Manga and the Absence of a Universal Understanding

Manga and the Absence of a Universal Understanding

By Afsaneh Samari

Volume #60 of the Japanese comics hit series One Piece sold 2,0 !,12" copies in Japan #ithin four da$s of its release on %ovember !, 2010& 'his is the first time an$ boo( has ever sold over 2 million copies in the countr$ #ithin a #ee( since )ricon began reporting such statistics in April, 200* +,)ne-.& Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final installation of the #orld famous Harry Potter boo( series, sold 2&/ million copies in the U0 and *&" million in the U1 on the da$ of it2s release +,3arr$-.& Just #ith these facts alone, it is obvious that comics in Japan pla$ a huge role in Japanese culture& Manga1, pronounced either ,M4%56gah- or ,MA3%56gah,- are a Japanese st$le of comics and cartoon prints7including One Piecethat var$ in techni8ue from their 9estern counterparts& 9hile it is not uncommon #ithin our ran(s to have never heard of the #ord ,manga,- let alone One Piece, man$ of us fol(s in the 9est are at least some#hat familiar #ith the enormit$ and comple:it$ of 3arr$ ;otter fandom and it2s hardl$ possible to find someone #ho has never heard of the series before& < am dra#ing the above comparisons in order to bring to light the importance and realit$ of manga in modern Japanese culture, the land man$ 9esterners popularl$ correlate #ith the more classical traditions li(e =en >uddhism and ukiyo-e #oodbloc( prints& 'o add more perspective, Watchmen, the most successful graphic novel in %orth American publishing histor$, began to sell over 1 million copies once its movie2s trailer started sho#ing in 200* +5ustines, par& 1., not even coming close to Japan2s release6#ee( sales of One Piece& )verall, comics sales in the 9est do not compare to that of Japan and manga imports have become 8uite popular since its introduction to 9estern nations in the late 1 602s +1chodt 1?!.& <n 200 , the total sales in %orth America of periodical comics and graphic novels combined #ere @6*0 million dollars, #ith ?!A belonging strictl$ to graphic novel sales +,Bomics-.& )ut of the total, @1!0 million, or more than 20A, #ere on manga alone +,1econd-., #hich is more than a third of all graphic novel sales for the $ear& Bomics sales, including manga, did drop continuousl$ after 200/, in part due to the current Cepression as #ell as the #aning of the Watchmen h$pe +,Bomics-.& <n Bontinental Durope, the sales of comics tends to be even smaller, #ith sharp e:ception to the increasingl$ popular #orld of manga&
,5erman and Erench sales of manga totaled @212&6 million Fin 2006G, ma(ing Durope the largest consumer of manga outside Japan& Almost t#o6thirds of the sales are in Erance FHG& <n 5erman$, #here comic6boo( reading has traditionall$ been less #idespread, manga no# accounts for /0A of all comics sales, sa$s Joachim 0aps, managing director of 3amburg6based 'o($opop, a manga publisher& 2FMGanga FsicG is one of the biggest success stories of publishing of the last decade&2 1o successful, in fact, that 5erman$ is no# producing and e:porting its o#n manga.- +Eishbein, emphasis in the original.

<n the U0, comics sales figures are generall$ ver$ lo#& 'he best6selling comics series in 2006 #as The 1
Eor the entiret$ of this thesis, < #ill not be italiciIing an$ borro#ed Japanese #ords for the sa(e of avoiding confusion bet#een terminolog$ and publication titles&

