We are mostly aware that Manga are a source of entertainment, much like any form of media; however, I am not here to say it is the best kind of media out there or people should read more of it. I am just here to give people something to think about.
Some see manga as an art, comic humor, just cartoons in book form or ____insert your opinion here____, but has one ever thought about how much truly is in Manga?
· Art
· Story
· Science
· History
· Entertainment
· Philosophy
· Final Words
Art, countless hours are poured into a manga, and yes there are a lot of skills that have to be put into consideration to make a manga. Of course to some degree some are more important than others, such as…
-Human Proportions (occasionally there will be distortion; however, one must be able to produce this process a many of times)
-Speed drawing/sketching (Deadlines, and the ability to keep up with thoughts and the actual sketches)
-Colour balance (Inside the manga are the limitations of the grey variations; however, one cannot have colours exteriorly clash)
-Perspective (Backgrounds need to correspond the scene, sounds easy, but keep in mind the panel sizes and limitations)
-Point of view (when sketching from a certain view point of a certain character one must have the height and characteristics of the character in mind)
-Negative Space (The panels cannot have too much empty space, nor can the actual negative space be jeopardized, thus each panel should give a sense of completeness)
-Style (this is the fun part, but keep in mind this should be as constant as possible to give complete feel of the piece)
-Designing (One must have a decent sense of design, from clothing to building structure, it is one factor to sketch a church on paper, but to conjure one and keep it the same though out the entire series)
Story, This one has a lot more to it than just writing a story plot, with setting, exposition, intro, rising acts, conflicts, climax, falling acts, resolution, ending. There are a many of things to factors to consider. I shall go though the basics.
-Characters, (goes true to writing a novel, a writer must choose the fate of their characters, but also give life to them. This is no easy process for both novels and manga, sure it is fun to make a character, but keep in mind these characters nearly breathed with the breath of life, “a picture is worth a thousand words” and usually there is not a narrator for manga, so on top of one’s a thousand words, “actions speak louder than the words”, so the characters actions in a manga shapes that character. Also the characters’ looks could change the genre)
-Exposition, (The setting is key, some say the first chapter makes or breaks a novel, same to a manga. The first act in a manga is crucial this gives the reader a taste of typography, character, and feel.)
-Intro, (ok, so this is similar to exposition, but Intro is about the introduction to key concepts, such as characters and setting. Now as these concepts will obviously change, but one must give the readers hope in the characters and setting, these are all in picture so some may just be affixed to the art deployment, rather than the words.)
-Rising Actions, (these are a big part in any piece of writing, this is the meat of what some fans look for, if the rising acts are not well thought about then the readers could get bored and drop the series. Such as, extreme natures should be avoided, and this applies to anything, from clichés to too much comedy. Yes, some areas can be stressed, but do not add too much pressure into one area and cause a reader to break.)
-Conflicts, (this helps the rising acts, whether these be internal external, man vs. man, man vs. nature, man vs. society, man vs. humanity, or man vs. spiritual. All these factors can be expressed in one entity, or unit. That is one of the glorious parts of manga. I can be easy to transition from the countless interior stories within on series; however, due try to keep in mind one must make a big picture with them. Unless one dives into an Omake, short stories for fun, humor, or little trace evidence)
-Climax, (Oh, the climax, this is the turning point, for genres clichés will follow; however, keep in mind this is one of the hardest points in a manga. If not executed properly the reader may get mixed feelings and may not finish a series.)
-Falling Acts, (This is usually where the side characters give their own lasting words, and the protagonist takes up their role and makes lead to the resolution, if there are multiple protagonists this is usually the time they shine and highlight themselves out of being the stories focus. Also this is where the mangaka may keep in mind to satisfy the needs of the readers who may like a particular character, giving them a sense and reassurance as to why the reader may like said character)
-Resolution, (This is where twists and foreshadows are resolved and whether characters have evolved or not, but this can vary the genre so do not expect the fairy tale ending all the time)
-Ending? (This is the coup de grace in both ways. It can be that happy-sad moment. I account this to be the reasons why so many readers tend to either love or hate an ending. The ending is the most important part of a manga in my opinion. This must tie those loose ends that some may lust for; however, these ends maybe forsaken for a numerous of reasons. One, it could be a sequel, two, maybe that lasting fandom for people to conjure their own hypothesizes on why factors are the way they are, or thirdly this could be the spark of passion for readers to make doujinshi’s or coterie books and have the reader pursue in becoming a mangaka themselves. Whichever case may factor in the manga, the ending could just be nice-read, or it may give enough power to have the series passed on and read time after time after time again.)
