A Basic Guide To Manga Comics

The term Manga is used to define a wide variety of comic books and graphic novels originally produced and published in Japan. Unlike American comic books, which are usually printed in full color, Japanese manga are almost always published in black and white. Full-color prints are often only used for special releases.

Japanese manga is read right-to-left rather than left-to-right, which is the norm for English language publications. This can take some getting used to if you have only ever read English publications, but you will hardly notice once you’ve practiced enough.

In Japan, manga are typically released on a monthly or a weekly chapter-by-chapter basis through manga magazines such as Weekly Shōnen Jump, (which has been in circulation since 1968). If a series is popular enough, its chapters are then collected and published into volumes called tankōbon volumes, which usually feature a few chapters of the overall story.

The most important thing to remember about manga is there is something for everyone. Whether you like high school romantic comedies or high-fantasy epics, there is a manga for you.

Manga is chiefly categorized by audience first, then genre. For example, CLAMP's Cardcaptor Sakura is a shojo (young girls) "magical girl" (sub-genre) manga. However, this does not mean a boy cannot enjoy the series. That is simply how they are marketed. If you were looking for manga for a young boy who likes fantasy or mystery, you would search for "shonen (boy) fantasy" or "shonen mystery" manga.

Primarily, there are five demographics of manga:

1. Shonen: Manga targeted at tween and teen boys.
   Common themes: Action, Adventure, Friendship, Coming of Age
   Shonen manga often feature lots of action and comedy, and some sort of coming-of-age camaraderie between characters. The manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump and its American counterpart, Shonen Jump, have routinely published some of the most popular shonen manga series of the last 30 years, including Dragon Ball and Naruto.
2. Shojo: Manga targeted at tween and teen girls.
   Common Themes: Romance, Drama, Coming of Age
   The focus here is less on action and more on drama, emotion, and, almost always, idealized romance. Like shonen manga, shojo manga usually feature the coming-of-age story of a young protagonist. You can usually identify shojo covers by their use of pretty pinks, flowers, or other cutesy images.
3. Seinen: Manga targeted at adult men (18+).
   Common themes: Action, Violence, Sex, Adult themes
   Just like shonen manga, seinen manga features action and violence, but with a more serious or darker tone, as well as adult content such as sexual situations, graphic violence, or foul language. If a series does not fit into any other category such as Shonen or Shojo, then it will be put under seinen.
4. Josei: Manga targeted at adult women (18+).
   Common themes: Romance, Sex, Drama
   Josei manga often features more mature narratives exploring romantic and personal relationships, told in greater depth than their shojo counterparts—but this is not always true. For the most part, josei manga are similar to American adult romance novels in that they include sexually explicit scenes that can range from tame to borderline pornographic.
5. Kodomomuke: Manga targeted at young children.
   These series will often be cutesy, moralistic, and fun. Both the Pokemon manga and anime are probably the most well-known examples of a Kodomomuke series.