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 THE LIBRARIAN’S GUIDE
TO MANGA

CONTENTS

What Is Manga? 2-3

Manga Glossary 4-5

How to Order Manga 6-7

Reviews & Resources 8-9

TOKYOPOP Rating Information 10

Sample Manga Pages 11

Newsletter Information 12

Ratings Guidelines 13-14

Online Manga Preview Links 15

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 What Is Manga?
Manga is the Japanese word for “comic book,” and a type of graphic
novel. Traditionally rendered in black and white, printed on coarse
paper, and designed to be portable, manga is an art form for the
masses, accessible to a wide spectrum of people from all walks of
life. Manga genres range from horror to romance, science fiction
to family dramas, military epics to sports stories, and everything in
between. “Anime” is the word used to describe the film equivalent
to manga.

A short history of manga

Though manga as we know it probably came into being at the dawn
of the 20th century, most aficionados of the genre agree that the
modern manga style was invented by Osamu Tezuka – the Japanese
creator of such classic works as Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion
– in the late 1940s/early 1950s. Since then, the manga industry
has grown exponentially, influencing Western comic books with its
unique aesthetic, and being influenced in turn by countless styles and
techniques from outside Japan.

How is manga different from American

comics and American graphic novels?
The incredibly targeted and focused visual palette of manga allows
its creators to emphasize character development in a manner not
commonly found in traditional Western comics; manga artists often
make use of a specific type of drawing and toning style. Manga
releases in multiple volumes that complete a series. American comics
and graphic novels are usually serialized or stand-alone books that
exhibit more varied art styles.
It is important to understand that manga is very much an East Asian
import, filled with culturally diverse themes and situations. In some
cases, the format is different too. TOKYOPOP manga that have
been translated from Japanese, read right-to-left (“backwards”).
TOKYOPOP’s originally created series and its manga licensed from
Korea reads in the traditional left-to-right format.

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 Who reads manga?
People of all ages read manga in Japan. In the US, the demographics
are a bit different because the genre is new here and teens have been
the first to get on board. A typical TOKYOPOP reader is between
the ages of 12–17 and has an equal chance of being male or female
(though we count many adult librarians among our most avid fans!).
Forty-four percent also read literature and the classics (i.e., J.K.
Rowling and J.R.R. Tolkien).

Why manga?
What’s the hook?
Readers cite many reasons for their love of manga. They note
that the quality of the illustrations is as important as that of the
writing, making manga a truly unique reading and art-appreciating
experience! The global cultural vibe of manga is also an attractive
component, as cited by the New York Times Magazine in a recent article
(“Comics Trip: What Are American Kids Looking for in the Cultural
Mix and Match of Japanese Manga?” by Rob Walker; May 30, 2004;
New York Times Magazine).

Why carry manga in your library?

Librarians have found that carrying manga is a great way to
encourage reluctant readers (often male) to come into the library
and start reading. Manga also has strong appeal to teens and twenty-
something’s who are sometimes overlooked and underserved age
groups in the library.
Manga from Japan and Korea also encourage readers to take an
interest in other cultures and reach beyond what they know. It has
stimulated a huge number of fans to take Japanese classes, learn
more about Japanese culture, and to start drawing and creating their
own stories! TOKYOPOP, in fact, sponsors a contest for aspiring
manga artists and authors. Contest winners have come from states
all across the nation, and range in age from 15 to 35. Each winning
title is published in an edition of Rising Stars of Manga, available at
bookstores nationwide. You can find out more information on how to
enter the Rising Stars of Manga contest online at www.TOKYOPOP.com.

WWW. .COM
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 Manga Glossary
Anime Anime is the Japanese
Anime:
derivation of the English word
“animation.” It is used to describe
what is commonly called a cartoon in
the United States. However, in the
United States, anime is used solely
to refer to animation created and
produced in Japan. The key difference
is it appeals to a broader audience
than just children.

Manga Japanese comic books

Manga:
that are drawn on coarse paper in
black and white and designed to be
portable. The books range in age
appropriateness and genre, from teen
romance to an adult action book.

