Manga Research

By: Hannah Pettibone

Abstract
Manga is a raising type of book, this form of literature can be used not only for that of the
pleasure of reading but also helps with the enhancement of education in students. Manga has
helped people in ways that a person would not expect from of a book of this sort, but researchers
have seen an increase in the learning ability in those who read manga. There are many different
genres of manga and each can have a beneficial response to that of the reader. Each genre gives
different feels to them, and can help increase a persons creativity levels. Manga has many
helpful aspects to it than a lot of people tend to believe, even manga readers.
Introduction
Many people think that manga is a big waste of time. Well I think they are wrong. A big
part of me is entangled with the type of book called manga. When I was little I use to hate to
read, but on the chance of coming across a manga my reading went up. Say I only read one to
three books a year when I didnt like to read, afterwards it skyrocketed and not including mangas
I can read over twenty books in a good year, with manga it would be over one hundred, over a
week spring vacation I read three books and that was with work and helping around the house.
After reading this Im sure some people would still think manga is a big waste of time,
space, money, and so much more. But what if I told you that manga houses so many other
aspects than that of being able to come to love to read. I will be showing how manga can come to
help influence those who read. And what the benefits can be for taking on manga into your lives.
The different opportunities manga opens up to its audience. Also how manga can help so

different identities than those of who they are at the moment of reading. Manga can be helpful in
a number of different ways, we just need to look and find them, and welcome them, their
influences, and the help they can bring into our lives.
In my literature review, I will be showing how manga can help, improve, and shape
someones life, like mine. It will be talking about several different aspects to the literature form
of manga. It might even help change some peoples minds on the topic of manga, its influence
and its meaningful purpose.
Literature Review
Manga is on the upraise. Manga is Japanese comic books or Japanese graphic novels,
most people who read manga will call them graphic novels and will be ticked off if someone
calls them comic books, because mangas house so much more than those of comic books. Manga
has opened up many different opportunities for it reads, specify that of the female audience.
According to Are You There God? It's Me, Manga: Manga as an Extension of Young Adult
Literature by Lisa Goldstein, and Molly Phelan, critics observe that the male-male love stories
offer females safe opportunities to experiment with different sexual and gender roles. This could
be meaning that they can experience the same sex relationship without truly having to go through
and experience it for themselves. It also states that Young adult literature has always existed to
give teenagers a chance to experiment with different identities, and manga is extending this
function. Manga can help show different identities through all the different genres that it has in
it bounds. From what Ive seen comic books seem to center around heroes. Mangas, unlike
comics can center around anyone; the hero, the villain, and a complete bystanders watching the
conflict of the hero and the villain.

Millions of manga have been created and sold, and their translated and animation
versions are also commercially successful globally, and the influence on children, youth, and
young adults cannot be overstated. Manga can thus be considered an agent of socialization. As
stated by Popular Mass Entertainment in Japan: Manga, Pachinko, and Cosplay, by: Kinko Ito
and Paul A. Crutcher. Manga is now starting to be seen as an agent that will help improve the
educational values of children, again as started in this writing Mangas visual texts should be
understood as signs that represent the social and cultural reality. When we read literature, we
need to read not only what is written in words but also what is suggested, to read between the
lines. Manga also requires this kind of interpretive activity: You are required to read between
the frames that give readers the flow of time and to understand what happens between them. The
use of space in manga is similar to Japanese Zen gardens or Zen painting where nothing
represents something.
It is said in Understanding the manga hype: Uncovering the multimodality of comic-book
literacies by Adam Schwartz, and Eliane Rubinstein-vila, there is little doubt that proficient
manga reading demands a reader who is a negotiator of multimodalities. Manga are said to
require a complex visual reading on the part of the reader (Adams, 1999, p. 71). Proficient
manga readers are adept at negotiating multimodality, using image plus language in
increasingly complex ways (Bearne, 2003, p. 98) as they partake in the dynamic interplay
among cultures, identities, texts, and literacies. Manga readers are likely to attend to graphical
information at the same hierarchical level as the printed text. This is a drastic change from
traditional reading that involves attending first and foremost to the written text, using pictures
and illustrations only as supplements to it (Carrington, 2004). Manga uses its pictures to help

