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Webquest

Welcome to the fabulous world of manga!

Manga is the Japanese word for comics published in Japan. The style incorporates pictures in addition to dialogue to tell the story. In keeping with the Japanese comic format, they are printed backwards. This preserves the orientation of the original artwork — plus, it’s fun!

Japan has been a major player on the world stage for nearly 200 years. How much do you know about this nation of islands?

Task 1: Take the quiz!

TASK 2

What is Manga?

Manga refers to Japanese comic books, the series of which are often made into Japanese cartoons, or anime.

In Japan, manga is usually published as a weekly, biweekly or monthly periodical before being published into novels. Japan has a high literacy rate and manga makes up about a third of their publications. It doesn’t just stop with fiction though, there are also non-fiction publications about science or history. Manga also goes into real life issues and the characters struggle with problems that are similar to those of the readers.

Manga is usually fairly cheap to publish and only requires a small number of artists to produce. In fact it can take just one, the mangaka, who is usually both the writer and the illustrator.

The word manga can be translated as “humorous pictures.” The style became very popular in the mid-20th century. It has since become a huge part of Japanese culture. The artists and writers of manga are well respected for their work.

Japanese manga is to be read from the right side to the left, the opposite of traditional books. Not only do you read the pages from right to left, but you also read the panels and text from right to left.

It is usually collected in small volumes.

Check your vocabulary: gap fill

TASK 3

How to Read Manga

Reading manga engages your mind in ways regular books don’t. Learning to read pictures and words together helps you process images faster and with more accuracy. In our visual society, this ability can really help!

Manga reads from right to left. The narrative is contained within panels called koma. So, to read a page of manga, you start with the koma in the top right-hand corner and you end with the koma in the bottom left-hand corner.

The elements that are used to build up a manga story include manpu, fukidashi and giongo.

Manpu

Manpu refers to manga symbols. They are frequently used to express movement or emotions. They convey feelings such as sadness or anger; embarrassment or tiredness.

Fukidashi

Fukidashi are the speech bubbles, which give manga characters their voice. Its shape reflects the mood of the message being conveyed. Solid, rounded speech bubbles represent normal speech, whereas more cloudlike fukidashi express happiness and more spiky-shaped ones surprise or tension.

Giongo

Giongo are words that represent sounds. Japanese has more than three times the number of sound symbolic words compared to the English language.

Check your understanding: gap fill

TASK 4

Manga Genres You Need to Know

In Japan, manga was segmented into categories by gender and age group, the two most prominent being shonen, for young boys, and shojo, for young girls. In recent years, the lines between those categories have become blurrier and are generally non-existent outside of Japan.

There are four main manga genres: Shojo, Shonen, Josei and Seinen.

Shojo manga is targeted at girls up to the age of 18 and focuses on romance, friendship and comedy. Drawing is idealised, with emotions conveyed through large, expressive eyes and symbols such as flowers. Although the main target audience for shojo manga is girls, boys read it as well and it can be drawn by both male and female artists.

Shonen means “young man”. It is marketed towards young teen boys between the ages of 12 and 18. Manga labelled under this category usually has a male protagonist and features stories of action, adventure and fantasy. Shonen is the best-selling category of manga.

Josei refers to manga targeted towards women over 18. Josei protagonists may be girls in college or women in their 30s. It has more mature themes and storylines.

Seinen manga is a genre that is aimed primarily at young adult men between the ages of 18 and 40. It can focus on action, politics, science fiction, fantasy, relationships, sports or comedy.

Illustration: comic darkness on Behance

Check your understanding: multiple choice

TASK 5

A Beginner’s Guide to Manga

Do you want to start reading manga? We’re here to help.
The most important thing to remember about manga is there is something for everyone. Whether you like high school romantic comedies or fantasy epics, there is a manga for you.

With manga becoming more popular than ever we take a look at some of the most popular series and recommend top choices for teens.
One problem facing newcomers to manga is simply the overwhelming choice. Where do you begin?

