heading toward the supernatural/fantasy direction, Kyo's place in the "Four Kings" was replaced by Monster Hunter, a manga that was criticized for copying settings, designs and speeches from series like Berserk, Blade of the Immortals and Monster. Due to Monster Hunter's relatively low popularity, however, it never reach the level of fame Kyo did. Rave, on the other hand, was aimed at a young audience. Back then Magazine's main readership was between 18-22, so most people would skip Rave, and those who read the manga are too young to be able to notice. It wasn't until Rave was animated when people took notice. Many criticized Rave for copying One Piece's art (although the author himself said he copied from GetBacker's Rando Ayamine), and for copying Dragon Ball and Final Fantasy's location and character design. Some Rave spreads in particular where also accused of plagiarizing One Piece's (One Piece vol.11 pg.116 vs. Rave vol.2 pg.84). As for Black Cat and Flame of Recca, both manga were accused of copying elements and art from popular shonen manga like Yu Yu Hakusho, Trigun, Rurouni Kenshin, and more. An entire site was dedicated to the topic of Black Cat and plagiarism, below are some sample comparisons.    Japan, A History of Copying  If you want to know more, this site has a big list of possible plagiarism. Last but not least, what self-respecting plagiarism article can be complete without the famous video (via Irresponsible Pictures)? |
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What is plagiarism? Plagiarism is the act of claiming original authorship or incorporating material from someone else's work into your own work without crediting the original author, sometimes doing such an act unconsciously is also considered plagiarism.
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I don't know, but some of
I don't know, but some of the images shown are way to obvious... Did those Chinese artists really think nobody will notice?
Also the Tenjo Tenge/Ikkitousen one is pretty close as well, I wonder why the artist didn't get in trouble...
The D.gray-man one was a bit out there, I mean, a guy and a girl in the same pose count as plagiarism??!!
Korean TV Drama copies Eden no Hana, which in Copies Slam Dunk, which copies NBA photos...too funny.
ha
I'm surprised that the chinese plagiarised version of clamp was a lot more detailed then the original.
Great article. Some of those
Great article.
Some of those accusations seem a bit stretched. A few panels, like the half face one or hair covering the eyes, are pretty common in manga in general. It's a rather thin difference between a cliche and copyright infringement sometimes.
interesting article, some of
interesting article, some of the points are striking whilst others seem to be a bit of a stretch. There's often a lot of stock poses that crop up within a particular genre no matter the manga.
The Takehiko Inoue and photo's incident is interesting, to me I don't see the problem with an artist using a reference image to capture a particular pose though there's a difference between using a reference and directly tracing an image.
Then what about tracing a
Then what about tracing a photo? Things like this are very vague...although personally I don't think the Slam Dunk/NBA photo one had any problem, it looked like Inoue only used the photo as a reference, that is, if he used any photo at all...when it comes to a sport like basketball, how many different "classic" poses can you come up with? There has to be some scenes in a basketball manga that resembles some basketball photo from the real world.
Actually, all manga has to have some scenes that resemble events or scenes from the real world in which the manga's topic is based on.
Do people ever learn?
Some of the examples are plain sad, especially the CLAMP ones (that's China and its loose copyright law for you, just look at those pics vs. CLAMP cases). As for 666 Satan vs. Naruto though, since the two authors grew up together, and what with being twin brothers and all, I wouldn't be surprised if they received the same influences.
I can understand being unconsciously influenced though, I mean, there's gotta be a difference between cliches and plagiarism, right?
Plagiarism
Kanon 2006 also blatantly ripped off a Youtube video in a critical crash scene. Laughable stuff, really.
'
Hello
In France, there is a guy, Mars Maggiori, who does plagiat of some ghibli stuff for his "professional" works. He called it 'influence' from japan but it's more...
http://www.catsuka.com/maggiori.php
sorry french website.
http://www.catsuka.com/maggiori_jp.php
japanese version.
