10 Track 10

Review unit 4

fluency practice

review reading 8: Manga, Manhwa, and Manuel

Page 224

Manga, Manhwa, and Manuel

The concept of using pictures with words to tell a story has existed for thousands of years, since the ancient civilizations in Egypt and China. The first published comic book using speech balloons to show dialog is often reported to be The Yellow Kid, which debuted in 1896.

The content of early comic books was nearly always humorous E. Segar’s famous Popeye is one example. In the early 20th century, however, comic book plots became more diverse, with many hero and adventure stories.

Many western comic books made their way to countries in Asia, where they inspired generations of cartoonists.

In the U.S. and many European countries, the best known type of East Asian comic book is probably Japanese manga.

In the 1950s and 60s, the Japanese artist Osamu Tezuka produced a variety of manga for children, such as Kimba the White Lion and Astro Boy.

His books often include mature and tragic themes. By the 1980s and 90s, manga was no longer just for young children.

It had conquered the teenage and young adult markets as well. In fact, by the late 20th century, manga represented 40 percent of all Japanese publishing.

The South Korean version of comic books or graphic novels is called manhwa. Much of early 20th century manhwa was used to speak out against oppression and injustice.

Around the time of the Korean War in the 1950s, manhwa also provided a welcome escape for young people.

Today, South Korea is a highly-developed country and has some of the fastest Internet speeds in the world, so many people prefer to read manhwa (or translations of manga) online via computer or cell phone.

Many popular Korean television dramas and movies have been based on manhwa. Over the last few years, interest in all things Korean has been on the rise around the world, which has led to an increase in manhwa sales.

There is a long tradition of comic books and Chinese. The development of special printing techniques in the 19th century allowed the growth of lianhuantu − picture books which told the story.

The modern term for comic books and graphic novels written in Chinese is manhua; some of them are original stories while others are translations from Japanese manga.

As in Korea, manhua have been used both for the expression of political opinions and as entertainment. Recently, a type of manhua genre called wuxia has become popular.

These softcover or hardcover comics usually involve martial arts combat, like Kungfu. The famous story Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon can be read as a wuxia comic. A well-drawn and well-written wuxia comic can provide a similar experience to an exciting martial arts movie.

Asian comics are growing influence in western countries, where the market for them is increasing each year. The biggest consumer of manga outside of Japan is France.

“In Europe, manga is most popular in France, then Italy and Spain,” said Hyoe Narita, president of VIZ Media Europe, a Japanese entertainment company.

About 10 million manga books are sold in France annually. Japanese manga has had a strong influence on French cartoonists, who try to combine Asian and European drawing techniques.

A new “French manga” genre emerged, known as La nouvelle monger (“the new monger”).

Manga, manhwa, and manhua have all made great progress in recent decades and their influence on how the West views comics is getting stronger. Thanks to the Internet and a number of small independent comic distributors, a growing number of fans outside Asia can now follow and enjoy the latest manga, manhwa, and manhua.

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