Afsaneh 1amari

Sim sons !omic, #ith onl$ a total of 1"!,6"1 copies sold +3olland, par& ".& <n Japan, the motherland of the manga tradition, general comics sales are entirel$ different& ,2/0&? billion $en +about U1@2& *" billion. #as spent on ?&02!"1 billion manga volumes in 200 & FHG Manga represented 2"&!A of the entire boo( publishing mar(et b$ $en paid, and "*&"A b$ the number of copies sold- +,1hueisha-.& 'his is outstanding compared to comics sales numbers in the 9est& Dven throughout Asia manga has been adopted as the mainstream comics format into their o#n comics traditions& Balled manhua in 0orea and manhwa in Bhina, native Asian manga have been heavil$ influenced b$ Japanese manga& Manga has also been full$ incorporated into the pop culture of these countries, e:porting their o#n comics themselves +rme$ersJ t0mnomnom.& 'hough not having nearl$ the same international popularit$ as those of Japan, non6Japanese comics from Asia can still be found in the 9est amongst the masses of Japanese imports and scant American creations& 'here is obviousl$ something highl$ captivating in manga that 9estern comics generall$ lac(& %ot to sa$ that the value of 9estern comics as a #hole are less, but the Japanese have obviousl$ got something right in regards to the appeal of their #or(s& M$ focus shall not so much be a broad sociological anal$sis of manga and its relationship #ith Japanese culture and 9estern fascination of it, but on the philosophical e:amination of manga2s uni8ue narrative 8ualities #ith man$ of the sociological aspects in mind& < #ill also e:amine onl$ manga from Japan and no other rendition as created #ithin other countries& According to 1abin, ,the comic itself is an invention of the nineteenth centur$,- developing initiall$ from >ritain +11.& 1ince then, it has been e:ported globall$ and evolved from basic comed$ to an arra$ of genres& 'he origin of manga as a multi6paneled art form is earl$ nineteenth6centur$ Japan after 9estern influence permanentl$ affected the countr$Ks culture +5ravett 21., though the$ can be found toda$ in the 9est #ritten b$ non6Japanese mangaka, or manga #riters and artists2& As a result of $ears of cultural adaptation and economical means of distribution and presentation, manga #as able to gro# in directions distinctive from 9estern comics as #ell as seiIe an enormous and demographicall$ diverse audience in a single generation& 9ithin this tradition, uni8ue demographic6oriented themes e:ist, primaril$ ranging from the popular sh"nen and sh"#o +literall$ ,bo$- and ,girl,- respectivel$. to seinen and #osei +,$oung man- and ,lad$,- respectivel$." in addition to distinctive genres from ,magical girl- to ,mecha- comics along #ith sei#in, or ,adult- manga pornograph$ catering to various se:ual fantasies& 9hen first beginning m$ research, < relied almost strictl$ on academic publications #hen digging for sources on the anal$sis of manga +as an art form, a maLor aspect of Japanese societ$, a medium heavil$ related to film and video games, a phenomenon in general +#hatever that2s supposed to mean., etc&.& 'here is an e:cellent plethora of academic resources on the medium and < #as delighted& 3o#ever < eventuall$ ran into a peculiar, une:pected problem& 9hile there are plent$ of #or(s e:amining manga from literar$, sociological, anthropological, artistic, and economic standpoints, there is near to nothing #ritten from the perspective of philosoph$& < didn2t mind at first, but it too( me some time to notice another peculiarit$M man$ of these #or(s conflict #ith each other in their gathered statistics, their e:amination as to ho# manga relates #ith both Japanese and 9estern societ$, and even 2 'hough manga is no# created internationall$, < cannot find reliable sources that reference creators of non6Japanese
manga as manga(a& " Manga outside these demographics do e:ist, though in much smaller numbers, including kodomomuke +literall$ ,children6oriented-. manga aimed for small children +0o(etsu.&

Manga and the Absence of a Universal Understanding

"

