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 What is Manga?Literally translated from Japanese, manga means "whimsical or humorous pictures". It is the term that refers to comic books, often Japanese in origin and rendered in black and white. Manga refers to the format of the book and should not be confused with genre. You can find many genres such as romance, mystery, science fiction as a manga. Manga is always a book; anime is the Japanese term for animated films that use a similar art style. Many popular manga are converted into anime or novels. Manga in Japan is typically serialized in large manga magazines with many other manga stories each published one chapter at a time and continuing in the following volumes. If a series is popular it will be published as its own book or series. Manga is very different from Western comic books. While both contain stories told through sequential art, western comics are in colour, a larger trim size with smaller page count and are more often superhero stories. Manga are approximately the size of a standard trade paperback, in black and white and have many genres. You can download a PDF version of this page to take with you.
 History of MangaWhile the history of manga can be traced back to the history of visual communication, most consider modern manga to have begun just after WWII with the publishing of Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion. Heavily influenced by alt Disney, Osamu Tezuka is considered the 'god' of modern manga. Manga, originally considered to be a format for children, grew in style and popularity with this post-war generation who continued to enjoy the format well into adulthood. As the age of the fan increased so too did the number of topics and genres. Types of MangaManga can be broken down into several types or categories of manga. Shojo (also known as shoujo): manga aimed at a young female audience. Typically written by women, these stories are often romantic comedies or magical girl series (stories that feature young girls with superhuman abilities who save the world). Shonen (also known as shounen): manga aimed at male readers typically action oriented featuring a male main character. Shonen-ai: manga aimed toward women featuring the romantic relationship between two male characters. Other DefinitionsManga: Stories told visually through sequential art. Often refers to comics originating in Japan and drawn in black and white. Also typically features a specific style of art where people have large eyes, small mouths and other exaggerated features. Anime: The Japanese word for animation also including a specific art style where characters have exaggerated features. Many manga are the source material for anime. Bi-shonen: Also shortened to bishi or bishie, this term refers to impossibly beautiful men often with long hair and appearing in romance manga. Otaku: A term that refers to fans in the manga and anime realm. In Japan this term is more derogatory and is used for the most obsessive fans, but Western fans have adopted it with a very positive context. Mecha: Derived from the Japanese word "meka" an abbreviation for the English word "mechanical", mecha refers to mechanical robots controlled by a pilot found in many manga. Who Reads Manga?In Japan, manga are widely read by children and adults of all ages enjoying everything from an action adventure to historical drama to comedy to business and commerce. As manga enters more western cultures, teens are the first group to pick it up. The current reader in Australia has an equal chance of being boy or girl and will age anywhere from 10-19. Older fans who are interested in anime, are often also interested in manga. How to read Manga Traditional manga from Japan is in the Japanese right to left reading format. To maintain its authenticity and to stay true to the artists’ original creation, most publishers will keep manga in that right to left format. Manga created by a western artist often is drawn in the creators left to right reading format. The following diagrams illustrate how to read both formats. RatingsMadman and our partner publishers understand that because of the visual nature of manga and rior misunderstandings regarding comics and graphic novels in general, you and your customers may be concerned about the appropriateness of each series for different age groups. Most manga from Madman has been rated based on their content and those ratings can be found on our order forms as well as on the back of each book. The general descriptions of the ratings are below: All Ages Suitable for readers of any age. May contain cartoon violence and potty humour. Youth Suitable for ages 10 and up. May contain mild language, fantasy violence and bullying. Teen Suitable for ages 13 and up. May contain mild profanity, mild violence and gore, crude humour, suggestive themes or situations, as well as references to tobacco, alcohol and drug use. Older Teen Suitable for ages 16 and up. May contain profanity, moderate violence and gore, moderate sexual themes, nudity, alcohol and drug use. Mature Suitable for ages 18 and up. May contain extreme profanity, intense violence and gore, mature themes and graphic depictions. For more detailed information, please visit www.manga.com.au/ratings How to Start a Section in your Store In general there are two schools of thought on how to shelve manga. The first is treating manga as a format and shelving each series by its genre. If you are just getting started in manga, this may make it more difficult for the consumer to discover the availability of manga in your store. The best way to get started with manga is to create a manga section and shelve all manga together. Often this new section is situated near sciencefiction and fantasy or with other graphic novels or comic books you may be carrying. Some bookstores have also created a separate teen section heavily populated by manga series. With the incredible amount of books available across formats and genres, it is often challenging to find the shelf space for a new section. It can also be intimidating to clear out the space that can be used for known sellers for a section yet unproven in your store. If that is a concern, Madman does offer both a 60 unit floor display as well as a counter display. Manga will also perform better when the consumer knows that they are available in your store. Front of store placement, whether table, floor or counter display will improve your sales. Manga fans are loyal fans and will keep coming back for the continuing volumes of their favourite series. Once they know you are carrying their favourite format, they’ll come back for more! Because of the visual format of manga, books faced out on the shelves also tend to do the best. Manga Growth Around the World Manga has grown incredibly fast in almost every country into which it has been introduced. Quick Facts:
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