Kass's Kicks: Manga for Beginners

Something we get asked about at the library sometimes is our manga selection. We keep it in our general graphic novel section, and are always looking to expand into new titles. But it’s still a bit of a niche interest, so I thought I’d explain what manga is and make some recommendations for beginners.

Manga is a style of comic art made in Japan, characterized by exaggerated cartoonish features and often a “cutesy” appearance. Like American comics, manga covers all kinds of genres and demographics, so if you’re at all interested in graphic storytelling there is probably a manga for you. Many of the most popular manga are long, multi-volume series, but there are plenty of standalones if you are looking for something shorter to jump into.

One thing that throws English readers for a loop is that manga is often “backwards”—that is, you read and turn the pages from right to left. That’s because the Japanese language is written from right to left, and most publishers opt not to flip the artwork around for English translations. Most people get the hang of it pretty quickly, but it can definitely be confusing at first. Helpfully, some English versions include a guide on the leftmost page for readers who instinctually start there.

However, this isn’t the case for all manga—some of the titles we have at FCL are read from left-to-right because they were written and published in English, rather than translated from Japanese. Manga has gotten so popular in other countries that many non-Japanese have started to create comics in the manga style. Some people say that these books aren’t “real manga” since they aren’t made in Japan, but I think if it captures the same style and spirit then it ought to count.

Our manga collection is geared for beginners and younger readers, so you can jump into any of them. Here are my series recommendations for manga newbies:

Chi’s Sweet Home by Konami Kanata. A kitten named Chi gets separated from her mother and then adopted by a human family, though they must hide her from the landlady who doesn’t allow pets. This comedic slice-of-life story is an easy read for kids or anyone just getting into manga.

Frog Boy by Jason M. Burns and Dustin Evans. Raised in a laboratory, a frog-human hybrid fights the secret organization that created him with the help of the bank-robbing Disco Queens. If you enjoy James Patterson’s Maximum Ride series, Frog Boy might just be the comic for you.

Little Witch Academia by Yoh Yoshinari and Keisuke Sato. One of my personal favorites. Akko, a girl from a non-magical family, begins classes at a prestigious wizarding academy and faces challenges both magical and mundane. Harry Potter fans will be charmed (pun intended).

Manga Classics adapted by Crystal Chan and Kuma Chan. This series consists of authorized graphic adaptations of beloved classic novels. We have the manga versions of Tom Sawyer and Anne of Green Gables in our collection.