common Largon pertaining to manga +as #ell as anime, or Japanese animation.& Bonflict in academic discourse is completel$ natural, necessar$ and doesn2t bother me in itself +other#ise < #ouldn2t be #riting this thesis.& 'he problem #as that so man$ of the resources < #as dealing #ith #ere #ritten seemingl$ in almost complete ignorance of each other2s e:istence to the e:tent #here there is barel$ an$ real discourseJ plent$ of these #or(s #ould declare ideas or facts as if the$ #ere givens #hen the$ obviousl$ couldn2t be if the$ repeatedl$ contrasted against each other& 5ro#ing increasingl$ frustrated #ith this lac( of thorough e:planation to #hat trul$ are complicated notions concerning manga, < decided to do #hat #as trained in me as taboo in the #orld of academicsM < surfed the internet& Coing so, < ran into sources that #ere not half bad, believe it or not, including forums, blogs, and ne#scasts& <t #as also ver$ comforting #hen < discovered that there happens to be a number of concerned people out there #ho also find the mi:ed usages of terms and man$ conflicting, unsupported theories of manga to be problematic& < shall ta(e the time to do m$ best to ma(e clear of the four demographic6oriented genres #hich < believe to be most important and relevant to m$ thesis& Understandabl$, though, man$ of the terms used in Japan as #ell as #ithin the 9estern mar(eting of manga are used in a variet$ of #a$s for different reasons& Alas, this can ma(e discerning or e:plaining them an arduous tas( most individuals #ould rather not tac(le seriousl$& >ecause of that outcome, man$ curious fol(, including m$self, find themselves spending precious time digging through the mi:ed information in hopes of ma(ing sense of all the confusion& 1ince < am also benevolent, < shall ver$ briefl$ e:plain the differing uses of terminolog$ and #h$ the$ are defined so inconsistentl$ depending on source&

Shjo
Most credible sources define shNLo manga as targeted for $oung girls of no older than high school standing& 5enerall$, shNLo is reno#n for its focus on drama and romance& <ts art is primaril$ dra#n in at least some minimalism or abstraction depicting scenes of s#eeping curves, flo#er$ foliage, feathers, and daint$ characters #ith large, glitter$ e$es, all to e:press the intense inner #orld of emotion dominating each stor$ +'hompson ""!6?.& )utside of imager$ t$pes, shNLo is (no#n for its distinctive spacial la$outs, #ith comple: panel construction and Lu:taposed images +'a(ahashi 1266/.& >rigitte 0o$ama6Oichard gives an e:tremel$ simple glossar$ definition for both shNLo and shNnen manga, calling them ,manga for girls- and ,manga for bo$s,- respectivel$ +2" ., as if the transliteration of the borro#ed #ords are enough& <n spite of noting earlier manga targeting $oung girls, she insists that 'eIu(a )samu, #ho is popularl$ (no#n throughout Japan as the father of modern manga, to have #ritten ,the first true sh$#o FsicG manga FHG, Princess %night +a& (& a& Princess Sa hire. in 1 ?"- +1?1, emphasis in the original.& 3er reasoning is that in spite of previous attempts b$ the other manga(a, these manga, regardless of their abilit$ in reflecting girls2 tastes, thoughts, and e:pressions, ,never attained the 8ualit$ of 'eIu(a2s,- being directl$ inspired from the 'a(araIu(a theater2s all6female troupes and Cisne$ animation +1?162.& <t is undeniable that 'eIu(a revolutioniIed the entire medium, so much so that he is often dubbed7also often cited7as the ,5od of Manga+5ravett 2!J 0o$ama6Oichards 1!/J ;atten 1 *, 206J ;hillipps 6*J 'homson ?!"J and man$ others.& 3o#ever, it is too strong of a declaration to accuse man$ pre6'eIu(a manga as not 8ualif$ing as

