My Journey into Manga

My Journey into Manga

Okay I have a new addiction, it's not booze or drugs it's for batshit crazy Japanese Manga comics.  I first got intrigued during a visit to my local Forbidden Planet in Cambridge, I knew a little about Manga but thought it was just all about garish colours, big round eyed characters and heroines that were dressed as schoolgirls.  But, while killing time in FP, I wondered over to the Manga section and, liking horror, my eye was caught by the shelf full of books with the Tokyo Ghoul title.

If you know your Manga you'll know that unlike Western books you start from, what we'd consider, the back page and read the dialogue from left to right.  Well I didn't know this and it really threw me at first, however I was pleasantly surprised by the striking black and white artwork and characters that looked normal. So, this quick look in the shop piqued my interest enough to look a little deeper into Manga and perhaps give it a chance.

I put a shout out on some of the comic groups I'm a member of on Facebook and messaged  friends, asking for some recommendations of good reading. It surprised me how many responses I got and how fervent these guys were about their recommendations.  I thought it might be a bit more niche, especially amongst my peers.

Armed with this new knowledge I looked at the books online and I found a great resource, the Shonen Jump app.  The app gives the reader access to a massive amount of Manga titles with unlimited amounts of streamed reading and 7 downloads for less than two quid a month.

Straight away I found that the rest of Tokyo Ghoul was on there along with some others I'd been recommended to read.  As I mentioned, reading Manga means reading the physical books differently and this is the same with the digital medium too. Instead of swiping the page right to left, you swipe left to right and again you read the speech bubbles from right to left.  If, like me, you're someone that's only read British/Western comics this can initially mess with your head at first but I found that my brain adapted quickly, especially when reading a lot of it.  

I've only scratched the surface but, what I have read I've found quite addictive.  It's easy to find that you've flown through many chapters (individual comics) in one sitting, especially on the app.  So, here are a couple of recommendations from what I've read so far. Dip your toes in the waters of Manga, you might just like it.

Tokyo Ghoul: Is set in an alternate reality Tokyo where ghouls, creatures that live as humans, survive on human flesh. They have preternatural powers of strength and regeneration they can
generate a weapon called a kagune to fight and kill their prey. The hero of the piece Ken Kanaki survives an attack by a ghoul but becomes half ghoul himself.  He has to befriend ghouls and learn to live with his new desire and need to devour human flesh.

As you might guess from the synopsis, it's pretty dark stuff with plenty of action scenes.  I really enjoy the black and whilte art, especially the depiction of fights and kills. The frenetic energy of an attacking ghoul is portrayed so well. The story of Ken Kanaki and how he deals with  the new life thrust upon him while also trying to cope with the usual teenage angst is well handled.

One Punch Man: Started life as a 2009 webcomic, a parody of Western superhero comics, before becoming a Manga title in 2012.  It revolves around the life of a young hero called

Saitama, the titular One Punch Man. One Punch Man because that's all it takes for him to win his fights with the monsters and general bad guys who inhabit this world.  Needless to say, he becomes bored with the lack of challenge he faces and the lack of recognition for his acts. In an effort to change this he joins the National Superhero Registry, and aims to climb the rankings.

One thing I love in Manga is the use of a splash page and there's a lot of them in OPM.  As I read digitally, I'm constantly having to flip the tablet to get the best of the artwork. The premise of OPM is pretty simple I'll grant you, he and sometimes other heroes battling a monster of the week (or each other) and dealing with the consequences.  But, it moves at a good pace and keeps the reader entertained. At this time with everything that's going on in the world I'll take some easy entertainment any day.