An Introduction to Manga for Kids (Japanese Graphic Novels)
{guest post from I. Reid}
Books are one of life’s greatest luxuries. While some bemoan the reading requirement in school these days, it should be noted that reading was restricted to the very wealthy and privileged until fairly recently. Since the invention of printing presses, but especially since the Industrial Revolution and mandate of elementary school education, literacy has increased dramatically.
Not everyone however enjoys reading great bricks of novels such as War and Peace or A Traitor to His Class. Not to mention the increasing size and weight of the later Harry Potter books. When I picked up several copies of the last Harry Potter book at the Midnight Party, it occurred to me that if anyone tried to mug me for my copy, I actually had a deadly weapon already in hand: the book itself. In fact some children (and their parents if we are perfectly honest) are reluctant to read.
For reluctant readers, graphic novels may be a good option. By graphic novels I am referring to the genre known popularly as manga (pronounced mahn-gah), a loan word from Japan. Manga incorporates visuals in addition to dialogue to tell the story.
Note: I am differentiating manga from graphic novels from US comic houses such as DC and Marvel though they are found in the same section in a bookstore.
Manga tend to be light in terms of visual diversity as they are heavily influenced by Disney and Japanese anime. However as manga becomes more popular in America, there is more diversity as English novels are translated into graphic form. Examples include Howl’s Moving Castle (although the manga is based on the movie) and Artemis Fowl. For older readers, Cassandra Clare’s Infernal Devices series has been translated into graphic novel form.
As manga is a very diverse field in terms of subject matter, especially when looking at manga direct from Japan, it is important for parents to know that manga sold in America is rated for age groups. There is no standard definition for these ratings so consider them guidelines versus strictly defined.
Manga packaged in shrink wrap is not appropriate for children. Manga ratings are on the back cover of the tankobon (collected volume of chapters). Most manga available in America fall under the Teen and Older Teen ratings.
It is important for parents to note there is a huge jump in terms of subject matter between Teen and Older Teen (OT) ratings. Teen rated manga content generally falls between PG and PG-13 rated movies, while OT can have some content closer to R rated movies.
If your child becomes enthusiastic about manga, I recommend parents exercise caution in online browsing of manga. Only a fraction of manga is translated into English by established publishers. There are a lot of manga enthusiast websites out there which feature unofficial scanlations of manga (and run afoul of copyright laws). But more importantly, these enthusiast websites may include manga that is not child appropriate, as these may not be moderated or content reviewed.
Official websites of established publishers (such as Yen Press, Shonen Jump, and Shojo Beat) and manga series are generally child friendly but each parent should make their own decision.
Note: I advocate the advice of experts here. Safety experts and law enforcement recommend parents always monitor a child’s social media and internet use.
Manga that is generally child appropriate can be classified broadly as shonen or shojo.
Shonen translates nearly literally as boy’s, thus the storylines and visuals tend to be geared towards boys though girls can enjoy it too. Often the visual depictions of females can be chauvanistic in shonen manga, though this is more prominent in OT and older ratings. Shonen manga tends to be more action oriented such as the popular, Seraph of the End, set in post-apopcolypse Japan where humans battle vampires for survival. Mecha, or robots, are also popular in shonen manga, such as the Evangelion series.
Shojo manga is girl’s, though boys can freely enjoy it too, and the storylines generally revolve around romance and friendship. One common trope in shojo manga includes an average girl with guy friends who are all potential love interests (termed reverse harem in manga speak). MeriPuri is a fairytale shojo story where the prince must be kissed by his “most favored maiden” (read true love) to revert back into his true form.
In terms of plot lines, most manga available in America tends to be fantasy or sci-fi albeit with an Asian influence. An example is The Legend of Princess Sakura, which is a reinterpretation of the Japanese myth of Kagua-hime. St. Dragon Girl features a lot of Chinese influence on the Japanese culture from martial arts to mythology since it is set in Yokohama’s Chinatown.