Afsaneh 1amari

shNLo #hen the$ #ere also clearl$ aimed at $oung girls and7particularl$ those created b$ the fe# e:isting #omen manga(a of that time7#ere 8uite successful in appealing to this audience +5ravett /6.& >esides, as MiIu(i 'a(ahashi points out, #o#"-ga, literall$ ,l$rical paintingPillustration,- has e:isted since the 1 202s +11*., long before 'eIu(a2s #or(& JoLN6ga emphasiIes feelings and portra$ed girls #ith ,#illo#$ bodies, e:aggerated e$es, and dream$ e:pressions,- #hich ,soon became popular in a ne#l$ emerging genre, that is, manga for girls- +11 .& Also, 'eIu(a #as famous too for being the first to use cinematic conventions #ithin his #or(s, his st$le being of ,secondar$- influence upon later manga(a, as shNLo manga2s panel construction #ould ,occasionall$ brea( up the film6li(e continuit$ of narrative flo#- to focus more on the characters2 emotions instead of conve$ing ph$sical realism +12/.& >ecause of traditional perspectives of the feminine identit$ regarding love and companionship, d"sei-aihomogender love7relationships are popular in shNLo manga, accompanied b$ an ,aesthetic of sameness- +1hamoon 1"/.& CNsei6ai and homose:ualit$ have their similarities, but are not identical in that Ereudian ps$cholog$ #as not introduced to pre#ar Japan until and #as still not culturall$ adopted in Japan until the end of the 20th centur$ +1" .& Manga(a use dNsei6ai to portra$ ,nonthreatening love stories- that did not force female leads to ta(e on the dependent role unanimousl$ portra$ed in heterose:ual romances prior to the publication of 'eIu(a2s The &ose o' (ersailles in 1 /2& 'o further represent the ,close emotional bonds- shared bet#een dNsei6ai lovers, the aesthetic of sameness involves illustrating these characters as nearl$ identical +1!16".& <t is appropriate to conclude from this that shNLo is a genre that emphasiIes interiorit$ and sentimentalit$, ta(ing advantage of the visual field and illustrating high doses of abstract la$ering to almost literall$ include a ,depth- #hich the reader ma$ visuall$ travel into the ps$che of the characters& Dven #ith more action6oriented themes, such as most ,magical girl- plots #here the female lead+s. attain magical abilities that allo# themselves to transform into a cute superheroine of sorts, the overarching focus is the drama and relationships bet#een the characters& )ne of the dominating manga publishing companies of the United 1tates, V<1, offers its o#n, 8uite different definition of shNLoM ,1& Manga appealing to both female and male readers& 2& D:citing stories #ith true6to6life characters and the thrill of e:otic locales& "& Bonnecting the heart and mind through real human relationships,- +,1hQLo- ".& 'hough V<= publishes the %orth American based magaIines ,1honen Jump- and the no#6defunct ,1hoLo >eat,- it doesn2t bother defining ,shNnen- at all, nor an$ other demographic genre for that matter& V<= also includes Losei manga as a part of shNLo in spite of the age differentiation as understood #ithin the Japanese tradition, #hich < shall elaborate on later& 'hough V<12s definition does nod to#ards emotional emphasis, it2s definition barel$ resembles that given b$ scholars of manga& 'he intention of such a definition is foremostl$ economic and not for intellectual accurac$& >$ including male readers and describing shNLo settings as ,e:otic- +%ot to sa$ that shNLo is not ever appealing to male readers, but the genre #as definitel$ not created #ith male readers in mind&.

Shnen
'oo often is shNnen manga used as a sort of ,default- in ho# man$ define manga and then use it to contrast against the shNLo genre& <n an attempt to avoid furthering this conception of manga, < discussed shNLo first in hopes to ma(e obvious this general bias man$ authorities on the subLect have&

