MANGA GENRES

The following is a brief overview of typical genres in the world of manga. These descriptions will discuss some the characteristics of each; however, each genre is not exclusive because genres often overlap and intertwine. Our goal is to present some of the most commonly read genres and to offer some interesting examples of each. Following the genre descriptions you will find examples of some of the artistic techniques often used in manga.

Josei

Josei refers to manga marketed to women approximately 18 years old and older. The genre includes stories involving careers, love, relationships, friends and family. Some of these themes are also found in shoujo, but they are treated more maturely in josei. For example, relationships reflect the sexuality of the characters and the artistic style is more lifelike. (Thompson 171-172).

Tramps Like Us

One acclaimed josei manga series is Tramps Like Us, written by Yayoi Ogawa. It tells the story of a professional woman named Sumire. She works at a newspaper and deals with co-workers, social pressure and relationships. In a weird twist, she "adopts" a teenage boy named Momo, making him her pet. He gives her the acceptance she craves and makes her question her relationships with others. Though Sumire does not emit power in a masculine fashion as seen in seinen manga, she does take on authority usually reserved for male characters; instead of Sumire feeling dominated by a man, she becomes the master as she relegates Momo to the role of a pet (Josei Manga). (Image obtained from mangaworthreading.com)

Seinen

Seinen is manga aimed at an older male audience that includes many story types. Seinen is believed to be for males 18 years or older. Since it is for a mature audience, it is more likely to deal with social issues than shounen and is generally darker and more complex. The subject matter is mature and may contain sexually graphic material or extreme violence. Along with more adult themes, the artistic style in seinen is also rather realistic. (Thompson 327).

1. Black Jack 2. Say Hello to Black Jack 3. MW

MW by the "God of Comics" Osamu Tezuka is both dark and complex. As Frederik L. Schodt explains in his book Dreamland Japan, Tezuka was not interested in flat characters, but relished in creating complex and dynamic characters with ambivalent morality (Schodt 237). MW is the epitome of complexity in plot and character design. It follows two men, a priest name Garai and a manipulative killer named Yuki. While some readers may be uncomfortable with the homosexual themes, it ranks as seinen because it is a mature and disturbing tale full of sex (hetero- and homosexual), violence, manipulation, politics and murder. It is a thought-provoking story that encourages readers to contemplate good and evil.

While Tezuka's manga originated in the 1970s, its tradition still influences seinen today. For example, there is a newer manga series called Say Hello to Black Jack, written by Shuho Sato, which was inspired by Tezuka's earlier manga Black Jack, a story about a renegade doctor who did not practice within the medical establishment. Sato's story also features a doctor, this time named Saito, but he is less of an extreme outsider than the original Black Jack. Saito conforms by working within the medical community, but he attempts to uncover the flaws and corruption present within the Japanese medical system. In 2004 this manga won the Manga Artist Society Grand Prize ("Say Hello") which is an indication that stories for older males remain relevant and can receive critical acclaim.

( Black Jack image taken from tezukainenglish.com, image of Say Hello to Black Jack taken from mangaupdates.com and image of MW taken from mangafox.com)

For all things related to Osamu Tezuka visit the following site:

http://tezukainenglish.com/?q=node/1

Shoujo

Shoujo is a term that means “girl.” Shoujo manga primarily appeals to teenage girls (ages 10-18). The concept of appealing to girls emerged with the implementation of a new educational system in Japan which only viewed girls as future wives. It was also used to justify Japan's patriarchal society (Takahashi 115).

Common to most shoujo manga are cute girls with big eyes who can raise empathy in readers (Takahashi 117). Shoujo manga deals with themes of romance, love, heartache and angst. It can also be intertwined with genres such as fantasy, drama, humor and slice-of-life.

The manga Ouran High School Host Club is a shoujo with a lot of humor. It tells the story of a scholarship student, Haruhi Fujioka, who finds herself in situations where she must dress as a guy and entertain female students in the popular Host Club in order to pay off a debt. The story follows the love development of the main characters Tamaki and Haruhi as they face challenges.