Manga: Where to Start

1. Demon Slayer

Demon Slayer is highly regarded as one of the best manga of the 21st century, and for some good reasons. When the first two volumes got published, manga readers became crazy over it. As a result, in just a span of four years, Demon Slayer sold over 150 million copies, making it one of the all-time successful manga comics.
In Taisho-era Japan, Tanjiro Kamado is a kindhearted boy who makes a living selling charcoal. But his peaceful life is shattered when a demon slaughters his entire family. His little sister Nezuko is the only survivor, but she has been transformed into a demon herself. Tanjiro sets out on a dangerous journey to find a way to return his sister to normal and destroy the demon who ruined his life.

2. Naruto

Naruto, written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto, tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village. The story is told in two parts — the first set in Naruto’s pre-teen years, and the second in his teens.

3. Hikaru No Go

Hikaru no Go is based on the board game Go. Hikaru Shindo is like any sixth grader in Japan: a pretty normal school boy with a two-tone head of hair. One day, he finds an old Go board in his grandfather’s attic — and that’s when things get really interesting. Trapped inside the Go board is Fujiwara-no-Sai, the ghost of an ancient Go master who taught the strategically complex board game to the Emperor of Japan many centuries ago.

4. Haikyu!!

Haikyu!! is a sports manga about an underdog volleyball team. The manga saw such an intense spike in popularity that it turned half of Japan’s youth into volleyball fanatics, and suddenly every school in the country had its own volleyball team.

5. My Hero Academia

What would the world be like if 80 percent of the population manifested superpowers called “Quirks” at age four? Heroes and villains would be battling it out everywhere! Being a hero would mean learning to use your power, but where would you go to study? The Hero Academy of course! But what would you do if you were one of the 20 percent who were born Quirkless? Middle-school student Izuku Midoriya wants to be a hero more than anything, but he hasn’t got an ounce of power in him.

6. Chi’s Sweet Home

Chi and her collection of furry and feathered friends are winning the hearts of readers of all ages. Chi is a mischievous newborn kitten who, while on a leisurely stroll with her family, finds herself lost. Overcome with loneliness, she breaks into tears in a large park meadow, where she is rescued by a young boy named Yohei and his mother. The little kitty is then quickly and quietly whisked away into the warm and inviting Yamada family apartment, where pets are strictly not permitted.

If you have any other suggestions, let us know and we’ll add them to the list.

Check your understanding: multiple choice / Manga and anime characters

TASK 6

Before reading

Match the words with the correct definitions.

Check your understanding: true or false.

Match the description with the character.

How To Choose The Right Manga

Looking for something smart? Read Goodnight Punpun

Goodnight Punpun is an intensely smart and underrated manga. It follows the life of a child named Punpun Onodera, from his elementary school years to his early 20s, as he copes with his dysfunctional family, love life, friends, life goals and hyperactive mind. The manga explores themes such as depression, love, social isolation, sex, death, and family. It was written and illustrated by Inio Asano.

Looking for a classic? Read Astro Boy

Astro Boy is a robot with human emotions. He fits the embodiment of a hero, having a strong sense of justice and is always willing to defend those who can’t defend themselves. A natural pacifist, he always attempts to solve situations intelligently with diplomacy. He has an extreme care for the preciousness of life. One of the original manga series, first published in 1952, Astro Boy was created by Osamu Tezuka. The manga explores themes such as war, the preservation of nature, intolerance and discrimination.

Looking for horror? Read Shiver

Junji Ito, the author of Shiver, is the king of horror. Not only in the world of manga, but in all literature. Shiver is a collection of nine short stories. It is the perfect place to begin reading the master of horror manga. Souichi Tsujii is the main character of many of the short stories. He is known for his schemes, though many of them backfire in comedic and ironic ways. There are several recurring themes in Junji Ito’s work: beauty, body horror, criticism of Japanese society and obsession.

Looking for romance? Read Orange

Orange is a love story with a twist, as is the case with almost every manga you’ll ever come across. It is also a mature and impactful short series to start with when it comes to reading manga. It tells the story of a high school girl who receives a letter from herself a decade into the future. The letter explains that she regrets something connected to a new student. The protagonist, Naho Takamiya, must follow the letter’s instructions in order to avoid making the same mistakes that her future self did, though this proves more difficult than she expects. The series is written and illustrated by Ichigo Takano.

