Editing Manga (section)

== History and characteristics ==
{{Main|History of manga|Manga iconography}}
{{See also|Kibyōshi|Kamishibai}}
[[File:Sazae-san kamishibai.jpg|thumb|right|A {{tlit|ja|[[Kamishibai|kami-shibai]]}} story teller from ''[[Sazae-san]]'' by [[Machiko Hasegawa]]. Sazae appears with her hair in a bun.]]

Manga originated from {{tlit|ja|[[emakimono]]}} (scrolls), ''[[Chōjū-jinbutsu-giga]]'', dating back to the 12th century.<ref name="Widewalls"/><ref name="daini"/> During the [[Edo period]] (1603–1867), a book of drawings titled ''Toba Ehon'' further developed what would later be called manga.<ref name="Widewalls">{{cite web |last=Kageyama |first=Y. |title=A Short History of Japanese Manga |url=http://www.widewalls.ch/japanese-manga-comics-history/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528051728/http://www.widewalls.ch/japanese-manga-comics-history/ |website=Widewalls.ch |date=24 September 2016 |archive-date=28 May 2020 |access-date=27 July 2020}}</ref><ref name="daini">{{cite web |url=https://artscape.jp/artscape/eng/ht/0712index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421042205/https://artscape.jp/artscape/eng/ht/0712index.html |title=MedievalManga in Midtown: The Choju-Giga at the Suntory Museum |publisher=Dai Nippom Printing Co., Ltd. |archive-date=21 April 2021 |access-date=22 December 2022}}</ref> The word itself first came into common usage in 1798,<ref name="Prohl 2012 596"/> with the publication of works such as [[Santō Kyōden]]'s picturebook ''Shiji no yukikai'' (1798),<ref name="Santō Kyōden"/><ref name="Shiji no yukikai"/> and in the early 19th century with such works as Aikawa Minwa's ''Manga hyakujo'' (1814) and the ''[[Hokusai Manga]]'' books (1814–1834).<ref name="Hokusai"/><ref>{{harvp|Kern|2006|loc=pp. 139–144, Fig. 3.3}}</ref> Adam L. Kern has suggested that {{tlit|ja|[[kibyōshi]]}}, picture books from the late 18th century, may have been the world's first [[comic book]]s. These graphical narratives share with modern manga humorous, satirical, and romantic themes.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kern|2006}}</ref> Some works were mass-produced as serials using [[woodblock printing]].<ref name="Indianapolis"/> However, Eastern comics are generally held separate from the evolution of Western comics; Western comic art probably originated in 17th century Italy.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3bfPAgAAQBAJ |title=Gothic in Comics and Graphic Novels by Julia Round page 24 and 25 |isbn=978-0-7864-4980-4 |access-date=17 March 2023 |archive-date=6 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406230749/https://books.google.com/books?id=3bfPAgAAQBAJ |url-status=live |last1=Round |first1=Julia |date=12 February 2014 |publisher=McFarland }}</ref>

Writers on manga history have described two broad and complementary processes shaping modern manga. One view represented by other writers such as [[Frederik L. Schodt]], Kinko Ito, and Adam L. Kern, stress continuity of Japanese cultural and aesthetic traditions, including pre-war, [[Meiji era|Meiji]], and [[Meiji Restoration|pre-Meiji]] [[Culture of Japan|culture]] and [[Japanese art|art]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Schodt|1986}}, {{Harvnb|Ito|2004}}, {{Harvnb|Kern|2006}}, {{Harvnb|Kern|2007}}</ref> The other view, emphasizes events occurring during and after the [[Occupation of Japan|Allied occupation of Japan]] (1945–1952), and stresses U.S. cultural influences, including U.S. comics (brought to Japan by the [[G.I.|GIs]]) and images and themes from U.S. television, film, and cartoons (especially [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]]).<ref>{{Harvnb|Kinsella|2000}}, {{Harvnb|Schodt|1986}}</ref>