One of the most beloved shoujo is Maison Ikkoku by Rumiko Takahashi. The story follows college student Yusaku Godai and his building manager Kyoko Otonashi. Despite the noticeable love interest Yusaku takes in Kyoko, Takahashi uses a host of creative plot twists to keep the two apart, thereby keeping readers interested.

One notable element of shoujo is that it allows ordinary girls to be heroines. The first successful manga and anime series in the United States was Sailor Moon by Naoko Takeuchi (Thompson 309). Sailor Moon is dominated by female heroines who join together to fight the evil forces of the universe. Other heroine driven manga incude Fushigi Yuugi, Princess Knight, and Slayers.

Picture from upload.wikimedia.org

Shounen

Shounen is one of the most popular genres in America. Titles such as Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, and Bleach are shounen. Shounen manga have a surplus of action. The antagonist usually has the ability to power up and must increase his strength in order to take down the main villain. Heroes in these manga are usually preteens or young adults. There is often an element of the supernatural in these manga. However, there is a strict formula that is followed by most shounen mangaka.

There are certain things that are almost universal in all shounen manga:

1. The villian is always freakishly powerful.
2. The hero starts off weaker than the villian, but more powerful than his allies.
3. The hero has a power within himself that he must awaken.
4. Healing is usual done by a secondary character.
5. There are ways to cheat death.
6. Heroes that die are ressurected.
7. Villians always lose in the end.

YuYu Hakusho Picture from http://www.protoculture.ca/

Naruto picture from www.narutohurricane.com

Action/Adventure

In action manga the characters don't sit around talking, they are doing things and going places. The stories are fast-paced, often contain violence and can encompass other genres such as mecha, sci-fi and fantasy. The adventure aspect of the genre involves characters going on quests and coming across different people and situations along the way ("Genres"). On an adventure there is sure to be action, which is why these two categories go together.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

Although a lot of action/adventure manga focus on male characters, girls are not absent from the genre. A wonderful example of a female-centered story in this genre is Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki. It is a tale that takes place in a fantasy world where a poisoned atmosphere has destroyed many societies and has created a population of oversized insects. The heroine is Princess Nausicaä, who is able to communicate with all forms of nature. She bears no resemblance to the doe-eyed girls often found in shoujo, and her story does not center on falling for boys or hanging out with friends. Instead, she must protect her kingdom from a poisonous miasma and also defend them from militant aggressors by engaging in battles. Along with exciting action, this manga also tackles environmental issues, presenting readers with a futuristic world that warns against polluting the earth. This manga series stands out from others because it does not make Japanese references, but instead presents a more European-looking world. For example, the characters look more like European knights than Japanese samurai and the settings do not resemble Japan (Schodt 278). (Image taken from nausicaa.net)

For more information about the series Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind please visit:

http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/

Comedy

Comedy, also known as “gag,” was typically found in almost all manga prior to war time. Comedy manga range from children’s comics to adult sexual humor. Some comedy manga include Yoshio Sawai’s Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo (2001), Tohru Fujisawa’s GTO, and Eiji Nonaka’s Cromartie High School.

One of the first recognized comedy artists was Fujio Akatsuka, the “king of gag manga.” Akatsuka’s artistic talents were recognized in 1967 with his creation of The Genius Bakabon, where he depicted a fast-paced, simply drawn world populated by dumb citizens and authoritative figures where anything can happen for a joke. Common comedy themes include the humorous suffering of miserable wage-slaves, the impossibly poor, and people enduring various extreme conditions (Thompson 55). Comedy manga are not to be taken literally, as they are often seen as mind fillers with no specific point.

GTO (Great Teacher Onizuka) is a story of a man named Eikichi Onizuka, who finds his calling as a teacher in a high school. He is able to immerse himself in the high school atmosphere by gaining acceptance from his students (known as the worst class in the school). To make things more complicated, he has a reputation of being a part of a motorcycle gang and is viewd as a virgin who surrounds himself with porn and dreams of scoring with teenage girls. The story is filled with crude humor, classic jokes, and sexual situations, all of which highlight the comedy of manga.