Some of these similarities
Some of these similarities mean nothing. There's nothing wrong with using references. I doubt anyone can ever come up with an idea that's "original" anymore anyways. Creators of shoujo mangas should probably start suing each other then. How many times have you read stories with the same plot?
Yes, but directly using
Yes, but directly using images scene by scene from an earlier manga is somewhat in poor taste if used frequently. One or two images here and there can be considered as tasteful homage, anymore than that is going too far. However, I think the Slam Dunk ones can't be considered plagiarism. All the author did was take real-life images of NBA basketball and transplanted it into his character's movements. Unlike taking an established visual medium and usurping it for personal usage, I highly doubt you can trademark and copyright an action done in real-life to be depicted in comics and manga.
I agree, you can't compare
I agree, you can't compare these things to real-life images, otherwise every single sports manga would be sued into oblivion for plagiarism.
Gunnm/Battle Angel vs Simon Bisley's version of Sláine
i was doing some research on berserkers of all things and stumbled upon this image of Simon Bisley's version of Sláine ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:SLAINE_-H-7-_16.jpg ).
In the confrontation between Gally/Alita and Makaku at the Kansas Bar (the splash pages just before the chapter title "Hell Trap - Battle 5: Responsibility) Gunnm creator and illustrator Yukito Kishiro drew Makaku in an identical pose and costume.
One could claim it as an homage but it's basically an entire character rip. When i first saw it i felt a little ripped off myself as i always held Yukito Kishiro in the highest esteems, but now i've but to wonder if there are more instances of this sort throughout his work.
It only bothers me if I know
It only bothers me if I know where it's taken from.
Quite a few of those are just coincidences.
Also, I have no problem with referencing a photograph.
I think everyone is
I think everyone is influenced by something, otherwise we'd have no experience from which to base what we do. Just think about accents and behavioural traits; we all get our individuality from somewhere.
With that said, there is a big difference from being subtley, even unknowingly influenced by something else and proceeding to intentionally emulate something for the purpose of profit.
woaaaaaaa
wow nana and clamp are soooo weir dO_O
that's realy copied
I came here upon research
I came here upon research for Joustar plagiarism, seriously, China definitly need to strenghten their laws regarding this issue.
I've been following this incident since the mid summer, yet there's still no solution to it, manga fans obviously complained to the company, but do they learn, NO! Their new book still features they so-called-original images they theft. And the sad thing is, the teenagers who read the novel from the Joustar defend this company by saying: "Well, the plagerized picture looks better than the original ones, so what's the problem." God, I just want to slap some sense into them.
I swear, someone need to inform the Japanese artists and have a lawsuit to shut down this company before China will ever learn.
I've attempted to email
I've attempted to email headquarters@clamp-net.com to see what happens. I don't speak very fluent Japanese, but hopefully, they might get the picture.
Comparisons
As it's been pointed out already, a lot of these comparisons seem far fetched.
I mean really
https://comipress.com/files/images/articles/2007/07/plagiarism/bcat3.jpg
Matrix VS Motion ?? A lot of comics use "duplicating" bodies as a sign of rapid movement... long before The Matrix ever released.
https://comipress.com/files/images/articles/2007/07/plagiarism/bcat2.jpg
These two women merely have beauty marks. I'm surprised you haven't compared them to Cindy Crawford or Marilyn Monroe. The mark isn't even on the same side of the face.
I'm really surprised because there was a lot of great evidence to actual plagiarism, but quoting photo reference and only slight similarities seem like grasping at straws. It makes me respect the article less then what originally had a lot of weight.
Clamp's work is very
Clamp's work is very beautiful.
I'm very sorry to hear our Chinese publisher have been discovered plagiarizing Clamp's work.
I'm very angry.
Guo Ni is very shameless.
She never recognition this.
My friends find her evidence of plagiarism.
But many students don't belive it.
They say:'Miss Guo never do it.'And then they called we Fools.
It's too difficult to tell they.
I hate Guo's work.She have been discovered plagiarizing many popular's work.And she have been discovered plagiarizing many photos too.
