When I bring up Japanese manga to people, some of them know what I am referring to merely because they are familiar with the term “manga.” However, what amazes me even more is when I mention it to strangers and the blank stare on their faces tells me they have absolutely no clue what I’m talking about. Just like the many cultural differences between Japan and the U.S., the fundamental visualizations, portrayals, and outlines of our writings should in no way be omitted in the diverse understanding of manifestation and art.
Each type of writing has its own unique style for telling a story. In American novels, the author does not usually provide pictures and, as such, needs to list all of the information and facts pertaining to the story, including a description of his character’s appearance and personality and a detailed explanation of the background setting of where the story takes place.
Conversely, the writers of Japanese manga seem to be in agreement that including pictures in their stories has become beneficial not only for them, but for their readers as well. Because the pictures often explain much more about the appearance of characters and surrounding areas than the text itself, less detail is spent on the minor aspects of the story and the writers are given more time to dwell on the more important matters such as the development of their characters.
What’s the end result? Excellent character development reached at a much quicker speed and text that primarily deals with the words and emotions of the characters present. In a sense, this allows the reader to not only read the story, but flip through the pages to “watch” the story play out as well. Personally, I think this is truly something that makes reading so much more enjoyable for me and others out there like me. Now a story can can be read and watched together.
Furthermore, as opposed to American literature, the way manga is written appears much like role playing. In online role playing, a person speaks like a character and uses colons or asterisks to site his feelings or emotions and to declare what he is doing or what kind of movements he’ll be making. In the manga, the characters speak to each other in little balloons and one word phrases next to the pictures say how they feel. Both are meant to be brief and neither are meant to be carried out in complete thoughts or sentences.
Even though American books and Japanese manga differ in many ways, they are able to tell each of their stories in uniquely diverse and entertaining format.