Image from 7mangas.files.wordpress.com

Drama

Dramatic manga contains sudden changes or shifts in plot and is filled with emotion, tension and anticipation. Dramatic elements can be found in various types of manga.

One manga full of drama is Confidential Confessions by Reiko Momochi. The story follows a group of teenagers who give in to the pressure to release their personal information through text messaging. In order to earn money to buy things they want, the main characters end up dating perverted old men for money. The story takes an unexpected twist when the group finds themselves in the middle of a suspenseful crime scene.

In the manga Quest for the Missing Girl, by Jiro Taniguchi, a man named Takeshi Shiga seeks to atone for the death of his friend Sakamoto, which he feels he indirectly caused. In order to help ease the pain of guilt, Shiga watches over Sakamoto's wife and daughter. When he hears that Sakamoto's daughter has gone missing, he begins to search for her. The story is driven by events that help Shiga overcome his fears and move on with his life. Taniguchi's realistic style, mysterious plot and suspenseful mood make The Quest for the Missing Girl an excellent dramatic manga.

Historical

Historical manga concern historical events. A popular sub-genre of historical manga is samurai manga. Historical manga is either about actual historical figures or imaginary people living in that time period. For example, the manga Joe Joe's Bizarre Adventure takes place in medieval London and Osamu Tezuka's Adolf is about the infamous Nazi tyrant. This genre can be informative and oftentimes the mangaka must do extensive research to show correct historical detail. For example, Barefoot Gen, a manga by Keiji Nakazawa, retold the horrific story of a child that lived through the horrors of Hiroshima's nuclear bombing. A desire for peace comes through in the manga's straightforward depiction of the effects of war and the anti-war stance of some of it's main characters. It allows readers learn about World War II and to view it from a Japanese perspective.

Most historical manga that is set in the Edo period of Japan contain elements of Japanese folklore. These elements include Oni which are a form of japanese demon, and miko which are Japanese priestesses. An example of a manga that contains both of these is Rumiko Takahashi's Inuyasha. Different oni are seen throughout the story, especially in the earlier chapters. Inuyasha is also popular in the United States, which surprised Takahashi because there are little, if any, references to American culture in the series. It brings the action of shounen together with the romance and tragedy of more mature manga. (image taken from comicsvillage.com)

Mecha

When one thinks of mecha, robots come to mind. While Japanese audiences may consider mecha to be related to many different types of machines, Western audiences generally use mecha to mean manga that are focused on large robots controlled by pilots (Thompson 211). Osamu Tezuka's manga Astro Boy, for instance, may be considered mecha by Japanese standards because it features many types of robots, but it does not completely fit the Western description because Astro Boy is too small and the large robots in the story are not controlled by pilots. Because mecha manga feature large and dangerous robots, war is often a theme, and violence is common.

The Real Robot and the Super Robot

Within the genre of mecha, there are two main types of robots: the Super Robot and the Real Robot. Real Robots are used as a war machines and are mass-produced. They are often piloted by military personnel, then destroyed in battle ("Real Robot"). An example of a manga series that uses this type of robot is the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise (Thompson 213). Super Robots, on the other hand, are more individualized and are not piloted by military personnel, but more often by young males usually related to the robot's creator and who have some destiny to fulfill. These robots can think, often transform and are used as tools by their pilots ("Super Robot"). The mecha genre is also popular in anime, and you can find an example of a Super Robot in the anime series Super Robot Wars.

