Manga Collection Development for Complete Newbies Dave Inabnitt – Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn NY

What is Manga?  Comic books/Graphic Novels from Japan…  …or any comic book/graphic novel drawn in the distinctive “Manga” art style.  Often gets confused with Anime (Japanese animation)

MangaNOT manga

Preconceptions of Manga  Lurid and Creepy  Strange and hard to understand

The reality  Wide range of subject matter  Less challenging than you think  Lots of approachable material for all ages  Offbeat format, characters, and themes makes manga irresistable to teens!

Manga Terms, part 1  Shonen: Manga for tween/teen boys

Manga Terms, part 2  Shojo – Manga for tween/teen girls

Manga Terms, part 3  Seinen – Manga geared to older male readers  Josei – Manga geared older female readers  Otaku – Slang term for manga/anime nerd

Manga Genres  All the ones you know and love: Action, Adventure, Romance, Drama, Comedy, Horror, Slice-of-Life.  Unique and offbeat genres too!

“Best in Japan”/Quest  Hero aspires to be the greatest in Japan at…something.  Baseball, auto racing, music, etc.  Faces foe after foe and plenty of defeats, but ultimately triumphs.

Cooking Showdown  Remember “Iron Chef”?  Love of cooking and food is major component of Japanese culture.  Offshoot of “Best in Japan”/Quest genre.

Giant Robot/Space Opera  Classic Japanese manga genre (Voltron, Robotech).  Not as popular as it used to be, but still in demand.  Science fiction stories with giant, human-piloted robots at the center of the action.

Harem Comedy  Main character seeks true love while fighting off unwanted advances of multiple admirers.  Occasionally suggestive….  Geared toward guys, but plenty of titles geared toward female readers.  This theme is a popular element to many storylines.

Ghost Hunter  Protagonist must find and fight evil spirits.  Strong “ghost story” tradition in Japan.  Can be light-hearted, action-packed, or eerie.

Recommended Titles

Naruto Masashi Kishimoto (Viz)  Ninja-centered Action/Adventure  “Shonen manga” with strong female readership  Ages 12 and up

Fruits Basket Natsuki Takaya (Tokyopop)  Orphan girl must solve adoptive family's curse  Funny, light- hearted series that doesn’t skimp on drama.  Strong teen and tween girl appeal  13 and up

Hikaru No Go Yumi Hotta (Viz)  Classic “Quest” – with the help of a friendly ghost, a young boy works to be the finest Go player in Japan  Good for all ages

Bleach Tite Kubo (Viz)  Full-on action with ghostly/samurai edge  Stylish and funny  14 and up (mildly suggestive)  Teen boy audience

Yotsuba&! Kiyohiko Azuma (ADV/Yen Press)  Daily tribulations of precocious 5 year old  Sweet enough for kids and clever enough for adult readers  Great for all ages

Death Note Tsugumi Ohba (Viz)  Dark tale of murderous justice  Eerie and thought- provoking  Popular with both genders  Best for older teens

Kare Kano Masami Tsuda (Tokyopop)  “Perfect” girl not so perfect….  Romantic/rivalry comedy  Perfect for teen girls, 13 and up

One Piece Eiichiro Oba (Viz)  Pirate adventure  Slapstick, cartoonish action with occasional pirate naughtiness  Silly and fun  12 years old and up

Best of Miyazaki – Howl’s Moving Castle, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and My Neighbor Totoro (Viz)  3 “film comics” taken from classic Japanese animation films.  Charming, easy to enjoy and understand, great for younger readers.

The Wallflower Tomoko Hayakawa (Del Ray)  Makeover madness  Goofy and fun  Older teen girl audience, 15 and up

Full Metal Alchemist Hiromu Arakawa (Viz)  Action/Adventure with loads of political intrigue  Unique “Steampunk” setting  13 and up

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Nagaru Tanagawa (Yen Press)  Offbeat combination of comedy, romance, coming of age, and far-out science fiction  Strong female characters  Will appeal to both genders  Best for older teens (some risqué’ elements, somewhat esoteric plot )

Yakitate Japan Takashi Hashiguchi (Viz)  Mix of comedy, cooking showdown, and food science  Cross-gender appeal  Best for 14 and up (cheesecake, goofy wordplay)

High School Debut Kazune Kawahara (Viz)  “My Fair Lady”- style Romantic Comedy  Up and coming shojo series  Teen girl audience, 13 and up

School Rumble Jin Kobayashi (Del Ray)  Slapstick comedy/romance/high school highjinks  Humor: silly and relatively innocent  Appealing to tweens and teens, with a cross-gender appeal

Offbeat Manga for Older Readers Moyashimon Masayuki Ishikawa (Del Ray) Masayuki Ishikawa (Del Ray)  Science/educational manga…and about the funniest and most approachable book about microbiology ever printed. Dororo Ozuma Tezuka (Yen Press) Ozuma Tezuka (Yen Press)  From Ozuma Tezuka, the creator of Astro Boy and the “Godfather” of modern manga, a creepy and engaging tale of revenge and destiny set in medieval Japan.

Offbeat Titles, part 2 Oishinbo Oishinbo Tetsu Kariya(Viz) Tetsu Kariya(Viz)  a not “just” a manga – It’s a great book about Japanese cuisine. With the Light Keiko Tobe (Yen Press)  A true life account of a mother’s struggle with her son’s crippling autism.

More than Manga  Drawing books 1. Manga Mania: How to Draw Japanese Comics by Christopher Hart (Watson-Guptil Publications) 2. Manga School by Selena Lin (Tokyopop) 3. Manga Pro Superstar Workshop: How to Create and Sell Comics and Graphic Novels by Collen Doran (Impact) 4. How to Draw Anime & Game Characters series (Digital Manga Distribution)  Japanese culture, language, and history  Clothing design for “cosplay”  Japanese street fashion – Fruits by Shoichi Aoki

Resources, Pt 1  Manga publisher websites (Yen Press, Viz, Tokyopop, Del Ray)   Wikipedia (best for background info)  Graphic Novels in Libraries Listserv  Librarian’s Guide to Anime and Manga (

Resources, Pt 2  Manga: The Complete Guide by Jason Thompson  YALSA’s Great Graphic Novel for Teens list  “Flip test”  Ask your patrons!