Historical fantasy is another popular genre, such as Naruto which is a very long running series, and features ninja (more properly called shinobi in Japanese).
Since a lot of manga comes from Japan, there are some cultural nuances if understood make the reading experience more enriching.
Japanese origin manga is actually read from right to left, with the book being bound accordingly. This is the opposite of what Americans are used to with books being bound left to right. Some manga may be bound left to right but this typically indicates a non-Japanese origin.
The pictures are generally read in clockwise order, from the top right to the bottom left. However as each page can be laid out differently, it’s important to note where the separation of frames. Another common layout is top right to top left, then middle right to middle left, rather than true clockwise order. A page can be split vertically so that all the frames on the right side are read before going to the left.
The reading direction actually comes from China, where literature is read in columns from top to bottom and right to left.
Middle school and high school students wear uniforms. Middle school students wear the so called sailor outfits. High school uniforms are more formal. Asian blazers are common in public schools in Japan, whereas a western suit is more common in private schools in Japan. Dress code is strictly enforced so deviations thereof are a running gag in manga centered around school life.
“Kyah” is generally the equivalent of an American “squee,” but it also can denote surprise. “Gyah” on the other hand denotes a stronger emotion, often intense anger, fear, or surprise. “Niko” or “nya” or “nyah” indicates smiles and giggling, sometimes at someone else’s expense.
What looks like the outline of a plus (+) sign indicates annoyance or anger. The more of these, the angrier a person is, though the maximum is generally three of these.
A lot of manga also includes sound effects, aka sfx. Sfx are used to indicate action. Some manga includes the original Japanese sfx and an English translation. Others will indicate the sfx only in English. I personally prefer the dual language sfx because then you learn the Japanese words too.
Violence is not typically depicted explicitly in manga. Typically it goes to a dark frame or shows the building with sfx denoting the actual violence. In action manga typically the before and after are shown but not the actual violence.
Some manga also include translations of the character names. Names are chosen with great thought and symbolism in Japan. Authors often indicate something about their character with the name. Ichiru or Taro generally indicates an oldest boy. Shizuka, which means calm and quiet, would indicate a quiet, maybe even shy, girl. However many Japanese names can be used by both girls and boys, so gender cannot always be inferred by name alone.
Because the Japanese language uses Chinese characters, called kanji, the same word can have different meanings. The word shiro can mean white or castle. The name Rei can mean beautiful, zero, or spirit depending on the kanji used in the name.
Another running gag in manga is to add ko to the end of a name. Ko is typically a female denomanitive. So to make a masculine name feminine, the author may add ko as a joke. For example in The Demon Prince of Momochi House, when the three male characters have to pretend to be girls, their names suddenly become Aoiko instead of Aoi, Iseko instead of Ise, and Yukariko instead of Yukari.
Another important feature of Japanese manga to understand is their cultural belief that anything can have a spirit, which is a feature of the Shinto religion. Even rocks and plants can have a spirit. Thus a lot of manga feature spirits which may be called ayakashi, oni, mononoke, akuma, demons, or devils. When they use the English terms demons and devils it is not an exact translation into the Christian definition of demons and devils.
Because the Japanese have a different set of beliefs than Americans, there are manga story lines that may offend people with strong religious views. Some examples are Black Butler which features a Faustian plot with demon contracted as a butler to an English Earl in exchange for the Earl’s soul. Devils and Realist is another popular manga that is a reinterpretation of King Solomon and the 72 Pillars but sympathetic to demons rather than the angels. Thus I recommend reading the back synopsis of a manga or check it on Goodreads before purchasing if this is a particular concern.
Last but not least, in America fans of manga and anime often refer to themselves as otaku, which in America has connotations of being part of a counterculture Japanophile cool nerd. This is a very offensive term in Japan, where the word has (very) negative (and dark) connotations, so use with caution.
Hopefully this will help my dear readers navigate the rich world of manga. They can be a delight to read but as with all literature, the selection must be made with personal tastes and values in mind.
I. Reid is an avid lover and reader of all things books.