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A Brief History of Modern Manga

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Cover of Barefoot Gen, the first manga to be translated into English.

In Japan, manga — or comics — are an important part of everyday life, and are read by children and adults alike. Manga takes many forms: adventure stories spanning fifty or hundred volumes, four-panel gag strips, biographies of famous people, even cookbooks and computer programming manuals! Though fewer people are reading manga in 2012 than in the 1980s and 1990s, when manga was at its most popular, best-selling series such as One Piece still sell millions of copies.

Here in the US, manga has been available in English translation since the 1980s. Manga’s popularity has been growing steadily among American readers, and is now widely available at bookstores and libraries around the country. In recent years, American companies like VIZ Media and Yen Press have also begun to publish digital versions of their best-selling titles. Fans can now read Blue Exorcist and Yotsuba&! on a Nook, smart phone, or iPad.

Want to know a little more about manga? Below are answers to some of the most common manga-related questions.

Osamu Tezuka (1928-1989) is considered the “god of manga.”

When were the first manga published in Japan?

Though cartoons have been a part of Japanese culture for hundreds of years, modern manga took shape during the 1930s and 1940s. Osamu Tezuka’s New Treasure Island (1947) was one of the first book-length stories to be published in Japan, and was immediately successful, selling 400,000 copies.

Who were some of the most important manga artists of the twentieth century?

No list of famous manga artists would be complete without Osamu Tezuka. The so-called “God of Manga” had a career that spanned five decades. He published some of Japan’s most beloved series, including Astro Boy, Black Jack, Jungle Emperor Leo (also known in English as Kimba the White Lion), and Princess Knight.

Still from the cartoon series based on the ‘Habako no Kitaro’ manga series by Mizuki Shigeru.

In the world of shonen, or boy’s manga, Shotaro Ishimonori was an influential artist. Ishimonori began his career as Tezuka’s apprentice in the 1950s. In the 1960s and 1970s, Ishimonori published a number of popular science fiction and superhero stories, including Cyborg 009, Kamen Rider, and Kikaider. Shigeru Mizuki, another artist who got his start in the 1950s, created one of Japan’s most famous characters: Kitaro, a half-demon, half-human boy who lived with other yokai (spirits). Mizuki’s GeGeGe no Kitaro was one of the first manga to use traditional Japanese monsters and ghosts as recurring characters in a story.

In the area of shojo, or girls’ manga, Moto Hagio, Keiko Takemiya, and Riyoko Ikeda were among the most important pioneers. All three women began publishing stories in the 1970s, paving the way for female artists such as CLAMP, Hiromu Arakawa, and Naoko Takeuchi. Hagio and Takemiya wrote in many genres, including fantasy, science fiction, and romance, while Ikeda specialized in historical drama. Ikeda’s Rose of Versailles, her best-known work, focuses on the French Revolution.

Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates of One Piece manga.

What are some of the most popular manga published in Japan?

Three of the best-selling series in Japanese history are Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball (1985-1995), Takehiko Inoue’s Slam Dunk (1990-1996), and Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece (1997 – present), which is currently the best-selling manga in the world. To date, over 260 million copies of One Piece have been sold.

What was the first manga to be translated into English?

In 1980, Keiji Nakazawa’s Barefoot Gen became the first manga to be translated into English.

What is the most popular manga in the United States?

For the last nine years, Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto has been the best-selling manga in the US. Other current best-sellers include Naoko Takeuchi’s Sailor Moon, Hiromu Arakawa’s Fullmetal Alchemist, Tite Kubo’s Bleach, and Atsushi Okubo’s Soul Eater.

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Katherine Dacey first started reading manga almost ten years ago, when she discovered thatInuYasha – a show she’d been watching on Cartoon Network — was originally a comic. She tracked down a copy at her local comic book store and fell in love with InuYasha in particular and manga in general. For the last six years, she’s been reviewing manga for several websites, including Good Comics for Kids (http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/goodcomicsforkids) and The Manga Critic (http://mangacritic.com).

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