Permanent Exhibition Room Manga HistoryOriginal Source: 横手市増田まんが美術館
Manga has a long and storied history, but, to newcomers, especially those unfamiliar with the Japanese language, the basics of how to approach it can still seem daunting. Just how do you read manga, anyway?
The first rules to know, of course, are that manga is read from right-to-left, and from top-to-bottom, just like Japanese script. In practice, though, this is still a little tough to follow. So scroll on for a quick guide...
"The Three-eyed One Comes Here" (1974-07-07) by Tezuka ProductionsTezuka Osamu
Here are some panels from an Osamu Tezuka comic, The Three-Eyed One Comes Here, telling the story of a little boy whose third eye unleashes furious powers if left uncovered. Scroll on to read the panels in order.
Here, the protagonist, Sharaku Hohsuke, has his third-eye exposed, and so is a violent ball of rage! He charges with a lance...
...which then makes a violent impact.
From there, the story moves to the top left panels...
Then the bottom right.
Then over to the bottom left, where Sharaku's violent rage ends as his third-eye is covered by the bandage he usually wears.
The birth of Astro Boy by Tezuka ProductionsTezuka Osamu
Now apply the same rules to read through these panels showing the assembly of Astro Boy...
Astro Boy's seven super powers by Tezuka ProductionsTezuka Osamu
And then this page showing Astro Boy's powers.
Thoughts on historical manga (2020) by Kan TakahamaOriginal Source: © Kan Takahama
Think you've got the hang of it? Then head back over to Manga Out of the Box and begin your journey into the world of these powerful little panels.