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 Manga Glossary
Manwha (Mahn-whah):
(Mahn-whah): Korean comics
similar to Japanese manga with a notable
difference in art style. Manwha produced
by TOKYOPOP read in their original left-
to-right format and are often referred to
as part of the general manga genre.

Shojo
Shojo: Manga with character-driven
stories created primarily for young girls.

Shonen Manga with strong action-

Shonen:
themed stories primarily written for
young guys.

Bi-Shonen Literally meaning

Bi-Shonen:
“pretty boys,” these stories revolve around
attractive boy characters and appeal
primarily to a female audience.

WWW. .COM

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 How to Order Manga
Series:
Most manga titles are part of a series, which can range in length from
two volumes (i.e., Sea Princess Azuri) to more than 20 (i.e., Rebirth)!
Each volume’s title will include the series title and a volume number
(i.e., Fruits Basket volume 2). Each book in the series will advance
the character and plot development through the completion of the
series.

How often are new volumes released?

The release schedule varies from title to title. Most volumes in a
series are released approximately every three months . The easiest
way to keep track of the current release schedules is online at
http://www.TOKYOPOP.com/browse/calendar.php

Why is the length of some series unknown?

Sometimes a series that TOKYOPOP begins to release in the U.S. has
not been completed by its Japanese or Korean publisher (i.e., as we
are releasing volume 1, the Japanese author is creating volume 14 for
the Japanese market). Therefore, we don’t always know how many
total books there will be in the complete series. We do our best to
update our website and distributor partners as soon as we know.

Do I need all volumes in a series?

Overwhelmed by hundreds of titles and limited by budget constraints,
many librarians wonder if they need to order the entire series or if
a missing volume will weaken their collection. Our advice would be
to start by ordering volume 1 of each series, even if the series has
already begun, and add subsequent volumes as you are able.

Where can I get my Manga?

All major U.S. book distributors carry TOKYOPOP manga. The
organization you use to order the bulk of your collection can
probably supply you with manga at a competitive discount as well.
You will also find a very good selection of manga at many retail
outlets, including Barnes & Noble, Borders, Waldenbooks, Hastings,
Books-A-Million, and Suncoast Video.

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 Do I need to worry about binding?
Expect your manga to get a lot of attention. Most librarians we hear
from say their collection rarely sits on the shelf. As a result, the
books go through a lot of wear and tear. TOKYOPOP has developed
an extremely durable manufacturing and binding process for our
manga. However, you can expect the binding to eventually wear
out. How soon depends on how kindly readers treat the books. To
lengthen the life of your manga, you can order them library bound
or with a protective laminate (like Kapco).

How do I keep track of all those releases?

When you’ve decided on a series you’d like to have in your library,
consider using a Standing Order program. Many distributors who
work with libraries have this very useful program through which a
library can subscribe to an entire series. You can place your order for
volume 1 with no need to keep track of when volume 2 and beyond
are releasing. You will automatically receive each new volume as it
becomes available.

Digital Distributor Contact Information:

TOKYOPOP Manga and comics are now available to add to

your OverDrive virtual branch! Already an OverDrive library?
To order, log into your Content Reserve account and check out
the featured collections on Marketplace or perform a search by
publisher.

Not an OverDrive library yet? Contact an OverDrive Collection

Development Specialist: collectionteam@overdrive.com, (216)
573-6886 with any questions or help with ordering.

WWW. .COM
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 Reviews & Resources
There are many resources available to librarians who are interested in
learning more about the manga genre as well as specific titles. Here is
a sampling of places you can visit to learn more about manga.

TOKYOPOP Resources:
www.TOKYOPOP. com should be your first stop to learn more about
specific TOKYOPOP titles. You can browse titles by genre or age
rating, and check out our entire release calendar.
We often give our fans the first glimpse of upcoming titles long
before they are available in-store or through a distributor. You can
also access recent media mentions about TOKYOPOP titles and
get more information about the Rising Stars of Manga contest. Most
exciting is our upcoming webpage dedicated to librarians, debuting
in January 2005.