Manga and the Absence of a Universal Understanding

9hile shNLo manga is t$picall$ characteriIed b$ its intensive portra$al of the internal #orld of the ps$che and a stronger tilt to#ards romance, shNnen manga2s focus predominantl$ relies on e:ternalism and ph$sicalit$& 'he$ displa$ bac(grounds #ith plent$ of detail and realism and are action6 oriented and often6times humorous& 'hough being able to readil$ support a variet$ of themes, futuristic technolog$, including robots and mecha +pronounced ,MD36(a-, the$ are giant piloted robot6li(e machines., and fighting are incredibl$ fre8uent +'hompson ""*6 .& 9hat brings them all together is their overarching values of friendship, perseverance, and #inning& 'his has led sales to lean most in the favor of shNnen manga, allo#ing the genre to reign the mar(et, #ith its diverse audience also attracted to its eas$ perusal initiall$ designed for a $oung readership no older than adolescence +5ravett ? J 'hompson "" 6!0.& 'here is ver$ little dispute, Lust var$ing degrees of detail, in regards to the general description of shNnen& >et#een these genres, it is shNLo #hich is often disputed, its #or(s often being contrasted against shNnen manga in order to ma(e distinctions& 3o#beit, the lines bet#een #hat is shNLo and #hat is shNnen are incredibl$ gra$, as man$ manga face incredible overlap that it seams rather arbitrar$ to #hich demographic the$ #ould be attributed& D:cellent e:amples are They Were )le*en b$ Moto 3aigo +shNLo #ith shNnen6li(e themes of technological futurism and competition. and Tsu+asa, &eser*oir !hronicle b$ Blamp +shNnen #ith an overarching theme of romance and a character set that is primaril$ androg$nous #ith #illo#$ bodies and large e$es of t$pical shNLo.& Alas, b$ far the maLorit$ of manga are divided and mar(eted according to age6and6gender demographic genres, so #hile some manga do not necessaril$ represent the archet$pes of a demographic genre, the$ are are sold under forced categoriIation& As Matt 'horn rightfull$ states, that at the end of the da$, ,shQLo FsicG manga are manga published in shQLo FsicG magaIines +as defined b$ their publishers., and shQnen FsicG manga are manga published in shQnen FsicG manga magaIines +li(e#ise defined b$ publishers.&- 'he demographic categories #ere never supposed to have thic(, hard lines bet#een them& 'he$ are tools for publishers to help mar(et manga b$ clumping and promoting them to different people #ho supposedl$ ma$ find them more appealing& Cemographic genres are used b$ publishers to help ma(e sales the same #a$ genres such as science fiction, fantas$, drama, comed$, etc& are used here in the 9est in spite of man$ gra$ areas bet#een these themes&

Jsei and Seinen

>asicall$, #"sei +meaning ,#oman-. and seinen +meaning ,$oung man-. are manga that t$picall$ target $oung adult #omen and men, respectivel$& All too often seinen and LNsei manga are bunched #ith their ,$ounger- counterparts, being shNnen and shNLo manga&! %ot Lust in 9estern mar(eting alone, but also man$ academics, particularl$ 9estern academics of manga and anime, broaden the definition of shNLo and shNnen manga categories to include LNsei and seinen& V<1 lists -ana, one of the most popular manga toda$, as shNLo +,Manga-. in spite of it clearl$ being published as LNsei in Japan +,JNsei6Mu(e-. and 1hamoon and 'horn also see LNsei as a subgenre of shNLo +1hamoon 1?1., though 'horn reasons that the use of the term ,LNsei- has ,never reall$ caught on #ith mainstream readers&- < cannot argue #ith that, ho#ever #hen $our average manga reader, either 9estern or Japanese, hears the term ,shNLo,- manga intended for $oung girls are #hat the$ #ould !
'he onl$ sources < can find that refer seinen manga as being a part of shNnen manga or e:press a manga readership2s lac( of differentiating bet#een shNnen and seinen is on several non6professional forums and 9i(ipedia&

