Winter Reading at Swanshurst 2011-12
What do YOU know about Manga? „Manga‟ is the Japanese word for comics. In Japan people of all ages read manga. Japanese people spend around £2.3 billion a year on manga. Manga‟s popularity is growing all around the world - Americans now spend £120 million a year on manga. Manga, as we know it, emerged in Japan in the 1950s and 1960s and has become increasingly popular ever since. Manga has an amazing number of genres: action-adventure, romance, sports and games, historical drama, comedy, science fiction and fantasy, mystery, horror, sexuality, and business/commerce, among others. In Japan, manga are serialised in magazines you have to wait for the next episode! Heard of Dōjinshi? Often produced by independent publishers, these manga often parody mainstream titles or include popular characters from famous series The Chinese characters used to write „manga‟ in Japanese can be translated as "whimsical drawings".
1 One Piece 2 Gantz 3 Naruto
Top selling Manga in Japan 2011
4 Shingeki no Kyojin 5 Fairy Tail 6 Bakuman. 7 Kimi ni Todoke 8 Gintama 9 Bleach 10 Toriko #12
1 Pokemon Black & White 2 Naruto 3 Black Butler
Top selling Manga in UK 2011*
4 Blue Exorcist 5 Sailor Moon 6 Vampire Knight 7 Bleach 8 Deathnote 9 Yotsuba&! 10 Highschool of the Dead * Amazon figures
Manga at Swanshurst
Bleach, Fruits Basket, Vampire Knight and Death Note are already very popular. Our new collection, however includes lots of new titles.
Find a full list of our new Manga on the library homepage.
Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels Why should you give them a go?
Some people - and yes, I‟ll whisper it, even some librarians, teachers and parents, look down on comics, manga and graphic novels - “not serious enough”, “pop culture”, “simplistic”, “trashy”. THEY ARE WRONG!!! The truth is, like any art form, comics can be produced for pure entertainment or they can take on all manner of social, artistic and emotional subjects with astonishing complexity and depth. More importantly, the intricate interplay of word and image is unique and can stimulate different ways of perceiving and imagining the world. Most importantly of all...
THEY ARE CREATIVE AND FUN.
More to think about Quite clearly comics, manga and graphic novels deserve more respect and greater critical attention. Critics and fans like Paul Gravett are slowly winning the battle. Newspapers and the media are following suit (The Guardian has a great site devoted to Comics). There are a growing number of brilliant graphic novels aimed at teenage girls and women.
A word of caution Comics, especially those aimed at boys have always had sexist images and representations of women. Manga is no different and certain titles are criticised for a particularly nasty strain of misogyny and sexism. Like any other book, readers need to think critically about the ideas they confront. There is enough sexism in the world without it being in our comics too.
Comics in the UK A brief history 1
The first weekly British comic started in 1874 - it was called Funny Folks. The first comic published completely in full colour was Mickey Mouse Weekly (1936 1955). The 1930‟s are known as the Golden age of comics. The Golden age saw the appearance of comics like Tiny Tots (1927 - 1959), The Dandy (1937 - Present) and The Beano (1938 - Present). The 1950‟s is known as the Silver Age and it saw the appearance of a more sophisticated type of comic epitomised by the Eagle (1950 - 1969) with its hero Dan Dare. The early 1950s also saw the appearance of "lurid” crime and horror comics from America.
Comics in the UK A brief history 2
The 1960â€&#x;s saw a significant increase in comics aimed at girls. Jackie was the bestselling teen magazine in Britain for ten years. During the 1970s, Jackie published a mix of fashion and beauty tips, gossip, short stories and comic strips. The popularity of comics declined in the 1970s, 80s and 90s as kids favoured TV, computer games and movies but the last decade has seen a comics renaissance, especially with the emergence of manga and graphic novels. 2000AD with its blend of sci-fi and fantasy was first published in 1977 and continues today. People like Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, Neil Gaiman and Bryan Talbot all wrote for 2000AD and have gone on to produce some of the best comics of all time. Look out for V for Vendetta, Watchman and Grandville.
Drawing Manga You can improve your artwork with the help of several popular websites, though youâ€&#x;ll have to put up with quite a lot of advertising on some of them. Try Manga University, Mark Crilley, Drawing Now, Manga Tutorials and Sketch Heroes.
There are some great Manga artists in the UK. Check out Sonia Leong. Emma Vieceli and Kate Brown.
Keep reading You can read lots of Manga titles online. Try Manga reader, Manga Stream, Anime A, Manga Fox or Unix Manga Other good sites with trailers, fanzines and previews include Manga UK, Manga Shakespeare and Manga Blog. Thereâ€&#x;s fun to be had on FaceYourManga and thereâ€&#x;s a good little guide here.
Broaden Your Horizons Films
(All things Japanese)
Have you tried the brilliant films of Studio Ghibli - films like Spirited Away (image below), Howlâ€&#x;s Moving Castle, and Princess Mononoke. If you love cinema try the classic movies of Akira Kurosawa from the 1950s and 60s - Seven Samurai, Ikuru or Yojimbo. As long as youâ€&#x;re not expecting modern special effects check out the original Godzilla,. Made in 1954 it explores the savagery of nuclear weapons. Brilliant! And for all you horror fans, as soon as you turn 15 you can watch fantastic films like Ring, Dark Water and The Grudge.
Art
Japanese art has influenced western masters like Van Gogh (see right) and Degas, but is brilliant and fascinating to discover in its own right.
Books
For Manga fans the best place to start exploring Japanese Literature is with the modern author Haruki Murakami. He is a living legend in Japan and his books are now read all over the world. His books are genre-defying, humorous and surreal.