Industry Publications:
ICV2 has great information on anime and manga, in a print quarterly
guide (“Retailers Guide to Manga & Anime”) and on a daily basis
online at www.icv2.com.. The quarterly provides information on
specific titles and includes top-50 lists as well as information on
industry trends. Note that their lists are often based on sales at
specialty retailers like comic shops and don’t necessarily mirror
nationwide sales in the trade book market or popularity at libraries.
They do not provide much information on content to watch for
(i.e., violence, language, sexuality) or include age-ratings in their
listings. You can cross-reference age-ratings for specific titles on
www.TOKYOPOP. com.
NewType Insider and Animerica are print fan publications and,
NewType, Anime Insider,
like ICV2
ICV2, are good resources for manga reviews.
If you have access to BookScan
BookScan, use it! On a weekly basis BookScan
charts the top-50 selling Graphic Novels based on book sales in trade
stores (like Barnes & Noble and Borders) nationwide. It’s an easy way
to get an idea of which titles are popular now.
Publishers Weekly consistently reviews TOKYOPOP titles and is available
in print or online at www.publishersweekly.com.
Though they don’t include ratings, they often point out violence and
sexual themes in the content.

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 School Library Journal and Library Journal consistently review
manga in print and online at www.schoollibraryjournal.com.. and
www.libraryjournal.com.
VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates), in print and online at www.voya.com,
features reviews in the “Graphically Speaking”column by ALA/YALSA
member Kat Kan.
Brodart Book Services has wonderful information on graphic novels
and lots of lists: www.graphicnovels.brodart.com.

Other Resources:
www.noflyingnotights.com
www.koyagi.com
www.sequentialtart.com

Recent Media Highlights:

To learn more about the explosion of manga in the U.S. and its
appeal, read these articles:
New York Times Magazine, May 30, 2004: “Comics Trip: What are
American Kids Looking for in the Cultural Mix and Match of
Japanese Manga?” by Rob Walker
USA Today, May 12, 2004: “Girls Get Their ‘Shojo’ Working in Comic
Book Shops” and “What Animates Teens About Manga? The Stories”;
both by Whitney Matheson
Time Magazine, February 16, 2004; “Drawing in the Gals: Move
Over Guys. Graphics for Girls Are the Hot New Genre in Japanese
Comics,” by Andrew Arnold
Wall Street Journal, August 5, 2004: “Kids Used to Take Japanese for
Jobs; Now, It’s for Fun,” by Ginny Parker

WWW. .COM
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 TOKYOPOP Rating
Information
TOKYOPOP understands that one of the most challenging aspects for
librarians ordering manga is determining age-appropriateness. To
that end, we rate all of our books to provide you with a recommended
guideline on which to base your orders and better information about
where to shelve each series. Ratings icons can be found on the right,
bottom corner of each book, on our website (www.TOKYOPOP. com),
and at all distributors carrying TOKYOPOP product.
A (All Ages) – Appropriate for all ages.
No offensive material.
Y (Youth, ages 10+) – Appropriate for
ages 10 and up. May contain violence.
T (Teen, ages 13+) – Appropriate for
ages 13 and up. May contain violence,
profanity, and semi-nudity.
OT (Older Teen, ages 16+) – Appropriate
for ages 16 and up. May contain violence,
profanity, semi-nudity, and some sexual
themes.
M (Mature, ages 18+) – Appropriate for
ages 18 and up. May contain graphic
violence, nudity, profanity, sex, and
intense sexual themes.
Please be aware that these are only guidelines, and that the best way
to determine the appropriateness of a manga title for your collection
and your community is to review it first yourself. There are also an
increasing number of manga reviews available to assist you and most
of our titles have manga preview pages on the TOKYOPOP website for
your convenience.
Another thing to consider is that many TOKYOPOP manga are
imported from Japan. We try to keep the original book as authentic
as possible and, as such, there are notable cultural differences in
many titles. These may include but are not limited to crude humor,
nudity, ambiguous sexuality and gender roles, and fashion that may be
considered unusual. These issues are deemed acceptable to Japanese
readers and are a part of what makes TOKYOPOP manga authentic,
popular, and cool with young people in the U.S.A.

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 THIS IS MANGA
(READS R-L)

www.TOKYOPOP.com.

© Project .hack 2002

WWW. .COM
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 Join Our Innovative
E-newsletter Just for Librarians!
Just when you thought we had given you all the information
we could, there’s more.

