The Rough Guide to Manga
by Jason S. Yadao
Manga have exploded in popularity in the U.S. in the last twenty years; growing from a hard to find cult item to spilling across the shelves of major bookstore chains. A shorthand description might call Manga the Japanese equivalent to comic books in America, but that would be a disservice to the breadth and variety of subjects and genres as well as the cultural magnitude which is on a much higher level in Japan. It can be rather intimidating for a newbie, fortunately “The Rough Guide to Manga” by Jason S. Yadao offers a terrific overview on all things Manga. He starts with the early roots tracing back to woodblock prints of Buddhist tales of animals acting with human characteristics and foibles. Surprisingly the cross cultural pollination between east and west starts back in the 19th century with “Japan Punch” by Charles Wirgman which took its inspiration from the British magazine “Punch” to produce an illustrated satirical look at Japanese culture for a primarily western ex-pat audience. Early 20th century Manga where inspired by new American imports like “The Yellow Kid”. After World War II Manga truly took off in Japan with the work of Osamu Tezuka who created one of the most popular characters Tetsuwan Atomu who also was one the first to successfully crossover to the U.S. as Astro Boy. Manga has a very symbiotic relationship with Anime (Japanese animation) with many series going from the page to the screen. In the U.S. the successful launch of an Anime series can get the Manga translated and printed into English. The translation of titles is a major issue for Manga with frustrated fans (aka otaku) doing their own bootleg translations when a title they want has failed to be released in America. The author offers fifty essential Manga with summaries of their stories and comments on what makes them significant. Yadao’s book is a an appropriate addition to “The Rough Guide series” as learning about Manga is very much like entering another culture with a need to learn about the language and the landmarks and as such it is a great place to start on the road from newbie to otaku!
