What are manga comics and why are they so popular?

Seeing figures with elegant large eyes, small noses and mouths just about anywhere? Welcome to the manga world! Originating from Japan, mangas are now popular worldwide for quite some time. And trust me, they’re here to stay. Never heard of Manga comics before? Well, then you have missed out on a very interesting part of the Comics world. Here’s your answer to what are manga comics all about!

What are manga comics?

Mangas are comic books and graphic novels covering a wide range of genres. Unlike normal comic books, mangas often run long and have several volumes. Manga comic authors/artists are called Mangaka.

Mangas are primarily divided into 4 types – Shonen (aimed at teen/tween boys), Shoujo (aimed at teen/tween girls), Seinen (aimed at young men) and Josei (aimed at young women).

Why are manga comics so popular?

Mangas come in a myriad of different visuals and styles. Apart from the catchy images and hooking storylines, mangas come in a huge number of genres which include not only fantasy, action and sci-fi but also cooking, adventure, sports, music and even the daily life of normal people! Mangas are thus preferred by people from all walks of life.

Mangas are also crafted with great sound and dramatic effects which makes the scenes realistic. They have cinematographic effects and at times you’ll feel like you’re looking at the scenes through the character’s eyes!

It isn’t just the common people, even celebrities have caught the manga fever. Celebs like Avril Lavigne, Keanu Reaves, Samuel L Jackson, Kanye West and Zac Efron are big fans of manga comics.

Most popular manga comics characters

There are many characters in manga comics that have won the heart of the readers. Some of the most popular ones are

• L (Death Note): The fictional character’s full name is L Lawliet, but he’s exclusively known by the mononym L. He’s the most popular hero of the series Death Note.
  
• Vegeta (Dragon Ball Z): Even though Vegeta isn’t the main character of the Dragon Ball Z series, he’s loved more than other characters. He’s probably the coolest of all Manga heroes.
  
• Light (Death Note): Light Yagami, commonly known by his first name ‘Light’, is another very popular character. Light is a classic hero-turned-villain character. Even though Light kills L in the Death Note series, there is no dearth of readers who still love this complex character.
  
• Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist): Popularly known as Ed, he’s the protagonist of the Fullmetal Alchemist manga series. This fictional hero is loved by manga readers despite his flawed character and moral conflictions.
  
• Bulma (Dragon Ball Z): Bulma is the most significant female character in the animated manga series Dragon Ball Z. Don’t go by her cute face, she’s a tech wizard and a genius at work. She’s also the sweetheart of Vegeta.

How is manga different

One of the first things you’ll notice about mangas is that they’re written from right to left. Mangas are slower-paced than western comics and have a more vivid portrayal of emotions. Mangas also cover more themes than western comics.

The popularity of Manga can be estimated from the fact that even Marvel comics created a series called Marvel Mangaverse. In essence, Mangaverse is an alternate Marvel Universe where the story and characters are portrayed in manga style. Marvel also released a sequel of “New Mangaverse” in early 2006.

Even DC comics have been published in their manga version. Batmanga is the most popular of them all.

Interested to try mangas? Here are some must-read titles:

What do you feel about mangas? Are you going to try them? Let us know in the comments below!

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