Manga Articles

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-25-2022

The Japanese comics and cartoons known as manga bring a unique style to age-old art forms. Like the art forms that precede it, manga works within specific archetypes and genres. However, the manga conventions are a new twist, and if you’re exhibiting at one you need to know what to bring.

Article / Updated 11-12-2021

When you know how to draw a manga figure, you're ready to turn your attention to creating your own characters. A number of common archetypes appear often in manga. In this case, archetypes are basically sets of personalities and attributes assigned to a character. An archetype may include, for example, the color of the individual's hair and eyes and the type of body build the character has. The decision of what your character looks like is ultimately yours, but first explore these established archetypes and see if they will work for you: The main protagonist: Every manga story must have a main leading character, either male or female. Readers lose interest in manga very quickly without a lead character to identify with. Even if everything else about your script is terrific, captivating the audience with memorable lead characters is crucial. Common main protagonists are the androgynous student, the varsity team captain, the Army Special Forces rookie, the innocent daydreamer, and the martial arts warrior. The lovable sidekick: For every lead character, you have at least one supporting cast member — otherwise known as the sidekick. These archetypes can be male, female, or neither (animal or alien). Conquering battles and winning over hearts of loved ones gets pretty lonely without supporting sidekicks. Humans learn from interacting with each other, and that's true of manga lead characters in every story. Lead characters look alike in so many manga stories, so the sidekicks make the difference — by either helping the lead character's mission go smoothly or by turning it into a living nightmare (usually unintentionally). Regardless of their impact, a sidekick's existence is just as crucial as the lead character's. Some common sidekick archetypes are the dimwitted muscle-man, the loyal little brother or sister, and the spoiled brat. The Dreaded Villain: No action manga saga is complete without an opposing bad force — for every protagonist, there must be an antagonist; otherwise, you don't have a strong plot. Contrary to most American comics, where villains are portrayed as teeth-gnashing and grotesque, modern manga stories rely on good-looking, intelligent, and cunning lead villains to make the plot more interesting. These archetypes expand and change, just like every form of popular entertainment does, but you want to at least recognize the common trend that has flooded the popular manga market for the past several decades. Current popular villain archetypes are the handsome, yet icy-cold villain, the military vixen, the well-trained warrior, and the evil sorceress. Damsels in Distress: Ever watch one of those silent movies featuring attractive women tied down to the railroad tracks? How about the girl who gets abducted and taken up the tall building by a giant gorilla? Well, guess what — the manga world is flooded with these characters. Damsels in distress give your main protagonist an obvious mission — save the girl! These characters shouldn't steal the spotlight from your main characters; they should play secondary roles in advancing the focus of your story. Common types of characters that need saving are the "little sister" princess, the innocent schoolgirl, and the loyal and selfless damsel.

Article / Updated 11-12-2021

Following are the basic stages that a manga-ka (a manga artist) uses to create an original plot. The basic stages are widely embraced by the manga-ka community today, and they originate from classical Chinese poetry. Stage 1: Ki — Introduction of an idea Stage 1 basically sets up the context and scene so that the story can begin and the characters can begin to interact. To start this Ki (introduction) stage, a manga-ka draws the opening frame, called an establishing shot, to give the readers a sense of the location where the story takes place. These shots are usually larger than the average-sized frame the manga-ka draws because he wants to include more detail in the setting. By the time this stage is complete, readers should have a good sense of who the important characters are, as well as the time and location of the story. Stage 2: Sho — Developing the idea In the second stage, you focus on building up the suspense of the story based upon the characters and concepts you introduced in the Ki stage. You introduced your readers to your characters and briefed them on the context of your story, and now you build up their curiosity. In this Sho (development) stage, the tempo of the story should steadily increase. What kinds of conflicts are your characters taking on to achieve their goals? Do you leave clues to the readers about possible dangers that the main characters themselves don't know about? What are the perils or challenges ahead? In most manga, this section is crucial because if the readers don't care about your characters, they don't care about what happens to them. Stage 3: Ten — The dramatic, unexpected turn of events In the third stage, you want a surprise development in which your characters face a situation that throws the readers off guard. Note that it's the readers and not necessarily the characters that you want to engage. In the Ten (turn) stage, the result of all the building up since Stage 2 leads to the ultimate climax where readers are sitting on the edge of their seats holding their collective breath. If you want to reveal to the readers the largest showdown of your story sequence, this is the right time and place to do so! Stage 4: Ketsu — Conclusion Stage 4 (or Ketsu) finishes the story. While some episodes may end by fully resolving an issue, others end by opening another can of worms, leaving the readers hanging from a cliff, wanting to know what happens in the next issue.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