Looking for an epic? Read Vinland Saga

Vinland Saga is a Japanese historical manga series written and illustrated by Makoto Yukimura. Set during the Viking age of Northern Europe, it is an ambitious and exciting place to start reading manga. Following the story of Thorfinn Karlsefni, a real Icelandic explorer who lived during the 11th century, Vinland Saga takes its readers on an epic, snow-covered journey from Iceland and Denmark, across the British Isles, and beyond.

Looking for something short and iconic? Read Death Note

Death Note is hailed as one of the best. It remains a firm favourite amongst countless manga fans. It’s a short, contained, but thrilling drama with some fun fantastical elements. The story follows Light Yagami, a teen genius who discovers a mysterious notebook, which grants the user the supernatural ability to kill anyone whose name is written in its pages. Beloved by teens and adults alike, Death Note is a nail-biter of a story, full of sudden twists and turns that really keep you glued to the page. It was written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata.

Looking for a blend of genres? Read The Promised Neverland

This is the one to check out when it comes to reading manga as a beginner. The Promised Neverland is more than just popular. It’s also completely outstanding. It’s a series that plays with genre in a clever and mind-bending way. What looks at first like a slice-of-life set in an orphanage soon becomes a cat-and-mouse horror story filled with demons and unfeeling humans. That horror becomes a mystery, and a drama, and an adventure. It just keeps growing and building. The series, written by Kaiu Shirai and illustrated by Posuka Demizu, follows Norman, Emma and Ray in their plan to escape from their orphanage, after learning the dark truth behind their existence.

TASK 7

How to Create Manga-Style Cartoons

Comics are not the same the world over: the forms of storytelling, drawing styles, page formats, book sizes and pagination all vary depending on their geographical area and culture.

While generally American comics favour action and colour strips, and in France the stories are published in hardback and with larger illustrations, there are two key elements relating to the narrative and page size that set manga apart:

The grammar and basic premises of manga

The individual parts that make up a comic are the same all over the world:
Panels – the single drawn images.
Grid – the collection of panels that together form a page or strip.
Gutters – the white spaces that define the narrative time.

One of the basic guidelines for creating a page of manga is to always follow the emotions you want to communicate to the reader at that moment. So you could draw a wide, spacious panel if you want to communicate that the characters have a relaxed state of mind, with the various elements in the scene and the balloons balanced graphically. Alternatively, if you want to communicate a feeling of tension, you can create imbalance in the scene.

Manga has some distinctive features:

Basically, in manga, the page layout and structure are governed by the emotions that the author wishes to convey, as well as a narrative structure that seeks to maintain the interest of the reader.

TASK 8

How to Draw Manga

Manga belongs to a very specific subculture of comics with a very distinct and exotic look. Aspiring manga artists can learn by trying to replicate particular comics or cartoons that inspire them. In other words, you can start drawing by basically copying manga.

Understanding manga proportions

Manga characters’ anatomical proportions makes it instantly recognizable. Manga eyes tend to be bigger than in real life, while mouths are smaller, and the heights of chins, noses, and foreheads all differ significantly from a real human body. Manga hair often defies gravity, and facial expressions are unreal. To sum up, drawing manga isn’t simple.

Learning manga’s visual language

Comics and cartoons use a visual shorthand to convey emotions, actions, and ideas. In Western comics and cartoons, a sleeping character might have a few Zs coming from their mouth. When a character suddenly gets an idea, a light bulb appears over their head.

Manga has these visual shortcuts too. A giant bead of sweat on a character’s head means they’re exasperated or frustrated. A snot bubble coming out of someone’s nose means they’re asleep. Motion lines behind a character can mean they’re moving, but they can also indicate that someone is especially determined. If a character is embarrassed, they’ll die temporarily and turn into a ghost.

Cultivating your own manga style

Every manga artist has their own style and growing as an artist means embracing your mistakes.

