Manga for Teen Librarians

Manga are extremely popular around the world with teens, kids, and adults all enjoying it. But for those who haven’t read any, it can seem challenging to get into. We’ll give you an overview of what manga is, debunk common myths, and suggest titles to add to your collection! - Matthew Morrison & Jean

Broughton

What is Manga?

In the most common definition, “manga” are comics that are originally released through the Japanese publishing industry. That means comics like Solo Leveling (South Korea), Trese (Philippines), or Night Bus (China) are not included.

Two major defining features of manga are that the artwork is black and white and that they’re published so that you read the pages from right-to-left (the same as you would read the Japanese language). This may seem complicated at first, but with a little work reading them can become second nature!

Who publishes manga?

Dozens of publishers have released manga in English (and more in French). The “Big 5” are Viz Media (who publish My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Spy x Family), Kodansha (Attack on Titan, Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku), Yen Press (Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun, Fruits Basket), Dark Horse Comics (Mob Psycho 100, Danganronpa), and Seven Seas Entertainment (I Want To Eat Your Pancreas, The Ancient Magus’ Bride).

Manga Myths

Manga is a genre

Manga isn’t a genre! Manga titles can be romance, horror, mystery, fantasy, mystery, or even non-fiction!

All manga is for children

There are manga aimed at every age group, from children to the elderly. The four main “target audiences” of manga are: Shonen (young male audience, generally focused on action and adventure), Shoujo (young female audience, generally focused on romance and drama), Seinen (adult male audience), and Josei (Adult female audience).

Viz Media has two popular imprints called Shonen Jump and Shojo Beat, but these include titles rated 16+/18+ so you can’t just rely on the imprint name.

All manga is violent/sexual/inappropriate

Japan has different cultural norms and expectations that do not always correspond with those in Canada. Most (though not all) manga publishers have age ratings available on their books and websites. Some will also include why a book is rated a certain way, such as violence, language, or sexual themes. However, publishers don’t always get these things right and we can’t tell you what is, or is not, “appropriate” for your collection as every library and community is different. We advise you to read the manga and decide for yourself!

All manga series are 100 volumes long

One Piece released its 101st volume in December 2022, but this is the first (and so far only) series to reach 100 volumes in English. Other series, such as Bleach (74 volumes) and Naruto (72 volumes), ran for a time, but the majority of manga don’t last that long. It’s even possible to avoid series entirely and put together a manga collection that consists entirely of standalone volumes.

Manga and anime are the same thing

Anime refers to animated cartoons from Japan. These are often (though not always) based on manga. However, an anime adaptation can drive interest in the original manga and it is worth paying attention to what series have an anime adaptation coming out in the future.

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You can get manga through interlibrary loan

Many libraries do not allow manga or graphic novels to be borrowed through ILL, so libraries can’t rely on each other to supplement what they have on their shelves. If you can’t purchase manga for your physical collection, you can add digital manga to your library collection by buying individual volumes on OverDrive or subscribing to ComicsPlus, while Hoopla contains a small assortment of manga.

Where can I find out more?

For more information check out Manga in Libraries: A Guide for Teen Librarians by Jillian Rudes (available later this year from ALA Editions) or the recorded webinars and resources available at https://mangainlibraries.com/. YALSA’s Great Graphic Novels for Teens list contains many manga titles each year.

Manga to buy

We’ve put together lists of recent and ongoing titles that we hope will be helpful for those looking to start or expand their manga collections. We’ve tried to limit it to series that don’t have dozens of volumes so they don’t completely break your budget.

Completed Series - single volumes or series that are finished (or soon will be).

Boys Run the Riot by Keito Gaku, published by Kodansha (4 volumes)

Two teen boys–one trans and one cis–join forces to start a clothing line, which is harder and more emotional than either expects.

Deadpool: Samurai by Sanshiro

Kasama

and Hikaru Uesugi, published by VIZ Media (2 volumes)

The fourth-wall-breaking hero teams up with some new characters to form a new Avengers team in Tokyo. A great gateway manga for teens who like Deadpool, and more teen-appropriate than most Deadpool titles.

