Japan's manga comics take on US superheroes

[DNAgent]

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The Incredible Hulk and Spider-Man are confronting new rivals in the US comic book world, as young Americans are devouring Japan's "manga" comics depicting wandering samurais and cheeky Tokyo schoolchildren.

 

 

Linda Pfeiffer, 15, never got hooked on her brother's comic books, which glorify muscular heroes complete with superpowers. Instead, she is absorbed by Japanese comic book characters to whom she can relate, "even if they live far away from here."

 

Unlike US comics, "mangas don't always have a happy ending," Pfeiffer added as she scoured a Washington area comic book store.

 

Thanks to enthused American teenagers such as Pfeiffer, "manga is one of the fastest growing segment of the (American) publishing industry," said Milton Griepp, founder of ICv2, a research organization on the animation industry.

 

Manga, literally "random sketches" is the term for the genre of narrative comic strips, often series, read by millions of Japanese. Thousands of new titles on themes ranging from samurai, golf, yakuza gangsters, fantasy superheroes, sex and social satire are published each year.

 

In the United States, sales soared to between 110 million and 140 million dollars in 2004 from 60 million dollars in 2002, Griepp said.

 

Book stores have expanded their comics sections to accommodate the growing demand.

 

"Japanese pop culture has a lot of exposure in the US, on TV with anime, with video games and now mangas," he said.

 

The best-selling manga in 2004 was "Rurouni Kenshin," which depicts the religious and war rituals of 19th century samurais.

 

 

The mangas follow the popularity in the United States of the cartoons Pokemon, Dragon Ball and Yu-Gi-Oh.

 

 

The success of mangas is surprising since they mainly refer to Japanese culture and are created for Japanese readers.

 

 

American girls have helped make mangas successful in this country, representing between 50 to 60 percent of the readership, Griepp said.

 

 

They are avid readers of "shojos" -- mangas mainly created for girls. These comics mix realistic stories about school, family, friendship and love, with fantasy.

 

 

One of the most popular shojo series, called "Fruits Basket," tells the story of Tohru Honda, an orphaned student adopted by a family hit by a curse.

 

 

"Female readers in the United States have strongly demonstrated that manga is now a medium to be enjoyed by both sexes," said Liza Coppola, vice president of sales at Viz, one of two big manga publishers in the United States.

 

 

Viz's rival TokyoPop released last year a manga co-created by rock singer Courtney Love, the widow of Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain. "Princess Ai" is the story of a girl who becomes a music star and escapes assassins.

 

 

"I have always loved the Japanese culture and the people," Love said. "Princess Ai is a great character because she feels like my alter ego, but in a fantasy setting."

 

 

 

 

"Japanese art, not traditional but contemporary art ... are doing quite well and are accepted in the US," Japan's embassador to the United States, Ryozo Kato, said recently.

 

"This is a good thing because, in the end, I believe that the strength of the US-Japan relationship comes down to people-to-people communication and mutual respect," he said.

 

 

 

 

 

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nice to see comics gaining in popularity...i thought we would see more 'comic readers'

after the recent comic book films...maybe the jury is still out on that though...maybe they tried

spider-man, x-men etc. and like the manga more....

[DiceX]

[Aman619]

One interesting aspect of AMerica's newfound interest in Manga was that many kids liked that they were so different from their parents comics, especially in being "backwards". They dig it that their parents cant figure out how to read them... Kind of a teen rebellion thing that appeals to them...

[NewtSamson]

These Manga books have taken the space TPBs and graphic novels had in the bookstores and that makes NewtSamson an angry little man.

[deathlok]

 

I agree

[nik]

 

I agree

Trifecta

[OldGuy]

Manga accounts for about 18% of my LCS monthly sales. The owner says it's the difference in her being in business or going out of business.

 

If Manga keeps my LCS a couple miles away instead of 60 miles away then I like Manga, even though I've never bought any.

[DiceX]

I have a Star Wars avitar too, Newt.

Pretty much sums up what I think of manga, too.