We try tell Guo this be not immoral everytime.
(PS:I'm a Chinese students.My English proficiency is not very good.sorry.)
Some of those accusations
Some of those accusations seem a bit stretched. A few panels, like the half face one or hair covering the eyes, are pretty common in manga in general. It's a rather thin difference between a cliche and copyright infringement sometimes.
I'm sorry, but I gotta say
I'm sorry, but I gotta say this(and mind you this is not racist!). Those responses about the fans of joustar blindly and pathetically defending the plagiarism with stupid comments like the "plagiarised ones look better" etc. and about the author who refused to apologise and yet in utter stupidity continue to release another plagiarised piece of work are just so typical of the people in China. A whole nation of people who are so blindly patriotic and defensive of everything that comes out of China! Copycat work and all included. How are they supposed to improve and move forward if they keep this attitude? Their collective pride and egos are only getting stronger by the day what with the olympics and surging economy(so what?). If left unchecked, they are only going to get more hostility from the world.
Not to be racist, but this
Not to be racist, but this comment shows the general insensitivity of Americans to foreign nationals.
I know QUITE a few Chinese who are critical of their government, and are lobbying to have recently incarcerated political prisoners freed.
Please think twice before you insult an entire ethnicity.
"A whole nation of people
"A whole nation of people who are so blindly patriotic and defensive. [...] How are they supposed to improve and move forward if they keep this attitude? Their collective pride and egos are only getting stronger by the day. If left unchecked, they are only going to get more hostility from the world."
You are definitely american. Not a racist american, but a bigoted one who feels the need to criticize a nation just because he doesn’t agree with it.
The way you judge others, let me judge you. People like you add to the stereotype and help us disapprove a nation like the USA.
You are a proof of that, and I think your words apply to you as well.
Jumping to the conclusion
Jumping to the conclusion that he must be an "American" even when he's just an anonymous and he doesn't say where he lives in? So every negative comment on the internet must belong to an American is what you're thinking Am I right? You're no better then he is to generalize an entire nation and to think it must only be the Americans that criticizes China. How do you know if he's even from America?
lol
Really one must laugh at all the irony
I know I am C:
I know I am C:
These cases of copyright
These cases of copyright infringement are seriously ridiculous. I can't believe that publishing companies are suing artists for work that resembles another. What happened to inspiration? It's as if an artist can't admire a piece of artwork and reproduce it without being accused of plagiarism and getting sued.
Takehiko Inoue's pictures should naturally be based on the NBA. How else can he draw such real poses and expressions without a real reference?
I really can't believe the extent companies will go to sue artists for copyright infringement. Artists should have the right to a reference.
On Seishi
Oh, yeah--Seishi and Masashi are identical twins. My brother and I, who are only siblings, (using anecdotal evidence here) come up with the same storylines on a regular basis (much to our mutual embarrassment). Imagine what it must be like having almost the exact same nucleotides, growing up in the same neighborhood and obviously choosing the same profession over the same passion with manga growing up.
I think Seishi deserves a round of applause for coming up with something original in some way at all, actually. It just shows how creative these two are.
I love that video on plagiarism. It does the heart good. With any luck, the legal mess with the so-called original manga publisher in China will be straightened out--obviously, they need a large company like Shueisha to breathe down their neck.
Ask yourself how the editors are unaware of it.
Besides, the same argument can be made for a lot of books I've read recently and all comic books in general. Originality is hard to come by, and the more people produce, the greater the similarities.
It would have been better journalism to mention the Chinese manga producer guilty of plagiarism in a more rounded way, explaining the roots of plagiarism via the copyright law in greater detail and stressing the need for original works in China to be evaluated with greater awareness of the issue in mind.
As well as better protected--actual manga artists, like the creator of The Ravages of Time, Chan Mou--are also plagiarized. (Link here for the wikipedia article--wish it would come stateside. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ravages_of_Time)
If the article were more balanced and less of an attempt for appeal, you'd have made a very good point. While it still had impact, the article is far from newsworthy, and doesn't evaluate with clarity.
