What is manga in 2024 ? Distinguish common manga genres by theme and format

What is manga?

Manga (漫画) is the term for comics and graphic novels created and published in Japan. Unlike Western comics, which are often printed in color, Japanese comics are almost always drawn in black and white, with color prints usually only used for special editions.

Regarding reading order, Manga is read from right to left and from back to front. In addition, popular manga series are often adapted into anime (the term for Japanese animation ).

Brief history of manga

Manga has a long history, starting in the 12th-13th centuries with the scroll “Choju-jinbutsu-giga”. The concept of manga began to take shape in the Edo period, and it gained popularity in the late 18th century. In the early 19th century, well-known manga books were published, and in 1876, Rakuten Kitazawa became the first professional manga artist. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, Japanese artists used advancements in printing techniques to publish comics criticizing politics, leading to government censorship.

After the American occupation of Japan, the style of American comics ( comics ) had a clear influence on the style of manga. For example, Tezuka Osamu (1928 – 1989), a Japanese manga artist, created works such as “Astro Boy” (1952 – 1968) that combined Western themes with traditional manga elements.

Today manga has developed into a worldwide craze with many publications in many genres , possessing a huge readership in almost every country. Manga has also been adapted into anime, movies and video games, attracting the attention of many fans.

Main manga genres 2024

Shoujo

Josei

Shonen manga

Gekiga

Shounen-ai

Adventure

Sports

The best Japanese comics up to 2024

One Piece

This action and adventure manga focuses on teenager Monkey D. Luffy, who and his teammates in the Straw Hat pirates set out to sea in search of “One Piece” – the world’s ultimate treasure. In addition to treasure, Devil Fruit is also one of the symbols of this manga. This fruit gives supernatural powers to those who eat them, in exchange for losing their ability to swim. Luffy is also the owner of Devil Fruit powers, he turns into a rubber man after eating the Gomu Gomu fruit.

One Piece includes many important themes such as camaraderie, pure dreams, love, history, social issues, conflicts…

Naruto

 

Dragon Ball

What you shoud read ?