further that of the comprehension for the reader, if the reader does not take the pictures into
account they might be lost as to what is going on and the manga progresses.
According to Pro-establishment manga: Pop-culture and the balance of power in Japan.
By: Sharon Kinsella, Manga became the medium though which they attempt to communicate
their ideas to their employees, young people, and children, or society in general. Manga can be
used to show people how things are done, how to do something, and more.
In Who Is Reading Manga? One High School's Story by Melissa Bergin, it show a similar
methodology as I did in my own research, a survey and thirty- three high school students. It
seems according to this writing that of reading books may go up as a person reads manga. As
stated From my sample, manga seems to embrace both readers and nonreaders. Almost half the
sample, fifteen students, reported reading at least twenty books a year, not including manga and
required schoolbooks. Within that sample, six reported more than fifty books a year! Thats a
major increase to those who may only read, as a lot of people say, normal books! Manga can help
increase the amount of time reading a person might do.
As said in The Otaku's View on Manga by Christina Cuchinotta manga and American
graphic novels do not require the highest grade level to read. It's (mostly) meant for people of all
ages and intelligences to read and understand, and if there's a hidden connotation that may
require one to be a bit savvier to pick up on, that's cool. But you'll never lose anything from the
story. Unlike how a lot of people say manga is just of kids they are wrong. Manga can help
challenge those who read it.
According to Basic Readers Advisory for Manga Select Popular Titles and Similar
Works By Nina Exner, Since manga is a relatively new genre, many librarians have not had a

chance to familiarize themselves with it. The field is also growing so fast that titles appear before
librarians have a chance to really learn about them. In this writing I talks about the librarians
stand point with that of manga. Also stated is Unlike many U. S. comics, manga series are
generally finite. Some have very long runs, but many titles only have five to eight volumes.
However, that is still a large commitment to make. There are no hard-and-fast guidelines as to
whether it is reasonable to start buying a series in the middle, or if it is better to go back and
order some of the earlier ones knowing you cannot afford to complete the set. Unlike regular
books there is the question of should I really by this series, because it is so long. But to start
buying a manga in the middle can help confuse the reader if they do end up buying the series and
I think it is always best to buy from the beginning.
Methodology
I conducted an impersonal survey of about thirty people. I chose thirty to see if my results
added up to about the same as one of the examples in the literature review, the In Who Is
Reading Manga? One High School's Story by Melissa Bergin. But unlike hers I didnt only ask
students, I questions adults. Also I didnt only question those of whom were in an anime or
manga club as she did, I ask people from work (mostly clients because I dont work in the
office), school (friends, classmates, and complete strangers), and others (family neighbors and
more). So this survey has a total of two parts and this survey really only deals with the results of
those who know what manga happened to be at the time of the survey, so about a total of twenty
people took part in the second part of the survey. Every one took part in the first part of the
survey, and only those who answered the way needed went on to the second part of the survey.
All of those who participated in the second part were asked the same questions:
Part A:

1. Do you know what manga is?

Part B
2. Have you ever read manga?
3. Do you like anime?
4. If you have read manga, do you remember what that first manga was that you
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

read?
What is your favorite genre of manga?
Do you like regular books more than manga?
How often do you read manga?
Do you own any manga?
Do you like when manga is turned into anime?

From these questions I was mostly looking at that of number five and number six. But
all of the questions play a role in getting the different perspectives and options.
Results

What manga genre is your favorite?

I don't haveAction
one; 27%
Adventure; 27%

Romance; 9%
I don't care; 27% Horror; 9%

Action Adventure
I don't care

Romance
I don't have one

Horror
The results of

the survey may surprise some of the readers. Ten of the thirty people surveyed did not know or

ever heard of manga, and so their results were not recorded after part one. Part two was for those
who had at least a small amount of experience with manga. Of those who know what manga was
about 28% said they had never read a single manga. But not surprising was about the same
amount did not like or had watched anime, a lot saying that they had better things to do than read
manga and watch anime. For question four I was really only looking to see if manga made a
lasting effect on the reader so much that they could remember that of the first manga they read
70% of those surveyed said they remember what was the opening to their reading of manga, the
males first mangas seem to consist of action adventures and the females that of romance. I was
really looking at question five because this area really shapes what type of manga was like to
read. For this question I was given a total of five different answers; Action adventure: 27.3%,
Horror: 9.1%, Romance: 9.1%, I dont care: 27.3%, and dont have one: 27.3%.
For number six I wanted to know which they read more, manga or regular books; 54.5%
like books better, 27.3 liked manga better, and 18.2% liked both.