In mid-February, TOKYOPOP will be launching a brand-new

librarian e-newsletter, which we will email on a quarterly basis
to any librarian interested.

The newsletter will be chock full of information specific to a

librarian’s needs, including information on top titles for each
quarter, alerts when freebies are available and information
on how to get them, a spotlight on how specific libraries are
managing their manga collection, and so much more!

Sign up today via our website at

http:www.tokyopop.com/libraries

THE LIBRARIAN’S GUIDE

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• Cartoon Violence—Violent actions involving cartoon-like situations in which no
one really gets hurt and/or dies
• Potty Humor—Unrefined antics or use of language or imagery for comedic
purposes, i.e. fart jokes
• Slapstick Humor—Use of physical antics (car chases, collisions, etc.)
for comedic purposes
Y = Youth 10+
• Mild Language—Mild profanity and derogatory name calling
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that is easily distinguishable from real life
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T = Teens 13+
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or blood splatter
• Crude Humor—Unrefined, raw, or vulgar antics or use of language or imagery
for comedic purposes; the more adult-oriented version of potty humor
• Sexual Innuendo—Implied sexuality using words or actions with no
overt sexual act
• Mild Sexual Language—Includes but is not
limited to talk about masturbation, losing
one’s virginity, or a state of arousal, etc.
• Non-sexual Nondescript Nudity—
Outline of female or male anatomy
without detail or specific exposure
that is not sexual in nature
• Mild Sexuality/Sexual Themes—
Images of a romantic or sexual nature
excluding any sexual act.
• Mild Fanservice—Mild visual content that is
unnecessary to the plot or character development and
added by the artist for the sake of the fans
• Strong Language—Strong use of profanity and derogatory name calling
• Moderate Sexual Language—Includes but is not limited to discussions about
sexuality including the use of derogatory sexual euphemisms
• Moderate Violence—A real-life depiction of a singular act of violence against a
human that results in massive blood and/or blood splatter; self-mutilation
• Moderate Gore—The aftermath of a moderately violent act; macabre imagery
without overt carnage
• Partial or Full Body Nudity—Partial or full depiction of the male or female
anatomy
• Sexual Humor—Unrefined or vulgar use of sexual language or imagery for
comedic purposes
• Moderate Sexuality/Sexual Themes—Any image of a sexual nature that portrays
an implied* sexual act
• Moderate Fanservice —Moderate visual, often derogatory content that is unneces-
sary to the plot or character development and added by the artist for the sake of the
fans
• Alcohol and Illegal Drug Use
M = Mature 18+ (shrink wrapped; content advisory label on cover)
• Excessive Language—Explicit profanity and derogatory name calling
• Explicit Sexual Language
• Intense Violence—Real-life depictions of multiple acts of violence against
humans that result in massive blood and/or blood splatter
• Explicit Sexual Violence—A real-life depiction of an overt*, violent act of
a sexual nature
• Excessive Gore—The aftermath of an exceptionally violent act; exceptionally
gruesome imagery; macabre imagery with overt carnage; graphic depictions of
human viscera
• Sexual Full Body Nudity—Full depiction of the male or female anatomy that is
sexual in nature
• Explicit Sexuality/Sexual Themes—Any image of a sexual nature that portrays
an overt sexual act
• Explicit Fanservice—Explicit visual, often derogatory content that is
unnecessary to the plot or character development and added by the
artist for the sake of the fans
* Implied—An implied sexual act is one in which the reader sees the signs of a sexual act
* Overt—An overt sexual act is one in which the reader actually sees one or more people
engaging in a sexual act

• Tobacco Use/Reference
• Alcohol or Illegal Drug Reference
• Occcultism—The practice of the supernatural,
occult arts, including but not limited to the use
of a voodoo doll, animal sacrifice; use of tarot
cards, magic spells; symbolic
representation of the occult arts
 ONLINE MANGA PREVIEWS

DARK MOON DIARY: PHANTOM:

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GYAKSHU!: VAN VON HUNTER:

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I LUV HALLOWEEN: ZAPT!:

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ILuvHalloween/1 Zapt/1

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