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āIsekai? Seinen? Yon-koma? Shoujo? Are you saying that I need to become fluent in Japanese just to know what kind of genre of manga Iām reading!? ĀÆ\(ā¢_ā¢)_/ĀÆā
Haha no way, thereās no need to learn a whole new language. Please donāt panic.
That being said, being able to memorise a few dozen or so key terms, which happen to come from Japanese, would go a long way into helping you make informed choices about what titles to read and what kind of stories or content to expect in different genres and age demographics. Once you pick up these terms (some of which are English such as slice-of-life), it becomes much easier to search online and on different book review websites such as Goodreads or Anime-planet for similar titles that might cater to your interests.
In the table below, I attempt to explain some common terms that are used to describe or discuss components and components of manga. These terms and tags are often used to navigate websites that index and display manga. For the sake of brevity, Iāll try to focus on terms exclusive to manga which are usually derive from Japanese words (e.g., āIsekaiā is included since, but āFantasyā is not). Many of these terms may be explained in greater depth on websites such as wikipedia, TVTropes, Animeplanet, Goodreads, or publishersā websites.
āFormatā refers to the publisherās designation/category of a work
āDemographicā means the target audience and their usual characteristics (age, gender, interests, etc.)
āGenreā is self-explanatory. Many websites and online manga readers organise titles by genre to help readers find works on topics and ideas they are interested in.
āContentā refers to something that occurs or appears in the narrative. Websites like Animeplanet are fantastic for finding titles by their content tags, which can help readers find works that explore very specific ideas.
āLayoutā is a feature of the composition, panelling, and/or presentation of the work
Check out Book Riotās Guide To Manga or Manga Librarianās page for more fleshed-out definitions and example titles!
| Type (Format, Demographic, Genre, Content, Layout, etc.) | Term | Description and Remarks | Example works/titles (and links if possible) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Format | Artbook | A book containing a series of published illustrations. The artbook may be material of a broader work (such as a videogame, anime, concept art) or a compilation of related images published for some other reason. | Valkyria Chronicles Design Archive |
| Format | Doujinshi | ||
| (åäŗŗčŖ) | Self-published works, which are typically sold at conventions such as Comiket. |
While Doujinshi often utilise the intellectual property of existing works (i.e., fanfiction), they are still allowed to be sold at these conventions. Nevertheless, many doujinshi are entirely original and can be considered similar to āindieā works.
Some Doujinshi eventually gain enough popularity and recognition that publishers decide to pick them up for serialised publication | | | Format | Manga (ę¼«ē») | A style of graphic novel that can be distinguished by its Japanese authorship, right-to-left reading direction, monochrome art, panel composition, and use of distinct visual features.
The creator and copyright holder of a manga is known as a mangaka. They establish the direction of the story and art, work with assistants to produce illustrated panels, and with editors of their publishing company. Some manga
One of the original creators of manga, Osamu Tezuka, created techniques in visual storytelling that are used even by modern mangaka today. | Any manga lol. The major publishers and distributors of manga that have been translated into English are: Viz (which serlialises the magazines of Shounen Jump and Shoujo beat) Kodansha/Kodansha Comics Yen Press Tokyopop Del Rey Seven Seas Entertainment, Square Enix Manga, Chuang Yi (CY) and some others like Dr Master or Del Ray | | Format | Tankoubon (åč”ę¬) | A Tankoubon is a standalone publication containing multiple chapters of the same manga title. This is what people usually refer to when they mention a āvolumeā of manga, and is the format most commonly sold at bookstores outside of Japan
It differs from a manga magazine or anthology which contain several chapters of different manga (e.g., Shonen Jump is a magazine, and each volume of it may include Naruto, Bleach, Yu Gi Oh, Yu Yu Hakusho, and One Piece; a single volume of Shoujo beat may contain a chapter of Full Moon wo Sagashite, Lovely Complex, Phantom Thief Jeanne, and Love So Life)
Omnibus editions can be considered as tankoubon too even if they are larger or thicker than a typical single volume.
See the wikipedia and manga fandom pages for more info | Any volume of manga stocked in a libary is most likely a Tankoubon. Omnibus editions can be considered as tankoubon too | | Format | Omnibus | An Omnibus is an edition that compiles two or more volumes of tankoubon.