Science, Yes there is science in manga more than just basic sci-fi instruments, and devices that conjure up in the mangaka’s mind. I mean to talk about the actual science facts that may reside in a manga. Now, depending on the genre this could vary. There sometimes are notable facts of scientific discoveries, but the big interest of science that is in manga or writing in general is the mangaka’s ideas and theories, yet just as I said this happens in novels as well. What make manga so interesting and sometimes hard is the actual designing of said scientific advancement or implement. This can show an expansion of a mangaka’s scientific knowledge or research.
History, Most of what is said about the science can be applied to the history, but that is not the only significance of history in a manga. History can relate to the timeline of a series, thus, a series must have a sense of flow, and make sure the chronological factors are not too misconstrued when read as a whole. Also, to keep just in mind the year in which the manga is written, within the story and outside the story, as for the actual publishing date, this could give a sense of what outside factors could have resided to make the piece.
Entertainment, this seems rather simple, but this is more than just a reading for pleasure. The fandoms that are created through this entertainment has more meaning than some may realize. To my opinion I see a character like someone or a person one may know, and when an act is done by a character it is interesting to see the readers’ reaction to the act. Anonymously, one can get all sorts of views to how one may actually view the person or the person they know. As well as the reactions of the other characters may also give a sense of how a mangaka views the act.
Allow me to say at this moment that this is one of my favorite factors that go into manga. This is basically the comprising of all the factors listed above. So with that I give the philosophy.
Philosophy, this comes in a multiple situations, in the art this gives way to how a mangaka would like to see a world seen as far as how they believe people should be or act. This can also fall into what the mangaka may believe to be right and wrong. Examples of this could be found in story plot, such as when a protagonist makes their choices to their conflicts, and the plot of how the world in the manga is how the mangaka may view the world, even if it is their own experiences. The Science gives way to their truth they believe what facts they believe, what they know and how they feel theories are in their eyes and they sketch and write their own dissections of how the world and life is run. This also flows to the history, the events in a manga may relate to real life events and this may be seen in the philosophy if a certain event was erased or told differently. This is a way for a mangaka to provide entertainment as well as just getting their ideals out to the public, and to me should be looked upon as not just the entertainment, but as also their philosophical ideals.
Overall, this is all that goes through my mind when I am reading a manga. It is not just a book with pictures, or a cartoon. Manga is a way to understand people, point of views, learn something, inspire to make new futures, fun way to make friends, and question your own existence and your own views on this existence.
"Each one makes and morphs who the mangaka is, and paints thousands of panels for thousands of pictures for thousands of words, and to thousands of ideals. To be a piece of existence that will never go away…" -SSR-
Manga Sermon
We are mostly aware that Manga are a source of entertainment, much like any form of media; however, I am not here to say it is the best kind of media out there or people should read more of it. I am just here to give people something to think about.
Some see manga as an art, comic humor, just cartoons in book form or ____insert your opinion here____, but has one ever thought about how much truly is in Manga?
· Art
· Story
· Science
· History
· Entertainment
· Philosophy
· Final Words
Art, countless hours are poured into a manga, and yes there are a lot of skills that have to be put into consideration to make a manga. Of course to some degree some are more important than others, such as…
-Human Proportions (occasionally there will be distortion; however, one must be able to produce this process a many of times)
-Speed drawing/sketching (Deadlines, and the ability to keep up with thoughts and the actual sketches)
-Colour balance (Inside the manga are the limitations of the grey variations; however, one cannot have colours exteriorly clash)
-Perspective (Backgrounds need to correspond the scene, sounds easy, but keep in mind the panel sizes and limitations)
-Point of view (when sketching from a certain view point of a certain character one must have the height and characteristics of the character in mind)
-Negative Space (The panels cannot have too much empty space, nor can the actual negative space be jeopardized, thus each panel should give a sense of completeness)
-Style (this is the fun part, but keep in mind this should be as constant as possible to give complete feel of the piece)
-Designing (One must have a decent sense of design, from clothing to building structure, it is one factor to sketch a church on paper, but to conjure one and keep it the same though out the entire series)
Story, This one has a lot more to it than just writing a story plot, with setting, exposition, intro, rising acts, conflicts, climax, falling acts, resolution, ending. There are a many of things to factors to consider. I shall go though the basics.
-Characters, (goes true to writing a novel, a writer must choose the fate of their characters, but also give life to them. This is no easy process for both novels and manga, sure it is fun to make a character, but keep in mind these characters nearly breathed with the breath of life, “a picture is worth a thousand words” and usually there is not a narrator for manga, so on top of one’s a thousand words, “actions speak louder than the words”, so the characters actions in a manga shapes that character. Also the characters’ looks could change the genre)
-Exposition, (The setting is key, some say the first chapter makes or breaks a novel, same to a manga. The first act in a manga is crucial this gives the reader a taste of typography, character, and feel.)
-Intro, (ok, so this is similar to exposition, but Intro is about the introduction to key concepts, such as characters and setting. Now as these concepts will obviously change, but one must give the readers hope in the characters and setting, these are all in picture so some may just be affixed to the art deployment, rather than the words.)
