ギガタウン漫符図譜

by Fumiyo Kouno, こうの史代

今度のこうの史代は 4コマ漫画×現代版「鳥獣人物戯画」!
うさぎの家族と周囲の動物たちの日常風景を、ユーモアをたっぷり交えて描いた4コマ漫画。
個性豊かな動物たちは、いつまでも眺めていたいほどチャーミングです。
このキャラクターは、国宝「鳥獣人物戯画」を著者が現代風にアレンジして生み出したもの。
メインの動物はもちろんうさぎ、カエル、さるで、墨の筆致を生かしてのびのびと描かれています。

さらに不思議なサブタイトル「漫符図譜(まんぷずふ)」。
「漫符」とは、目が回ったときのグルグル、ひらめいた時の電球、
動いた軌跡の線など、漫画特有の表現記号の総称です。
著者はその漫符を採集し、「図譜」、つまり事典のように1つずつ解説を付しました。たとえば……

(♪の漫符)
1.(一つだけの場合) 機嫌が良いこと、楽に何かをこなしている様子を表すことが多い。
2.(複数の場合) 実際に音楽が鳴っている様子を表すことが多い。
――(本文より)

そして、漫符1つずつの「用例」が本編の4コマ漫画になっているという仕掛け。
つまり本書全体が本邦初の"漫符事典"になっているのです。

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

125 pages, Tankobon Hardcover

Published January 19, 2018

About the author

Fumiyo Kōno (こうの史代, Kouno Fumiyo) is a Japanese manga artist. She was born in Hiroshima in 1968 and began drawing manga when she was in junior high school. After moving to Tokyo, she became an assistant to mangaka Katsuyuki Toda, Aki Morino, and Fumiko Tanigawa.
Kōno made her commercial debut in 1995 with Machikado Hana Dayori. She is best known for her manga Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms, winner of the Grand Prize at the 8th Japan Media Arts Festival (2004) and of the New Life Award at the 9th Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prizes (2005).

Reviews

[Yaroslav Chernovol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Фумійо Коно я почав читати відносно недавно. Прочитав «Місто вечірнього спокою», почав читати «У цьому куточку світу». І випадково побачив «Giga Town: Посібник з іконографії манґи».

У збірці зображено набір типових іконічних, символічних та ономатопейних виразів, що використовуються переважно в манзі. Основою для стрипів взято «Карикатури тварин і людей» — відомий твір-сувій XII–XIII століття.

Опис складається з пояснення виразу чи емоції та прикладів його застосування у декількох фреймах. Загалом, посібник мене зацікавив. Приємно побачити таке зібраним в одному місці. Це незвично.

Цікаво, що авторка вирішила створити цю манґу, бо її мама не дуже розуміла, як саме читати манґу. Цьому присвячено декілька сторінок у післямові.

[Liz (Quirky Cat) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giga Town: The Guide to Manga Iconography is exactly what the title promises – a collection of guides and informative pages, all about the different symbols and icons used within manga. All while using cute creatures to help illustrate the point!

Honestly, there's only so much I can say about Giga Town. It is precisely what it promised to be. I will say that it is a great resource for those just getting into manga. But if you've been reading manga for any length of time, you'll likely find a lot of the information to be obvious or repetitive. This guide truly is for the beginner.

Bonus points for the cute characters that help guide us through these icons, they made what could have been a dry read a total delight.

Highlights:
Informative Collection
Manga guide

Thanks to Udon Entertainment and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an entertaining and educational guide to the symbols of manga created by the artist of “In This Corner of the World.” I was pleasantly surprised to see that this is not just a guide, however, and really takes the form of various short slice-of-life comics following anthropomorphic animals based on the Chōjū-giga picture scrolls. Each comic introduces a new manga symbol and possible interpretations of their meaning. This made it far more entertaining than a strictly informational guide, and the drawings are charming and easy to follow.

I would highly recommend this to new readers of manga, but even as a life-long manga reader, I still learned new things from it.

Thank you to Udon Entertainment for my ARC provided through Netgalley.

[marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a long-time Mangasplaining listener so I was excited to pick up a copy of this. This is a collection of 4-koma manga featuring a cast of adorable animals about various symbols that are widely used in the medium. The comic strips are funny and I like that there is continuity across the stories. While I'm already familiar with a lot of the meanings, I still appreciate learning about more subtle nuances and less common usage. The table of contents makes it easy to look stuff up. I would recommend this to people who are new to manga or are interested in making comics.

Thanks to NetGalley and Udon Entertainment for a free review copy.

[Madeleine Vasaly · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a comics proofreader, I was already familiar with a lot of manpu and other manga conventions, but there was so much in this guide that was new to me! It's a great addition to my reference shelf, and it would be equally great for a general audience.

I would have loved a bit more history or overall contextual information to supplement the individual entries, but as a quick-reference guidebook, it's clear and helpful.

[Tara]

Giga Town: The Guide to Manga Iconography is as it states, a guide to little additions to manga to help set the tone and vibe of a story, or a scene. It's presented in the 4-koma (four panel comic) style, which means that sometimes the joke, or the end of a story phrase is told over several of these 4-koma but do resolve in time. (And sometimes just in the one page itself!).

As this book was written in Japanese, for a Japanese audience of people who aren't too familiar with manga (the mangaka wrote it with her elderly mom in mind!) I do wish when translated for areas outside of Japan there were a lot more translation notes added. As someone who's been reading manga over half my life, while I'm already familiar with basically everything in this book I could see where things definitely could have been explained better for foreign audiences -- like why are the characters throwing beans in the 'devil' explanations (it's Setsubun, and I think any foreign audience who reads this will already know what an oni is?)? Why is the frog guy wearing a cute hat (era-specific indicator!)? and just a bunch more other things. This could have been a great way to welcome someone who's used to reading manga, or has just started, even, into more things in Japanese culture that are a mainstay of manga, but also that the Japanese reader would get immediately where a foreign reader would not.

(Also, any time an introduction says, "Hah, I bet you didn't know x!" it seems that I am already well aware of the thing they're referencing. This intro did this at least twice and I think could have just stuck to introducing the book, the cultural relevance to using the old school style animal drawings, and what we're to expect.)

But overall it was fine, the drawings were cute and good and I think it'll be an important tome for reference -- I just wish there was more to it for people less already-familiar with the contents!

Thank you to NetGalley and Udon Entertainment for the eARC in exchange for review!

[Stephanie Bange · Rating 4 out of 5]

Translated from Japanese by renowned manga author Kouno (published in 2018) to English by Ko Rnsom, this introduction to the meaning behind manga icons - manpu - found in manga is a welcome addition to libraries that focus on the art of manga.

An introduction by Matt Alt sets up the reader with a brief background of Choju Giga (tracing back to the 1100s) and its relevance to manga and the development of manpu. Use of manpu is for concepts not easily written in words, so they are shown as icons. Examples include a light bulb with rays shooting out from it (as if lit) indicating a bright idea. Many manpu are intuitive to readers. Others are not as widely seen in images (outside of manga) in the U.S. Over 100 manpu icons are explained an shown how they are used in comics. An Afterword includes a short story with a separate diagram showing in which order to read each frame, the different shapes of word bubbles used to indicate tone of voice, and background shading meanings.

Written in manga form (reading from the back to the front, right page, then left), the book opens with a table of contents that also serves as an index, with multiple page listings if an icon is found more than once in the book. Icons are grouped as those drawn independently from the subject (such as ZZZ in the air indicating snoring), those that touch something (like a bowtie or bandage on a character), and those that movement or parts of the body. An example of how each icon is used is shown in a frame or two of the story that runs through the book. While the story is good, what is most important is seeing the manpu used in context.

Three errors were found in the Table of Contents. On p.44/spirit leaving the body; TOC indicates p.40. On p.55/death; TOC indicates p.56. On p.115/bright idea; TOC indicates p.116.

Hand this to a budding manga writer or reader. They will thank you for it! Recommended for grades 4-adult.

[YSBR · Rating 4 out of 5]

An introductory guide to the iconography and onomatopoeia used in Japanese manga. The book is set up like manga, meaning that it reads from right to left, and uses a cast of animal characters inspired by Choju Giga (one of the earliest known examples of manga) to illustrate the various terms that are provided. I loved the art style of this book, and thought that using the animal characters was a great way to describe all of the different scenarios. The author sets the book up in a way that is helpful and informative for readers, including definitions and examples of the iconography on each page, followed by a 4-panel comic illustrating the use of that piece of iconography. The author also includes occasional footnotes to explain various cultural references; for example in one comic, they reference a rabbit on the moon, and add a footnote to explain that in Japan, they don’t see a “man on the moon”, but rather a rabbit making mochi on the moon. An afterword provides a helpful guide on how to read manga for new readers. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun little read, but it feels less useful than it should be. It is interesting to learn about the different iconography and see it in action, but I feel in practice that it is less impactful in reading manga than this work would imply. Much of the iconography is either fairly intuitive in its meaning (such as lines that indicate motion or movement of various sorts) or feels like a somewhat redundant flourish, the key information of the scene being communicated by other factors and the iconography just helps to reinforce. But I also wonder how universal it is; I recognize much of the iconography featured in this book from reading other manga, but much of it (e.g. a dotted line from the eyes of a character to what they are looking at) feels especially cartoonish and unlikely to feature in different styles of manga. There's also no real logic to the presentation; the book opens with a table of contents that breaks the iconography into three types (unattached, attached, and body parts) but they are all intercut with each other and there is no development of ideas across the book. In fact, some iconography is used in comics before it is explained.

[Yakira Goldsberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever wondered what exactly all those little markings and facial expressions mean in manga? Or perhaps you’ve wanted to write a manga yourself but aren’t really sure how to use the markings appropriately? Well, Giga Town is just the thing for you! The simple, straightforward style of the book shows each little iconograph isolated, and its meaning. Cute little animals featured in four-box strips demonstrate the displayed iconograph, making it easier to see and understand. The strips themselves are just as entertaining.
The afterword is just as interesting, where the author addresses the position of manga panels, and the forward which speaks of the invention of manga. Every bit of this book was very interesting and engaging. Definitely something I’ll come back to if I ever get confused by manga iconography.
Overall, Giga Town is a cute, informative book perfect for aspiring manga artists or those interested in iconography.
NOTE: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley for review purposes only. All thought and opinions are my own.

[Mina Reads All Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an avid Manga reader I was excited to get to read this book and see how it put to words things my brain inferred while reading over the years. After a brief intro this book has each iconography accompanied by a 4-koma to exemplify the iconography and entertain the reader.

I think this book is a great tool for a new or younger audience who want to start reading manga. The variety of chosen manpu is well done. However, I do not recommend this book to seasoned manga readers/anime watchers as a *tool* since about 85% of the iconography in the book are ones we have already learned/inferred through exposure (such as x eyes, hearts, zzz and bonks on the head) but rather as a fun accompaniment to a manga collection. I think this book would be a wonderful gift for a person to start their manga journey.

This was an ebook for me that read left to right so my only critique is that this book should take advantage of immersing the reader in the world of manga to be read right to left. Even in a digital version readers should flip to the back and read as they would a manga.

[Carolina Colleene · Rating 2 out of 5]

Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: G
Kouno has put together a collection of short manga comic strips, like newspaper comics, that give examples of different visual cues used in manga to convey additional information. Some of the symbols give clues to the readers about what a character is feeling or what time of year it is. Laugh at these cute personified animals and learn something along the way.
If I’m being embarrassingly honest, I didn’t understand all of the jokes made in the cute little comic strips. Some of them were funny, but mostly I was looking for context for the symbols being used. Kouno explains the different nuances of symbols used if they have multiple meanings, and it was fun to learn some of the cultural reasons why the visual cues are what they are. This guide is intended for a very niche audience and is a quick read for anyone interested.
Reviewed for https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/

[Spudpuppy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so cute and informative!

If you've been reading manga and graphic novels for a while, you probably don't need a guide to iconography, it's already second nature to you. However, I'd def still recommend picking this up because it's so cute!

