Manga in Japanese translates to graphic novels or comic books, where the author tells stories using drawings and dialogues in frames, typically aimed at both adults and children.
The word manga (漫画) originates from the Japanese kanji symbols for “man,” meaning “quick,” and “ga,” meaning “picture.” However, outside of Japan, it is referred to as Japanese comics.
In 1798, Santo Kyoden coined the term manga for his art called Shiki no Yukikai, but in 1814, Katsushika Hokusai was the first to use the word manga as the title for his sketchbooks titled Hokusai Manga.
History of Manga
Manga is said to have originated in the 12th century, though it could be argued that it has roots in much earlier Japanese art forms. Some scholars trace the lineage of manga back to picture scrolls and other narrative art forms from the Heian Period (794–1185), like the Choju-jinbutsu-giga.
Choju-jinbutsu-giga (鳥獣人物戯画), or Animal Person Caricatures, is a set of four picture scrolls from Kozan-ji Temple in Kyoto, Japan. The animals on the scroll satirized society, indicating that a subculture similar to today’s manga existed in the 12th century.
This tradition continued to evolve, and by the late 1700s, Katsushika Hokusai began exploring new artistic techniques that would further influence the development of manga.
In 1815, Hokusai illustrated a simple line drawing to depict dancing and movement, which laid the foundation for the manga action characters we see today.
The Beginning of Modern-Day Manga
As illustrative art was gaining popularity in Japan, Oda Shosei and Kabashima Katsuichi laid the foundation of modern-day manga by creating a one-shot called “SHO-CHAN NO BROKEN/ADVENTURE OF SHO-CHAN” (1923). Just like modern day manga, it has multiple frames and speech bubbles.
This was the beginning of the manga that we read today. where Osamu Tezuka takes this to the next level by applying cinematographic effects and developing more plots for manga.
From this moment on, modern-day manga has exploded quickly into many different genres with the refined artwork that we are reading today.
Type of Manga
With the evolution of manga, it’s also started dividing into many categories, genres, and themes.
Some of the most popular manga and their categories are:
Shonen Manga
In shonen theme manga, stories revolve around young men, friendship, perseverance and overcoming challenges.
While action and adventure are common, shonen can encompass genres like comedy, fantasy, perseverance and overcoming challenges.
With its unique art style of being action-oriented, shonen manga is one of the most popular manga in Japan.
Example: Naruto, with 97 million copies sold in Japan and 250 million copies worldwide.
Shojo Manga
The word shojo in Japanese means girl from age 10 to 18. Shojo typically features themes such as slice of life, romance, comedy, and personal growth.
The stories of shojo manga often revolve around the experiences and emotions of teenage girls or young women as they navigate various aspects of life.
Shojo manga usually have a unique aesthetic style featuring beautiful backgrounds and character designs.
Example: Sailor Moon, with over 35 million manga copies sold worldwide and the majority coming from Japan.
How Manga Becomes Popular in the West
However, manga became popular in the West when American soldiers arrived in Japan during World War II as a peacekeeping force. Because of the diverse range of genres and storytelling styles.
They got exposed to manga as a source of entertainment and brought it back to America with them.
This led to manga becoming popular among western audiences as well. For Westerners, manga was a whole new experience because of its backwards reading style from right to left.
It was not just Americans who were exposed to this new form of entertainment, but Japanese also found themselves under the impression of American comic books and cartoons such as Disney’s Mickey Mouse and Bambi, which influenced Japanese artists to create this new form of manga within newspapers and magazines.
The popularity of manga has increased so much that around 35% of the French comic book market and 75% of the German comic book market are occupied by manga.
This led to the creation of many comic book stores, conventions, and even schools that teach animation.
In the last decade, manga has grown into a billion-dollar industry, and it is estimated that there are 700 million fans worldwide.
And one of the biggest reasons for this massive rise in manga popularity is COVID. During lockdown, manga fans eagerly joined the online community. Which led to manga fans reading more and new fans joining the manga community.
It is also estimated that by 2030, the manga industry will touch the $30 billion mark.