Exploring the Themes of Horrors of The War, Power and Hegemony in The Manga "Barefoot Gen Vol. 1" in the Light of Dual Coding Theory.

This study explores the themes of hegemony, power dynamics, and the horrors of war in the manga "Barefoot Gen Vol. 1" using Allan Paivio's Dual Coding Theory as a framework. A semi-autobiographical historical manga titled "Barefoot Gen Volume 1" by Keiji Nakazawa is based on the Hiroshima bombing and all the hardships people endured before and after the attack. The research gap that has been identified highlights the lack of previous applications of Dual Coding Theory to Barefoot Gen Volume 1 as well as the lack of acknowledgement of manga as a helpful information source with visually appealing content. Six participants - comprising both manga-experienced and non-manga readers -were recruited using a semi-structured interview technique with deliberate sampling to assess images' significance in comprehension. A thematic analysis of the provided interviews was conducted using the Braun and Clarke model. The findings highlight visuals' pivotal role in improving comprehension of narratives related to history or war and show broad consensus regarding the theory's applicability. By filling in the gaps in the literature, this work advances knowledge about the multifaceted role manga plays in narrating historical events and capturing readers' attention through a dual-channel cognitive process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]