Whatever style you develop, there’s room for it in manga. Manga is many things, from samurai to steampunk to cat girls. There’s no single “right” style, and that means — with exploration and practice — you can find a place for yours.

How to draw manga: Getting started for beginners.

Which artwork do you like best?

TASK 9

Manga Visual Style

Hair

Black: It generally has positive connotations — keep in mind that this is the normal hair colour in Japan; all other hair colours are unnatural, and consequently somewhat suspicious.

Blonde: This hair colour has two diametrically opposite interpretations: obvious power and intelligence, or ditzy and immature, accident-prone. In either case, blonde-haired characters usually mean trouble.

Brown: Nothing screams “I’m a stock character” like having brown hair.

Red: In women, red hair generally connotes a brazen, confident character, often having special abilities. Male characters with red hair tend to be quiet and humble, but skilled fighters.

Grey: Grey hair usually shows a character with a hidden power that will be revealed later in the series. These characters are usually very intelligent and often (although not always) evil.

White: On younger characters, full, white hair gives a sense of dignity and style. On older characters, it may just mean they’re... well, old.

Blue: Likable characters, shy, sweet, smart and funny.

Green: These characters are usually good at heart, but misguided. Seen in an antagonist, it often means the character will defect to the side of the good guys by the end of the series.

Pink: Generally only seen in female characters, girls with pink hair are cheerfully cute.

Eyes

Eyes are one of the most definitive characteristics of the manga drawing style. Depending on the artist and the type of character that is portrayed, there are almost countless variations.

Noses

Mouths

Illustration: Bao Nguyen Quang

Your turn

Practice manga drawing by expressing the following feelings: surprise, anger, sadness.

TASK 10

How to design your own poster in 5 easy steps

A poster is any piece of printed paper designed to be attached to a wall or vertical surface. It is usually made up of a combination of text and image components.
A poster is designed to be both eye-catching and informative.

1. Plan

A poster must communicate a message, which comes from a carefully planned concept and idea, so the first step to making a poster is to put a few things on paper.
Every successful design piece begins with the pre-design process. Before you start designing, take a moment to define your ideal viewer:

Define your poster’s message

Your design doesn’t need a lot of text to say something. It does, however, need to have a specific message.

2. Draft an outline

You need to create an outline to ensure any information you’re presenting is clear, clean, and concise. Less is often more when it comes to posters. The more information your poster has, the higher the risk that it will confuse and overwhelm the reader.

3. Decide on your colour scheme

Your design’s colour scheme is probably the first thing your audience will notice about your poster, so it’s important to get it right.

60-30-10 colour rule

Basically, pick a shade of a primary colour: red, blue, or yellow. Next, pick two complementary colours.
Your primary colour should take up 60 percent of your poster design, while the two other colours can take the remaining 30 and 10 percent.
You can always add one or two more colours, but the point of this colour rule is to follow a hierarchy in your design.
Use a tool like Adobe Color to apply the colour harmony rule.

4. Add your images

Your image can convey much more than regular text ever will.
Here are two things to keep in mind at this stage.

5. Create a hierarchy

Typography

The fonts you choose will also have a significant effect on your poster’s mood and message.
One thing to remember with typefaces is to avoid combining more than two different typefaces or four type variations (i.e., type size, and bold or italic style).
When in doubt, stick to a sans serif font and serif font combination, or a decorative font for your poster headline and sans serif fonts for all other text.

Text layout

The way your text is laid out on your poster is just as important as your typefaces.
The rule to remember here is visual hierarchy. You want to use the size and position of your text elements to tell the reader where to look, like your headline and call to action.
The text must be super easy to read.

Grading rubric for posters

TASK 11

How to Organise a School Exhibition

An exhibition normally tells a story through objects, models, sounds, text, art or pictures. Staging an exhibition for your school gives you the opportunity to research a theme in ways that encourage collaboration, research and discussion.

Remember this: people will notice the image far more than they will notice words — make sure your artwork attracts their attention.

Death Note Artwork: Ahmed Shoeb on Behance

“Everything you can imagine is real.” – Pablo Picasso