Manga?

[Deleted]

Just out of curiosity how many people here are fans of manga, the Japanese comic books? I’m personally a pretty big fan of them myself and have been since I was around eight or nine.

[Matt]

Actually I don't even quite know what manga is, could you explain a bit please? I know there are lots of forums about it ( you run one yourself ) so it must be a pretty popular thing.

[Deleted]

Yes. I got into them in the late 90’s and mid 2000’s. As I mentioned before they’re Japanese comic books. Each book consists of about 5 to 6 chapters and most are full-blown series – so you normally have to wait months to a few years for a complete series. I have had some books that only have five in the series while others can range into the late 20’s to 30’s.

Manga is just like normal books they have all types of genres so there’s always something for everyone. (Horror, mystery, magical girl, romance, comedy, action, sci-fi, etc). Art styles can vary depending on the author’s though, and after reading them for so long there are a few writers that I can recognize just from their art. (Yuu Watase and Arina Tanemura)

Most book stores I have found have a small section for them depending on how popular they are in the area.

Some of my favorite guy ones would be: Code Breaker and Noragami. I might have read some more action ones but those are the two most recent for me. ^^

Favorite girl stories are: Fushigi Yuugi, Full Moon wo Sagashite, Sailor Moon, etc.

[Matt]

Wow that actually does sound interesting.

[Vincent Van Ghoul]

I've tried to get into several Manga/anime series, but in the end, It's all just too weird. Every time some Japanese comic book, or game catches my attention, I research it a bit, then realize It's way too foreign for my taste.

Japan's weird...

[Deleted]

not heard of it but i do like graphic novels and have a japaneese one "the human insects"

[Matt]

Vincent Van Ghoul Japan has actually made some really great games, Nintendo was and is still currently based in Japan, they have made great games, there are some other companies also based in Japan.

[Vincent Van Ghoul]

Japan has actually made some really great games, Nintendo was and is still currently based in Japan, they have made great games,

I believe the operative words here are "has" and "have".

Seriously though, I haven't touched a Nintendo game in many many years, and I don't foresee a bright future for the international audience of Nintendo if they don't start upping their game. Their last 2 consoles have lacked hardware to match the competition, and third party support for the consoles.
Sure, occasionally some great classics sneak in there, but for the most part, It seems like they're just rehashing the same 2 franchises, and hoping the fans will keep wanting them.

My lack of interest in most Japanese media like Manga, Is just the cultural barrier. I'm not particularly fond of the art style, stories, mythologies and such. Most of it seems too extreme for my taste.

[Matt]

Personally I don't think Nintendo is going away, they've been around for a long time, I do see your point though, but I still don't think they're going away anytime soon.

They do seem a bit stuck back in the day' but people seem to like they're classics, their last huge success was the DS and wii though, 3ds and wiiu didn't do too well.

[Vincent Van Ghoul]

Unless Nintendo's next console begins to match up to Microsoft's and Sony's, I believe Nintendo will follow in SEGA's footsteps eventually, focusing only on publishing games, instead of supporting their own console. The Wii U was the first 8th generation console to be released, but the sales numbers remain lower compared to PS4 and Xbox One sales overall, even though both consoles were released much later.

But enough off topic chat.

Japan's culture is unique in many ways, and their literature certainly reflects this vast cultural difference.
This article highlights many of the unique aspects of Japan, and why I, like many Westerners, fail to connect with it. waitbutwhy.com/2014/07/japan-and-how-i-failed-to-figure-it-out.html