-Rising Actions, (these are a big part in any piece of writing, this is the meat of what some fans look for, if the rising acts are not well thought about then the readers could get bored and drop the series. Such as, extreme natures should be avoided, and this applies to anything, from clichés to too much comedy. Yes, some areas can be stressed, but do not add too much pressure into one area and cause a reader to break.)
-Conflicts, (this helps the rising acts, whether these be internal external, man vs. man, man vs. nature, man vs. society, man vs. humanity, or man vs. spiritual. All these factors can be expressed in one entity, or unit. That is one of the glorious parts of manga. I can be easy to transition from the countless interior stories within on series; however, due try to keep in mind one must make a big picture with them. Unless one dives into an Omake, short stories for fun, humor, or little trace evidence)
-Climax, (Oh, the climax, this is the turning point, for genres clichés will follow; however, keep in mind this is one of the hardest points in a manga. If not executed properly the reader may get mixed feelings and may not finish a series.)
-Falling Acts, (This is usually where the side characters give their own lasting words, and the protagonist takes up their role and makes lead to the resolution, if there are multiple protagonists this is usually the time they shine and highlight themselves out of being the stories focus. Also this is where the mangaka may keep in mind to satisfy the needs of the readers who may like a particular character, giving them a sense and reassurance as to why the reader may like said character)
-Resolution, (This is where twists and foreshadows are resolved and whether characters have evolved or not, but this can vary the genre so do not expect the fairy tale ending all the time)
-Ending? (This is the coup de grace in both ways. It can be that happy-sad moment. I account this to be the reasons why so many readers tend to either love or hate an ending. The ending is the most important part of a manga in my opinion. This must tie those loose ends that some may lust for; however, these ends maybe forsaken for a numerous of reasons. One, it could be a sequel, two, maybe that lasting fandom for people to conjure their own hypothesizes on why factors are the way they are, or thirdly this could be the spark of passion for readers to make doujinshi’s or coterie books and have the reader pursue in becoming a mangaka themselves. Whichever case may factor in the manga, the ending could just be nice-read, or it may give enough power to have the series passed on and read time after time after time again.)
Science, Yes there is science in manga more than just basic sci-fi instruments, and devices that conjure up in the mangaka’s mind. I mean to talk about the actual science facts that may reside in a manga. Now, depending on the genre this could vary. There sometimes are notable facts of scientific discoveries, but the big interest of science that is in manga or writing in general is the mangaka’s ideas and theories, yet just as I said this happens in novels as well. What make manga so interesting and sometimes hard is the actual designing of said scientific advancement or implement. This can show an expansion of a mangaka’s scientific knowledge or research.
History, Most of what is said about the science can be applied to the history, but that is not the only significance of history in a manga. History can relate to the timeline of a series, thus, a series must have a sense of flow, and make sure the chronological factors are not too misconstrued when read as a whole. Also, to keep just in mind the year in which the manga is written, within the story and outside the story, as for the actual publishing date, this could give a sense of what outside factors could have resided to make the piece.
Entertainment, this seems rather simple, but this is more than just a reading for pleasure. The fandoms that are created through this entertainment has more meaning than some may realize. To my opinion I see a character like someone or a person one may know, and when an act is done by a character it is interesting to see the readers’ reaction to the act. Anonymously, one can get all sorts of views to how one may actually view the person or the person they know. As well as the reactions of the other characters may also give a sense of how a mangaka views the act.
Allow me to say at this moment that this is one of my favorite factors that go into manga. This is basically the comprising of all the factors listed above. So with that I give the philosophy.
Philosophy, this comes in a multiple situations, in the art this gives way to how a mangaka would like to see a world seen as far as how they believe people should be or act. This can also fall into what the mangaka may believe to be right and wrong. Examples of this could be found in story plot, such as when a protagonist makes their choices to their conflicts, and the plot of how the world in the manga is how the mangaka may view the world, even if it is their own experiences. The Science gives way to their truth they believe what facts they believe, what they know and how they feel theories are in their eyes and they sketch and write their own dissections of how the world and life is run. This also flows to the history, the events in a manga may relate to real life events and this may be seen in the philosophy if a certain event was erased or told differently. This is a way for a mangaka to provide entertainment as well as just getting their ideals out to the public, and to me should be looked upon as not just the entertainment, but as also their philosophical ideals.
Overall, this is all that goes through my mind when I am reading a manga. It is not just a book with pictures, or a cartoon. Manga is a way to understand people, point of views, learn something, inspire to make new futures, fun way to make friends, and question your own existence and your own views on this existence.
"Each one makes and morphs who the mangaka is, and paints thousands of panels for thousands of pictures for thousands of words, and to thousands of ideals. To be a piece of existence that will never go away…" -SSR-
Edited by ReikuSSR