What do you think?
Rate this book
Manga Moods: 40 Faces + 80 Phrases
A raised eyebrow, a curled lip, a wink of the eye. All it takes is a single clever stroke of the G-pen to instantly change a manga character's mood from one extreme to the glad to sad, sassy to shy, angry to embarrassed. Illustrator Saori Takarai presents original pencil sketches alongside her finished full-color drawings to show just how the transformations take place. In addition, each of the facial expressions is labeled with the Japanese word for the mood being depicted, along with common Japanese conversational phrases and English translations, making this delightful book a great gift for aspiring artists, language enthusiasts and manga fans alike.
96 pages, Hardcover
First published March 31, 2006
5 people are currently reading
64 people want to read
About the author
Saori Takarai
8 books2 followersAlso known as Mosoko Miyatsuki, creator of the Alice in Matchaland storybook/cookbook from Manga University.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 23, 2023
Never knew how much I was missing when I read manga! This book will fill you in on the more nuanced tropes used in this medium. A great gift for someone who wants to learn more about the often 'strange' marks that are used to convey emotions. Really a very interesting book that I think will help me get more out of my next reading!
March 23, 2013
In to manga and anime? How about Japanese? Or maybe you just like to collect phrase books of different languages?
Which ever floats your boat, one thing is for certain; you must buy 'Manga Moods' by Saori Takarai!
I bought this joyful little book from my local Watrstones. I never found it as a book that you could read like a story book, but, it's bundles of fun to pick up and try out different expressions with your friends.
Not a true Japanese study guide, but can teach you a thing or two none the less.
Saori Takarai is a very talented artist. Definitely an inspiration for any budding Manga-ka.
I'd love to see themed Manga moods in the future.
Samurai moods? High school moods? Or maybe just commons phrases and expressions they'd use, but in a similar format book. :)
Which ever floats your boat, one thing is for certain; you must buy 'Manga Moods' by Saori Takarai!
I bought this joyful little book from my local Watrstones. I never found it as a book that you could read like a story book, but, it's bundles of fun to pick up and try out different expressions with your friends.
Not a true Japanese study guide, but can teach you a thing or two none the less.
Saori Takarai is a very talented artist. Definitely an inspiration for any budding Manga-ka.
I'd love to see themed Manga moods in the future.
Samurai moods? High school moods? Or maybe just commons phrases and expressions they'd use, but in a similar format book. :)
April 21, 2011
This really helped me understand how to draw different moods better. ^-^
May 13, 2016
A cute listing of moods hides a quick and fun way to expand one's vocabulary.
It also comes with 2 phrases that fit each mood. They're not really things that one might often say outside of a comic or cartoon, but I saw the entire book as a way to learn vocabulary words without having to slave over a boring dictionary listing of them.
It also comes with 2 phrases that fit each mood. They're not really things that one might often say outside of a comic or cartoon, but I saw the entire book as a way to learn vocabulary words without having to slave over a boring dictionary listing of them.
March 24, 2012
Very cute drawings with phrases in English and Japanese. I wish the image quality was a little smoother on the ebook version.
August 16, 2012
I got this book for my birthday and it's adorable. I love flipping through the pages and looking at the quotes with the pictures. It's a fun way to learn a few words.
January 23, 2014
So cute!
August 11, 2018
A cute little novelty book with the spellings - though notably not the pronunciations - of several Japanese phrases.
September 29, 2018
It lacked substance, but then again I am not the target audience.
I managed to get through the whole thing in one bathroom sitting, so it was super useful in that!
I managed to get through the whole thing in one bathroom sitting, so it was super useful in that!
December 18, 2023
I need to collect these. ❤️❤️❤️
October 28, 2024
If you are Autistic, love anima/manga, and want to learn Japanese, this is the book for you, lol!!!
But I do wish that they showed the way that the Phrases/words were said for English speakers.
But I do wish that they showed the way that the Phrases/words were said for English speakers.
September 29, 2015
A fun, cute little book. I liked the colors and the design - and of course the manga faces.
As far as the Japanese goes, there was a distinct lack of kana (something you should learn early on into your studies, after which rōmaji starts to bug you for certain reasons), and I wouldn't take the sentences at face value. (I'm just starting to learn the language, but I can tell most expressions contained in this book are not something you're taught in school books. However, in casual talk they'd probably be fun little things to know I'm sure, and add a few amusing terms into your vocabulary.)
Definitely a nice gift for someone who's interested in Japanese and manga, but not the best resource for language learning.
As far as the Japanese goes, there was a distinct lack of kana (something you should learn early on into your studies, after which rōmaji starts to bug you for certain reasons), and I wouldn't take the sentences at face value. (I'm just starting to learn the language, but I can tell most expressions contained in this book are not something you're taught in school books. However, in casual talk they'd probably be fun little things to know I'm sure, and add a few amusing terms into your vocabulary.)
Definitely a nice gift for someone who's interested in Japanese and manga, but not the best resource for language learning.
March 23, 2011
Es taaaaan lindo. Solo que algunas traducciones del japones al ingles no estan tan bien hechas. Pero pues da la idea que es lo importante.
Las ilustraciones reflejan muy bien el sentimiento y son lindas.
Las ilustraciones reflejan muy bien el sentimiento y son lindas.
June 29, 2015
Well...it was fun. Basically it shows you an emotion, the chick's face corresponding to that emotion, the translation of said emotion, and two example phrases in Japanese translated to English. That's it. It's cute.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews