Manga in Japan

Manga are Japanese comics, referred to in America as graphic novels. Manga authors are the most populated authors in Japan, publishing many manga each year. When you go into any bookstore in Japan you can be sure there will be lots of manga on the shelves.

I will talk about manga's role in America at a later time but I'd like to first introduce manga from Japan's standpoint. 

Manga is a common type of book in Japan. Imagine a bookstore in your country. You have your common literature section and then the books start to branch out into sections like young adult, poetry, science, sports, etc. If you've taken notice, literature will most likely be the largest section of all the sections at the bookstore. Now think of that literature section and turn it into manga. That's how it is in Japan. Bookstores in Japan have sections too but manga is the biggest section.

Manga series called Tokyo Crazy Paradise.
Not licensed in America.

It is common to read manga in Japan. There are many Japanese people who read manga whether it be for enjoyment or passing time during their day. Manga is known as the original content to anime, so manga is a great way to get into anime. Nonetheless, in Japan, if you read manga it doesn't mean you like anime. The reason for this is because manga is the common literature in Japan. It is literally everywhere and easy to obtain. This makes manga a popular source for reading material. Anime is still considered a Japanese cartoon no matter its projected audience, so if a person has no interest in watching a cartoon they won't watch anime. Yet, that anime could be derived from a manga. So to restate, just because a person in Japan reads manga doesn't mean they like anime. The two don't equal up in Japan. They are two separate interests.

Manga is a great source of enjoyment in Japan. Of course a Japanese manga is written in Japanese, so you would need to know how to read Japanese. To read Japanese manga you can get by with knowing only hiragana which is the easiest form of reading, in my opinion. There are kanji used in manga but many manga have tiny hiragana next to the kanji so it's a great way to study the language. You'll also have to have a good vocabulary in order to understand the words. If not, you can always have a Japanese to English dictionary on hand to assist you when needed.

Japanese version of the manga Reimei no Arcana (Dawn of the Arcana).

If you ever get to go to Japan I suggest taking a stroll through a book store. It is a sight to see. Maybe even pick up a manga. Even if you may not understand the contents of a manga it can be a great souvenir to bring back with you. And yes, I own a few volumes of Japanese manga.

I hope you enjoyed this post. If you liked this one you should check out of few others I've done. Thanks for reading!

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