Why manga is superior to all other forms of comics

Related tags: Anime, Manga Written by: Otaku

We all know that manga dominates Japanese bookstores and it is gaining popularity all over the world. I don’t know many people who still buy American comics these days, in fact most of my friends only buy manga. Why is manga so popular? Why is it so successful compared to comics, manhua, manhwa and other competitors these days?

I guess some of you have never heard of the last two terms. Let me explain the words manhua and manhwa. Manhua is a term to describe comics from China/Hong Kong. The other word is the Korean definition for comics. But why is manga so much more popular? Let me explain this to you!

The Japanese are very good at marketing. They don’t just draw manga, but they also create anime, video games, trading card games, figures and many merchandise. There are also way more fansubs for anime and “read manga online” resources over the Internet, of course not all of those are legal, but they do boost the popularity of manga. Try to type “read US comics” or “free manhua” and you won’t find any websites. TV shows like Dragon Ball Z, Gundam Wing, Pokémon, Doraemon and many others also helped people to enter the world of manga. Of course Marvel comics did a very good job in marketing too, that is probably also why we still remember X-men, Spiderman and many of those weirdos. But people want to read something new, not these ancient super heroes over and over again.

Manga also comes in many languages and there are always some fanatic fansubbers who are willing to translate manga. Manhua and manhwa in general is mostly only available in native language and most of them aren’t shipped abroad.

Let’s talk about the artwork. Of course this depends on the artist, but in general people in manhua, manwha and comics look way more human than people in manga. Blue hair and big eyes are for example very common in manga. There are of course some horrible looking cartoons and comics out there, but they don’t mess up with the colors. You may hate or love it, but this makes manga more unique.

Also the ecchi and sexiness in manga. Oversized boob, pretty girls and ecchi humor they are in almost every manga and not just the “ero” categories. If you want to see these content in manhua, manwha or even comics, then it is probably meant for adults only. It is also a part of culture and censorship that decides whether or not to publish these kinda content in the books. As an artist you have to think about the authorities and not just the audience. That’s why there are also “underground works” of comics, manhua and manhwa.

Let’s talk about genres and categories. Manhua, the Chinese version of comics used to be quite popular and it has always been used for propaganda usage. But the real entertainment side of manhua started in the 70′s, when Bruce Lee kicked everyones ass. It was the beginning of Kung-fu manhua. The genres of manhua are still limited these days and only the “kung-fu” manhua are a little popular these days. These manhua are usually characterized with strong and handsome guys who posses super powers. Todays manhua can be distinguished in several categories: Satirical and political manhua, comical manhua, action manhua and children’s manhua.

Great manhua art:

Manhwa looks almost like manga these days. Manga seems to have great influences on both manhwa and manhua in style. How to distinguish Korean comics from manga? well, that is very easy! You should read manhwa from left to right, just like western comics. Actually I’ve never read manhwa so I’m not in a position to talk about them, so you may check out Wikipedia.

So what makes manga more successful than any other form of comic? They are just like movies in Japan! I don’t know how many of you have watched Japanese movies and TV series? They are usually horrible in my opinion. Maybe that is why they’ve developed so many great manga for the audience instead of movies. Everyone reads manga in Japan, it is like listening to the radio, reading a newspaper or watching television.

In Hong Kong it is a whole different story. The Hong Kong movie industry is awesome and a lot of people don’t read manhua nowadays, instead some of them would like to read manga, because manga has way more artistic styles and categories than manhua. Due several reasons manhua never really made it in mainstream Hong kong society. It’s more like a subculture. The same can be said about US and western comics. I still want to mention two names: Tony Wong(Wong Yuk Long) and Ma Whing Sing. They are kings and godfathers in Manhua society.

Manga rules! Don’t you think so too? Maybe the black/white picture below this text will convince you!

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