Do You Know What Is Manga? A Guide to Japanese Comic Books
Manga is a style of art from Japan that has spread all over the world. Manga is a highly popular storytelling medium that offers a unique perspective and innovative storytelling techniques.
In this blog post, we’ll talk about what manga is, how it came to be, and who reads it. Because of this, We are here to help. Before delving into the realm of manga, which are Japanese graphic novels, there are a few essential things you should be aware of.
What is Manga?
Manga is a broad term for a wide range of Japanese comic books and visual stories. In contrast to most American comic books, which are usually printed in full color, manga is almost always printed in black and white. Usually, only rare titles are printed in full color.
The usual way to read English-language books is from left to right, but Japanese manga is read from right to left. If you’ve only ever read English books, this might take some getting used to, but after a while, you won’t even notice.
In Japan, manga is usually published once a month or once a week in magazines like Weekly Shonen Jump, which has been around since 1968. If a series is famous enough, its parts are put together and released as the tank on volumes. These books usually only have a few chapters from the whole story.
Most comic stories are long and may have more than one book. When you start a new series, you must make sure to read the books in the right order. This may be easier for shorter-running series like Naoko Takeuchi’s Sailor Moon, which has about 12 volumes, than for longer-running series like Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball, which has 42 volumes.
History of Manga
Books from the 12th and 13th centuries show that manga has been around for a long time and has a rich past.
During the Edo era (1603–1867), Toba Ehon came out, and the idea of manga started to take shape.
When works like Sant Kyden’s picture book Shiji no Yukikai came out at the end of the 18th century, the word “manga” started to be used a lot.
At the beginning of the 19th century, Manga hyakujo by Aikawa Minwa and Hokusai came out. The famous ukiyo-e artist Hokusai, who lived from 1760 to 1849, drew many different things in his sketchbooks, which were in these books.
When Rakuten Kitazawa’s work came out in 1876, manga, as it is known today, was widely known.
After World War II, when Japan became more open to American culture, and the Japanese people became more creative, manga started to grow.
Traditional manga elements were mixed with science fiction and other Western topics in works like Astro Boy by Tezuka Osamu.
Later, it became famous all over the world when it was used in anime shows like Dragon Ball Z by Akira Toriyama and My Neighbor Totoro by Hayao Miyazaki.
Also, these works made more people outside of Japan aware of Japanese culture, which made many people who weren’t Japanese fall in love with these stories.
Manga is now a worldwide trend, and both printed and internet manga can be found everywhere. Manga has many different kinds of stories, from horror and science fiction to slice-of-life and romance.
Now, dozens of anime shows like Attack on Titan, Naruto, and One Piece are based on popular mangas and have huge crowds all over the world. Also, many popular computer games are based on manga, which makes fans even more interested.
Outside of Japan, manga:
Manga has recently spread a lot outside of Japan, which has made it more famous around the world.
About 40% of the comics sold in France are manga, and 70% of the comics sold in Germany are manga as well.
Manga’s popularity in the U.S. has grown steadily as well. Compared to Japanese cartoons or video games, which have become more popular and accepted in American society, this is especially amazing.
Viz Media is a popular American publisher that collaborates with Japanese companies such as Shogakukan and Shueisha to introduce their content to American audiences.
Even though there aren’t as many manga producers in the U.K. as there are in the U.S., most of the comics are made by American companies like Viz Media and Kodansha Comics.
A big reason for this growth is the growth of digital platforms like Amazon Kindle and Comixology. Fans all over the world found it easier to read comics because of these sites.
The manga business in Japan made about $5.77 billion (612.6 billion yen) in 2020, according to the All Japan Magazine, Book Publisher’s and Editor’s Association (AJPEA).
This number was 23% higher than it had been in 2019. Before the year 2020, manga sales hit a record high of 586,4 billion yen in 1995.
Manga’s fame rose in the 1990s and is now going back to where it was before.
Conclusion:
You now know what manga is, how to define it.
Why not try some of the different types and kinds of comics that fans can read?
Whether you have prior experience in reading or are a beginner, these Japanese books can offer a distinctive and enjoyable way to spend your leisure time.
If you find these information helpful, check out our blog to read more such type of contents.