Maybe next time.
Be Smart
The Clamp one is overall pathectic, I mean c'mon, if you're gonna steal then at the very least do it smartly. I mean, don't exactly copy the pictures!!! That's too obvious! At least steal a little better so that when they do find out you won't look like a moron.
On Slam Dunk vs. NBA.
The similarities are uncanny because every player that is fundamentally sound does these poses. Players often mimic their idols and have similar stances. Basic basketball technique is same whether you play in Japan or America. You guys are idiots.
I find it funny comparing
I find it funny comparing slam dunk with real life pictures. I mean those poses in NBA are so common...
I agree with the other one but...slam dunk and NBA photos???!!
-_- That shouldn't be a form of comparison...
|:
Some of these are very very similar and may be plagiarism, but other than that, I think you went a little 'similarity happy'. Hell, some of these don't even look that much alike. Others are most likely purely coincidental considering the type of panels they are and the scenes.
Really NOW?!
Okay now really?! Some of the accusation made for Hoshino are kinda stupid....Like the Misa and Allen one...DUMB!! and the two at the bottom with Allen standing in the middle of his friends...thats another one that i don't get. I mean Hoshino probably used it as an inspirational piece. I know i do that all the time. I see a pose i like and i will draw my characters like that. Of course i will give credit where credit is due.
But some...I can see the resemblence. Like the TriGun and DGM...that one got me. And Jasdevi...>.> that you can't ignore. But I really hope that Hoshino doesn't stop drawing. I mean...Kanda's past was just being revealed and what about Lavi's eye patch?! Or everybody else's past? I hope this doesn't affect her too much and I pray that this will pass without harming anyone. And thats saying something since I'm Atheist. ^-'
Overrated
I don't think that the comparison between Jasdevi and that 'thing' is reason enough for such a serious accuse as plagiarism. It's the same as if manga artist were gonna start suing other artists for stealing their characters' hairstyles, if you know what I mean ^^" It seemed more like to me that Hoshino had used that 'thing' as inspiration for Jasdevi, and as you said, one has to be allowed to do that.
As for the Trigun One, they were very alike, yes, but still; how many other versions of an incident like that can you make? :P Maybe I'm a bit naive about this one, but I still think plagiarism is a bit too drastic. (I don't know what those persons from Trigun were saying in those bubbles of theirs though... I've only read DGM)
~~
I also want to say, not to you KronicAlice :), one has to accept the fact that some of the authors have similar drawing techniques (D.Gray-Man and Death Note). When you go to school and learn, everyone learns the exact same things (2+2=4), it is later that you develop your own way of thinking. I bet this goes for manga schools too. So if some of the drawing techniques are similar, then I say that's just the way it is.
You want to know what plagiarism really is? Go watch Family Guy. If you know what Simpsons is of course. ;P
My last words: Copyright is overrated.
I know what you mean.
Yeah now that I look at the pictures again I notice that alot of them don't have alot of similaritys. Like how certain characters look. The Jasdevi and the other guy...now that I look at it...they don't have alot of similarities...except for hair and maybe the robe thing.
The trigun thing was more similar...but I was reading something with almost the similar style in paneling and idea...O.o Then I understood that alot of stuff is out there....
(I don't know either...I should read that chapter to find out...>.>)
~~
yeah! Exactly!! The art schools actually teach you how to be different in style and how to make your art special and unique! C:
Actually...I was just watching that and I'm a big fan of the Simpsons...so I thought that was a huge rip-off...>.>
True that!! :D
Ok some cases are pretty
Ok some cases are pretty surprising... but i am still going to enjoy the series' regardless. I happen to love Samurai deeper kyo.
Um. Really now.
Okay, the deal with Clamp and the other artist...sure. That, I can understand, and it's really stupid to have pulled a move like that. Shameless really.