[tilleycs]

Manga accounts for about 18% of my LCS monthly sales. The owner says it's the difference in her being in business or going out of business. If Manga keeps my LCS a couple miles away instead of 60 miles away then I like Manga, even though I've never bought any.

 

I hear ya. At least it's good for something - helping LCS's stay in business. I've never liked it.

[deathlok]

Manga accounts for about 18% of my LCS monthly sales. The owner says it's the difference in her being in business or going out of business.

 

If Manga keeps my LCS a couple miles away instead of 60 miles away then I like Manga, even though I've never bought any.

 

pure bunk, OG. If that is what is keeping the LCS from going under, than they best be prepared to shut the doors. Manga is a trend like most other trends. It will be hot for a while and then cool dramatically. The only real question is how long you can ride the gravy train until it derails.

[Zanarkand]

Manga accounts for about 18% of my LCS monthly sales. The owner says it's the difference in her being in business or going out of business.

 

If Manga keeps my LCS a couple miles away instead of 60 miles away then I like Manga, even though I've never bought any.

 

pure bunk, OG. If that is what is keeping the LCS from going under, than they best be prepared to shut the doors. Manga is a trend like most other trends. It will be hot for a while and then cool dramatically. The only real question is how long you can ride the gravy train until it derails.

 

Yeah, it's probably just a fad. It's only been around 50 years, steadily growing in popularity all the while. It'll cool off any day now.

 

Don't mistake sales for popularity. Image was a fad. Valiant was a fad. The whole indie thing in the 80s was a fad. A fad is a new thing rapidly increasing in popularity, then fading. Manga and anime have been around for decades, and have always enjoyed a place in pop culture. Think Astro Boy, dating back to the 60s. Think Akira, Lone Wolf & Cub. Think Voltron, Transformers, going back 20 years and more.

 

The recent sales explosion is due to the deliberate efforts of two competing US publishers, Viz & Tokyopop. They have succeeded magnificently where comic book publishers have struggled - they got the material out of specialty stores and into mainstream retail outlets.

[Sal]

he said "trend," not "fad," and there is an appreciable difference between the two.

 

Movies based on comics are a "trend." movies based on Marvel comics are a "fad."

 

manga has been around for decades. but this explosion of sales is totally recent.

 

before the late eighties, when Akira and others came out - including LW&C, how many books could you pick up at your LCS that were manga?

 

one? Astro Boy? don't think so.

 

it just so happens I disagree with Mr. Deathlok...i think these things will be around for a while, at least until word gets out that "Manga" and "comic book" are roughly equivalent. this differentiation is, imho, important

[rob_react]

maybe they tried

spider-man, x-men etc. and like the manga more....

 

Not a surprise given the breadth of genre manga represents. Just superheroes vs. everything under the sun? Is it a wonder why manga is gaining ground? Especially with women/girls...

[rob_react]

at least until word gets out that "Manga" and "comic book" are roughly equivalent. this differentiation is, imho, important

 

I think the word is out, unless using phrases like "Japanese comics" or "comic books" in articles like this isn't direct enough.

[rob_react]

Manga accounts for about 18% of my LCS monthly sales. The owner says it's the difference in her being in business or going out of business.

 

If Manga keeps my LCS a couple miles away instead of 60 miles away then I like Manga, even though I've never bought any.

 

pure bunk, OG. If that is what is keeping the LCS from going under, than they best be prepared to shut the doors. Manga is a trend like most other trends. It will be hot for a while and then cool dramatically. The only real question is how long you can ride the gravy train until it derails.

 

How many other "hot trends" take this long to grow? The growth of Manga sales has been building for years and years. It's not an overnight sensation by any stretch of the imagination.

 

By the way, what amazes me about the hostility to manga here is the fact that NEW people are reading comics (NEW PEOPLE READING [#@$%!!!] COMIC BOOKS) and all the crowd here can do is complain because it's not superheroes. Jesus. It's just comics from another country. People from Frank Miller (to invoke a fan favorite) on down recognize as much, why it's such a problem here is beyond me.