Regardless of its source, an explosion of artistic creativity occurred in the post-war period,<ref>{{Harvnb|Schodt|1986}}, {{Harvnb|Schodt|1996}}, {{Harvnb|Schodt|2007}}, {{Harvnb|Gravett|2004}}</ref> involving manga artists such as [[Osamu Tezuka]] (''[[Astro Boy]]'') and [[Machiko Hasegawa]] (''[[Sazae-san]]''). ''Astro Boy'' quickly became (and remains) immensely popular in Japan and elsewhere,<ref>{{Harvnb|Kodansha|1999|pp=692–715}}, {{Harvnb|Schodt|2007}}</ref> and the [[anime]] adaptation of ''Sazae-san'' drew more viewers than any other anime on Japanese television in 2011.<ref name="Widewalls" /> Tezuka and Hasegawa both made stylistic innovations. In Tezuka's "cinematographic" technique, the panels are like a motion picture that reveals details of action bordering on slow motion as well as rapid zooms from distance to close-up shots. This kind of visual dynamism was widely adopted by later manga artists.<ref name="Schodt 1986">{{Harvnb|Schodt|1986}}</ref> Hasegawa's focus on daily life and women's experience also came to characterize later [[shōjo manga|{{tlit|ja|shōjo}} manga]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Gravett|2004|p=8}}, {{Harvnb|Lee|2000}}, {{Harvnb|Sanchez|1997–2003}}</ref> Between 1950 and 1969, an increasingly large readership for manga emerged in Japan with the solidification of its two main marketing genres, [[shōnen manga|{{tlit|ja|shōnen}} manga]] aimed at boys and {{tlit|ja|shōjo}} manga aimed at girls.<ref>{{Harvnb|Schodt|1986}}, {{Harvnb|Toku|2006}}</ref>

In 1969, a group of female manga artists (later called the ''[[Year 24 Group]]'', also known as ''Magnificent 24s'') made their {{tlit|ja|shōjo}} manga debut ("year 24" comes from the Japanese name for the year 1949, the birth-year of many of these artists).<ref>{{Harvnb|Gravett|2004|pp=78–80}}, {{Harvnb|Lent|2001|pp=9–10}}</ref> The group included [[Moto Hagio]], [[Riyoko Ikeda]], [[Yumiko Ōshima]], [[Keiko Takemiya]], and [[Ryoko Yamagishi]].<ref name="GravettSchodt" /> Thereafter, primarily female manga artists would draw {{tlit|ja|shōjo}} for a readership of girls and young women.<ref>{{Harvnb|Schodt|1986}}, {{Harvnb|Toku|2006}}, {{Harvnb|Thorn|2001}}</ref> In the following decades (1975–present), {{tlit|ja|shōjo}} manga continued to develop stylistically while simultaneously evolving different but overlapping subgenres.<ref name="Ogi">{{Harvnb|Ōgi|2004}}</ref> Major subgenres include romance, superheroines, and "Ladies Comics" (in Japanese, {{Nihongo||レディース|redisu}}, {{Nihongo||レディコミ|redikomi}}, and {{Nihongo||女性|josei}}).<ref>{{Harvnb|Gravett|2004|p=8}}, {{Harvnb|Schodt|1996}}</ref>

Modern {{tlit|ja|shōjo}} manga romance features love as a major theme set into emotionally intense narratives of [[self-realization]].<ref name="Drazen">{{Harvnb|Drazen|2003}}</ref> With the superheroines, ''shōjo'' manga saw releases such as [[Pink Hanamori]]'s ''[[Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch]]'', [[Reiko Yoshida]]'s ''[[Tokyo Mew Mew]]'', and [[Naoko Takeuchi]]'s ''[[Sailor Moon|Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon]]'', which became internationally popular in both manga and anime formats.<ref>{{Harvnb|Allison|2000|pp=259–278}}, {{Harvnb|Schodt|1996|p=92}}</ref> Groups (or {{tlit|ja|[[sentai]]}}) of girls working together have also been popular within this genre. Like Lucia, Hanon, and Rina singing together, and Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus working together.<ref name="Poitras">{{Harvnb|Poitras|2001}}</ref>

Manga for male readers sub-divides according to the age of its intended readership: boys up to 18 years old ({{tlit|ja|shōnen}} manga) and young men 18 to 30 years old ({{tlit|ja|[[seinen]]}} manga);<ref>{{Harvnb|Thompson|2007|pp=xxiii–xxiv}}</ref> as well as by content, including action-adventure often involving male heroes, slapstick humor, themes of honor, and sometimes explicit sex.<ref name="Brenner">{{Harvnb|Brenner|2007|pp=31–34}}</ref> The Japanese use different kanji for two closely allied meanings of "{{tlit|ja|seinen}}"—{{lang|ja|青年}} for "youth, young man" and {{lang|ja|成年}} for "adult, majority"—the second referring to pornographic manga aimed at grown men and also called {{Nihongo3|'adult'|成人|seijin}} manga.<ref>{{Harvnb|Schodt|1996|p=95}}, {{Harvnb|Perper|Cornog|2002}}</ref> {{tlit|ja|Shōnen}}, {{tlit|ja|seinen}}, and {{tlit|ja|seijin}} manga share a number of features in common.