I love that the author used adorable illustrations of cute animals and their adventures to illustrate each symbol, it was so much more informative and fun than a plain old description would've been. I also loved that it was in 4koma style so multiple possible meanings could be shown in one comic. So cute!

If you're new to manga, have kids or patrons who are interested in it, etc this is a really fun way to get to learn some of the little details that might be difficult for new readers to parse. If you're waffling on picking this up or not, do it! For the sweet little animals if nothing else!

Thank you NetGalley for the review copy!

[Vinayak Hegde · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a delightful, quirky and insightful little book on how to read manga beyond the surface. It unpacks the hidden meanings behind various gestures, facial expressions, and visual cues that often carry deep cultural and emotional context in Japanese storytelling - some based on Japanese songs metaphors and mythology. What makes it particularly charming is the use of animal characters from the famous Japanese scroll Chōjū-jinbutsu-giga to illustrate each example - some humorous, others wonderfully quirky.

The book reminded me of Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics series, but with a distinctly Japanese lens. It serves as both an introduction and a gentle guide to appreciating the visual language of manga. It's a treat for anyone who loves the medium or wants to better understand its subtleties.

Thanks to Udon and NetGalley for a digital copy for review. Opinions expressed are my own.

[Encanto Atelier · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must for readers of mangas and for writers who want to branch into manga or just graphic novels in general.
This book explains the history and concepts of manga and then goes into different symbolism and what they indicate in these mangas. There are several symbols that I knew right away. But there are several that are based on cultural verbiage that I didn’t know. Example the kites in the sky, cherry blossoms, and the okay sigobut turned means money.
As an artist film maker I so want the physical copy of this book to keep on my self for reference.
The artwork through the book explains in picture form how the symbols work. The artwork is a beautiful simple lineart style.

I received an arc ecopy in exchange for my honest opinion

[Eilis Flynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this courtesy NetGalley and Udon Entertainment/Manga Classics. Insightful and instructional, this work by Fumiyo Kouno explains the iconography used by manga creators over the centuries, and how manga over the years have worked with Western artists, borrowing from each other. Anyone who’s read a comic book or a graphic novel or a manga, for that matter, will be familiar with the symbols that indicate the actions or even emotions that describe the story. Kouno uses traditional Japanese images of animals often seen, rabbits and turtles (yes, they do have a race, so it’s universal, so yes, there are examples of speed and frustration iconography) and monkeys and frogs and foxes. We’re learning about manga symbols in the most charming ways possible.
#GigaTown #NetGalley.

[BreAnna (Bre'sBooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

**ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review**

Giga Town: The Guide to Manga Iconography by Fumiyo Kouno was a very fun and interesting read for comic and manga lovers. It basically details and summarizes the introduction and uses of the different symbols or "icons" used in early Japanese art even up to today like a music note, drop of water, or spiral. These all come with examples depicted in short panel comics using the classic animal characters from the Choju Jinbutsu Giga scrolls, which are bunnies, frogs, monkeys, etc. I really enjoyed reading about this origin history piece in comics and would recommend to other fellow comics fans to check out!

[Astrophel R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free arc in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who has been reading manga since I was a kid, I was at least vaguely familiar with most of these. With that being said, I still thought it was interesting to learn some of the history behind these symbols and their meanings (for example crows being in the background of characters going home after school being in reference to a japanese children’s tale). Also, the little comics which were used as visual examples of each symbol were both helpful and very fun to read. I definitely think this book would be incredibly valuable to manga beginners!

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I requested this book from NetGalley for my 9-year-old, who is a voracious consumer of manga. He was initially excited about reading it, but after finishing it, he found himself a bit disappointed. He said that it's a good guide for manga newcomers who may not understand how certain images or animations are being used. However, for someone like him who has read all of One Piece ten times, he found this to be unhelpful and basic. I originally thought it might be a cute gift idea for a manga lover, but he recommends it for beginners, not for long-term fans.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's exactly what it says it is. A book about manga iconography. But at this point I've read enough manga that nothing was a surprise in terms of the icons used to express anything from surprise and envy to speed and embarrassment.

