Manga
Created | Updated Oct 20, 2010
<h1>Manga</h1>
<h2>What is Manga?</h2>
Manga refers to a form of visual storytelling through pictures that originated
in Japan. The easiest way to translate magna to Western culture would be
to say that they are Japanese Comic Books. This statement, while technically
true, is extremely misleading due to the connotation that The Comic Book
has in Anglo culture. In case you aren?t a part of the so called ?Anglo? culture, Comic Books refer to monthly booklets
that tell a story. Most of these stories are stories about heroes with
ridiculous superpowers fighting stereotypical villains who just want to
take over the world. American Comic Books are also similar in that they
most all target the same demographic group: male children.
<p>Manga is different in both regards. Manga fully penetrates the Japanese
market. There are manga for every demographic group, from little children
to bored housewives to perverted <i>salary-men</i> (Salary Men, or men who
go off and work the 9 to 5, so to say...) The actual content is very different
from American Comics, even on the level of children's manga. Manga will
often show a more realistic version of life, where death, angst, and the
consequences of ones actions are a constant part of the story. These harsh
facts of reality are often absent in American Comic Books where the protagonist
seems to be able to do anything and forget the consequences. Thankfully,
Disney broke the trend of no Death to the Villain with their movie <i>The
Lion King</i> where the Antagonist, Scar, is killed in the end. When Manga
and Anime are translated into English they are often dumbed down. One example
would be Sailor Moon, where at the end of the Queen Beryl saga, each Sailor
Senshi is killed until only Usagi (Serena) is left who in the end kills
Queen Beryl. In the American version, the Senshi aren't "killed," they're
"removed" from the action, but they're still alive.
<p>One of the major differences is the level of depth to the characters
in Manga. In manga, one of the most important aspects is a little thing
that American comic artists tend to forget: Character Development. Most
manga worlds are populated with believable characters who have their own
loves and hates and passions. Most characters aren't evil: they're agendas
are just antagonistic to the protagonists' plans/agendas. For example,
in the recently translated Gundam Wing, (which breaks the pattern of duming
down anime and manga down for children, leaving most of the political agendas,
relationships, and the general feelling of angst intact), most of the characters
have the same vision for the future: they're only fighting over how to
achieve that vision.
<p>THE greatest difference is that the story ends. Unlike how in American
comics, where the hero always comes back to fight another enemy, most manga
have a diffinitive ending, whether it be a "Hero wins, Everybody's happy"
type of ending, or an ending more akin to one of Shakespear's Tragedies,
Manga ends instead of being endlisly reincarnated.
<BR/>
<h2>Who reads what Manga?</h2>
In a culture where there is a manga for everyone, different terms are used
to describe different styles:
<BR/>
<BR/>SHOUJO-Manga aimed towards girls
<BR/>SHONEN-Manga aimed towards boys
<BR/>EIZU-Manga aimed at housewives. The equivalent of the romance novel.
<BR/>SEINEN-Action manga aimed at male college students and salary-men.
<BR/>HENTAI-Also reffered to as ?Ecchi?. Refers to erotic and pornographic manga.
<h2>What is Manga?</h2>
Manga refers to a form of visual storytelling through pictures that originated
in Japan. The easiest way to translate magna to Western culture would be
to say that they are Japanese Comic Books. This statement, while technically
true, is extremely misleading due to the connotation that The Comic Book
has in Anglo culture. In case you aren?t a part of the so called ?Anglo? culture, Comic Books refer to monthly booklets
that tell a story. Most of these stories are stories about heroes with
ridiculous superpowers fighting stereotypical villains who just want to
take over the world. American Comic Books are also similar in that they
most all target the same demographic group: male children.
<p>Manga is different in both regards. Manga fully penetrates the Japanese
market. There are manga for every demographic group, from little children
to bored housewives to perverted <i>salary-men</i> (Salary Men, or men who
go off and work the 9 to 5, so to say...) The actual content is very different
from American Comics, even on the level of children's manga. Manga will
often show a more realistic version of life, where death, angst, and the
consequences of ones actions are a constant part of the story. These harsh
facts of reality are often absent in American Comic Books where the protagonist
seems to be able to do anything and forget the consequences. Thankfully,
Disney broke the trend of no Death to the Villain with their movie <i>The
Lion King</i> where the Antagonist, Scar, is killed in the end. When Manga
and Anime are translated into English they are often dumbed down. One example
would be Sailor Moon, where at the end of the Queen Beryl saga, each Sailor
Senshi is killed until only Usagi (Serena) is left who in the end kills
Queen Beryl. In the American version, the Senshi aren't "killed," they're
"removed" from the action, but they're still alive.
<p>One of the major differences is the level of depth to the characters
in Manga. In manga, one of the most important aspects is a little thing
that American comic artists tend to forget: Character Development. Most
manga worlds are populated with believable characters who have their own
loves and hates and passions. Most characters aren't evil: they're agendas
are just antagonistic to the protagonists' plans/agendas. For example,
in the recently translated Gundam Wing, (which breaks the pattern of duming
down anime and manga down for children, leaving most of the political agendas,
relationships, and the general feelling of angst intact), most of the characters
have the same vision for the future: they're only fighting over how to
achieve that vision.
<p>THE greatest difference is that the story ends. Unlike how in American
comics, where the hero always comes back to fight another enemy, most manga
have a diffinitive ending, whether it be a "Hero wins, Everybody's happy"
type of ending, or an ending more akin to one of Shakespear's Tragedies,
Manga ends instead of being endlisly reincarnated.
<BR/>
<h2>Who reads what Manga?</h2>
In a culture where there is a manga for everyone, different terms are used
to describe different styles:
<BR/>
<BR/>SHOUJO-Manga aimed towards girls
<BR/>SHONEN-Manga aimed towards boys
<BR/>EIZU-Manga aimed at housewives. The equivalent of the romance novel.
<BR/>SEINEN-Action manga aimed at male college students and salary-men.
<BR/>HENTAI-Also reffered to as ?Ecchi?. Refers to erotic and pornographic manga.