Many classic or bestselling manga are reprinted in omnibus edition, and some titles such as After the Rain or *Orb: On the Movements of the Earth* are only published in English in their omnibus editions
Sometimes, an entire series may be contained in an extra-thick omnibus edition, such as Death Note: All-in-One Edition | the Vizbig editions is where popular series (that have been published in English by Viz) receive an omnibus reprint | | Format | Manhua | The Chinese counterpart to Manga | | | Format | Manhwa | The Korean counterpart to Manga | Solo Leveling | | Format | Webtoon | A style of graphic novel that is intended for web-based publication and presentation, usually optimised for smartphone scrolling.
Webtoons may often lack the traditional paneling of comic books and manga, and illustrations may be separated by large blank spaces intended to be scrolled through quickly.
However, works that are self-published on twitter or other social media platforms may also be considered as webtoons. | Girls of the Wildās | | Layout, can also be considered as a Genre | 4-koma (åć³ć) | Manga were the presentation on each page follows a 4-panel format, which corresponds to the structure of a joke (intro, buildup, punchline, aftermath). 4-koma titles have most if not all of their pages structures in the 4-panel format. | Komi Canāt Communicate Azumanga Daioh Hetalia Axis Powers (Possibly) Goodbye Eri | | Format | Oneshot | Works consisting of only a single chapter or contained within a single volume. (non-serialised works). Oneshots could probably be considered as monographs.
Oneshots are often picked up by publishers for serialization, similar to how pilot episodes are developed into full-fledged TV shows. | | | Demographic | Kodomo (åä¾) | Manga that are created for kids to read. These are works which aim to be educational and low-impact, equivalent to a classification ration of G for general audiences. | (Any title with an āAll Ages Ratingā) Yuzu the Pet Vet Yotsuba&! Pokemon Splatoon! Doraemon My Neighbor Seki (possibly) Chiās Sweet Home Cells at Work: Baby!
It's worth nothing that a lot of the more famous kid-targeted titles are part of multimedia franchises which incorporate playable, interactive merchandise (toys and games). | | Demographic | Shounen (å°å¹“) | Works aimed at youth or teen boys. Themes common to shoujo titles are action, adventure, training, competition, sports, etc.
Shounen is the male counterpart to Shoujo | Naruto One Piece Demon Slayer Spy x Family Dandadan Full Metal Alchemist Black Cat Yakitate Japan Silver Spoon | | Demographic | Shoujo (å°å„³) | Works aimed at youth or teen girls. Themes common to shoujo titles are romance, relationships, coming-of-age, societal awareness, fashion, etc.
Shoujo is the female counterpart to Shounen | Sailor Moon Full Moon o Sagashite Lovely Complex Phantom Thief Jeanne Black Bird Fushigi Yuugi Ore Monogatari Love so Life | | Demographic | Seinen (é幓) | Works aimed at adults (usually but not always male) containing mature themes or topics of a complex or specialised nature. Some themes in seinen works may include: realism, gray morality, adult issues (money, family life, working life, psychology), trauma/tragedy, crime, social issues, age-gap romance, etc.
Seinen titles usually target adult males, but the depth into which they explore certain topics allow for a vast range of niches to be depicted. | Vagabond Berserk Erased After the Rain Way of the Househusband Shrink: Psychiatrist Yowai Bambino Vinland Saga | | Demographic | Josei (儳ę§) | Works aimed at women (adult female) readers.
Can be regarded as the female counterpart to Seinen | Princess Jellyfish Nana Chihayafuru Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist's Journey My Broken Mariko Paradise Kiss A Side Character's Love Story Perfect World | | Probably Genre | Shounen-Ai (å°å¹“ę) | Romantic relations between two males. Also known as āboysā loveā.
Alice Osemanās āHeartstopperā could probably be considered as shounen-ai | My Son is Probably Gay The Summer Hikaru Died (not sure about this) | | Probably Genre | Shoujo-Ai (å°å„³ę) | Romantic relations between two females. Also known as āgirlsā loveā. | Whisper Me a Love Song How do we Relationship? Iām in Love with the Villainess | | Content | Yaoi (ććć) | Romantic or sexual relations between two males. Yaoi is like shounen-ai but often more explicit
According to Jisho.org, Yaoi may come from the terms yamanashi (ć¤ććŖć) and ochinashi (ćŖććŖć), though I have no idea what those mean.
| Given
The publisher Sublime is known for distributing English translations of Yaoi works | | Content | Yuri (ē¾å) | Romantic or sexual relations between two females. Yuri is like shoujo-ai but often more explicit. | My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness | | Genre | Slice of Life | Portrayals of everyday, relatable, daily life. Slice of life titles may be delivered in small, self-contained stories rather than an epic overarching narrative.
