Understanding Japanese Anime and Manga Comics

These two terms are synonymous with comics and cartoons as used in the western world. The bold art of manga and anime wins the hearts and minds of many across the globe. What is the historical background of the two caricatures? And how do they differ?

Entertainment centres across the world are hosting anime and manga clubs. As such people are getting to know more about the Japanese culture.

 

Anime and Manga: Not Just for Kids

16 Mar 2020

Graphic novels and comics are no longer the preserve of children and are becoming increasingly popular with an adult audience. At the forefront of this new revolution are the Japanese Anime and Manga genres. Anime also lends itself to animated cartoons and movies.

Anime and Cartoons Differences

6 Feb 2020

It is easy to assume that anime is merely the Japanese equivalent of western animation. However, there are numerous key differences between these two art forms. These differences include the cultural context of the work, the storytelling structure, the overall aesthetic and many others worth researching.

A long Love of Manga

31 Jan 2020

I love Manga. I can’t remember when I lived without it, and I can’t imagine living without it in the future. This has made me the butt of many jokes from childhood until...well, around 10 minutes ago when I ran into an old friend from high school at the store.

So I don’t see my manga mania ever stopping, but even I realize sometimes I could broaden a bit. And I started to ask myself why I love manga so much. These are the reasons I found:

  • The animation/graphics
  • The world of fantasy
  • The sense of adventure

But where else could I find all of that?

On to...slots?

While it’s a bit counterintuitive, I found these same qualities playing online slots. I just happened upon somebody playing Divine Fortune once and I found the graphics and sound to be on par with what I’d seen in games. Then I searched and found americancasinoguide.com, which had good information about the different kinds of online slots available.
A lot of the slots games I found online pick up on some themes from my favorite manga comics. Plenty of wands and wizards and swords, so that makes me happy. Of course a good win helps, too!

Differences Between Manga and Comics

2 Jan 2020

On the surface, it may seem that manga and comics are relatively similar. However, examining the two versions of print media closer will reveal a number of crucial differences. These differences have been discussed and debated by YouTubers. One of the most notable examples is the way they are read.

Differentiating Manga from Anime

1 Nov 2019

Manga: This is a collection of narratives illustrated on physical pages. It dates back to 1798 in Japanese pop culture. The first production described 'Shiji no yukikai', a commonly known picture book. In 1814, the trend continued with other publications such as Hokusai Manga and Aikawa Minwa's Manga Hyakujo. Like the regular cartoons, manga is two-dimensional and non-realistic. The most predominant aspect in the top manga series is satire. Today, the genre is still exploding with artistic creativity.

Anime: Pronounced as 'ani-may', it refers to stories which can be displayed on a TV or a computer. Anime is more realistic, and comes in 3D, with characters having distinctive features and motions. As the US cartoon industry was developing such series as Mickey Mouse, Japanese artists were making a unique style of comics. Osamu Tezuka, a renowned cartoonist and the Godfather of manga and anime, devised the large-eye aesthetic and used it in his first anime series, Astro Boy, that was first broadcast in 1963. It was the first Japanese comic to hit the US airwaves. Between 1970 and 1980, other adaptations with sophisticated themes including Star Blazers and Robotech took over. The anime market continued to grow, hitting about $400 million as indicated by the Japan External Trade Organisation.