But in terms of DGM, Slam Dunk!, and some of the other "Panel copied" manga- I have to say this as an aspiring artist- A Good huge bit of it is absolutely ridiculous. I mean, sure, there are a lot of poses- but in what is learned as a manga-ka, there are specific poses used for dramatic feeling. Now those are pretty limited- so chances are there are ALWAYS going to be a panel or so that looks copied. Sit down and leaf through a bunch of manga one day and compare.
Artists use others artwork as inspiration. I'd be thrilled if someone ever used my stuff as inspiration, definitely not sue-happy. Artist borrow all the time :/ Or sometimes just think they're stuff is original and oops! Someone did it before hand.
I'll never get this copyright-one-thing-looks-too-similar thing. :U
Great article. But to be
Great article.
But to be honest, when it comes to the D. gray-man one, it is kind of difficult to believe some of them are plagiarism.. I mean, the one with the half face or whatever has been used in many other mangas, and the last ones weren't all that similar. Only the other two examples showed seem exactly the same (well, similar).. And as a DGM fan, I really couldn't care less if some panels really were plagiarized - as long as the story itself is original. All I want is to know how it ends.
I don't really know the other ones, so I can't talk much, but the Chinese examples were just SO obvious...
It's fucking stupid how you
It's fucking stupid how you actually compare REAL pictures to manga pictures. Jesus christ.
Plagiarism?
Not half of this counts as Plagiarism. It's simply gathering references. Even talented artists need to use references every once in a while. Gathering references from camera angles, poses, clothing and hair is pretty common, not to mention pretty useful.
A lot of it counts as inspiration, as well. Yes - inspiration, NOT plagiarism.
Just because something resemles another, doesn't mean it plagiarism. You're overreacting over all this.
Sure, things back in the 50's and whatnot might have been original, because it was new and exotic and for a change. Now that everything has become a part of the daily life, not to mention of a large selection, resemlances are to be found. That doesn't mean it's plagiarism. What counts as original is what first hit the stage decades ago. No one can expect others to come up with new, revolutionary footage every time a new manga or movie or whatever comes up. It's not that easy.
D. Gray Man : Allen Walker vs. Edward Elric
Speaking of accidental similarities and cliches, I think it's pretty much common knowledge in the dgm fandom that Allen Walker (esp. w/ long hair in chapter 159) looks uncannily like Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist.
The link below, if it chooses to work, got the Allen Walker page (no comparison, sorry )
http://wateria.deviantart.com/art/Edward-Lookalike-Allen-Walker-85865744
Also, there are some character similarities, like:
both characters have an artificial limb, can eat a small country into bankruptcy, are short, and get insulted for it (both called bean sprout, i think)by a rivaling male character (Kanda and Roy Mustang --> voiced in the English dub by the same voice actor!! ^ ^)
I'm not, even for a second, suggesting that one plagirized the other--the character traits are just vague similarity and the look-alike thing is such a cool coincedence, I was squeeling happily for hours.
Just thought I would mention it anywayz--> lighten up the mood.
I love D. Gray Man and I hope all this silliness gets resolved ASAP, so we can tackle Kanda already!!
Allen's arm is not
Allen's arm is not artificial. His arm is real, it's just messed up because he has a parasite type Innocence. Edward lost his arm and his brother's body due to a failed invocation, and replaces it with one made of metal. His is artificial, Allen's is not. You could say both has a deformity relating to their arms.
It is actually quite easy to compare FMA and D.Gray-Man. True, both are very different, but some of the plot points and characters can seem similar at times. I personally think King Bradley and Leverrier are very similar characters. Ignoring their shared love of their own creepy mustaches, both seem to be very angry looking good guys at the start. However, we all know Bradley turns out to be the Homunculi known as Wrath. And Leverrier seems to have ties to the opposing sides as well, since he's trying to drag down Allen and since he sent the broken part of the egg to Renee in order to construct the Third Exorcists.
Is it just me or does
Is it just me or does Bradley and Leverrier(more so) look like Hitler???
- It's a Long Post.