Boys and young men became some of the earliest readers of manga after World War II. From the 1950s on, {{tlit|ja|shōnen}} manga focused on topics thought to interest the archetypal boy, including subjects like robots, space-travel, and heroic action-adventure.<ref>{{Harvnb|Schodt|1986|pp=68–87}}, {{Harvnb|Gravett|2004|pp=52–73}}</ref> Popular themes include [[science fiction]], technology, sports, and supernatural settings. Manga with solitary costumed superheroes like [[Superman]], [[Batman]], and [[Spider-Man]] generally did not become as popular.<ref>{{Harvnb|Schodt|1986|pp=68–87}}</ref>

The role of girls and women in manga produced for male readers has evolved considerably over time to include those featuring single pretty girls ({{tlit|ja|[[bishōjo]]}})<ref>{{Harvnb|Perper|Cornog|2002|pp=60–63}}</ref> such as [[Belldandy]] from ''[[Oh My Goddess! (manga)|Oh My Goddess!]]'', stories where such girls and women surround the hero, as in ''[[Negima!: Magister Negi Magi|Negima]]'' and ''[[Hanaukyo Maid Team]]'', or groups of heavily armed female warriors ({{tlit|ja|sentō bishōjo}})<ref>{{Harvnb|Gardner|2003}}</ref>

By the turn of the 21st century, manga "achieved worldwide popularity".<ref name="Encyclopedia Britannica-2022">{{Cite web |date=30 September 2022 |title=comic book |url=https://www.britannica.com/art/comic-book |access-date=22 May 2023 |publisher=[[Encyclopedia Britannica]] |language=en |archive-date=22 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230522162505/https://www.britannica.com/art/comic-book |url-status=live }}</ref>

With the relaxation of censorship in Japan in the 1990s, an assortment of explicit sexual material appeared in manga intended for male readers, and correspondingly continued into the English translations.<ref name="PCmono">{{Harvnb|Perper|Cornog|2002}}</ref> In 2010, the [[Tokyo Metropolitan Government]] considered a bill to restrict minors' access to such content.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T101213003771.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120065145/http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T101213003771.htm |archive-date=20 January 2013 |work=The Yomiuri Shimbun |title=Tokyo Moves a Step Closer to Manga Porn Crackdown |date=14 December 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref>{{Update inline|reason=Was it passed by the full assembly?|date=July 2020}}

The {{tlit|ja|[[gekiga]]}} style of storytelling—thematically somber, adult-oriented, and sometimes deeply violent—focuses on the day-in, day-out grim realities of life, often drawn in a gritty and unvarnished fashion.<ref>{{cite web |title=Gekiga as a site of Intercultural Exchange |url=http://imrc.jp/images/upload/lecture/data/06ROSENBAUM_Cologne.pdf |last=Rosenbaum |first=Roman |date=2011 |publisher=Kyoto Seika University |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418181649/http://imrc.jp/images/upload/lecture/data/06ROSENBAUM_Cologne.pdf |archive-date=18 April 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Schodt|1986|pp=68–73}}, {{Harvnb|Gravett|2006}}</ref> {{tlit|ja|Gekiga}} such as [[Sampei Shirato]]'s 1959–1962 ''Chronicles of a Ninja's Military Accomplishments'' (''Ninja Bugeichō'') arose in the late 1950s and 1960s, partly from left-wing student and working-class political activism,<ref name="SchodtG">{{Harvnb|Schodt|1986|pp=68–73}}, {{Harvnb|Gravett|2004|pp=38–42}}, {{Harvnb|Isao|2001}}</ref> and partly from the aesthetic dissatisfaction of young manga artists like [[Yoshihiro Tatsumi]] with existing manga.<ref>{{Harvnb|Isao|2001|pp=147–149}}, {{Harvnb|Nunez|2006}}</ref>