Even though these titles depict the everyday, slice of life stories can nevertheless make your heart swell with excitement. Romance, drama, adventure, discovery, and tragedy may punctuate the carefree days of lifeās humdrum routine
Comparable media could be sitcoms, romcoms, soap operas (maybe less so),
Fantasy would typically be the opposite of slice of life, although daily life in fantasy settings seems to be a popular subgenre too | Nana Genshiken Chibi Maruko-chan Genshiken K-On! Lucky Star Yotsuba&! Bakuon! Yuzu the Pet Vet | | Genre | Iyashikei (ēćē³») | Iyashikei (ēćē³»), literally translating to ātherapeuticā or āhealingā, is a genre that aims to provide a relaxing and comfy reading experience.
Conflict and drama is usually minimal in iyashikei, though the struggles of characters in daily life may still be heartfelt. As such, there may be some overlap with slice of life.
Angst, violence, or other excessively negative sentiments are almost always guaranteed to be absent from these fluffy, heartwarming titles.
A comparable term may be up-lit (uplifting literature). | Hirayasumi Yuru Camp Shirogane no Nina Love so Life A Man and his Cat | | Genre/Content | Isekai (ē°äøē) | A phenomenon wherein a character is transported from the real world to a fantasy world, in either body or mind or both. Oftentimes, the protagonist of an isekai story retains their memories, which usually provides them with some kind of advantage in the fantasy world to which they are transported.
The act of being transported to another world is amusingly termed āisekaiādā. If the title of a manga contains āā¦in another worldā, it most likely belongs to the isekai genre.
An associated form of content is ātruck-kunā, which is the name given to the truck which often ends up hitting the protagonist. Itās a common enough narrative device that fans of anime and manga have given it a name of endearment. | *the one where the JSDF gets isekaiād Ascendance of a Bookworm Ride-On King | | Genre | Bara (čč) | Kinda like Yaoi but Iām not entirely sure of the distinction
| | | Genre | Wuxia | Ancient/Traditional Chinese martial arts, sometimes blended with mysticism.
Chinese and Hong Kong action movies, such as āCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragonā, exemplify the mix of drama, action, and sometimes comedy that is associated with the Wuxia genre.
Shaolin is a similar term | | | Content | Bokke and Tsukkomi | A comedy duo pairing wherein one participant (the bokke) is funny or silly, and the other (the tsukkomi) is straight-laced. The humor arises when the bokke fools around and is scolded or cleaned up after by the tsukkomi.
A comparable trope would be good cop & bad cop, or what Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan do in Rush Hour, | | | Content | Chibi (ē¦æć³) | Chibi is an artstyle wherein characters are portrayed with heads that are disproportionately large compared to their bodies (kind of like children or babies). A large head means large eyes and prominent facial features, so the chibi artstyle allows characters to be presented as cutesy and expressive.
Some titles may only occasionally depict characters in chibi form (such as for jokes and gags), whereas other titles may be entirely illustrated in chibi style | Chibi Maruko-chan | | Content | Gyaru (ć®ć£ć«) | Gyaru/Gal/Kogal is a fashion subculture in Japan that is associated with heavy use of cosmetics, hair dye, artificial tan, jewely, and fashionable clothing. Often, gyaru are associated with outgoing or brash mannerisms that complement their gaudy appearance.
Mangaka can use the appearance of a gyaru to confer an energetic/genki yet street-smart manner to a character, or to juxtapose a bold gyaru character with a meeker character to create an interesting dynamic.
Comparable fashion subcultures include: Gothic Lolita, Emo/Scene, Punk, etc. | Gal Gohan My Dress-Up Darling Dosanko Gal is Mega Cute Yancha gal no Anjou-san | | Content | Ecchi | Erotic or sexually-provocative material, not necessarily explicit. Works described as āecchiā would likely not be suitable for younger readers.
Check the age rating on the back cover to see if the title may contain such content (works for Older Teens or Mature audiences would likely contain this) | Highschool DxD To Love Ru Highschool of the Dead Rosario Vampire | | Content | Omake (ćč² ć or just ćć¾ć) | Bonus pages that are sometimes placed after the main story. These can feature the main characters doing something that is not related to main the narrative, such as the shwarma scene in The āAvengersā. | | | | Reverse Isekai | The inverse of Isekai, where a character from a fantasy world is somehow transported to the real/modern world on present-day Earth | Welcome to Japan, Elf-san | | Content | Honorific | Honorifics are abbreviated words that are added to a personās name to indicate their status (e.g., Dr., Mr. Mrs., Ms., Esq.).