To begin with, if we consider using references as plagiarism, then for god's sake... What an easy way to make money! *spits (Pretend to pose for someone who needs a reference for some kind of posture, after that, two time the person and report that the artist COPYRIGHTED your image by showing a REAL LIFE photo of THAT POSE and the artist's work. God... Court case? Law suit? Arguments? BE damned.)
Sorry, I had been talking to myself ever since I came to this page and looked at all the "supposed" plagiarism cases.
Well, as mentioned by some reviewers in the above posts, some of it is seriously ridiculous. I won't say what exactly because majority of it has all been said.
My point of view is this; only FAMOUS or renowned works are found and accused of plagiarism. 'Cuz people read the manga, and thought, "hey! This looks like... " Like c'mon, everyday and at anytime, someone is drawing their favourite character by:
a) tracing
b) reference
C) anything else you can think of
That's a form of 'plagiarism', 'cept that these works are kept to be admired by "themselves" and as ways to be praised. (like c'mon, I do it all the time. 8) ] THat so, then why was the manga allowed to be out in the first place? Why didn't the company that allowed the distribution thought, "Hey, doesn't this look like so-and-so's work? ARt? Whatever?"
Heck.
THe fact that it's out there goes to show that IT'S ACCEPTED.
IT'S LEGAL.
And like c'mon, we're humans. How many poses can we do? How many hairstyles can we have? (There's this thing about DGM ALlen's hairstyle resembling Sasuke's one...) And like, if we've read and seen many pieces of artwork etc, OF COURSE we get influenced by them. Hell, unconsciously influenced? MOst possible since the "pose" is somewhere in your sub-conscious swimming around.
And yeah, there's always this chance that the works are published without even knowing that they bear similiarites to the archaic ones. Who has the ability to read the first comic/manga produced to the latest one? Believe me, by the time "you've" done that, your creative juices have run dry. There's no way in hell you're brain's able to function with all the pictures zooming around in your head.
Want originality?
Think of an out-of-this world hairstyle for the most action pack and tension-filled manga piece you're creating (I'm using an analogy), in the end? It's all humour since one cannot go to the next page after staring at all the weird hairstyles that are so DAMN original.
All the natural hairstyles have already been used, real world, people. Reference, and influence. Wear a hat, style your hair into the shape of who-knows-what.
THat's originality. Cuz that's what no one would do, unless you're dead set on producing comedy. Gosh.
Oh, one last bit. (pardon me). In anime/manga/whateverRELATED, you start with the basics, don't ya? With a small change in eye size, cheeks, nose, mouth, even a mole, you'll get either a totally different person or a totally identical person as someone whom you may not know. Believe me, take a random picture of someone or something and add freckles to the picture, scar, anything!! You're bound to get someone... similar.
And definitely, while watching animes and such, I do notice similarities in character designs between the characters. Different, but still similar. So, what's that now?
I'm so sorry for writing this much. I was seriously piqued by all this plagiarism deals. GOsh.
Was the video for humour? If it was, I was unable to enjoy it. Or perhaps I could say that, I was smirking with indignation. Preposterous, seriously...
Still, I thank this website for hosting this plagiarism stuff/things/whatever.
I'm now, at a loss for words...
(Excuse my insanely long post. I just NEEDED to type my opinions out.)
Have a nice day. :) :D =) =D
Thanks, you said what I
Thanks, you said what I wanted to.
Copyright laws are getting out of hand. Walt Disney bought copyrights for the Happy Birthday song. Donald Trump copyrighted his line, "you're fired," and Paris Hilton copyrighted her line, "That's so hot." People can't even draw mickey mouse on, say...their house wall or whatever. This is outrageous.
plagiarism
this topic of plagiarism is pretty obvious when compared between the chinese artists and clamp works. i mean... that is really really obvious that the chinese artists copied practically line by line from clamp!!!
as for the d.gray.man i beg to differ. i mean it is slightly different, and i believe in hoshino. because her case is not as extreme as those chinese artists. at least she did not draw line for line!
for the nana and slamdunk one. i think it is like completely out of topic. i mean sometimes the managaka might use real life items/ppl for inspiration to draw their own characters and poses. what happens when i use the london bridge as a reference and draw it in my manga... am i plagiarising? maybe it would help if they put some references to whom they are getting their ideas from to clear the air that they might not be intentionally copying.
