Cartoon mania

Young teenagers are more interested in Japanese and Korean "knowlegde cartoons" than Thai ones as these contain fewer interesting characters and hardly any drama or plot, though the beauty of the cartoons are similar to their foreign counterparts, according to a study.

"A sample of students studying in primary levels of grades 56 and secondary levels of grades 79 told us Korean and Japanese knowledge cartoons are more fun to read than those by Thais," said Warat Karuchit, associate dean of Sripatum University's Faculty of Communication Arts, during his research presentation at TK Park on Friday.

Most of the Thai cartoons feature few conflicts or drama unlike Korean and Japanese ones, which arouse readers and make them feel they want to read more or follow what happens next, said psychiatrist Prasert Plitponkarnpim during the discussion.

"Also, Thai knowledge cartoons have no remarkable characters, which is different from Korea's," said Watanachai Winitjakul, TK Park's academic manager.

Focussed on academics

On the other hand, the study found that a sample of older teenagers in grades 10-12 focussed on academic content and preferred Thai knowledge cartoons because these contained more academic knowledge than their Korean and Japanese counterparts.

Thai knowledge cartoons contain up to 40 per cent of academic content compared to 20-30 per cent for Korean and Japanese ones.

"The group of older teenagers even told me they wanted the Thai cartoons to feature more academic content because the cartoons helped them remember events and things," Warat said.

But there is shortage of these cartoonists, while the government has yet to promote the cartoons, said Nubthong Thongbai, a lecturer at the faculty. "As cartoonists earn little income, it is hard to find new ones. They should be paid more so that new faces appear on the scene.

"Publishers should set up an information department - like South Korea and Japan have done - to seek academic content for cartoonists. This will help give the content more variety." 

The government, she added, should conduct contests and provide opportunities for cartoonists to compete in international competitions so they improve their capability.

Another discussion participant, Assoc Prof Tiranan Anawatsiriwong from Chulalongkorn University, suggested that the Basic Education Commission to support providing more award winning knowledge cartoons in school libraries.

TK Park, in collaboration with the Cartoonthai Institute, will train young people in knowledgecartoon scriptwriting in July.