The World of Manga
An Article
Before we start getting into details, what is manga? Manga is like a type of comic but they come from Japan and most of them are in black and white drawings.
When you start reading manga, the first difference you notice is the way you have to read them. In Japan they read from the right to the left ,so you will have to begin the manga by the end that you’re used to.
The second key point is where to start? Well it’s all about your taste, but the way they name the gender of the manga is different. For example, instead of “romance” you will find it as “shojo” that it’s like saying “for young girls”. This happens because of stereotypes in their culture. The most popular categories are:
Shojo: Like I said, this category is “Romance” or “For young girls” but of course there are exceptions. Like the manga “Atelier of witch hat” is considered for girls but is not about romance.
Shonen: This one is more generic, you can find adventures, superheroes… And you can translate it like “for young boys”.
Seinen: This category is focused on adults because it is about harder and difficult topics to understand.
Yaoi: This is like “boys love ''. These are LGBTQ+ stories between two boys.
Yuri: As the previous one are stories LGBTQ+ but with girls.
Isekai: These ones are about reincarnation, the main character dies and then appears in another world or liveslive.
Spokon: This one is about sports
The next point and last one we are going to talk about is how to collect manga. Being a beginner can make us commit some typical mistakes like buying a lot of manga because you don’t know which one you will like and in the future regret your decision . My recommendation is to do some research before you go shopping, read opinions, see the most popular, etc. Once you get them you need a place in your house to keep the manga safe. The ideal is to have a shelf in a place where there is no sunlight because that can discolor the cover of the manga. The second enemy of manga, dust. For this problem there are two different options, have a shelf with doors so you don't have to clean it too often or buy plastic sleeves for the manga. If you don’t do that they will get yellow pages. And finally, the last recommendation is not to store them in horizontal one on top of the other because that would damage the manga.
In conclusion, manga is a type of comic originating in from Japan, so there are some aspects that make you adapt to their culture. Also, there exist different categories of manga. When you collect manga, it is important to do some research before buying and store them in a safe place away from sunlight and dust, avoiding horizontal stacking.
References: “ The better way to collect manga” - Forum of professional collectors
I.R. is a collector with 214 mangas in her shelf, and three years of experience collecting it. Now she is giving tips and information to the beginners or people interested in this world.
