I chose to focus my special topics paper on Manga. Manga is not so much a genre as it is a format, much like graphic novels are. They differ from graphic novels in a few ways: they read from right to left, they’re rarely colorized, and they’re almost always serialized. They’re usually translated from their original Japanese, and this can potentially cause some delay in publishing English versions, though this is not always the case. Manga are typically grouped into types - these aren’t genres so much as they are age ranges for the intended audience of the manga.
There are five big groups: Shonen (aimed at tween to teen boys), Seinen (aimed at (younger) men), Shojo (aimed at tween to teen girls), Josei (aimed at women), and Kodomomuke (aimed at children) (Eisenbeis, 2014). Within these groupings can be a variety of genres, with some differences in protagonists and the like -- Shonen will usually have male main characters, while Shojo will typically have female; the former usually has more adventure and the latter usually has a wider variety of stories focused on interpersonal relationships. This doesn’t mean that only guys can read Shonen and girls Shojo, but it can skew that way (Lipinski, 2015).
Knowing these five categories is the first big step in understanding manga, whether it be for personal reading, collection development, or reader’s advisory. Most of the mainstream review journals don’t typically focus on manga, and I find myself using a few different websites to keep up with the newest releases. I typically frequent the following sites: Comics Worth Reading, Kotaku, Honey’s Anime. These sites don't focus solely on manga, but I don't think I've actually found a site that does.
Another aspect of manga to keep in mind - it’s generally serialized. What one would normally see as chapters would have previously been published in magazines or online, and then compiled into bound books. This can mean that some series are small - just one or two books - while others can have many. Bleach, a popular shonen title, currently has over 70 published volumes.
I chose to focus on manga for this assignment because I myself was somewhat daunted by manga and avoided reading it until a few years ago when I finally sat down and began researching how to find manga that I’d enjoy reading. The difficulty I now have with manga, now that I’m familiar with its types and how to read it, is finding it in libraries. Most collections are still relatively small and even then it can be difficult for most libraries to find the funds to add a title, especially if it’s an extensive one, like Bleach.
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Eisenbeis, R. (2014). How to identify the basic types of anime and manga. Kotaku. Retrieved from https://kotaku.com/how-to-identify-the-basic-types-of-anime-and-manga-1538285518
Lipinski, A. (2015). Manga 101: a primer that will turn you into an otaku (fan). School Library Journal, (6). 38.
I've only just started reading manga (like in the last 2 months kind of recently!) and it's absolutely overwhelming! I've stuck mostly to manga of the animes I love, but I've started to branch out here and there. And I'm finding the exact problem at the library. Honestly, at the rate I'm reading, I can't afford to buy much manga (and I have no space!), but my local library's collection is sad. It feels like an audience that could be tapped into really well if someone had the funds, too.
ReplyDeleteI know that there are subscription services out there (Crunchyroll is a big one) that give access to manga as a cheaper cost than buying them, and I've considered it an option on a few occasions but I haven't used any of them yet. I usually alternate between manga, graphic novels, and novels, so it helps slow my manga consumption to a level that my local library can handle. There's one series that I keep requesting they buy the newest volumes of, but there are always holds on them when they do come in, so I know I'm not the only one reading it and I don't feel as bad!
DeleteInteresting topic, and I'm a little baffled that you're having trouble finding libraries carrying it. Manga has a huge following in my community, and my library has had to expand its shelving to accommodate our growing collection. While it is still shelved within our graphic novels, a majority of this collection (at least in our YA area) is manga, roughly 75% at least. I remember it being much smaller when I was in high school, only on one short shelf--but now the collection spans four full-sized library shelf rows. I realize we may be the exception to the lack of manga in libraries, but I feel this depends heavily on the selectors to know the interest of their communities. By allowing our teens to really have a say in what they want to see on the shelves (as well as some of our manga loving adults), we've been able to grow this collection, and consequently, our circ stats.
ReplyDeleteOne of the libraries I have access to has a large, extensive collection that they're constantly updating, but the other library (that I frequent more often) has a collection that's stalled over the last year or so (I believe the selectors changed), and it makes getting newer titles - or even new volumes of a series they already have - a process. They keep up on their graphic novels, though, so it's a trade off I suppose.
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