Forum - View topicWhy do you like Manga?
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maruko22
Posts: 2 |
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Hello.
I am a Japanese college student. I love manga. And now,I want to know why people loves Japanese manga. Do you like Japanese manga? Why do you love Japanese manga ? What is Japanese manga's appeal that difference from American comic? please give me your opinion. 
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marie-antoinette
 Posts: 4136 Location: Ottawa, Canada |
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Well, when it comes to manga vs American comics, there isn't always so much of a difference in appeal. It really depends on what you are looking at. The "traditional" American comic would be the superhero stuff, which tends to be long and sprawling, so I like that the manga I read have more contained storylines. I avoid the Rumiko Takahashis of the world and their sprawling series for the same reason.
Really when it comes to manga I just like the stories that are being told and the characters that are being created. It's good storytelling and that's what I want to read, be it in novels or manga or American comics. I don't love all manga, of course, because some isn't to my taste and some, frankly, is just bad. But there are some series that I just adore and will be reading over and over again for ever probably. |
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c_young
 Posts: 5 Location: California |
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I like reading manga because they get straight to the point. For example I love reading the Naruto and Bleach manga that comes out each week. One chapter from Naruto's manga is like watching 2-3 episodes of the show for me. When reading the manga you rarely have to worry about fillers or it dragging out. As for American comics I don't really read any because they are usually less funny and they don't include any of the great expressions you see in the mangas.
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Redbeard 101
Oscar the Grouch
Forums Superstar  Posts: 16941 |
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I like manga for the same reason as I like American comics, normal books, or other forms of print. I like to be entertained and taken to new worlds. That's the easy and quick answer. I like reading basically. I like reading about new worlds, and new civilizations. I like being swept away by a good story. I've been into comics ever since I was a child. In a manner of speaking manga to me are Japanese comics/novels. I like reading them the same as American books or comics. Plus I feel better reading a lot of the time instead of simply sitting down in front of a tv constantly.
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infinitebeauty
Posts: 75 |
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Well, originally I was going to say that I had no idea why I liked manga, that I just did, but as people pointed out, it's more contained. I went from reading Impulse to Teen Titans (v 3) to Young Justice and from there I'm thinking of moving on to SpyBoy. With most manga, there aren't any tie-ins. You just read and that's it. I don't see anything wrong with the superhero genre, and I'd read something like Young Justice or Runaways over Naruto or Bleach, but it's really nice having a nice, contained manga for when I'm sick of having to read 6 different titles to find out what happened on Apokolips.
I also like the calm, peaceful scenes that manga usually has. Just two people smiling or sitting or eating dinner. Those scenes are harder to find in American comics. |
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Drowning_Wolf
Posts: 193 |
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Are American comics really mainly super-hero stuff or what? Because it really seems like it when you guys talk about it (and it's not like I know of any country that has only one prevalent genre of graphic novels). Personally, I prefer manga over 'traditional comics' mainly because of the smaller price (12$ vs. 25$) and the page count (200 vs. 40) and that's also the reason I like world manga and manwha. When you pay less you can afford more.
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Aromatic Grass
 Posts: 2424 Location: Raleigh, NC |
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I'm not interested in American comics purely for this reason -- they are hard to follow. Not to mention, specific volumes are hard to find (around here), and there doesn't seem to be an easy-to-follow struture that I like. There isn't much variety in story and character types, either. American comics just seem outdated and uniteresting, imo. Japanese manga have much more variety, in all aspects: story, characters, art, etc. To me, the stories have more meaning, the characters are more appealing, and the art is beautiful (most of the time). The art is a big part of it, too, as American comics have a standard style that is used too often. It's easier to find the volumes you're looking for, and there's a good selection of available titles. I just don't see a reason not to love manga. 