(Images from tvtropes.org)

For more information about Real Robots visit:

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RealRobot

For more information about Super Robots visit:

http://en.allexperts.com/e/s/su/super_robot.htm

Episode one of Super Robot Wars can be viewed with English subtitles via the following links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWp10tsAqW4 (Part 1)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HYih_21VyY (Part 2)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUjTkCcHJJs (Part 3)

Sci-Fi

Japanese sci-fi resembles its Western counterpart. Sci-fi deals with scientific improvements; plausibility separates it from fantasy. It usually includes robotic technology. Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy was an influential sci-fi manga which looked at the consequences of using technology to gain power. The manga Pluto is a modern retelling of Astro Boy. It handles its subject matter in an adult fashion; murder is taken seriously and robot rights are fully explored. The main character is Geischt, the robot detective with a minor role in Astro Boy, who tries to find a serial killer. In Pluto robots and humans are killed. The story explores whether robotic emotions can become real. Minor characters in Astro Boy are given a greater emphasis in Pluto. For example North #2 is a robot who wishes to become a pianist to escape the horrors of war. Pluto's artwork, done by Naoki Urasawa, is realistic, and the story is longer than its predecessor.

There are various types of common sci-fi which include: hard science-fiction, cyber punk, alternate world, space opera, and alternate history.

1. Hard Science-Fiction focuses on plausible outcomes of our current scientific development.
2. Cyber Punk blurs the line between robot and human. Humans are usually seen with cybernetic implants. Matthew J. Costello says cyber punk usually shows possible advances in nanotechnology and communications (Costello, 3). Ghost in the Shell(GIS) is a Cyber Punk series. The protagonist is a human with a fully robotic body. GIS also inspired the matrix trilogy.
3. Alternate Worlds concern different planets or alternate dimensions. These worlds have their own biological systems, and may have alien life forms that may or may not resemble humans.
4. Space Opera is designated by being about travel through space. The main characters are usually astronauts who arrive on a deserted planet, and must find their way home. The human element takes on a much more important focus here.
5. Alternate History is a sub-genre of science fiction that asks the question "what if?" This sub-genre takes a look of what could have happened if certain things in history took another direction. For example, it might show what would happen if Samurai were still around in the modern area. The anime Afro Samurai, which has elements of both Samurai and modern technology, could be a good example of an alternate history.

Here is a video comapring the Matrix to the Ghost in The Shell anime.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3tF7TL0Qh4

Pictures from

www.twitchfilm.net/
www.photobucket.com
www.amazon.com

Sports

The popularity of sports manga has been noted as one of the main contributors in showing the nature of Japanese comics. Traditional sports comics primarily focus on martial arts such as judo, sumo, karate, kendo (sword fights), and kyudo (archery). After World War II, the American government banned Japanese traditional sports for several years, which paved the way for manga about other sports like boxing, wrestling, and baseball (Thompson 346).

Sports manga were often featured in shounen, which led to the term spo-kon which represents the words “sports” and “Konjo” (“guts" or “determination”). Spo-Kon stories highlight the struggle and intense training required in achieving personal goals.

In the manga Slam Dunk Takehiko Inoue tells the story of a high school delinquent, Hanamichi Sakuragi, who joins the basketball team in the hopes of getting together with Haruko, a girl who loves athletic guys. Throughout the many challenges Hanamichi faces, he slowly learns the importance of teamwork.

Image from upload.wikimedia.org

Shoujo Ai

Shoujo ai is a less explicit version of yuri. It focuses more on the romance between two women than sex. There may be sexual content in shoujo ai, but it will be less explicit than it is in yuri. In some cases, sex scenes might be entirely absent.

Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl

The romantic comedy Kashimashi-Girl Meets Girl, is a shoujo ai manga . Hazumu is a boy who is killed at the top of a mountain when a spaceship crash-lands on top of him. Guilt-ridden, the alien regenerates Hazumu back to life, but as a girl. The whole series concentrates on Hazumu's struggle to adjust to life as a girl, as well as the love-triangle that develops between Hazumu, his childhood friend Tomari Kurusu, and Yasuna Kamiizumi, the girl who had rejected Hazumu when he had been a boy. Sex does not play a role in this series. Kashimashi focuses on how Hazumu deals with his switch in gender and, as the love-triangle develops, his struggle to choose between Tomari and Yasuna.