In Japanese, honorifics take the form of suffixes and are spoken after the name of person to indicate the relationship between the speaker and the person they are talking to or about. It may possibly be a remnant of the feudal (class-based) society that Japan had before westernization.
Some common Japanese honorifics include: -san (general respect regardless of age or gender) -kun (often used between friends or semi-casually) -chan (often used for younger girls or as a term of endearment) -sensei (used with persons of authority such as teachers or doctors) -shachou (a boss at work) -dono (a term of great respect, such as to an official) -tan (like -chan but even more informal or endearing, often reserved for children or pets)
Leaving out or omitting the honorific indicates close familiarity between the speaker and the person they are talking to/about. | | | Hmm, kind of a narrative concept | Story Arc | An āarcā is a smaller substory within an overarching narrative. Arcs help to develop the characters over time and prepare them for a larger struggle. An arc is usually defined by a certain goal or struggle that the characters are involved in. Arcs help to describe a smaller part of a mangaās narrative that may span dozens of volumes.
If the goal of the protagonists is to escape a deserted island and set sail for home, an arc could be the endeavour of gathering equipment and materials for building a boat or finding the necessary supplies in a hostile environment or dealing with infighting/interpersonal conflict.
Another example of story arcs in pop culture could be the Star Wars Original Trilogy movies. Each movie would be an arc within the trilogyās overarching adventure of freeing the galaxy from the Empire. Additionally, each movie could contain smaller story arcs in their own right (Empire Strikes Back would contain: Escaping Hoth, Training with Yoda, the trap on Cloud City, and Luke fighting Darth Vader).
In retrospect, I wonder if arcs are more common to Shounen or adventure manga than with other demographicsā¦ | the Chuunin Exam arc of Naruto the Vizard arc of Bleach the Jewel Meat arc of Toriko | | Layout | Two-page spread | When a single illustration spans two whole pages. Two page spreads allow mangaka and illustrators to showcase scenes that are particularly epic or dramatic or artistically detailed. | | | Layout | Panel | A panel is a miniature illustration contained within a border. The presence of multiple illustrated panels is typically the defining characteristic of a comic, manga, and or graphic novel.
Panels often contain text in speech bubbles, thought bubbles, or narration bubbles. Panels are separated from one another by gutters. | | | Layout | Gutter | Gutters are the narrow spaces between illustrated comic panels. Along with the borders of panels, gutters separate one drawing from another. The space between the drawings and the unprinted inner area of page, near the binding, might also be a gutter.
Gutters can sometimes contain features too, such as translation notes, prompts to read in a certain direction, or even bilingual text. | | | Content | Tsundere (ćć³ćć¬) | A portmanteau (combination) of the terms tsun-tsun and dere-dere, tsundere is a stereotype often found in romantic comedies wherein a love interest (usually a female character) is harsh and rude initially, but shows more of her tender and loving side as time progresses.
A stock phrase used to easily identify tsundere characters goes something like āi-itās not because I like you or anythingā¦ā
Check https://the-dere-types.fandom.com/wiki/Tsundere for more details.
Variations of tsundere include ākuudereā (cool/sweet), āyandereā (crazy/sweet), āderedereā (sweet/sweet). Check https://the-dere-types.fandom.com/wiki/Dere_Type#Gap_Moe for more details
| Many of Ken Akamatsuās works contain tsundere and its variations | | Content | Tsurime (ć¤ćē®) and Tareme (ćæć¬ē®) | A method of visual characteristation whereby the angle of a characters eyes are correspond to their personality traits.
Tsurime:
Tareme:
The anime K-On or Lucky Star are probably the most notable examples of when charactersā personalities adhere to the stereotypes indicated by their eye shape | | | Content | | | | | Content? | Baka (馬é¹æ/ć°ć) | An insult meaning āidiotā or āfoolā, which is often used in teasing or mocking/humorous situations.
A variation is āBakayarouā, which is much harsher | | | Content | Meganekko (ē¼é”ć£å) | A character (typically female) who is notable for wearing glasses | | | Content | Moe | | | | Content | Yanki (ć¤ć³ćć¼) | The Japanese term for young delinquent or troublemaker | Great Teacher Onizuka Out Kongo Banchou Kyou Kara Ore Wa! | | Content | Yamato Nadeshiko (大åę«å) | A term used to refer to an archetype of traditional Japanese femininity | Ah! My Goddess Ai Yori Aoshi |