What the hell? They stopped
What the hell? They stopped D.Gray Man for coicidences ?
Some of theese so called plagiarisms are stupid , I mean some artists DO use refences , from reals pics , mostly background and poses though
The Chinese and CLAMP are way to obvious , but the rest?
Most poses have become 'traditional' in some way , but whatever I say probably won't work against the REAL problem , of how artists are being sued for fake plagiarism , they're being sued for coincidences . e
D.Gray-Man? Come on! That's
D.Gray-Man? Come on! That's not plagiarism, people are really blind to think like that...
EXACTLY!!
Exactly!! i'm glad someone else see's what I see!!!
Seriously.
Those shots are used all the time. You can't copyright an angle, that's just ridiculous. That's like a photographer saying no one else can take a picture of the Liberty Bell head-on. what kind of shit is that? What if an artist up and said "You can't draw a picture of ANY character with a two-point perspective from above. At all. It's illegal now, you do it and I'll sue you." Really? Really? Come on, people. This is just plain idiotic now. I drew a picture of someone using the same shot as Hoshino and Obata. Shit, will I be sued to? I can't draw a close-up of a girl with the wind blowing anymore? HOT DAMN, someone shoot me for using a very common close-up. I better not leave my house, Obata might sue me for it.
I'm sorry, but how mentally inept do you have to be to go for this? Tell me, who here hasn't based the appearance or personality of an OC off of something you've seen before? Even if it was unintentional, I'm pretty damn sure at LEAST 85% of people have. Damn, can we not make fanart anymore without adding a disclaimer? No more doujinshis? No more fan-based RPs? Fanfics? Fan OCs? I have to discontinue my DGM, Death Note, DBZ [and others] OC RPs because I'll get sued? So what if someone used the same shot as you, take it as a compliment. They liked your work, so you sue them for it?
Jesus Christ, and I thought people were getting smarter.
Common!!!!!
OMFG
get real!
NBA and Slam Dunk!?
omg
some1 pls needs to go and make clear things
between plagiarims and inspiration
i mean , HELLO
IN THAT CASE WE CAN NOT DRAW ANYTHING ANYMORE
cos everything has been done already
or similar to it
there was another article where they show that a picture of a lamp, and the table of a restaurant was copied...
i was like
ok.. WTF?!
so i must creat my own table and lamp?
hahahaha
this is so stupid
interesting but who cares...
I find it very interesting how similar other manga is to other manga but overall who the hell cares. I mean there is only so much you can do to be original and pretty much almost every plotline, character design and pose has been all used up in older manga.
Also the whole thing about D.Gray-man being plagiarized is crap because as similiar as it is to other manga like Trigun, the styles are still very different. Overall, I'm glad I found this site because I find all of this to be interesting and fun but to call some of these works plagiarised is still dumb. Just as dumb as the cabury dairy milk company trying to sue another chocolate company because they were using purple wrapping as their chocolates cover.
I'm also glad I found this site because I learned of the existence of 666 Satan which is so similar to the manga I love that it makes me happy and now I want to read it. Lol I find it funny that the plagiarized chinese company did a better job and had more detail in their plagiarized works than the original Clamp.
bwa ha
after some time reading all the comments, i have to say that everyone made a point.
yes, obviously everyone needs inspiration and reference.
some of the assumed 'copycats as you call them' is jut a coincidence.
this is completely stupid.
i mean come on, if you were to 'plagiarize', you'd have to do a better job.
it's like a careless and stupid theft. and it's waay too obvious.
if i were to do this, i'd look up to loads of different sources and pick up bits from here and there and a bit of my ideas and there you have it, a genuine artwork. lol.
