How to Select Japanese Comic Books
Japanese comic books are referred to as Manga in most Western countries. Not coincidentally, Manga is the Japanese word for comics. Manga comic books have developed quite a following in the United States, even garnering their own section in some book stores. With the dizzying number of titles available, a little know-how in goes a long way when you want to select Japanese comic books.
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Instructions
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Select Japanese Comic Books for Your Personal Enjoyment
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Browse the shelves at your local bookstore. Many stores devote entire sections to Manga comics. If the store you visit does not, just check the comic book section. Spend some time flipping through the various titles to see what catches your interest and sparks your imagination.
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Watch the Cartoon Network. You will find a nice selection of Japanese anime programs there. For the most part, these anime (Japanese for 'animation') shows were adapted from comic books. If you watch an anime program and really enjoy it, head to your favorite bookstore or comic book store to find the comic that inspired that particular program. Visit the Cartoon Network website (see Resources below) to see their current program schedule.
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Nose around your local comic book shop. Comic books shops will normally carry more Manga titles than a regular bookstore. Select a few of the more unusual ones to try. You may be pleasantly surprised at what you find.
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Ask questions. While you are at the comic book store, take advantage of the knowledge of the staff there. Ask them what Manga titles they enjoy and which ones are the most popular. Tell them your interests and ask them to recommend some titles for you.
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Get a grab bag of titles to try. A quick search on Ebay (see Resources below) should provide you with hundreds of Manga comic books for sale. Most of these will be available for very little cash. Buy as many different titles as you think you will have time to read in the near future. When they arrive, spend some time going through them to decide if you would like to begin reading any of them regularly.
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Tips & Warnings
Keep in mind that there are many genres available within the world of Manga, including kids' comics, action-adventure stories and humorous titles.
