Everything you know - or don't know :) about manga and comics Part II
About Manga today we define a popular Japanese comic book presented as an illustrated novel in a unique graphic style. Despite the fact that the first known manga comic dates back to 1902, manga has a more ancient history.
Its origins can be traced back to the emaki, the first illustrated narrative scrolls from the Nara period in the 8th century, and the Ehon, Ukyo-e printed books from the Edo period.
After the isolation of Japan from 1630 to 1853, the country's economy experienced a period of rapid economic growth. It was during this time of isolation that many unique aspects of Japanese culture, including the art form ukiyo-e.
Ukiyo-e refers to a style and genre of Japanese art that manifests itself as woodblock print painting. These prints often depicted everyday people and were very popular among the nouveau riche merchant class. Today, manga uses elements of this art style, such as the flatness and lack of three-dimensionality in the illustrations, as well as the aim of creating a product intended for mass consumption. Ukiyo-e was main to the development of unique artistic trends, and much like manga today, served as a way to popularize Japan's cultural heritage in the West.
Kibyōshi, or “yellow books,” were the most popular of the kusa-zōshi genres and are believed to be the first comic books in Japan written for adults, especially urban literate audiences, with the sole purpose of entertaining readers. These illustrated novels were usually printed in ten-page volumes and reflected aspects of contemporary society. Kibyōshi are considered to be close predecessors of manga, particularly due to the style of the framed images and other features, such as the use of dialogue bubbles, which are still found in current manga.
In 1814, the famous artist Hokusai, who was known for his artwork The Great Wave of Kanagawa, used the term "manga" for his sketchbooks. He had chosen this term to express the notion of drawings caught on the spot.
Manga refers to two Kanji words: "Man", meaning "entertaining", "exaggerated", and "ga", which can be interpreted as "drawing" or "picture". Thus, the name Manga can be defined as "quick sketch", "rough drawing" or "frame".
Western influence in the country created a strong presence. It was the beginning of Japan’s modernization, inspired by Western economic and industrial models. Forms of artistic expression evolved. European cartoonists such as Wirgman and Ferdinand Bigot contributed to the emergence of comics in Japanese media.
The first real manga was published in 1902. A humorous comic published in the newspaper Jiji Shinpō . Its author, Rakuten Kitazawa, had illustrated the famous French short film The Watered Sprinkler by the Lumiere brothers. He was the first who after Hokusai reused the term manga. Besides, this artist defined himself as a mangaka. In the 1940s, the Japanese government used manga for propaganda purposes. After World War II, the cult of manga exploded because of the influence of American comics. Manga became a type of escape from totalitarianism.
Thanks to the Mangakas, the basic principles of manga art were changed, inspired by cinema shots and viewing angles, and expressive, large-scale characters that would become the trademark of all manga appeared in the drawings. No wonder Osamu Tezuka in Japan is referred the god of manga. I.n.t.e.r.e.s.t.i.n.g. that Osamu Tezuka, as a big Walt Disney admirer, for his drawings was inspired by Bambi and his horrified exaggerated look in his eyes :)
As the popularity of manga developed, so did its styles, which also reflected a darker reality and was aimed at young adults. Manga gekiga was invented by Tatsumi Yoshihiro.
Manga has special graphic codes including black and white, as well as panels. Compared to western books, the direction of Japanese reading is the opposite.
The Japanese market expanded its range to include works in many genres, from young adult fantasy to romance to adult fantasy. Japanese manga are usually published in large anthologies containing several hundred pages, and the stories told have long been used as sources for adaptation into animated films. In Japan, such films are called anime, and many creators work in both forms simultaneously, creating a sub-link between the formats.
There are many types of manga for different audiences.
The Komodo manga - a comic book for children similar to Pokémon and Doraemon.
Shōnen manga - addressed to teenagers, offers the adventures of an orphan hero and his battles, such as Naruto or Dragon Ball.
Shojo manga - mainly for young girls, focuses on the love and friendship stories of schoolgirls like Nana.
Seinen manga - Aimed at students or young adults, covering more realistic, diverse themes such as Death Note or The Attack of the Titans.
Josei Manga - Women's comics, also known as ladies' comics, such as Beauty Bunny, Your Name.
Hentai - intended for an audience of +18 years, guess why... :)
Comic book themes in other countries tends to be between within very strict parameters, but in Japan the themes are much more varied. From juvenile to adult fantasies.
In the post-occupation years, Japanese artists developed their own unique style, which they published in newspapers and magazines until they were given their own weekly or monthly comic series. Monthly magazines such as Garo presented avant-garde manga and greatly influenced the manga business and Japanese society.
Unlike previous publications, it never settled on a specific theme, instead exploring a variety of topics and experimenting with many art styles. It was during this period that a large manga readership was established, and in turn, a major marketing push for manga took place. At the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, almost a quarter of all printed matter in Japan was manga. Translations became hugely popular in foreign markets—in some cases equaling or surpassing sales of domestic comics.
In the 1980s and 1990s, after Japan's economic boom, manga became the colossal industry it is today. During this golden age of manga, some of the most successful series took over the world, such as the manga One Piece, which has been running continuously since 1997. Today, Japanese manga continues to have a significant artistic influence on comic artists internationally and has gone so far as to influence cultural aspects of society not only in Southeast Asia, but also in many European countries.
Manga, which is an inevitable phenomenon of narrative drawings, is distinguished by its own special universe, as well as graphic codes that are very different from western comics. Over the centuries, it has become a symbol of Japanese culture throughout the world. If you are interested in this profession, we recommend you to read the manga Bakuman by Tsugumi Ōba and Takeshi Obata, which tells the story of two high school students who decide they want to become mangakas, it's the right start to become a respected M.a.n.g.a.k.a:)
The mangaka profession has no feminist preconceptions, namely, do, gender does not determine talent :) Two main marketing genres have become established in Japan, shonen manga for boys and shōjo manga for girls. In 1969, a group of female manga artists (later called the Year 24 Group, also known as the Magnificent 24s) made their debut in shōjo manga. The group consisted of Moto Hagio, Riyoko Ikeda, Yumiko Ōshima, Keiko Takemiya and Ryoko Yamagishi.
Mangaka is the author of the manga. Artist has a great passion for Japanese comics and generally creates both the story and drawings. Therefore, mangaka develops a captivating universe and characters that are similar to the screenwriter. A pencil case and a mangaka marker :)
Depending on the success of the manga, the publisher decides whether to publish the work in a volume or to discontinue the collaboration. The future of mangaka depends on you. This profession is not for everyone, even a talented illustrator will need a lot of luck and determination to succeed. It's important to remember that before a manga goes into production, it's serialized in a pre-publication magazine that's aimed at the general public and often doesn't stand up to criticism. However, those who are lucky become very famous and receive a particularly respectable salary.
Web manga has developed thanks to image hosting sites where anyone can upload pages of their work for free. www.pixiv.net - the most popular site where the works of amateurs and professionals are published. It has become the most visited artwork site in Japan :)
In Japan, have been developed apps that teach you how to draw professional manga and learn how to create them. The weekly publication Shōnen Jump released Jump Paint, an app on medibangpaint.com that helps users to create their own manga, from creating storyboards to digitally inking lines. Over 120 types of pen nibs and over 1000 screen shades for artists to use.
In 2020, manga sales surpassed 600 billion ¥ for the first time in history, surpassing the peak in 1995, thanks to rapid growth of the digital manga market, which grew by 82.7 billion ¥ year-over-year, outpacing print manga sales, which also increased. The revenue speaks for itself.
P.S.
Try, be diligent, persevere and find your own style - you will succeed :)