Manga Collection Development for Complete Newbies Dave Inabnitt

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

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

Manga NOT manga

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Recommended Titles

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

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

Hikaru No Go Yumi Hotta (Viz) u u 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) u u Full-on action with ghostly/samurai edge Stylish and funny 14 and up (mildly suggestive) Teen boy audience

Yotsuba&! Kiyohiko Azuma (ADV/Yen Press) u u u 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) u u Dark tale of murderous justice Eerie and thoughtprovoking Popular with both genders Best for older teens

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

One Piece Eiichiro Oba (Viz) u u 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) u u 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) u u u Makeover madness Goofy and fun Older teen girl audience, 15 and up

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

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Nagaru Tanagawa (Yen Press) u u 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) u u u 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) u u u “My Fair Lady”style Romantic Comedy Up and coming shojo series Teen girl audience, 13 and up

School Rumble Jin Kobayashi (Del Ray) u u u 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 Dororo Masayuki Ishikawa (Del Ray) u Science/educational manga…and about the funniest and most approachable book about microbiology ever printed. Ozuma Tezuka (Yen Press) u 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 u With the Light Tetsu Kariya(Viz) Keiko Tobe (Yen Press) a not “just” a manga – It’s a great book about Japanese cuisine. u A true life account of a mother’s struggle with her son’s crippling autism.

More than Manga u 1. 2. 3. 4. u u u Drawing books Manga Mania: How to Draw Japanese Comics by Christopher Hart (Watson-Guptil Publications) Manga School by Selena Lin (Tokyopop) Manga Pro Superstar Workshop: How to Create and Sell Comics and Graphic Novels by Collen Doran (Impact) 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 u u u Manga publisher websites (Yen Press, Viz, Tokyopop, Del Ray) www. mangablog. com, www. noflyingnotights. com Wikipedia (best for background info) Graphic Novels in Libraries Listserv (GNLIB -L-subscribe@topica. com) Librarian’s Guide to Anime and Manga (www. koyagi. com/libguide. html)

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