The type of Japanese comics or cartoons called manga has its archetypes — classic examples of the art — just like every other art form. The archetypal characters and plots you encounter in manga generally fall into one of four categories: The Good Guys: The Androgynous Rookie (main lead): He’s the new kid on the block who’s full of energy and promise. He usually has an androgynous face and hairstyle. The Sidekick: He, she, or it is the young rookie’s best pal. The two go hand-in-hand and rarely go through a complete manga story by themselves. The Caring Female: She’s the only main, featured female who represents the maternal caregiver and is always around to give emotional support to the young rookie. The Veteran: He’s the experienced character. He’s not necessarily the strongest, but he has a lot of wisdom and makes sure the young rookie is in check with reality. The Loyal Geek: What he lacks in muscle, he makes up in intelligence and loyalty. He’s the one who stays back at the home base crunching numbers to make sure the team wins. The Backup: This guy is pure muscle, which makes him the ultimate backup. He’s not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he’ll use his dominating physical presence to help the team. The Wise One: He’s the sage mentor who’s been around for what seems like forever. The Bad Guys: The Handsome Icy Villain: This type is cunning, deceitful, and drop-dead gorgeous. His attire is simple — he wears a dark cape, but the rest of his costume is one plain color. The Evil Sorceress: She’s clad in dark armor and a bikini, with a dark cape flowing behind her. With her evil magic, there’s no telling what demonic plan she has in mind. The Awesome Warrior: This handsome and muscular giant relies on his strength to get the job done. In addition to a cape, he never leaves without his elaborate armor. The Military Vixen: This lady takes down anyone in charge to get power for herself. She’s beautiful, but her dark attire and evil smile are giveaways that you don’t want to be near her. Damsels in Distress: The “Little Sister” Princess: Picture a younger sister getting in trouble by sticking her nose in other people’s business. The main character has little choice but to go in and bail her out. The Innocent School Girl: She endures harsh treatment at the hands of her captor while the lead character devises a daring way of rescuing her. Don’t worry, she never dies (that would kill the plot). The Loyal, Selfless Damsel: Compared to the Innocent School Girl, this damsel controls her emotions. Despite being tortured, she remains calm and loyal to her team. Shôjo style: The Rags-to-Riches Girl: Once a commoner or an orphan, this girl is now living a better life. She has to fend off other jealous girls while she tries to capture the heart of her charming prince. The Knight in Shining Armor: This gentleman is a handsome dream for any teenage girl. He’s flawless in every aspect, and any girl can come to him for help or comfort.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Manga cartoons and comics come in several different styles, geared toward different audiences that range from young children to older readers interested in topical issues. The following list describes each manga genre: Kodomo Manga: Comics for little kids Shōnen Manga: Comics for young teenage boys Shōjo Manga: Comics for young teenage girls Seinen Manga: Comics for young adult males Seijin Manga: Adult comics for males Redisu (Lady’s) Manga: Comics for young adult females Dōjinshi Manga: Comic publication that’s written by and for amateurs. Often created for self-promotion Yonkoma Manga: Four-panel comics (usually published in newspapers) Gekiga Manga: Comics focusing on serious topics geared toward mature audiences