Manga Culture of Japan

In Japan, Manga is everywhere. The origin can be traced back to the eighth century in the Heian period. Then, the modern style of Manga, which we see today, was firmly developed and became very popular after WWII especially as a means to entertain young people. Nowadays, more than 10,000 Manga are published annually.

Unlike other kinds of comic books, the target of Managa is not limited to children. There are Manga for boys, girls, young adults, ladies, gentlemen, etc. I think the common genres are pretty similar to those of novels, like adventure, SF, love romance, etc. But there are also many educationally oriented or intellectually stimulating manga as well. For example, I have manga of Metamorphosis by Kafka, Karamazov brothers by Dostoevsky, Biochemistry, ancient Roman history, Russo-Japanese War, etc. So, it is not at all a strange thing that even older people read manga in Japan.

I like to read books, but every once in a while, I really miss reading manga. Compared to reading books, the way you read manga is rather passive and very visual. So when I get really tired but still want some entertainment, manga is a great thing for me. I think this feeling is kind of like the feeling that other people have toward movie movies. Last night, I was in something like that mood, and so I read manga. Only the problem was, I could not really stop reading manga after I had started. When I finished reading the series of manga, it was already six in the morning. I was exhausted, but at least could sleep very well.