Comic books have a wider following in Japan than most people would ever imagine. Nearly 40% of all printed items are in comic form. About 350 comics and 500 comic books are published every month. Twelve comics appear on a weekly basis, the most popular being Shonen Magazine, with almost four million copies distributed every week.
Reading comics is a more popular leisure activity than going to the movies or reading novels, and may even be more popular than watching television or listening to music.
Comics, called manga, provide a cheap, easy way to amuse oneself. They can offer much more. "How To" books, works of general academic interest, and other books introducing subjects like law or economics are also published in manga form. Companies may even use manga for their brochures and advertising.
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A generalist essay to explain why manga is more than just manga in Japan. Actually the scope is from usual manga to safety awareness campaign type of mangas, I seen it before. This kinda manga shows the dangers of problem and how to avoid it with increased awareness. This writing is like introduction of manga 101 for most newcomers to this entertainment niche.
Manga is not just a medium of entertainment in Japan, it is also a form of lighter version of instruction manual for people to follow. It is a national identity for Japan as it has hundreds of history behind it, from days of Ukiyo-e woodprints to modern manga that we all recognize today.
What is Ukiyo-e?
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