Using a frog and a rabbit each page is an icon with a short description of its usage and then a few panels that demonstrate it, though I thought not as blatantly as it could have in some cases.

There were tidbits thrown in like a cultural reference and reading panels of manga, but overall, short, quick, focused, and wysiwyg.

[73pctGeek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Udon Entertainment for providing a DARC.

Brilliantly useful book! I don't read a lot of manga, but I do watch anime on occasion and sometimes wonder how much I'm missing because I don't understand the symbolic language of the genre. Though short, this book opened my eyes to subtext I've been missing.

Much is self-explanatory to my western eyes, an iconography I've been trained to understand via comics and cartoons, but a lot is completely new and will reveal hidden meanings, and deepen my understanding when I see them in the wild. Great book!

[Marcy Lewis Glover · Rating 4 out of 5]

***ARC from NetGalley***

This is a beautifully drawn book and an essential guide for new readers of manga. Each page in the book takes a different symbol/drawing, gives a definition(s) and then uses the four panels to illustrate the use. The author uses the characters from the famous Japanese scroll, Choju-jinbutsu-giga. So in addition to learning manga symbolism, the reader is also exposed to historical Japanese culture.

Highly recommend for anyone new to manga or who wishes to create their own.

[TAreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-have for manga and comic readers! There are hundreds of icons and symbols mentioned here, majority which were completely new to me! I absolutely love the layout and design of the book. It's very easy to read and understand. The symbols are divided in groups too.

The art is amazing and the comics are hilarious. They help you understand the icons easily! I really loved reading this and learning so much more about manga and this format!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Kelly Green's Book Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giga Town is a delightful and essential guide to the visual language of manga, known as manpu.

Using charming, short comics featuring animal characters, it breaks down icons like sweat drops and speed lines. While much is familiar, I especially enjoyed learning about the more subtle and less common manpu, which truly enhanced my appreciation for the medium’s nuances.

A fun, informative, and must-have reference for any manga fan, new or experienced.
Grateful for the advanced reader copy from NetGalley.

[Kitsu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful drawn guide is an explanation of the most common kind of visual signals that we can find in a manga.
As always Fumiyo Kouno-sensei uses a flowy and expressive line in her drawings of different animals to illustrate each of the examples. They are funny and cute with an unexpected punchline.

I really enjoyed this, and it's always good to have new Kuono-sensei's translated manga.

Thanks to NetGalley for this digital galley.

[Jacob DeKay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe a more detailed version would have got an extra star. A worthwhile read for any light to moderate manga enjoyer. If you're in deep you probably click a lot of this.

Just having read one piece and a few others I felt like I'd gathered a lot of these meanings over time. Nonetheless, still found it a cheerful little read with cute (funny) lil manga panels to illustrate the iconography in action.

And a one piece reference at the end.

Good stuff!

[A Broken Zebra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and UDON Entertainment for eARC

A fun and mostly informative guide. I knew most of its contents, however, I did still learn new things! I was just hoping for a deeper dive versus, like, Spark Notes. The art is so dang cute; I appreciate Fumiyo using the historic characters in a modern setting. Very quick read, easy to digest. Worth a read for the culture exposure and eye candy.

[nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is best as a reference guide rather than something to read front-to-back. Some concepts were very self-explanatory, especially in our modern age of emojis, but this is a quite comprehensive guide.

I found it difficult to identify the actual usage sometimes in the examples given. The art was whimsical and beautiful, though.

[Ishieta Chopra · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a new reader to Manga, this book was a good introduction to the iconography. Now i see how every line and squiggle adds a dimension to the emotions of the characters. Earlier i didnt realise how much more was going on in the story beyond the dialogue and obvious body posture.
Recommend as a beginner to understand the symbols and icons in manga.

[Clint · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of the covered iconography is already intuitive or not unique to manga, but the handful of distinctive entries are helpfully explained. The illustrative 4-panel comics for each entry are cute and build out a loosely sequential story around the cover pair of Greenie (the frog) and Ears (the rabbit).