D.grey man vs. deathnote
I dare you to find a manga that has a long haired man and then show me a profile picture that doesn't look the exact same. I have even drawn a picture like that but I've read neither d. grey man or Death note. (which I probably should they look pretty interesting
WTF?! d.gray-man?? no fucking way!!
oh c'mon now ppl!! oh well, at least the plot is very original..but shes still being called for plagiarism..?? and bout that tyki's hair closing his face..thats just dont make sense at all..grrrrr..wtf! i luv both d.gray-man and death note..but..this allegation just ..urrgg..oh well..stop stop!!
Wow
D.gray-man plagiarism is a piece of crap. It cant be helped to have the same reaction when that happens. I mean come on!! the pictures too..
its too pathetic. If ever that's the reason why it has been discontinued then those people are crazy!
Slam dunk and NBA...lol
it seriously made me laugh. Of course they will have the same position, posture, etc. Its the same game for crying out loud!!
next thing we'll know is Prince of Tennis has been sued for plagiarism too.
hmmm..
some points are valid.. some are quite a bit of stretch.. artists use ref. photos all the time. in cases they did not buy the photo as long as there's enough changes. there's no infringement. if their drawings bear enough resemblance to the original photo. as long as they purchase rights to use photo, there's no infringement of copyright laws. often when you purchase the rights to photo you're allow to do whatever you want with it.
you need to understand copyright laws better before writing this type of article. b/c plagarism is a serious accusation for a comic book artist.
also this is why most japanese manga artist take their own photos for ref. this way if there's a disput the artist has original photos they've taken themselves to back them up.
also if you draw enough manga frames invariably you'll end up with a character or frames that look like something from another manga. the chinese case to clamp is obvious plagerism but the slum duck vs . MBA.. com'on!!
dina
Well....
I'm not surprised by the chinese copying anything anymore >_<
... but I don't agree about the whole D.Gray-Man thing. First, it's just plain stupid to compare a picture of Misa with a picture of Allen...what's the resemblance ? o_O I certainly don't see any;...and also that Tikky Mikk ~ L thing....that's definitely NOT plagiarism T_T I've seen dozens of panels like that, a guy's hair being blown by the wind; it not making any sense... there are probably just some coincidences >_>
Do some research before you write an article like this!
I would just like to point out that you really need to do more research.
The photograph that you compare to a peice by Ai Yazawa is actually a royalty free stock image. Would you like me to repeat this again so you understand? ROYALTY FREE.
It HAS no laws against plagerism affecting it because it is MEANT to be used as a reference or basis. Hence ROYALTY FREE STOCK.
It even says this on the EXACT website that you linked to to prove your point! Oh the irony, dont you love to spread it on toast in the morning?
I would also like to say that i wholeheartedly agree with those people posting above on the Slam Dunk issue.
So, next time sweetheart, find out what you are actually writing about before you make a complete fool of yourself.
DGM ...
I felt sick looking at this ..
._. I was so eager looking forward reading DGM..
D: and plus i have wait so long for it..
Just because of some similarities with another manga (..does it even look the same?)
sick.sick.sick.
I love mangas and animes.
I hate it when without any proof a mangaka is getting accused of plagiarism. Have you even ask the mangaka themselves before you accused them of something?
D: Posts like these makes me want to cry(abit.). -.-
CLAMP and the CHINESE WORKS
That caught me like WTF?
and for people who said the chinese version are prettier and more detailed, truthfully, i just dont really understand. I found CLAMPS's are far better than theirs. CLAMP's line are clearer. I must admit the chinese colourings are good, however since i dont really like the style, this is out of my league.
and for people who still defencing the shinese author... Please. dont go around defending cheaters. in the end it may ended up making CLAMP stopping their works and then we are left with nothing to read/ see/ drooling over or in their case, to 'reference' from.
for other comics... I agree. we need to see real world, refrence from it. like a lamp. or sportman. we dont want to see an unbelieveably bulk guy (like HULK, for instance) for a basketballer just because the mangaka was forced to draw something that could be define as plagiarism.
I am Chinese myself and I hate that publisher. cheers.