(Image taken from gomanga.com)

Shounen Ai

Shounen ai is a toned down version of yaoi. It focuses of on the characters' feelings rather than on sexual content. There might be sex scenes, but they will not be as explicit as in yaoi, or they will be kept at a minimum.

1. Gravitation 2. Fake

Gravitation, by Maki Murakami, is a popular shounen ai manga. The plot revolves around Shuichi Shindou, an aspiring singer who wants to follow in the footsteps of his idol, and Eiri Yuki, a cynical romance writer and Shuichi's lover. Running at twelve volumes, Gravitation is a mix of romance and comedy, along with a bit of drama and violence. The majority of the series deals with Shindou's attempts to rise in the music industry and to overcome Yuki's cynicism. There is a notable lack of sex scenes throughout the series because, although it is implied, it is never shown.

FAKE by Matoh Sanami is another popular shounen ai series. It follows the romance between two New York police partners, Ryo and Dee. Unlike Gravitation, where the sex is implied, there is no sex at all in the first six volumes. Instead, the series concentrates on the love that grows between the two and the numerous cases they have to deal with in their line of work. Only in the seventh, and last, volume is there a sex scene between the partners.

(Images taken from Tokyopop.com)

Yaoi

Yaoi involves male homosexual relationships. Yaoi is an acronym for the phrase: yamanashi, ochinashi, iminashi, which can be translated into "no climax, no conclusion, no meaning" (Thompson 415). It has been jokingly said that Yaoi comes from: yamete, oshiri ga itai! ("Stop, my butt hurts!"). Yaoi originated from doujinshi (fan-created manga), when artists took male characters from popular shounen manga and put them into homosexual relationships (Thompson 415). Yaoi is usually written by and for women, and the males that often grace the pages of yaoi are bishounen, or beautiful men. These men are often involved in idealized, monogamous relationships and their stories rarely relate to real-life gay issues.

Relationships in yaoi often have the seme/uke dynamic. One man is the seme and is usually aggressive, looks and acts more mature, and is older in age. The other man is the uke, who is usually more innocent, submissive, younger, shorter, and sometimes effeminate. It is common to have the seme pursue the uke, with the uke being hesitant and initially unwilling to enter a relationship with another man, although at times it is the uke whom pursues a hesitant seme.

1. Junjo Romantica. 2. Upper left: Nowaki/Hiroki. Lower left: Miyagi/Shinobu. Right: Usagi/Misaki

Junjo Romantica, by Shungiku Nakamura, is a popular yaoi title that portrays the differences that can be seen among yaoi relationships through three different couples. The main couple, Usagi and Misaki, portray the typical seme/uke dynamic. Usagi is older, looks more mature, and is aggressive. Misaki, on the other hand, is younger, shorter, and constantly resists Usagi’s advances before giving in each time. The second couple is Nowaki, the seme, and Hiroki, the uke. Nowaki is younger than Hiroki and not as aggressive as one might expect from a seme, and Hiroki doesn’t look as innocent or feminine as one might expect from an uke. The third couple is Miyagi and Shinobu. Miyagi is older by sixteen years and is the seme but unlike the previous couples where the seme had pursued the uke, it is Shinobu who pursues a hesitant Miyagi. Shinobu is also more serious and tends to act older than his age while Miyagi is a bit more carefree and childish.

(Images taken from blumanga.com and crunchyroll.com)

Yuri

Yuri deals with lesbian relationships. Yuri means "lily" and it was first used in the 1970s, when an editor of a gay magazine titled Barazoku-"Rose Tribe"-referred to lesbians as yurizoku, which translates to "Lily Tribe" (Thompson 406). Hentai and doujinshi artists adopted the term to mean anything with lesbian content, even giving their lesbian characters names such as "Yuri" or "Yuriko" (Aoki). As time passed, the term drifted away from its pornographic connotation and began to refer to the portrayal of love, sex, and intimacy between women. Yuri is not as popular as yaoi but the issues in yuri manga have more relevance to the lesbian community than yaoi has to gay men.