Lost Lad London by Shima Shinya, published by Yen Press (3 volumes)

When the mayor of London is murdered on a subway train, Al, a student, finds the knife in his pocket but has no memory of how it got there. He joins forces with a soft-hearted detective to figure out who framed him.

My Love Mix-Up! by Wataru Hinekure and Aruko, published by Shojo Beat / VIZ Media (9 volumes)

When Aoki sees that his crush’s eraser has classmate Ida’s name written on it, he studies the other boy to find out what she sees in him, and eventually falls for him as well!

Our Colors by Gengoroh Tagame, published by Penguin Random House (1 volume)

Sixteen-year-old Itoda is coming to terms with being a young gay man in a society that is not welcoming to people like him. When he is hired to paint a mural at a café, he meets a gay elder for the first time.

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Robo Sapiens: Tales of Tomorrow by Toranosuke Shimada, published by Seven Seas (1 volume)

A series of interconnected, thought-provoking stories about the relationship between AI, humanity, and the future of both.

Run on Your New Legs by Wataru Midori, published by Yen Press (5 volumes, final volume forthcoming in May)

Shouta’s whole life was soccer until he lost his leg in an accident. When a prosthetist offers to make him a leg designed for sprinting, things start to turn around for Shouta.

Ongoing Series - These titles are still coming out; we don’t know how many there’ll end up being!

Blue Period by Tsubasa Yamaguchi, published by Kodansha (10 volumes)

Yatora doesn’t find life fulfilling or even interesting until he discovers painting. He throws himself into reaching a very difficult goal: attending the only publicly funded art school in Japan.

Cat + Gamer by Wataru Nadatani, published by Dark Horse (2 volumes)

Riko’s life is pretty quiet–just work and gaming–until she adopts a cat abandoned at her work and names it Musubi. Unsure how to be a cat parent, she decides it is her job to level Musubi up.

Chainsaw Man by Tatsuki Fujimoto, published by Shonen Jump / VIZ Media (12 volumes)

A down-on-his-luck teenager, who's resorted to selling his body parts to survive, merges with a demon and gains the ability to transform parts of his body into chainsaws! Joining a special government organization, he tracks down and eliminates devils using his new powers.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End by Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe, published by Viz Media (7 volumes)

As an elven mage, Frieren’s life is much longer than the lives of the rest of the great party of adventurers that defeated the Demon King. Faced with her own immortality, she begins a new adventure.

Heaven’s Design Team by By Hebi Zou, Tsuta Suzuki, and Tarako, published by Kodansha (9 volumes)

God requests animals that can fulfill certain criteria (e.g. “an animal that flies without wings,” which eventually becomes the Paradise Flying Snake), and the team of quirky and talented designers gets to work! As much about the design process as about interesting animal facts.

Kageki Shojo!! by Kumiko Saiki, published by Seven Seas (9 volumes)

Sarasa is a student at the Kouka School, where students train in music, dance, and acting in order to graduate into an all-women theatre troupe. As the tallest girl in her class, Sarasa stands out, but not quite as much as her roommate, a former idol.

Kaiju No. 8 by Naoya Matsumoto, published by Shonen Jump / VIZ Media (6 volumes)

Kafka dreamed of defending his homeland against giant kaiju monsters, but ended up on the kaiju corpse cleanup crew. His dream feels dead until one day he transforms into a kaiju himself.

Mashle: Magic and Muscles by Hajime Komoto, published by Shonen Jump / VIZ Media (11 volumes)

In a world where only magic users are permitted to live, Mash Burnedead has honed his muscles to be able to defend himself against any threat. Mash uses these muscles to pass the entrance exam of a prestigious magic school with the ultimate goal of changing the law and going back to his quiet life and his beloved cream puffs.

Matthew Murray is a Data and Graduate Studies Librarian at BCIT and knows a lot about manga and graphic novels. Jean Broughton is a Teen Services Librarian at the Vancouver Public Library