I wanted to take a moment to discuss with everyone the beauty of Japanese comic books otherwise known as “mangas”. I know that many of my friends and readers have tried anime/manga and did not really like it, or they liked one or two of them and can’t seem to find their niche in other series. Or you are like the public eyesores and *reverts to stuck-uppity voice* requiring of a much more intelligent book from which you can learn because you are so darn stodgy! (You are forgiven.) I am asking that people please not pass over these books just for the sake of thinking they do not give a good message.
Manga – noun; Japanese graphic novel, typically intended for adults, characterized by highly stylized art.
Let me clarify a bit here. Many mangas are liked/loved etc. by teenagers as well, so not all are intended for adults, however, there are those which contain *ahem* adult material. At first glance, these books seem like an elementary read, and I’m sure that there are a few like that. My personal opinion, though, is that these mangas take potential true-to-life circumstances and look at them from a half-and-half viewpoint. I say “half-and-half” because obviously, it’s not too realistic, however, some of it is, or should be.
The characters are often similar to the characters of our sit-coms, only with what I feel to be a bit stronger character-build. What makes a strong character to me? One who is kindhearted and feeling toward others, while also having faults and things s/he struggle with on a daily basis. Someone who can easily communicate their feelings to others, though in reality, people have great difficulty.
Often-times the characters in mangas will share much more with one another. This is something I personally appreciate about the series that I have read. And when they do share, they share for very real and undeniable reasons. They get to the heart of their problems, and rarely ever need a therapist to get to it. For instance, in a series I read recently, a friend struggles with jealousy because her best friend found a guy she loves desperately. The jealousy arises, not because of the girl wanted a boyfriend too, or because she loved the same guy, but rather because she wanted to keep her best friend for herself. When she finally comes around to talking it out with the guy that she does love (but pretends not to at first), she reveals that as a child, she was the daughter of her father’s mistress, and eventually placed in the main family rather than living with her mother. This happened because the head of the family’s (her father) wife could not bear children. She was abused, and even poisoned for the crime of not being the wife’s child. Because her best friend had been the first to show her kindness, she felt that only that friend could ever truly love her… and so she wanted her all to herself. Here in the US, we have kids who go through things that are just as terrible… but sadly, few of them know how to express it to that extent. Because they do not know how to express it, teen crime rates are high. Worse still, no one hears them. And even worse than that…they can never let go of it. Not without help.
I find a new lesson in almost every manga that I read. I hope that my reviews can help others to find appropriate-for-them manga materials and series that they can enjoy as well.
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