Yuri is a broad term, referring to works aimed at lesbians, as well as girl-girl manga aimed at men. The intended audience can be determined based on which magazines the series is printed in and how yuri is portrayed.

The differences can be seen in Strawberry Panic! and Maria-sama ga Miteru. Strawberry Panic! is a popular yuri series set in a girl's school. There is partial nudity, "perverted" behavior, non-consensual sex and explicit situations. In contrast, Maria-sama ga Miteru is romantic without any explicit couplings (Aoki). The differences in both series reflects their target markets. When it comes to yuri relationships, there are no set themes, unlike what one usually sees in yaoi relationships, but there are a few elements that might be found among yuri titles. Some might contain the "Class S" relationship. "Class S" refers to a relationship between schoolgirls, usually between an upperclassman and an underclassman, who are attracted to each other (Robertson 427). Another might contain the butch/femme relationship, where one girl acts and looks more masculine than the other.

Strawberry Panic

Both relationships are evident in Strawberry Panic!. The “Class S” relationship can be seen between underclassman Nagisa Aoi and upperclassman Shizuna Hanazono, with both girls attracted to each other. A butch/femme relationship is evident between Amane Ohtori and Hikari Konohana. For example, Amane’s appearance is more masculine than feminine. Not only is her hair cut short, her clothes usually consist of pants and shirts rather than dresses. Amane is also often seen riding a white horse, which, combined with her masculine appearance, makes her seem like a prince.

(Image taken from gomanga.com)

MANGA TECHNIQUES

The following will demonstrate some common artistic techniques used in manga. Please note that, like manga, the text is read from right to left. Art and text by Renee Barthelemy.

Works Cited

Aoki, Deb. "Interview: Erica Friedman." about.com. The New York Times Company. 29 February 2010.

Brown, Rebecca. "An Introduction to Yuri in Anime and Manga." afterellen.com. 24 February 2010.

Butcher, Christopher. "Queer love manga style." xtra.ca. 25 February 2010.

Costello, Matthew J. How to Write Science Fiction.Washington: Marlowe & Company, 1995

Friedman, Erica. "Erica Friedman's Guide to Yuri." origin.afterellen.com. 29 February 2010.

“The State of Josei Manga.” Manga Worth Reading. http://comicsworthreading.com/2008/03/05/the-state-of-josei-manga/. 7 March 2010.

Josei Manga. http://www.joseimanga.net/ . 10 March 2010.

“Genres.” Baka-Updates Manga. http://www.mangaupdates.com/genres.html. 27 February 2010.

Mautner, Chris. "Introduction to yaoi, part 1." panelsandpixels.blogspot.com. 25 February 2010.

McHarry, Mark. "Yaoi: Redrawing Male Love." guidemag.com. 25 February 2010.

“Real Robot.” TV Tropes. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RealRobot. 12 March 2010.

Robertson, Jennifer. "The Politics of Androgyny in Japan: Sexuality and Subversion in Theater and Beyond." American Ethnologist. Volume 19, No 3. Blackwell Publishing, 1992. pp 419-442. 02 March 2010.

“Say Hello to Black Jack.” Tezuka in English. http://tezukainenglish.com/?q=node/1&PHPSESSID=09929c301bd7bd278840433d2a2d94e5. 27 February 2010.

Schodt, Frederick L. Dreamland Japan : Writings On Modern Manga. Berkeley: Stone Bridge Press, 1996.

Subramian, Erin. "Women-loving Women in Modern Japan." yuricon.org. Yuricon, LLC. 05 March 2010.

“Super Robot.” All Experts. http://en.allexperts.com/e/s/su/super_robot.htm. 12 March 2010.

Takahashi, Mizuki. "Opening the Closed World of Shojo Manga." Japanese Visual Culture: Explorations in the World of Manga and Anime. Armonk: M.E. Sharpe, 2008.

Thompson, Jason. Manga: The Complete Guide. New York: Del Rey Books, 2007.