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Stan Tychinski owns and operates Collectible Dreams, a pop-culture memorabilia shop located in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. He has been collecting comic books and related items for the past 35 years.
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From Hamtaro is an example of Manga for young readers.
From Richard Outcault's Dragon Ball - Shonen, or manga for boys 8 to 18.
Yu-Yu-Hokosho for older boys.
From Lonewolf and Club.
From Sandman.
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A GUIDE TO MANGA
by Stan Tychinski
One of the biggest trends to hit the world of graphic novels in the last few years has been MANGA. Manga is the generic term given to Japanese-style comic books. Although they are classified as comic books, they are rarely published in the standard periodical format familiar to U.S. readers. They are traditionally printed in either paperback book size or the more common large "phonebook" style. In Japan, manga "phonebook" comics, or ZASSHI, are usually 200 to 500 pages in length, in black and white on very cheap pulp style paper, usually colored a garish green, pink, orange, or light blue. They are very thick & large, hence the phonebook connotation. Traditional manga is read Japanese style, back-to-front, opposite the normal English way of reading. Most manga in the United States today has been translated from the original Japanese. And while Japan is the usual source for most manga, there are also Korean, Chinese, and Thai versions available too (and probably other Asian countries, as well). And recently, due to the growing popularity, many U.S. publishers such as Marvel and DC Comics have begun to publish American Manga, to varied sales results.
Note: Manga is not be confused with Anime, although they are closely tied together. Manga is the printed; comic strip item. Anime is the animated cartoon format series. Many Anime series have been adapted into Manga form, and vice-versa. Both terms are plural as well as singular, and refer to either a single series ("Dragonball Volume One Manga was released last week…") or a collected series ("Dragonball manga are popular with teenagers.").
While it is certainly one of the most popular formats available in graphic novel form, there are a few key points that should be understood by retailers or librarians looking to stock Manga titles. First of all, most manga is created in a FOREIGN (non-English speaking) country. Therefore, entirely different sets of moral and social ethics are involved in its creation. For example, language or nudity in the context of the storyline is not considered obscene in most Manga- the popular series Dragonball Z for example, contains brief nude scenes. However, due to it's being "Americanized" for venues such as Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, many parents may be shocked to find such scenes in what they consider a children's comic book. It is important to note that most such uses of nudity or language are there as part of the story, and are not considered gratuitous by any means, they simply reflect another culture's point-of-view.
Secondly, it is also important to note that Manga is created for and read by almost all social classes and age groups. Unlike American comics, which have primarily stagnated into super-hero comics being created for (and mostly read by) 18 to 35 year old male readers, manga is published for and read by all age groups and genders. It is not considered a child's art form, although series like HAMTARO are aimed at younger readers. There are many, many formats to Manga comics- there are sports manga, romance manga, historical dramas, comedy, soap operas, fantasy, mystery, horror and more. In fact, about the only American genre popular in comics that is not widely found in Manga is the super-hero comic!
There is even a category of pornographic manga, so it is very important to be sure as to just what age group and reader demographic you are selecting a title for.
Also, you cannot always go by the series title- for example, COWBOY BEBOP is not a western as the title might imply it is a science fiction adventure in outer space aimed at young adults (ages 16 to 24).
Below is a brief guide to some of the more popular terms and styles of Manga you may encounter- to make things easier to relate to, I'll give you a movie or TV type example to compare with:
SHONEN -
Boy's manga, usually action/adventure, and aimed at boys 8-18 years old. It is by far the most popular style, and is usually characterized by "big battle scenes". Manga such as DRAGONBALL Z, YU-GI-OH!, and YU-YU-HAKOSHO fall into this category. Again, the level of violence in these types of manga may be more suited to older readers. Many of the titles in these series are available in Anime too, and they have been edited into American versions for movies and television, so the actual Manga may be much different than what you may think at first, if your perceptions are based on the cartoons.
Think Jackie Chan movies.
SHOUJO -
Girl's manga, usually story driven, less action oriented romantic (maybe a hint of fairy-tale romance). The second most popular format of manga, it is rapidly becoming a very major part of American manga sales. Titles such as SAILOR MOON, LOVE HINA, and CHOBITS are among the most popular titles. Shoujo style manga is usually geared toward female readers ages 12-18.
Think Lizzie Maguire or Dawson's Creek.
SEINEN -
Seinen manga are series that are aimed at male readers ages 18-30. While a variation on the Shonen style comics, Seinen series contain more graphic violence and adult situations. AKIRA is a very good example of Seinen manga.
Think Arnold Schwarzenegger.
JOSEI -
Women's comics…aimed at young working women ages 21-30 and housewives. The Manga equivalent of Harlequin novels.
Think Julia Roberts.
HENTAI -
Literally "pervert" manga. Hentai refers to pornographic comics and cartoons.
Think any X-rated movie and avoid!
JIDAIGEKI-
Historical manga, usually action packed, battle oriented. LONE WOLF AND CUB is a good example.
Think Mel Gibson in the Patriot.
MECHA -
Mecha manga refers to the "Giant Robot" stories such as GUNDAM WING, VOLTRON, and BIG O. Usually very action oriented, big fights, and lots of explosions.
Think Godzilla.
BISHOUJO -
A very popular manga style, full of extremely cute girls and/or funny animals. HAMTARO or HELLO KITTY are two examples.
Think Disney on a sugar high.
BI-SHONEN -
"Beautiful boy" stories- not gay manga, but aimed at teenage girls, and featuring very pretty, almost effeminate heroes.
Think NSYNC.
There are also many other kinds of manga series, which fall into subcategories of the above types. Just a few examples are:
SHOUJO-AI (girl's love - gay manga)
SHONEN-AI (boy's love - also gay manga)
KODOMO- children's manga, aimed at 6-10 year olds, an offshoot
of Bishoujo, shonen, or shoujo styles.
Manga currently accounts for an estimated 10-20% of all graphic novel sales, with estimates of over $90 million dollars in sales for this year. As the trend toward this type of reading material grows, it will become increasingly important to be familiar with the many types of Manga available. Hopefully, this brief guide will be of some service to you in your selection process.
Stan Tychinsky has been collecting comics and comic series for over 35 years, and has been in the retail business for the past 4 years. Stan's latest endeavors involve his web page and Internet sales of comics
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