A Brief History of Manga

by Helen McCarthy

Manga is more than a genre in the comics it is a vital creative medium in its own right, with hundreds of millions of readers worldwide, a host of graphic styles, and a rich history now spanning seven decades. Now for the first time, that history is told by an award-winning expert in the field. Covering topics from Akira to Mazinger Z, this book is fully illustrated throughout, and photos of key creators accompany accessible sidebars and timelines. Answering the key questions of any fan where did my favourite manga come from, and what should I read next? this book will open doors to neophytes and experts alike.

Genres: Nonfiction, Manga, History, Banned Books, Reference

259 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 9, 2013

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

Reviews

[Ronie Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some manga were glossed over! As a starting point for popular manga titles until 2013. This is the book for you.

It all started in 1860...

You got to read the book to know more. Ni spoilers here. Oh it's not cool to pirate! Not popular titles any way. Hehe hehe! 😇

[Nicholas Driscoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this a lot. I recently interviewed Helen McCarthy for a website that I write for, and I found her to be a charming and wonderful human being. I really enjoyed her book on Hayao Miyazaki, and this was a lot of fun to read, too, giving a quick and dirty overview with lots of big events and names in manga over the years delivered in an easy-to-read-and-digest form. I could nitpick and ask for more details on particular individuals or titles, but I think it's a great starting point for manga fans to learn more about where the art came from.

[Laura (ローラ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just picked up a copy of Helen McCarthy's "A Brief History of Manga" from the library. My impression is that it is 1. totally adorable, 2. visually engaging, and 3. fun fact filled. I also let my sister paruse through it, and she agrees with me. We're both excited about this mini history.

Because like it's title, it is exactly what it delivers:

1. It's Brief. Very Brief!

Each page contains several colour images, an interesting fact, a couple paragraphs on historical trends, and a timeline -- and all in less than 100 pages, in a book about the size of an actual manga. Really, you couldn't have printed a history any smaller.

Actually I love the small package and think it would look adorable on my shelves next to my manga. [now, if only I could find some room...]

2. It's about manga history.

It is concise, pointed, interesting. The history provides breadth, spanning from the 700s to present day (and the future). And, she really focuses her discussion to manga. Not anime. Which I of course, appreciate.

Did she leave stuff out? Umm... That's kind of an understatement! But, I learned a few things about manga that I'd never known before (namely some of the early Western influences) and am now very interested in exploring further.

My only problem is that the only action I can take is heading off into "lala land" (aka the library stacks) when I should be studying for exams.

I will be adding a copy to my personal collection. You'd be quite remiss if you didn't do the same!

[Siri Olsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps a bit too brief, but overall a very enjoyable little book providing a very nice overview of the evolution of manga as a genre, both in Japan and abroad, including important people, years and works. Towards the end of the book, detailing the last couple of decades, you do tend to lose a bit of overview because the evolution of the genre is so fast and the number of important new works published so high that the book's rather minimal format isn't quite able to keep on top of everything. Still, the first half of the book, detailing how manga evolved from previous genres of Japanese literature is very informative and engaging. Recommended to anyone who is either a fan of manga and anime or interested in the history of visual media and literature.

[Vanya Prodanova · Rating 3 out of 5]

Тази книжка наистина се оказа много малка, чак прекалено малка. Можеше една идея повече информация да има, визирайки, че 50% бяха изображения и си мисля, че някои моменти заслужаваха малко повече детайли да бъдат споменати. Но не е лоша за някакво базисно запознаване с историята на манга, макар някои аспекти, свързани с какво правят американците можеха да бъдат пропуснати, тъй като хич не ми пука за тях, ама, става.

[Blaine McGaffigan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not enough meat on this bone.

The book goes chronologically through the history of manga. But the groupings and descriptions don't capture the magic or impact of the form.

It has a running date list on the bottom of the pages that is confusing and you quickly dismiss.

Not well organized enough to make an essential text.

[Μαρία Ν. · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a brief history of manga this was a very informative book.I already knew some of the information told but most of it was unkwown to me.I did not know manga had such a history behind it,I am so glad I picked up this book.

