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Manga' refers to a form of visual storytelling through pictures that originated in Japan, and anime, short for 'animation'
is the animated (and possibly now more popular) form of manga, seen on TV and in cinemas. The easiest way to translate the
word 'manga' to English would be to say that they are Japanese comic books. This definition, however, while technically true,
is extremely misleading due to the connotations that the comic book has in Western culture. In the West, comic books refer
to monthly booklets that tell a story, most of which are about heroes with ridiculous superpowers fighting stereotypical villains
who just want to take over the world. American comic books are also similar in that they each tend to target the same demographic
group: male children.
Manga is different in both respects. Manga fully penetrates the Japanese market, with manga for every demographic group,
from little children to bored housewives to businessmen*. The actual content is very different from American comics, even
on the level of children's manga - manga will often show a realistic portrayal of life, where death, angst, and the consequences
of one's actions are a constant part of the story. These harsh facts of reality are often absent in American comic books where
the protagonist seems to be able to do anything and forget the consequences. When manga and anime are translated into English
they are often dumbed down, such as one example where in Sailor Moon, at the end of the Queen Beryl saga, each Sailor Senshi
is killed until only Usagi (Serena) is left, who in the end kills Queen Beryl. In the American version, the Senshi aren't
killed, they are 'removed' from the action, but are still alive.
One of the major differences is the level of depth to the characters in manga. In manga, one of the most important aspects
is something often forgotten in American comic books - character development. Most manga worlds are populated with believable
characters who have their own loves, hates and passions. Most enemy characters aren't evil - their agendas are just antagonistic
to the protagonists' own plans. For example, in the recently translated Gundam Wing**, most of the characters have the same
vision for the future; they are only fighting over how to achieve that vision.
Perhaps the greatest difference between manga and American comic books is how the stories tend to end. Unlike American
comics, where the hero always comes back to fight another enemy, most manga have a definitive ending, whether it be a 'Hero
wins, everybody's happy' type of ending, or an ending more akin to one of Shakespeare's tragedies. Manga ends with finality,
rather than endless sequels.
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