Henry Yu
By Henry Yu
SYLP student
What was started in Japan but has been slowly incorporating itself into U.S. culture? Manga. Manga books are similar to American comics, but they have a unique artistic style that makes them distinguishable.
Manga covers a broad range of subjects so that people can find the right one for them.
From action to horror, manga has it all. The different stories allow the reader to gain new experiences and learn about something new through the eyes of the characters. In manga, you can find many characters based off an archetype.
SYLP student Xiaomeng (Aaron) Liu settles in with a good read. (Photos by SYLP volunteers and Amy Lu)
Great stories are told without having to spend days reading them. A manga can have an equal amount of lessons as a great novel, but it takes half the time it takes to read a novel. A manga doesn’t use long paragraphs to tell the story. Instead, it uses pictures to show what’s happening. This makes it more convenient for the reader.
Rather than painting the picture in your head by reading the description, you can actually see what the artist envisions.
Interaction between a reader and a book is one of the main things that make a book great. Manga interacts with the reader through visual imagery. Pictures help show the characters’ reactions and emotions. Sometimes, images can better describe how characters feel. Fight scenes become more real because you can see the exchange in blows and more. Through seeing the images of what the author tries to show you, everything feels more alive.
The impact of manga has allowed us to see a little bit of the Japanese culture. Manga has also influenced the media with anime (Japanese animation). ♦
Henry Yu can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.
(The stories in this issue are written by SYLP students, not Northwest Asian Weekly staff. Opinions herein do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of the newspaper.)