fbpx
Japan Nakama
No Result
View All Result
  • Anime
  • Creativity
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • TV & Film
  • Fashion & Beauty
  • Gaming
  • Language
  • Travel
  • Music
Japan Nakama
No Result
View All Result
Japan Nakama
No Result
View All Result

Home » Creativity » A Beginner’s Guide to Manga

A Beginner’s Guide to Manga

Ollie Poole by Ollie Poole
July 13, 2020
in Anime, Creativity, Culture
1
0

Whether you like to unwind in front of a Studio Ghibli film, lose yourself in the fantastical worlds of Haruki Murakami’s novels, or gobble up succulent sushi until your bank account runs dry – Japanese culture occupies and entertains us in many different ways. When thinking about the heart and soul of Japanese artistic expression, ‘Manga’ springs to mind. Check out the Japan Nakama beginner’s guide to Manga:

What is Manga?

manga close up

First coined in 1814 by iconic Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai’s sketchbook, ‘Hokusai Mangan’, manga (漫画) literally translates as ‘comics’. 

These (cartoon-like) Japanese comics are packed full of spectacular illustrations, and are loved for their gripping storylines centred around dynamic characters – who are usually sketched with large mouths, small (or no) noses, and vibrantly coloured hair.

Not to be confused with anime, Japanese manga comes in printed form; from mini excerpts in newspapers and magazines to substantial printed book series.

How popular is manga in Japan?

manga popularity pic 3

Although the origins of Japanese manga reportedly date back as far as 12th-century scrolls, since the late 19th century manga has been printed and widely read in Japan. In fact, many are obsessed with manga: with the term Manga Otaku referring to those ultra-fans who just can’t get enough. And the magnitude of manga in Japanese culture is highlighted by the fact that, on average, every person in Japan spends approximately ¥3219.63 yen per year on manga (about $30 or £24).

This popularity is not limited to Japan: manga circulates strongly worldwide and continues to pump significant capital into the Japanese economy. Meaning that ‘mangakas’ (manga artists) don’t do too badly for themselves either.

Okay: we get it. Japanese comics are awesome. But where should I start?

What type of Manga should I read?

To think Japanese manga is exclusively fantasy stories made for teens is plain false. 

Nevertheless, talking about genres or types of manga is a little complicated. Japanese manga is not categorised into genres but rather according to different audience demographics based on gender and age. 

However, the manga spectrum is incredibly broad with plots in many manga types branching into multiple sub-genres including horror, food, sport, music, philosophical/existential, adventure, romance, ‘Ecchi’ (sexual content), drama, action, science fiction, comedy, and even cats. Yes: even cat manga is a thing.

Types of manga:

Kodomomuke

Yokomomuke

Literally meaning ‘intended for children’, Kodomomuke manga is exactly that: for years 10 and under. These stories are typically about adventure and discovery. Ryō Maekawa’s Animal Yokocho is a particular favourite – it’s about a girl who finds a secret door in her bedroom leading to an unknown word.

Shonen

Shonen 1
Shonen 1

This immensely popular manga type is for a mainly teenage boy audience. The dominant themes here are high-action, adventure, sports, martial arts, and science fiction. A plot normally led by a male protagonist and containing some funny moments along the way. Must-reads include the Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball series and Tite Kubo’s Bleach series – which have sold over 400 million copies between them. Shonen fans must flock to Shonen Jump online magazine for some free reads!

Shojo

Devil and Love Shojo e1593015791701

Similarly, shojo manga is for teenage girls. This type of manga explores human relationships and the complex emotions that come with them. Featuring a heroine, the stories are normally filled with drama or/and romance, but sometimes mystery, horror, science fiction, and fantasy. Miyoshi Tomori’s coming-of-age romance series, A Devil and Her Love Song (13 volumes), is a particular hit about the difficulty of fitting in and making friends in a new school.

Seinen

Seinen e1593017046638

Seinen manga is aimed at adult men in their 20s. Packed full of real-life struggles, unanswered questions, authentic ‘slice of life’ moments, and guaranteed action and violence, do not be afraid to notice a darker tone in the art compared to other manga. Complete with swearing, sexual moments, and potentially graphic violence. Check out Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys, and One-Punch Man (created by mangaka ‘ONE’), which tells the story of a superhero who so easily defeats his enemies that he’s struck by existential angst.

Josei

Josei
Josei

Aimed at adult women, josei manga continues to be immensely popular. With more mature storytelling, these romantic tales are more sexually explicit than those of shojo manga. Akiko Higashimura’s Princess Jellyfish is a romantic comedy certainly worth checking out; as is Tomoko Ninomiya’s (25 volume) Nodame Cantabile that examines the complex romantic relationship between two promising musicians during and after university. 

Yaoi (homo-erotic) and Yuri (lesbian)

No Touching at All gay
No Touching at All gay

Gay and lesbian manga. Yaoi manga highlights the complicated and often conflicted nature of homosexual relationships. Whereas yuri manga is aimed at both a male and female audience – speaking of relationship power struggles and often set in a high school. No Touching At All by Kou Yoneda (yaoi) and Sweet Blue Flowers by Takako Shimura (yuri) are particularly gripping. 

