A beginner’s guide to Manga ( まんが )
What is manga?
- Part of Japan’s pop culture is Manga; Japanese comics/ graphic novels which are read right to left, and predominantly published in black and white. Creating manga can be a fairly inexpensive process which doesn’t require a great deal of people to be involved. There are several different genres of manga including; Shonen, Shojo, Seinen, Josei, Yaoi, Yuri.
- Where manga is the physical graphic novel, anime ( アニメ) is the animation of the stories ,and unlike most western cartoons, may include adult themes, and are therefore not necessarily targeted at children.
Our recommended reads:
The series is centred around a boy named Goku, who befriends Bulma, a girl who joins him on an adventure to find the seven dragon balls, which possess the ability to summon the dragon Shenron. Who ,when summoned, has the ability to grant someone’s greatest desire.
Tokyo ghoul tells the story of Ken Kenaki, a college student who discovers he has been turned half-ghoul after a nearly fatal encounter with Rize Kamishiro, his date who he soon learns is a ghoul, after she puts in hospital.
The manga follows the story of Naruto Uzamaki, a ninja who aspires to follow in his father’s footsteps and become the next Hokage ,leader of his village, and thus gain recognition from his peers.
‘In a world populated with superhumans, the superhero-loving Izuku Midoriya is without power. However, after the Quirkless dreamer Izuku inherits the powers of the world's best superhero, All Might, his hopes of becoming the top hero are now possible. Once enrolled in the high school for heroes, U.A., Izuku soon discovers being a hero is much more complicated than it appears.’
‘Elizabeth Liones, the Third Princess of the Liones Kingdom, escapes from the traitorous Holy Knights to track down the notorious criminal organization, the "Seven Deadly Sins", in order to save the Kingdom. In her search she encounters a strange tavern, the Boar Hat. The owner is a small boy named Meliodas, who is accompanied by a talking pig. The Kingdom's knights soon catch scent of Elizabeth's plot and attempt to capture her. During the struggle she is saved by Meliodas, who reveals himself to be the captain of the Seven Deadly Sins. With one Sin found, the pair travel to Bernia to find information that could help locate the others, and their mission to reunite the Seven Deadly Sins begins.’
Ciel has formed a contract with Sebastian Michaelis to seek revenge against those who tortured him and murdered his parents. Sebastian is a demon who has taken on the disguise of a butler, and in exchange for his services, he will be allowed to consume Ciel's soul.
The legendary Shonen Jump series, now available in English for the first time, in a deluxe edition featuring color pages and newly drawn cover art! JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is a groundbreaking manga famous for its outlandish characters, wild humor and frenetic battles. A multigenerational tale of the heroic Joestar family and their never-ending battle against evil! Young Jonathan Joestar's life is forever changed when he meets his new adopted brother, Dio. For some reason, Dio has a smoldering grudge against him and derives pleasure from seeing him suffer.
But every man has his limits, as Dio finds out. This is the beginning of a long and hateful relationship!
Tanjiro sets out on the path of the Demon Slayer to save his sister and avenge his family! In Taisho-era Japan, Tanjiro Kamado is a kindhearted boy who makes a living selling charcoal. But his peaceful life is shattered when a demon slaughters his entire family. His little sister Nezuko is the only survivor, but she has been transformed into a demon herself! Tanjiro sets out on a dangerous journey to find a way to return his sister to normal and destroy the demon who ruined his life.
Learning to slay demons won't be easy, and Tanjiro barely knows where to start. The surprise appearance of another boy named Giyu, who seems to know what's going on, might provide some answers...but only if Tanjiro can stop Giyu from killing his sister first! Action-adventure title similar to InuYasha that pits samurai swords against demons.
Studio Ghibli: Japanese animation film studio.
Hayao Miyazaki is the Japanese animator, filmmaker, screenwriter, author, and manga artist responsible for the popular anime films.
The studio Ghibli animations, although originally produced as anime, are also available as books.
Top reads/ watches:
1. My Neighbor Totoro
2. Spirited Away
3. Howl’s Moving Castle
4. Arrietty
5. Ponyo
6. Kiki’s Delivery Service
7. Princess Mononoke