[OldGuy]

Manga accounts for about 18% of my LCS monthly sales. The owner says it's the difference in her being in business or going out of business.

 

If Manga keeps my LCS a couple miles away instead of 60 miles away then I like Manga, even though I've never bought any.

 

pure bunk, OG. If that is what is keeping the LCS from going under, than they best be prepared to shut the doors. Manga is a trend like most other trends. It will be hot for a while and then cool dramatically. The only real question is how long you can ride the gravy train until it derails.

 

What are talking about? "pure bunk"? You calling me a liar or my LCS owner? It's been a "trend" that's played a major part in keeping her doors open over the first 18 months she's been in business. Owning a LCS is all about "trends" and keeping up with them. You obviously know nothing about how most LCS stay in business. If you think it's on traditional comic book sales then you're on crack.

 

My LCS also sells TPB's, Statues, Original art, CGC comics and they rent DVD's (mostly Japanimation). Take any one of those out of the mix and they would have problems keeping the doors open. But I don't know why I'm telling you this, you know everything anyway.

[Sal]

at least until word gets out that "Manga" and "comic book" are roughly equivalent. this differentiation is, imho, important

 

I think the word is out, unless using phrases like "Japanese comics" or "comic books" in articles like this isn't direct enough.

 

oh, i don't know...quotes in articles like these typically avoid the word "comic" in favour of "manga." i wonder why that is. the guy writing the article will of course say "comics," in order to allow the reader who has no clue what manga is a frame of reference, but the readers and publishers fastidiously avoid using the word. and rightly, imho.

 

there is, for better or worse, right or wrong, an association between "comic books," and "geek." i don't mean geek in the good sense, either. if there is such a thing.

 

but "manga" on the other hand...why, that's not "comic book" at all! it's japanese! it must be different!

 

this differentiation is important by my reckoning.

 

of course all of this is just my opinion

[Zanarkand]

maybe they tried

spider-man, x-men etc. and like the manga more....

 

Not a surprise given the breadth of genre manga represents. Just superheroes vs. everything under the sun? Is it a wonder why manga is gaining ground? Especially with women/girls...

 

Comic books are trending in this direction, some. Vertigo pretty much represents the non-superhero end of it. Marvel seems to be attempting to gear towards girls with an occasional salvo of Mary Jane, which my 11 year old daughter enjoyed.

 

There are 9 or 10 different styles of manga though, and always have been. Sales in Japan have always been in the billions because a) they're not specialty books there, available only in specialty shops, and b) they're not targeted to an audience, they're for everyone.

[rob_react]

at least until word gets out that "Manga" and "comic book" are roughly equivalent. this differentiation is, imho, important

 

I think the word is out, unless using phrases like "Japanese comics" or "comic books" in articles like this isn't direct enough.

 

oh, i don't know...quotes in articles like these typically avoid the word "comic" in favour of "manga."

 

Just because I have to...

 

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The Incredible Hulk and Spider-Man are confronting new rivals in the US comic book world, as young Americans are devouring Japan's "manga" comics depicting wandering samurais and cheeky Tokyo schoolchildren.

 

 

Linda Pfeiffer, 15, never got hooked on her brother's comic books, which glorify muscular heroes complete with superpowers. Instead, she is absorbed by Japanese comic book characters to whom she can relate, "even if they live far away from here."

[deathlok]

I wasn't calling you or LCS a liar, OG. The way you phrased your statement made it appear as if they didn't sell Manga that they would have to go out of business. That is what I was refering to in my post, which appears to have been misunderstood also by others.

 

I do not think Manga is a "fad" because it has been around for awhile. However its popularity in the United States is a trend. The popularity has grown for a few years and will likely dwindle down a few years from now.

 

Someone mentioned Manga has been around from Astro Boy, Transformers, Voltron etc. I may be wrong but these are not Manga, as we know it today, but rather considered Anime. Rob may know more on this since he follows this type of thing.