What is Manga?
A Brief Introduction to Japanese Comics
The word “manga” basically means “comics” in Japanese. A single manga volume is around the size of a paperback novel and a single manga series can take many volumes to tell a story. While many manga series are for children and teens, many more are in fact geared towards a very adult audience.
Types of Manga
Shojo and shonen are two examples of the different types of manga available. “Shojo manga” (girls’ comics) typically have a romance focus and are created specifically for a female audience. On the other hand, “shonen manga” (boys’ comics) appeal to a male audience with storylines that revolve around action and adventure. Although aimed at children and teens, shojo and shonen can also appeal to adults.
Another common type of manga is “hentai”. Hentai are meant for a mature audience only and contain sexually explicit content.
Manga vs. American Comics
An obvious difference between manga and American comics is in the artwork; unlike American comic book heroes, manga characters are usually drawn with large eyes, small mouths, skinny builds and long legs. Another difference is that manga are read right-to-left (the traditional way Japanese is read) rather than left-to-right. In the West many publishers honor this difference and offer manga in an “authentic” format.
Manga, Manwha, and Manhua
While manga are Japanese comics, “manwha” are Korean comics and “manhua” are Chinese comics. Although they each have subtle differences, they often get grouped together because of their strong similarities. Tarot Café by Park Sang-sun and Ragnarok by Lee Myung-jin are two examples of manwha and certain volumes of the Digimon series are some examples of manhua.
Manga Ratings
Manga are rated similar to video games and include ratings for All Ages, Youth (ages 10+), Teens (age 13+), Older Teens (age 16+), and Mature (age 18+). Here are some examples of manga rated for different ages:
All Ages:
Pretear by Kaori Naruse and Junichi Satou.
Youth:
Tokyo Mew Mew by Mia Ikumi and Reiko Yoshida
Teens:
Orphen by Yoshinobu Akita, Hajime Sawada and Yuuya Kusaka
Older Teens:
InuYasha by Rumiko Takahashi
Mature:
Ghost in the Shell by Masamune Shirow
Manga and Anime
“Anime”, short for the Japanese word “animeshiyon”, is the animated cousin of manga and a reason why manga is popular in America today. Anime was first to come to the states, spurning enough popularity to lead to the publishing of manga in the West. Usually an anime series is based off of a popular manga series.
Becoming a Manga Fan
That’s the bare basics of manga but it doesn’t end there.Aside from just reading manga, fans also like attending manga and anime conventions and cosplaying (short for “costume playing”) by dressing up as their favorite characters. If you really enjoy manga you might even consider making your own manga. There are many books, websites, and software available today to help you learn how to create and publish manga.
Sources:
McCloud, Scott. Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. New York: HarperCollins, 1994
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