Mil años de manga

by Brigitte Koyama-Richard

Mille ans de manga. FLAMMARION

Genres: Nonfiction, Manga, Art, History, Comics, Japan, Graphic Novels

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[hannah peterson]

I’m not going to give this one a rating since it took me so long to finish. This book was full of fun information and beautiful images of cave paintings, scrolls, woodblock prints, and manga drawings that made the art historian in me very happy. In order to learn about manga, you need to go back to the very beginning of art in Japan. I do feel like all of the information was very basic however, especially when the book got to modern manga. I get that there is a lot of information that would have made this book a million times longer, but some descriptions of genres or modern-day struggles would have been nice, not just the author’s personal favorites. If you want to look at some pretty pictures and have never known anything about manga or Japanese art before, this is the book for you.

One thing that bothered me was that Rumiko Takahashi was referred to being a man? You would think that one of the most successful woman mangakas would at least be gendered correctly. Same with the creator of Demon Slayer; they go by a pen name to have anonymity about their gender and who they actually are, and I’m sure they wouldn’t appreciate being called a man in this book either. You would think with this book originally being published in 2007 and my copy being one that was reprinted and updated last year would have at least fixed that.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book that shows the connections between early cave paintings, scrolls, ukiyo-e prints and modern manga and anime. Despite the obvious influence of Western art, particularly Disney and Fleischer in the early days of Tezuka, the ideas and themes are incredibly Japanese. Great photos and a handful of interviews with greats like Isao Takahata and Jiro Tanaguchi, as well as a handy-dandy guide of Japanese terms used throughout the book. I'm fairly certain this was an academic textbook, based on the format and writing style, so if you are a student researching manga, I'd highly recommend this work.

[soleil · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Library book)
Enjoyed this. Especially liked the interview with Studio Ghibli creator Takahata Isao.

[Feirodenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un livre très intéressant sur l'histoire du manga qui se démarque par la richesse de ses illustrations qui nous permettent de faire le lien entre les mangas et les traditions esthétiques qui les ont précédés. On y retrouve les emakimonos, les kusazōshi et les caricatures journalistiques importées au Japon par l'Anglais Charles Wirgman et le Français Georges Bigot. On y comprend l'importance de l'ukiyo-e dont les artistes phares tels que Hokusai, Kyōsai ou Hiroshige ont révolutionné le monde de l'art de partout dans le monde et ont participé à l'émergence de nouveaux styles artistiques en Occident tel que l'art nouveau d'Alfons Mucha, et qui ont donc contribué par leur influence directe et indirecte à construire l'esthétique du manga moderne. On y retrouve les incontournables Kutazawa Rakuten et Osamu Tezuka, ainsi qu'un historique général du manga moderne. L'ouvrage se concentre plus sur les origines du manga et son histoire dans sa globalité en se concentrant plus particulièrement sur l'aspect graphique. Il s'agit donc d'une histoire globale, et l'on n'y retrouve pas tous les détails de l'histoire du manga plus moderne qui aurait pu constituer un autre volume à lui tout seul.

[Timothy Dymond · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems like you should really post a picture rather than a text review of this book, as its strength is the range of illustrations and images that go under the topic ‘manga’. The term itself comes from two Japanese character: ‘man’ (meaning executed rapidly or thrown off), and ‘ga’ (meaning drawing). The best part of the book are the early sections, where you find crude cartoons of farting competitions, along with delicate images of animals and people frolicking. Manga’s origins go back to the earliest centuries of Japanese history, but in the post WWII period it became bigger than ever as the style went global with Anime such as ‘Astro boy’ and the works of studio Ghibli. In Japan itself, the term is considered a bit old fashioned these days.

[Rosario Bassa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for those who want to understand manga's evolution. It is very well explained and exemplified. Images shown are beautiful and hard to find elsewere.

Explanations from the origins of manga up to 1950's are very detailed. But then, it gets more superficial, maybe because there are more authors and works to cover now a days. It doesn't tell much about modern manga (1990's- and after).

It is still a very good book. Includes interviews with important mangakas and filmmakers, awesome images and it is easy to follow.

[Ricardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

pesquisadora francesa que vive no japão e dá aulas na universidade de tóquio faz um estudo dos mangás. seria fraco se fosse um guia de compras. felizmente, a autora tem um foco: mostrar a influência da arte tradicional japonesa nos mangás.

passa metade do livro abordando as pinturas em rolos, as estampas, os biombos e todo tipo de arte tradicional japonesa para, então, abordar os mangás modernos. legal a conexão que ela faz entre as 2 expressões artísticas.

por ser de 2021, o livro menciona mangás hypados.

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this at the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Arts and then picked it up from my local library.
It's kinda cool to poke through with a decent amount of text explaining backstories and such.

However, the pictures are often quite small (even in a large book) and generally the book felt a bit dry.

[Oscar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un buen libro para sacar inspiración si te gusta dibujar, o en mi caso para aprender sobre una parte de la cultura japonesa. Desde los inicios del ahora llamado manga hasta la actualidad. Muy recomendado, aunque sea para apreciar las preciosas ilustraciones.

[Katja · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's more about art than comics.

[Dylan Rock · Rating 4 out of 5]

An wonderful insight in the expansive world of Manga and it's influence on Japanese culture.

[Farley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great survey w interviews, history, and of course toons galore.

[Rachel Fellows · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look into the roots of Japanese comics. I always knew there was a relationship between ukiyo-e and modern manga, but I appreciated the attention to historical detail the author provides in her discussion of the transition. My favorite parts include a look at Mizuki Shigeru's process for his monster-filled tribute to the ukiyo-e master Utagawa Hiroshige's "Fifty Three Station's of the Tokaido." I also enjoyed Tezuka's discussion on how Mickey Mouse influenced the look of Astro Boy, even though I already knew about the similarities. Isao Takahata also gives a nuanced insight into the role that cultural exchange played in creation of manga.

[Soobie is expired · Rating 3 out of 5]

Non so che dire... Tante immagini ma poche parole per spiegarle. Si parte dall'inizio, questo sì, ma alla fin fine non ha detto molto.

Forse ho preferito Manga: 60 Years of Japanese Comics. Più completo.

[Phillip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended Companion Book to Seattle Asian Art Museum Live On: Mr's Japanese Neo-Pop Exhibit 2015. Very Nice graphics and informative text. intergration of images with reference points in text is poor and makes study difficult. Nevertheless a wonderful exploration of a genre that is not all too familiar.

[Przemek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good introduction to manga history. Could be a little more detailed though but that's proably ment for another book. Lots of historic pre-manga photos which show the evolution of japanese paintings and styles.

Read it in translation to polish.

[PJ Ebbrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book, it fired a renewed enthusiasm for Japan. It shows that the Manga theme has exit for nearly a 1000 years, not quite in the current form, but waiting to be ignited. There are some great imagery and links to the past. For all interested comic collectors.