On Tuesday, December 12th, Professor Kuniyoshi Sakai of the University of Tokyo's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences gave a special lecture at the Manga Department of Kumamoto Prefectural Takamori High School, where Coremix cooperates by sending lecturers and providing classes.
Professor Sakai, who specializes in brain language science and brain measurement science, is working with Coremix to study the "brain state that makes people feel interesting and moved" by manga. This is a two-part lecture by Professor Sakai titled "The Brain that Creates Art: Why Are Humans Creative?"
In the first part, the students looked at works of art and thought about "what is creativity?" While learning realistic landscape paintings and copying them, Professor Sakai explained that "creativity begins with thorough imitation," and that for the brain, creativity is about expanding on the "patterns and rules of things" that are obtained through imitation in one's own way.
.jpg%3Ffm%3Dwebp&w=3840&q=75)
The second part of the lesson looked at the difference in brain activity depending on the form of manga (double-page spread manga and manga read vertically on a smartphone). Research has revealed that double-page spread manga stimulates greater activity in the visual cortex and cerebellum, activating the parts of the brain that control understanding and empathy. Furthermore, it was said that reading manga is expected to activate the brain and serve as language training, and that we are approaching a society in which manga will play a role that goes beyond the boundaries of entertainment.
For more information on Professor Kuniyoshi Sakai's research, please see the following link.
The University of Tokyo Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Department of Basic Sciences Sakai Laboratory