1,000 Ideas by 100 Manga Artists

Introduction 9

Is manga really so different from the Western

style of comic? After all, if the West has the

traditional 4-panel comic strip running hori-

zontally across the page, Japan has the

yon-

koma

, a 4-panel comic strip running… vertical-

ly down the page. If the West has comics full

of superheroes, Japan has the

shonen

manga,

a whole genre dedicated to male adolescents

with an overdose of testosterone. If the West

has the graphic novel, Japan has the

seinen

manga, with adult themes and a graphic style

that is far more complex than the one used in

cartoons targeting a younger readership. And

let’s not forget the ninjas, who are nothing

more than the Delta Force equivalent of the

Japanese feudal past, or the mechs— ...