Afsaneh 1amari

normall$ recall& 'o avoid this generaliIation, < #ill e:amine LNsei as #ell as seinen as their o#n genres& 'hough it is tempting to describe LNsei and seinen as simpl$ being more ,sophisticatedversions of shNLo and shNnen, this is not al#a$s true& 9hile the plots could be more polished in accordance to a more mature audience, others can go as far as being e:cessivel$ shallo# and highl$ sensual& JNsei manga, for a time, #as dominated b$ se:ual manga that gre# increasingl$ more e:plicit& 'hese rac$ comics, often called red.su or redikomi +literall$ ,ladies2 comics-., have plots revolving around the se:ual escapades of their female leads and eventuall$ bro(e off from LNsei b$ the late 1 *02s +'homas 1/1.& Oedi(omi tends to reign the image of LNsei in the 9est than(s to the severe lac( of diversit$ in manga imports and to ,FfGoreign criticsF, #hoG often seem fi:ated on transgressive subsets of Japanese #omen2s erotica- +Blemens ".& %onetheless, LNsei trul$ offers a variet$ of realistic settings and contemporar$ themes, including famil$, the #or(place, romance, fashion, and detective m$ster$, among others + /6*.& 1einen manga, ho#ever, is often deemed as an offshoot of gekiga +meaning ,dramatic pictures-.& 5e(iga, #hich is a t$pe of manga, #as the first comics form in Japan to introduce dar(er, more political themes compared to mainstream manga& 'he form came into e:istence post699<<, after some of the ver$ first manga consumers #ere becoming $oung adults during a time of great povert$ and hardship and #here manga #as primaril$ targeting Luveniles +5ravett "*.& >$ the 1 602s the combining of ,the cartoon$ escapism of sh$nen manga #ith the adult content and detailed art of gekiga, the result #as a ne# t$pe of mangaM pulp$, violent, se:ual, and popular- +'homas "2/.& 3ence the birth of seinen manga& 'hough the genre includes themes ranging from science fiction to erotica, most of them aim for some degree of respectabilit$, man$ targeting middle6 and upper6class #hite6 collar #or(ers& Almost all stories revolve around the contemporar$ office, late high school or college lifest$les, or more fictional science fiction and fantas$ settings +'homas "2*6 .& <n contrast #ith LNsei manga, domestic drama and sentimental romance seems to ver$ rarel$7if at all7pla$ a maLor part in seinen manga& Just li(e the relationship bet#een shNLo and shNnen, the LNsei and seinen categories cross over fre8uentl$& /okusen b$ 0oIue(o Morimoto is a LNsei manga that has strong themes of $a(uIa drama and violence and a setting primaril$ at an all6bo$s high school #here the female lead teaches& 0egend o' Mother Sarah b$ 0atsuhiro )tomo is a seinen manga about a mother #ho is separated from her children and does #hatever she can to find them& 'he four main demographic genres are never meant to be true determinants as to #ho #ill li(e it best but reall$ estimates for publishing2s sa(e especiall$ for manga that do not seem to be archet$pical of an$ of the categories& <t is common in Japan for people of an$ gender and almost an$ age to be reading manga from an$ of these four genres and almost al#a$s people #ould thin( nothing of it&

9or(s 1ited
Blemens, Jonathan& ,Riving 3appil$ %ever After in 9omen2s Manga&- Manga and Philoso hy, 1ullmetal Meta hysician& Dd& Josef 1teiff and Adam >ar(man& BhicagoM )pen Bourt, 2010& ,Bomics and 5raphic %ovel 1ales Co#n in 200 &- 2!*3& 1 Apr 2010& 1/ Jan 2011& ShttpMPP###&icv2& comParticlesPne#sP1/2 1&htmlT& Eishbein, Jennifer& ,Durope2s Manga Mania&- 4usinessWeek& 26 Cec 200/& 20 Jan 2011& ShttpMPP###& business#ee(&comPglobalbiIPcontentPdec200/Pgb200/1226U"!6610&htmT&

