If we can accept stories told with pictures, we can read manga. We love them more than any test-marketed, focus-group products designed for us. Manga, comics made in Japan for Japanese audiences, have been embraced in America.

Ten years ago most American bookstores had no manga section, and ten years before that most video stores had no anime section. In Japan they call it tachiyomi, “stand-reading,” and it is strongly discouraged, but in America it seems slightly more acceptable, perhaps because bookstore staff are too overworked, or perhaps because no other phenomenon has brought so many young adults and teenagers into the stores. In the early twenty-first century, a sight began to appear in American bookstores that was familiar to anyone from Japan: crowds of people reading books in the manga section. LOOK NO FURTHER, YOU’VE FOUND YOUR IDEAL MANGA COMPANION! A detailed bibliography and a glossary of manga terms.

An overview of the manga industry and its history.The facts on the many kinds of manga–know your shôjo from your shônen.Profiles of the biggest names in manga, including CLAMP, Osamu Tezuka, Rumiko Takahashi, and many others.

Guidelines for age-appropriateness–from strictly mature to kid-friendly.

Titles rated from zero to four stars–skip the clunkers, but don’t miss the hidden gems.

Incisive, full-length reviews of stories and artwork.

Whether you’re new to the world of manga-style graphic novels or a longtime reader on the lookout for the next hot series, here’s a comprehensive guide to the wide, wonderful world of Japanese comics! THE ONE-STOP RESOURCE FOR CHOOSING BETWEEN THE BEST AND THE REST!

Penguin randhouse manga