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Redbeard 101
Oscar the Grouch
Forums Superstar Posts: 16941 |
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There's actually quite a few shorter American comics out there. Mini series if you will. There's also tons of stuff beyond you're typical super hero idea. I highly suggest people check out other comic lines beyond the 2 main. being DC and Marvel. You start checking out some of the smaller lesser known ones you'll find a much larger variety of product. |
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Aromatic Grass
Posts: 2424 Location: Raleigh, NC |
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I know there have to be some American comics that will interest me, but I have too many manga series that I'm following already. Maybe down the road I'll check one out. |
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nikandros
Posts: 58 |
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Hello sir. I do not love manga per see. I prefer good literature and television media of all types. Manga can fall into this category but like every other form of artistic expression can fail to do so as well. The appeal to me of manga over american comics is that it is intended for a more broad audience. American comics tend to be targeted more towards teens and children. Manga does not. Thus, like literature it can paint a different tale then the typical hero saving the day from the bad guy. What I tend to try and find are more abstract stories. CLAMP seems to do a good job at making diverse plots so I have been reading a bit of their work for example. I tend to try and find something that expands my world view. Having been born and raised in America and having had very little ability to travel, allowing me to peer into the mind set, even if only for a short while, of a different culture is great. For another example of how I do this, most of the literature I read tends to be German or French(Dumas, Shirer, Hugo.) along with others like Dostoevsky. Since I really don't know much Japanese literature, and I already have a feel for the European mind set, this allows me to see the Asian or Japanese mind set and how it differs. Of course I am more than likely in the minority for my reasoning. I don't pick up a manga because it is Japanese or Korean per see. I pick it up because the content looks interesting and it tends to be different. The reason I started looking at manga and anime was because I wanted to view another culture. |
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Lee1981
Posts: 109 |
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The Super-hero genre is a common one with American Comics, and that's mainly what you'll find with Marvel and DC and to some extent Image (at least when I was an avid comics collector during the 1990s), but there are plenty of American comics that don't have super heros in them. Most of the Dark Horse comics are not about super hero (though they had their own super hero universe as well) and they put out a lot of movie-based comics, such as Aliens, Predator, and Star Wars, along with other kinds of comics such as Sin City and Grendel Tales. So you'd have to look a little bit harder for them, but non-superhero American comics do exist and there are plenty of them.  Of course in the United States a lot of people are stuck on the idea that comics are mainly a kid hobby so the more mainstream stuff is going to be targeted toward boys age 7-12, hence all the super-hero titles.
As for the original topic, I'm not really sure what to say. Mainly, if I watch an anime and think that it is okay but could've been better, and then read about how the manga it was based on actually is way better than the anime and more complete, as was the case with Akira and Berserk, then I'll probably look into buying the manga. |
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marie-antoinette
Posts: 4136 Location: Ottawa, Canada |
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There is definitely a lot of stuff out there that isn't superhero-oriented, and it is what I read. Which is why I said "traditional" in my post because I do think superhero stuff is the more traditional story for the comic book medium (even though there is lots of other stuff, there is still more superhero stuff than anything else). But you can find things that are only a few volumes/issues and there are some longer ones that still do have a definite beginning, middle, and end.
It's just like you have some manga that don't have a definite end to them because they just keep going on and on. |
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infinitebeauty
Posts: 75 |
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The big stuff is usually superheroes, but there are also things like 'American-Born Chinese' and 'Epileptic', which are about normal people. Then there is the epic stuff like 'Transmetropolitan', 'Y: The Last Man', and 'Fables', which aren't superhero comics but are published by Vertigo, part of DC. There are a lot of non-superhero comics, but they are usually harder to find. And if you are paying $25 for a 40-pg comic, then it is either a rip-off or a collectors item. The 40-pagers are monthlies, and don't cost more than $5. A trade is more expensive, but also has a whole bunch of chapters collected. For example: Emperor Joker is $15, but it also has 253 pages. More expensive than manga, but not $25 for 40 pages. And it's colored!
There will never be any character, in future American comics or in manga, like Bart Allen. And Supes is pretty different from Bats, who is again completely different from the Flash (any of them) or the Green Arrow. Another two reasons that I am fond of manga (to keep on topic) is that 1) When there's fanservice, it usually looks (at least a little) anatomically possible. When I see someone like PowerGirl trying to superhero, all I can think is 'Ow, doesn't your back hurt?' and 2)The closer, more personal storylines. A lot of American comics (generally superhero, but not necessarily) deal with problems in society, like prejudice and good-vs-evil-vs-shades-of-gray, and manga tends to deal more with people's internal problems, or the problems of people close to them. I like the social commentary, but again, personal struggles are also fascinating. |
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marie-antoinette
Posts: 4136 Location: Ottawa, Canada |
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Very true and I do think that the superhero stuff does have it's appeal. Especially when there are complete arcs that are smaller and self-contained. The best example I know of for this is Batman Hush, which I love and adore. Especially because it does go and give backstory for the Batman canon so someone who hasn't been reading the comics for the last 50 years knows what the heck is going on withspoiler[ Barbara Gorden in a wheelchair], for example. I love some of the characters as well, which probably is why I find myself completely addicted to Smallville at the moment. It's just the length that I don't like. Oh, and comic book deaths. They are getting a bit laughable now (I was just in a comic store and discussing how Superman could be killed, given current canon, but unless he's poor Uncle Ben, it doesn't really matter because even if he does die, he'll just come back. Not that I think they would kill him again anyway). |
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Drowning_Wolf
Posts: 193 |
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I just realized it might be a lot different from where I live then. In Québec, most of our comics are Europeans (or local) and aside from Tintin, Asterix and Obelix, they're 20-25$ and contains not much more than forty pages. Probably worth mentionning that they are in hard cover (actually safe from Calvin & Hobbes anthologies I never seen one that wasn't in my local bookstores). |
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