Manga and the Absence of a Universal Understanding

Eoucault, Michel& The History o' Se5uality, (olume 6, 7n 2ntroduction& 'rans& Oobert 3urle$& %e# Vor(M Vintage >oo(s, 1 0& 5ravett, ;aul& Manga, Si5ty 8ears o' 9a anese !omics& %e# Vor(M Ra#rence 0ing, 200!& 5ustines, 5eorge 5ene& ,Eilm 'railer Aids 1ales of W9atchmenK %ovel&- The -ew 8ork Times& 1" Aug 200*& 20 Jan 2011& ShttpMPP###&n$times&comP200*P0*P1!PartsP1!arts6E<RM'OA<RDOAU>OE& htmlX UrY1ZrefYartsZorefYsloginT& ,23arr$ ;otter2 tale is fastest6selling boo( in histor$&- The -ew 8ork Times& 2" Jul 200/& 1/ Jan 2011& ShttpMPP###&n$times&comP200/P0/P2"PbusinessP#orldbusinessP2"iht6potter&!&6/* 60?&htmlT& 3olland, 1teve& ,Bomics Blippings [ 1 April 200/&- 4ear 7lley& 1 Apr 200/& 4logger.com& 20 Jan 2011& ShttpMPPbearalle$&blogspot&comP200/P0!Pcomic6clippings616april6200/&htmlT& ,JNsei6Mu(e 0omi((u61hi&- 9MP7 Maga#in Deeta& Japan MagaIine ;ublishers Association&/ Apr 2011& ShttpMPP###&L6magaIine&or&LpPdataU001Pinde:&htmlT& 0o(etsu, %ion& ,'he Cemographics of Anime and Manga Cefined&- Hu+Pages& Apr 2011& ShttpMPPhubpages& comPhubPanimangaUgenresT& 0o$ama6Oichard, >rigitte& One Thousand 8ears o' Manga& ;arisM Elammarion, 200/& ,Manga Volumes&- Sho#o 4eat& ! Apr 2011& ShttpMPP###&shoLobeat&comPmangaPsbUvols&phpT& Mac9illiams, Mar( 9& 9a anese (isual !ulture, )5 lorations in the World o' Manga and 7nime& Armon(M M&D& 1harpe, 200*& ,2)ne ;iece2 Manga Volume 60 1ells 2 Million\ in ! Ca$s&- 7nime -ews -etwork& 10 %ov 2010& 1/ Jan 2011& ShttpMPP###&animene#snet#or(&comPne#sP2010611610Pone6piece6manga6volume6606sells626million\in6 !6da$sT& ;atten, Ered& Watching 7nime, &eading Manga, 3: 8ears o' )ssays and &e*iews& >er(ele$M 1tone >ridge, 200!& 666& ,)samu 'eIu(a +1 266* .&- The )ighteenth 7nnual 7--2) 7wards, 6;;<& >urban(M A1<EA63oll$#ood, 1 0& Opt& Ered ;atten& 1 /61 & 666& ,1hotaro <shinomoriM A ;rofile&- <ntroduction& The Skull Man& >$ 0aIuhi(o 1himamoto and 1hotaro <shinomori& Vol& 1& Ros AngelesM 'o($opop, 2002& Opt& Ered ;atten& 206620 & ;hillipps, 1usanne& ,Bharacters, 'hemes, and %arrative ;atterns in the Manga of )samu 'eIu(a&- Mar( 9& Mac9illiams& 6*6 0& rme$ers& ,A 9ebbed 1tor$M Manhua and Manga, 3ong 0ong and Japan&- Serendi & 10 Ma$ 2010& >r$n Ma#r Bollege& 2 April 2011& ShttpMPPserendip&br$nma#r&eduPe:changePT& 1chodt, Erederi( R&Manga= Manga= The World o' 9a anese !omics& %e# Vor(M 0odansha <ntl, 1 *"& ,A 1econd >ad Vear in a Oo# for Manga&- 2!*3& 1* Apr 2010& 1/ Jan 2011& ShttpMPP###&icv2&comP articlesPne#sP1/2 2&htmlT& 1hamoon, Cebora& ,1ituating the Sh"#o in Sh"#o Manga&M 'eenage 5irls, Oomance Bomics, and Bontemporar$&Mar( 9& Mac9illiams& 1"/6?!& ,1hQLo&- Sneak Peak, S ring 3<<>& Vol& 2& ;ough(eepsieM V<=, 200!& ,1hueisha 'ops 2/06>illion6Ven Manga Mar(et in 200 &- 7nime -ews -etwork& 2 Jan 2010& 1/ Jan 2011& ShttpMPP###&animene#snet#or(&comPne#sP201060162 Pshueisha6tops62/06billion6$en6manga6mar(et6 in6200 T& t0mnomnom& ,9hat2s Manh#aX- 9eblog post& Manga Market& 1? Jan 2011& 9ord;ress&com& 2 April 2011& ShttpMPPmangamar(et&#ordpress&comP2011P01P1?P#hats6manh#aPT& 'a(ahashi, MiIu(i& ,)pening the Blosed 9orld of Sh"#o Manga&- Mar( 9& Mac9illiams& 11!6"6& 'hompson, Jason& Manga, The !om lete /uides& %e# Vor(M >allantine, 200/& 'horn, Matt& ,9hat 1hQLo Manga Are and Are %otM A ]uic( 5uide to the Bonfused&- Sh$#o Manga& 200!& mattthorn.com& ! Apr 2011& ShttpMPP###&matt6thorn&comPshouLoUmangaP#hatisandisnt& phpT&