How do you read Manga?

manga how to readjpg

This one’s a little tricky for Westerners: Japanese manga is read from right to left and bottom to top, meaning you must open a page from the bottom right-hand corner. But don’t fear – it takes less time than you think to get used to!

Must-read manga to get you started:

In addition to our gender/age-based suggestions above, here are a few must-reads that simply couldn’t go without a mention:

Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto

Naruto book riot credits

A guide to Manga wouldn’t be complete without Naruto. This action-packed series follows the story of an orphaned boy whose life-goal is to become the top ninja (‘Hokage’) in the village. This beloved series ran from 1999-2014 in Shonen Weekly and is a great manga introduction for beginners. Naruto is a tale about perseverance filled to the brim with awesome fighting scenes.

Monster by Naoki Nurasawa

Monster

This is a gripping psychological thriller about a talented, Japanese brain surgeon who, when presented with the choice between two lives to save, decides to save the life of a boy who goes on to become a serial killer.

Attack on Titan by Hajime Isayama

Attack on Titan

The Attack on Titan series sees humanity sheltering within gigantic walls to protect themselves from ravenous man-eating Titans. It is a dark, post-apocalyptic story that explores the idea of freedom vs safety. But a war is just beginning…

Goodnight PunPun by Inio Asano

Goodnight PunPun

The Attack on Titan series sees humanity sheltering within gigantic walls to protect themselves from ravenous man-eating Titans. It is a dark, post-apocalyptic story that explores the idea of freedom vs safety. But a war is just beginning…

A Man and His Cat by Umi Sakurai

A Man and His Cat

On a lighter note, here we witness a large charismatic cat continue to be cast aside ahead of more youthful and cuter kittens at an animal shelter. When a recent widow adopts the cat, a special kind of relationship forms. This slice-of-life comedy is wonderfully wholesome and a fine representation of Japanese manga.

What are you waiting for? Get reading!

Tags: 20th-Century BoysA Devil and Her Love SongA Man and His CatAnimal YokochoAttack on TitanBeginner's GuidebleachcomicsDragon BallGoodnight PunPunHaruki MurakamiJapanese comicsjapanese cultureJapanese mangaJoseiKatsushika HokusaiKodomomukemanga typesMonstermust-read manganarutoNo Touching At AllNodame CantabileOne-Punch ManPrincess JellyfishSeinenShojoShonenShonen JumpStudio GhibliSushiSweet Blue FlowersYaoiYuri
Previous Post

Playstation 5: The Top 5 Japanese Games

Next Post

10 Perfect Japanese Plants for your Garden

Ollie Poole

Ollie Poole

Freelance copywriter passionate about all things travel and lifestyle, culture and creativity. Sushi addict and Murakami lover.

Related Posts

Take Me To Japan: Free Personalized Advice for Studying in Japan
Language

Demon Slayer: Japans Highest Grossing Film of 2020

It's no secret Japan goes crazy for anime and manga, no matter the genre or theme. Classics like My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Your Name,...

by Richard Young
japanese-brushes
Fashion & Beauty

Kumano: The City Creating The World’s Best Makeup Brushes

From a tiny city south of Osaka, comes 200 years’ worth of tradition in the artisan creation of fude, or brushes. A beauty enthusiast’s dream...

by Katie Hopkins
Study in Japan with practical Japanese at Akita Inaka School
Language

Study in Japan with practical Japanese at Akita Inaka School

As Japan moves forward with the recommencing of work and student visas, an optimistic feeling of adventure can not reframe from filling our hearts. A...

by Richard Young
Japan in the 90s: Still Alive
Lifestyle

Japan in the 90s: Still Alive

Japan often flexes its muscles as a tech-savvy nation with break-dancing robots and toilet/computer seats being the forefront of its technological advancements. It turns out,...