[Mark Bunbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good history of Manga comics

This book has allowed me to get more interested in the Mange enterprise and to watch the relevant anime films or series based on these comics. A must read for all fans of manga.

[Pedro Bello · Rating 4 out of 5]

interessante, por enquanto não acho grande piada a este tipo de BD mas não resisti a ler este livro .

[Piper Winchester · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very brief but a nice read in a nutshell.

[Kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was short, but informative.
3.5⭐️

[Aurora · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just feel like it’s a report rather than a book. I know it’s trying to be brief but the oversimplified and report-like writing resulted in a very bland book.

[Brendan Boyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting read and lots of examples from anime in general and not just manga

[- Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

قرأت هذا الكتاب من ترجمة احد الاشخاص في التويتر وفقًا لمبادرة شخصية وأعجبت حقيقةً من حسن اختياره للكتاب.
https://twitter.com/saiyanprince88/st...
الكتاب عبارة عن سرد تأريخي لمرحلة بدايات الإنمي والمانجا من بداية التاريخ الياباني وحتى سنة ٢٠١٣ تقريبًا. الشيء المثير للاهتمام لك كقارئ أثناء تتبعك لتاريخ تطور المانجا والإنمي من خلال الكتاب اكتشافك لمدى تقدير اليابانين لقيمهم ومبادئهم ومدى حفاظهم على تراثهم وثقافتهم ضد العولمة توجد الكثير من أعمال الإنمي والمانجا المستوردة من الغرب لكن اليابانين اعادوا استيرادها او اعادوا إنتاجها بطريقة تتوافق معاهم على سبيل المثال سلسلة كوميكس باتمان المعروفة، اليابانين استخرجوا حقوق التراخيص للشخصية ونقلوا الشخصية للقارئ الياباني بطريقة محلية تحت مسمى Batman : child of dreams

إلى جانب حفاظ اليابانين على تراثهم، لليابانين ولاء كبير او تأثر بالمانجاكا الآخرين، على سبيل المثال دراستك او معرفتك بالخلفية التاريخية لإنمي معين تمكنك من معرفة وفهم سبب نشوئه من أفضل الأمثلة على ذلك أنمي ليدي أوسكار وخلفيته التاريخية تلي أثرت وتأثرت بها العديد من الأعمال

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I'm more into recent anime adaptations of manga rather than manga itself, I don't think this book resonated with me (especially the sections about older manga). I enjoyed learning about the underlying trends and developments in manga over the years, and I expect this book accurately portrayed the significance of game-changing titles like Neon Genesis Evangelion, but I felt like it could have been presented in a more digestible fashion. There is so little text that the book can be finished in a couple of hours and there are timeline bubbles throughout displaying births, deaths and significant events, but they don't mean a thing when viewed in isolation and also don't mean much if you don't know who the people are being mentioned.

I picked up a few manga, anime and artist recommendations, along with facts like the 'grandfather' of manga being a Brit, but on the whole it was a brief, light and not particularly engaging read.

[Brijesh Kartha · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is brief as indicated by the title, but does pack a lot of information. One gets a fair idea of how Manga came to be and the listing of some influential Manga is a god place to start reading manga.
The timeline based bubbles are interesting too. I just wish some later edition consolidates all the chapter timelines into a 2-3 pager at the end.

[Cross posted the review to my blog, Amazon and Goodreads]

[Kenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Power packed with essential milestones, highlights and characters in this mini encyclopaedia on manga.
Comprehensive and perfect for the attention deficit world today.

[Allan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I held back the last star, because it has a very British POV. Very short and thorough. I'd recommend it to any fan. However, compared to the Otaku Encyclopedia it's a little wanting.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good. Exactly what one would think, covering more than a century in a small book. Great pictures. Bought as a gift (and read first) from the British Museum.

[SHAO21 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Quick Read

Read for a college Anime/Manga class. Short and informative if you a are looking for a quick history of the topic.