Manga Comes to the Library » This literature medium adds a unique learning opportunity for students and a compelling way for librarians to connect with their young adult patrons. BY AMY SEIPKE anga is visual literature, either from MJapan or in the Japanese style. To call manga “Japanese graphic novels,” is to un- derplay the massive cultural impact it has in Japan (see Exhibit 1). A more apt com- parison is to say that it is akin to paperback books here in the U.S., as manga is not so much a genre as it is a medium used to con- vey any number of stories and information. Unlike Western graphic novels, which generally follow the narrative tradition found in prose literature, manga stories are written because the authors (or Manga- ka) have a targeted audience they would like to reach and some specific characters Exhibit 1 they would like to present. In manga, the information and resource needs of the com- they are trendy among their peers. People characters are created first for a specific munity that it serves, and having manga in who may not consider themselves to be audience. Those characters are then used to the collection can help do that. “readers” may feel less hesitant to pick up tell stories which, the Manga-ka hopes, are Many theories of learning postulate a manga book because it does not contra- of interest to the targeted audience. There- that there are some people who learn best dict their self-schema; the visual nature of fore, a good way to divide the broad world through visual stimuli. Manga can be used the medium allows them to think of it as of manga into manageable genres is to first to help these visual learners gain access to something different than reading a book. determine the audience type, and then to ideas and information, which would not ap- Overcoming resistance to the act of reading establish the theme of the stories or the peal to them presented in other forms. The is, of course, the first step in developing special characteristics of the protagonists. Manga Shakespeare series by Paw Prints engagement with the material presented. Because of this focus on the intended Press in Paradise, CA, is one example of audience, the most common launching manga that could be used to expose readers WHAT DO LIBRARIANS NEED TO KNOW platform for manga stories is in periodi- to complex ideas and story structure in a ABOUT MANGA? cals intended for specific audiences. These way that is less intimating. The following five concepts help define the periodicals have huge audiences and very Because of the visual nature of the intricacies of manga. large circulation numbers. The stories are medium and the close relationship be- Manga is a medium, not a genre. Just originally published serially, a chapter at a tween the images and the text, manga also about every story imaginable (even non- time in magazines, with each magazine fea- helps English language learners to access fiction stories) can be told using the manga turing many different stories in each issue. information and stories that may otherwise style. Manga is often based more on the The more popular stories that have gained prove too challenging to be appreciated. development of characters and the natural enough of a following to take on a life of Additionally, because of the popularity actions and reactions of those characters their own are then published as stand-alone of manga in Japan, and increasingly in the rather than being plot driven with the (often serialized) works called a “tankobon.” U.S., it is a familiar form of literature for author striving to get to a certain outcome. Some stories are also published to be a many people who use libraries. Overlooking The manga-ka, or manga artist, creates a stand-alone monograph, which are referred manga in library collection policies would character and allows things to simply hap- to as “one-shot manga.” create a void in the resources offered. pen to his characters rather than thinking Finally, manga is cool! As manga gains of a story he wants to tell and creating WHY DO LIBRARIES WANT MANGA? popularity, reluctant readers may not be characters and situations through which to The purpose of the library is to meet the averse to picking up these books because tell that particular story. Therefore, the way Strategic Library™ ©2015 <5> of intellectually organizing manga, which Anime Manga most closely matches the way it is written and created, is to begin by dividing it into Many people involved in the creative pro- Single manga-ka or small team: groups based on the intended audience. cess: Work on a small number of stories, very The four major audiences for which Possibly working on several titles at once, invested in their title manga is written are: less invested Shonen – Boy’s Manga Creative compromises Shojo – Girl’s Manga Sienen – Men’s Manga More outlandish, risky, attention seeking More carefully tended or “realistic” plot Josei – Women’s Manga plot lines lines There is also a category for young children where their youth, not their gender, is the fo- cus; the term used for that is “Kodomomuke.” Images moving by at 24 frames per second, Static images meant to have each one The category of sexually explicit material each image is only meant to be seen a frac- studied for adults only is called “Seijin.” Within the tion of a second Seijin category is “Hentai,” which refers to materials that are not only explicit but also Lower quality images, less detail (especially Highly detailed include specialized or bizarre fetishes. in background) Of course, within these large groupings there are also other characteristics which Almost always colored Sometimes in black and white the writers focus on and can help to attract an audience that will identify with the char- Exhibit 2 acters. Subcategories such as “magical girl place in the story line. This can cause the However, even at this slow rate, it is still manga,” “robot manga,” “naughty manga,” plot to take very different turns from what going by much quicker than the images on and many others can be considered as happened to the characters in the original the page in a printed book of manga and is genres within each audience (see this blog manga version of the story. therefore able to be of lower quality or less post for a more complete list of the most Manga, on the other hand, is often cre- detailed. These less-detailed images are common genres within manga https:// ated by only a pair or even one lone “manga- often preferred for use in anime because aseip.wordpress.com/2015/05/13/manga- ka.” This usually results in the creators they take less time and energy to draw and is-a-medium-not-a-genre/). becoming more attached to the characters can help keep a production on schedule and Manga is not exactly the same as Anime. since they have spent a long time and much on budget. This confusion is understandable since they energy creating and directing them. Manga Some examples of how the same char- are visually very similar: both art forms are also usually follows a less risky plot line be- acters are drawn differently in the same from Japan (often presented in the Japanese cause the creators (and hopefully the read- scene of the anime adaptation juxtaposed language even), and they even often feature ers) become much more invested in the lives with the original manga version images can the same characters and titles. The major of the characters in the relatively few series be found in Exhibits 3 and 4. (I am not the difference is easy to remember: anime is they read than a production team (and the creator of the images in this section!) animated…it moves! TV viewers) do in one of the many shows Some techniques used by anime artists There are, however, other differences be- with which they are engaged (see Exhibit 2). help demonstrate that it is a distinct art tween the two art forms that can often be The quality of the art work is often dif- form, since they give the desired appearance seen most clearly when the same characters ferent as well. Anime is drawn to be shown when moving but would appear strange if or even the same titles are converted from at 24 frames per second, whereas manga drawn in a manga. When played together, the static printed manga form into the dy- is drawn to have each picture static on the these images can make the characters look namic moving anime form (which is usually page to be examined by readers for as long as though they are moving very quickly the order of production, though sometimes as they like. Part of what makes anime but when viewed alone or out of sequence an original anime series may be made into different and interesting for many view- they simply appear bizarre. Through time, printed manga after the fact.) ers is that the 24 frames-per-second speed this feature has actually become part of Because Anime usually involves the ef- of anime is slower than they are used to the quirky appeal of anime and for some forts of a whole team of creators, there are watching, making the picture a bit choppier viewers is considered integral to the style. creative compromises that inevitably take and giving it a unique visual appearance. As a result, many shows are still made using » Manga, on the other hand, is often created by only a pair or even one lone “manga-ka.” This usually results in the creators becoming more attached to the characters since they have spent a long time and much energy creating and directing them.