by Richard Young
Next Post
DSC 0582Optimized

10 Perfect Japanese Plants for your Garden

Latest Articles

zen-japanese-philosophy-pebbles

Japanese Philosophies to Get You Through Lockdown

The Kobe Earthquake: January 17th 1995

The Kobe Earthquake: January 17th 1995

Take Me To Japan: Free Personalized Advice for Studying in Japan

Demon Slayer: Japans Highest Grossing Film of 2020

Tadao Ando 4x4 House

Japanese Architects: An Introduction

Follow Japan Nakama on Instagram

Our friends at @hai_hiragana have released their H Our friends at @hai_hiragana have released their Hai!Ku Kanji book: A friendly and easy introduction to learning Japanese Kanji. A must for fans of graphic design and learning Japanese alike, with 352 pages of learning 162 Kanji through visuals and Haiku! 🥳💥💪  #learnjapanese #日本語 #japaneselanguage #studyingjapanese #japanesewords #kanji #lovejapanese #japanesekanji #japanlover #lovejapan #learningjapanese #japanesecharacters #languagelearning #learninglanguages
This is my Friday night 🥳. #demonslayers #anim This is my Friday night 🥳.  #demonslayers #animecharacter #demonslayeredits #animecommunity #demonslayeranime #popularanime #myanimelist #animeposts #instaanime #animeseries #mangaseries #kimetsunoyaibamanga #kimetsunoyaibaanime #kimetsunoyaibaedits
🎮 😂😂😂. #capitolhill #capitolhilloccup 🎮 😂😂😂.  #capitolhill #capitolhilloccupiedprotest #capitolhillmemes #assassinscreed #ubisoft #wouldplay #assassinscreededit
🏗️🏢🏨🏛️🏫🏠🌇 #kazuyosejima 🏗️🏢🏨🏛️🏫🏠🌇  #kazuyosejima #itsukohasegawa #kumikoinui #japanesearchitecture #tokyoarchitecture #japanesedesign #tadaoando #shigeruban #architecturalinspiration #kengokuma #soufujimoto #toyoito #architecturedaily #archi_focus_on #architecturedetail
This is why you don’t buy robots from China. WAL This is why you don’t buy robots from China. WALL-E comin in HOT.  #dontbuy #robotled #artificialintelligence #robotica #deeplearning #failclips #wow😍 #fails #funnyfail #vidoftheday #walle
200 days to go till the postponed Tokyo Olympics. 200 days to go till the postponed Tokyo Olympics. Gotta love the shot of the Japan National Stadium designed by @kkaa_official . 
#tokyo #tokyocity #tokyo2021🇯🇵 #olympics #kengokuma  #kengokumaarchitects #summer #tokyoarchitecture
@dantanda remixed a MF DOOM X TATSURO YAMASHITA 6 @dantanda remixed a MF DOOM X TATSURO YAMASHITA 6 track EP. What a great way to pay respects for the hip-hop genius. RIP.
#mfdoom #ripmfdoom🙏🏾🎤👑 #tatsuroyamashita #citypopmusic #remixmusic
Happy new year.See y’all in 2021. Here’s a a y Happy new year.See y’all in 2021. Here’s a a year we would wanna forget but won’t. 
Totally vibing on the ASMR of the film loading of these old school Japanese cameras by @filmobjektiv .  If there’s one thing 2020 has taught us, is that you really need to cherish and capture the good times. It’s those moments that get us through the rough patches.
Peace.  #mamiya #analoguevibes #back2thebase #theanalogclub #analoguephotography #happynewyear #lifetime #filmcameralovers #istillshootfilm #thefilmshot #asmrtrigger #asmrrelaxation
@loewe and My Neighbor Totoro have come together f @loewe and My Neighbor Totoro have come together for an exciting collaboration.  Fans of Studio Ghibli can purchase leather bags, T-shirts, hoodies, footwear and accessories that highlight both the film’s stunning landscapes and the characters such as the blue Chuu-Totoro, the white Chibi-Totoro, the Susuwatari and, of course, Totoro.  #totorolover #fashioncollab #studioghibliedit #myneighbourtotoro #totoroclothing #loewetotoro #animecollabedit #getyourhandsonit
Merry Xmas everyone. 🎄 We made it. Sending lov Merry Xmas everyone. 🎄
We made it. 
Sending love to all on the Xmas express from the voice of city pop Tatsuro Yamashita.
.
.
.
Thanks @showa_era_memories for the Shinkansen song that takes us back to 80s Japan.
#tatsuroyamashita #jrrail #shinkansen #merrychristmas #cominghomeforchristmas #lockdownxmas2020 #80sjapan #xmassongs #citypopmusic #xmasgifts
Christmas saved KFC in Japan. KFC became Japan’s Christmas saved KFC in Japan. KFC became Japan’s answer to traditional Western Christmas food. With Kurisumasu ni wa Kentakki, or “Kentucky for Christmas” being a familiar promotion during the holidays.  KFC promoted fried chicken as a substitute for traditional Christmas turkey, which the Japanese knew was eaten in the West. Selling chicken and sides together in Christmas-themed “Party Barrels” and turning Colonel Sanders into Santa-san turned KFC into a new holiday tradition in Japan.
🌈 Good vibezz ✨Happy weekend everyone✨ #w 🌈 Good vibezz 
✨Happy weekend everyone✨  #weekendvibes #lostintranslation #pinkaesthetic #karaokenight #bladerunner2049 #anadearmas #scarlettjohanssonsexy #shibuyakaraoke #karaokekan #scifimovies

Stay up to date with our latest posts!

SUBSCRIBE NOW
Facebook Twitter Instagram

About us

Japan Nakama are a London based online publication that investigates and explores all aspects of Japanese Culture. To those new to Japanese culture welcome, to the Japan obsessed, welcome home.

JAPAN NAKAMA

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Promotional Videos
  • Contact us

Interested in writing for us?

© 2020 Japan Nakama - Connecting people through the spirit of Japan

No Result
View All Result
  • Anime
  • Creativity
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • TV & Film
  • Fashion & Beauty
  • Gaming
  • Language
  • Travel
  • Music

© 2020 Japan Nakama - Connecting people through the spirit of Japan

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.