How often do you read manga?

Once while ; 9%
Not Often; 9%
A lot; 36%
A little; 18%
Never; 27%
Once while
Never

Not Often
A lot

A little

Next I asked it
how often they read manga; 9.1% read manga only once in a while, and 9.1% dont read it very
often, 18.2% read only a little, 27.3% never read manga, and 36.4 read manga a lot.

For question eight all surveyed owned at least one manga, the range of owned manga was
from one to I cant remember how many I own to too many to count. 18.2% didnt like manga
being turned to anime, the rest were fine with it.
Discussion
In the data I received from my surveys some of them went completely the other way that
I thought they would. Unlike how I originally thought, manga is not as widely known as I had
thought. I think this just proves that even though something might be highly popular it does not
always mean that everyone in the world know what it is or want that something might stand for.
Some of my results do add up to be the same as some of my sources, like in In Who Is
Reading Manga? One High School's Story by Melissa Bergin, one of the most read genres was
action adventure. There are also some other aspect of my survey that come to the same
conclusions as those in the literature review.
Manga has many different part to it and it can do so many different thing to those who are
reading it. Manga can help in enhancing the learning and educational benefits of the younger
generation of readers. Manga can open new doors to those of the readers, showing situations that
might not pop up in there day to day lives, or ever in their lives.
Manga maybe have long series, but I think if you can afford it, it is worth buying the
books. As of right now a manga reader can read a manga online, but the websites are starting to
shut down which mangas can be read because of licensing of the manga series.
I think through this survey I see that it has opened up to many things that I can look into,
as such as, why do some people rather watch anime in Japanese than read manga in English (for
the English speaking people)? It also opened up a question as to why some people like to read

normal reading book as to manga, and I could also ask about it vis versa. For some reason it also
has me questioning why certain types of people like certain types of manga genres but not others,
say for a female reader they like action adventure with lots of blood and gore, and I mean on
almost border line horror, but do not in fact like the horror genre. Though I know this might be
hard to figure out and I might not be able to, but I will try.

Work Cited
Bergin, Melissa. "Who Is Reading Manga?." Young Adult Library Services 3.4 (2005): 25-26.
Academic Search Premier. Web. 31 Mar. 2015.
Cuchinotta, Christina. "The Otaku's View On Manga." Young Adult Library Services 3.4 (2005):
17. Academic Search Premier. Web. 31 Mar. 2015.
Exner, Nina. "Basic Reader's Advisory For Manga: Select Popular Titles And Similar Works."
Young Adult Library Services 5.3 (2007): 13-21. Academic Search Premier. Web. 31 Mar.
2015.
Goldstein, Lisa, and Molly Phelan. "Are You There God? It's Me, Manga: Manga As An
Extension Of Young Adult Literature." Young Adult Library Services 7.4 (2009): 3238. Academic Search Premier. Web. 31 Mar. 2015.
Ito, Kinko, and Paul Crutcher. "Popular Mass Entertainment In Japan: Manga, Pachinko, And
Cosplay." Society 51.1 (2014): 44-48.Academic Search Premier. Web. 31 Mar. 2015.
Kinsella, Sharon. "Pro-Establishment Manga: Pop-Culture And The Balance Of Power In
Japan." Media, Culture & Society 21.4 (1999): 567. Academic Search Premier. Web. 31
Mar. 2015.
Schwartz, Adam, and Eliane Rubinstein-vila. "Understanding The Manga Hype: Uncovering
The Multimodality Of Comic-Book Literacies." Journal Of Adolescent & Adult Literacy
50.1 (2006): 40-49. Academic Search Premier. Web. 31 Mar. 2015.