Manga - A different kind of graphic novel

After the recent success of films based on graphic novels at the box office, Books examines its favourite style...

By Avalyn Beare

Over the past few years, there has been an influx of films storming the box office that are based on graphic novels. In a time when books sales are dropping in favour of other mediums, this can only be a good thing.

Success in the cinema, such as Batman Returns, Sin City and 300 have achieved, means that graphic novels are quickly becoming one of the best selling genres, especially amongst teenagers across the globe. Yet manga, one of the longest and best selling types of graphic novel, often slips under the radar in the UK, within our age group and above (this is not the case in younger children, in which the drawing/reading/watching of manga or anime has quickly become an obsession).

The term manga is used by the Western world to describe the style of Japanese cartoons or comics. Many people who are only aware of the term would probably associate it with children, due to the popularity of girl’s manga or Shõjo, amongst younger teenagers. However, there are many different categories in manga, ranging from Jidaigek or historical manga to Mecha, which combines big explosions, giant robots and lots of action. Manga is more than a schoolgirl’s comic, it has a long-standing history entwined with the development of modern culture in Japan. Manga has origins in the woodcuttings of ancient Japan, but the style as we know it has been around since the early 1900s. It has often been used as a medium to voice concerns in a restricted society, even described as a form of ‘rebellion’ by former artist Ishikawa Jun. It isn’t surprising then to find that in the 1960s most of the manga could only get printed in pornographic magazines. Yet now manga in Japan is treated as a mainstream form of writing, on par with novels, and over 40% of all book sales a year are generated through manga.

It is now quite different from those earlier series (although it does still reminisce about the explicit days; the women still invariably wear very few clothes). In the same spirit as these forerunners, it is often used as a reflection on the worries and uncertainties of society. In a country where in the year of 1995 enough manga was sold to provide 15 magazines for each person, it is a great art form to use to express your opinions. It is common knowledge that Japan has a love/hate relationship with technology, at many times in recent history they have been the most technologically advanced country, yet the history of their culture seems to be at odds with this due to their close relationship with nature and the land that they live in. This is obviously explored through manga, not only through children’s manga such as Full Metal Alchemist and The Vision of Escaflowne, but through adult manga too, many of you will be very aware of the anime Ghost in the Shell or Akira. By reading manga it is possible to get a sense of a completely different and fascinating culture, one that is often stereotyped by the Western world to make it seem ancient and otherworldly. Manga is a far more reliable form of information when interested in Japanese modern culture than any film or TV series.

On top of all that, if you are not yet convinced that buying manga is absolutely not uncool in any way, then you can buy your favourite movies in manga instead. For example, Kill Bill has now been made into a manga exploring a very different story, or if all you really want is the ultra violence, the famous Battle Royale was originally a manga series too.