Baybayin goes manga
IT’S interesting, and makes one proud to be a Filipino, how the younger generations are developing an interest for Baybayin, the ancient Tagalog script that our pre-Hispanic ancestors used in their writings.
Some people interchangeably use Baybayin and Alibata. But the two terms are different and according to Baybayin scholar Norman delos Santos, Alibata is different and refers to the one invented in the early 20th century by Paul Versoza.
In an article by modernfilipina. ph, it was pointed out that historians refer to the script as Baybayin. William Henry Scott, in his book “Barangay: Sixteenth-Century Philippine Culture and Society,” described Baybayin as the indigenous Tagalog script. Meanwhile, the online version of the UP Diksiyunaryong Filipino also does not acknowledge Alibata, which it defines as “alpabetong Arabic tulad ng pagkakakilala sa Silangan,” as the official name of the script, while mentioning that Baybayin, is the “sinaunang alpabeto ng mga Filipino,” the article written by Renee Marsha Babao noted.
As pointed out by Babao in her article, Baybayin writings, in its modernized version though, can be found everywhere, from university symbols to underground passes in Manila. The Baybayin, she said, is a rich heritage that makes us feel like we are part of a grander narrative.
The original Baybayin as used by our ancestors, she noted, does not have independent consonants but the modern version allows the use of consonants. The original one also does not put spaces between words (the modern one does), and uses two vertical lines to separate a strong of characters (modern Baybayin uses two vertical lines to separate sentences). But the modern Baybayin, Babao added, is relatively easier to learn because it is adapted to how we, native Latin alphabet writers, write.
Many hobbyists and artists now have come to create their own handwritten Baybayin fonts. Some have incorporated them into their illustrations, animations, and even comics or manga (Japanese style comics).
But Baybayin as written sound effects in a manga?
Kwentoon, one of the newest and most talked about players in the growing webtoons (web-based cartoons), is promoting love of country and of our national identity, not only through the creation of locally made comic stories but also by incorporating Baybayin into their Pinoy manga.
Partnering with renowned graphic designer Lloyd Zapanta, who is wellknown for making Baybayin logos for commercial brands, Kwentoon is using Zapanta’s fonts as their stylized fonts or as sound effects.
According to the developers of Kwentoon, the great thing about the way Baybayin is used in their manga is how it has been beautifully incorporated into the scenes, thus making the viewer interested to learn more about this ancient writing. And like many manga works, the online viewers of Kwentoon’s stories get to feel the scene more with these sound effects.
But if you want to learn more about how to use this fonts, you can check out Zapanta’s works on Behance where they can be downloaded for free. Zapanta says he is sharing his Baybayin modern display fonts as his contribution “sa pagsasabuhay ng isa sa mga nawawalang pagkakakilanlan ng bansa” (this is my own contribution in reviving one of the Philippines’ long-lost identity).
Manga, a Japanese style of comics or graphic novel, together with anime (Japanese animation), has been popular since the 1970s. Many manga readers are familiar with seeing sound effects say, of fight scenes, in Japanese characters. Meanwhile, English publishers use different house styles, with some changing the sound effects from Japanese to English, while others use Japanese characters to which many manga fans have already been accustomed to.
No doubt, manga and anime (beginning with the local TV airing of the animation series Voltes V, G-Force, and Mazinger Z, have greatly influenced younger generations in terms of how to draw and tell a story. But these new batch of artists, including those of Kwentoon, who are trying to break into the Philippine komiks scene with their Japanese-style of comics or Pinoy manga, are slowly but surely creating komiks, whether in printed form or online, which though influenced by Japanese culture, that can be truly called ours.
If you are interested in reading Pinoy manga or are making you own, you can join Kwentoon’s Kwentooneshot manga contest where gift packs and cash prizes are up for grabs. Visit their site at kwentoon. com for more details.