The Real Reason Manga Are Selling (Because You Didn’t Listen the First Time)

According to NHK Japan the size of the Japanese animation market was 2,426 billion yen by 2020. More than half of that amount came from overseas sales. The manga market also expanded, reaching 675.9 billion yen in 2021. We are already deep into our third year of the post-2020 Manga Boom.

There are many articles online stating that manga is selling but few are diving into why manga are selling so well. I’ve talked about what indie comic creators can learn from the Manga Boom, and highlighted Western comics manga readers would enjoy. However, I’m still seeing too many indie comics being pitched as if it was the Vertigo era in 1980. That’s why I’m going to break down what manga’s strengths are and what I would like to see from more creator-owned comics.

Appealing to Underserved Audiences

Manga are more easily accessible to new readers. Fans of an anime can jump into a series from volume 1 as opposed to superhero comics with their convoluted continuity and numbering systems. Manga have the Shonen and Shoujo categories that cater to young boys and girls. Too many comics, both superhero and indie, are catering primarily to middle-aged men.

Manga have a long history of excellent female characters and successful female manga creators. It’s not unusual to see a manga series with a compelling female lead or a cast of all female characters. Furthermore, these successful series are equally relatable to female and male readers .

Manga have a greater exploration of queer themes and identity. Yuri (girls love) and Yaoi (boys love) are popular genres and gender-bending is an anime staple. While there is more Queer representation in contemporary comics, in manga the queerness isn’t always the focus. There are plenty of action adventure and fantasy series where the lead characters just happen to be gay or questioning. This makes the stories accessible and entertaining for everyone.

Greater Genre Variety

Marvel and DC have got superheroes covered; Image, Darkhorse, and other indie publishers still primarily publish books that are centered on nerdy genres like Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror. While there are Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror manga series, they also explore genres like Comedy, History, Sports, Romance, Slice of Life, Food, and Erotica.

Kakegurui is a successful series centered around gambling, and Blue Period is about a bunch of students trying to get into art school. There are indie comics that explore more niche topics but they tend to be niche comics. Manga creators have managed to create series that explore niche topics and bring them to a large audience.

Illicit Appeal

There was a time when comics used to be contraband. Comics were what you hid under your bed from your parents. American comics both superhero and indie are about as violent as they’ve ever been– And yet, I’ve never felt the need to hide an American comic book when the guests are arriving.

Now manga on the other hand…

Virtually all of the manga I love contain material that would look pretty suspicious out of context. Even mainstream manga series like Demon Slayer and My Hero Academia have certain scenes or characters that would never fly in a Marvel or DC superhero comic.

Manga is more subversive than its Western counterparts and even the manga aimed largely at kids don’t pull any punches. Manga fills a similar need that Heavy Metal Magazine and 2000 AD filled when they first debuted, giving adult material to adolescents. The controversy surrounding the provocative material within manga only adds to its popularity.

It’s Sexier

Piggy-backing off of the illicit appeal of manga is the sex appeal. Who are the attractive characters in American comics? Nightwing? Emma Frost? In manga, you get a new flavor of Waifu or Husbando with every season. When done correctly, these characters become incredibly popular and become the favorites among cosplayers and fan artists.

However, sexy characters by themselves aren’t enough to endear themselves to readers. I was very skeptical of ecchi series until I encountered Citrus, Ranma ½, Urusei Yatsura, Stravaganza, and Mysterious Girlfriend X. They’re not just good erotic comics, they’re just darn good comics. When you have sexy art combined with a great story and characters, it’s unbeatable.

More Bang for your Buck

A single manga volume may average 160-180 pages for just $10-12 USD. Meanwhile the American floppy comic has gotten pricier with a shorter page count. Manga’s thicker page count means readers get more action, atmosphere, and story per volume, all for an affordable price. When you couple this with illicit escapism, a manga title gives readers something they won’t get anywhere else.

Solid Sequential Art Formalism

In Making Comics by Scott McCloud, he outlines formalist techniques that make manga storytelling unique:

• Iconic Characters
• Genre Maturity
• Strong Sense of Place
• Wide Variety of Character Designs
• Wordless Panels—Silent Storytelling
• Small Real-World Details
• Subjective Motion
• Emotionally Expressive Effects

It’s amazing how much of a difference these techniques make. A 50-year-old comic like Kamen Rider still outshines many contemporary superhero comics because of its pacing, cinematography, action choreography, and iconic character designs.

New Contemporary Characters

While there will always be room for Batman and Spider-Man stories, new readers also want new characters and worlds to explore. It’s more relatable and engaging to have contemporary characters that reflect the lives of their readers. These new characters maintain the singular vision of the original creator and can grow and change over time with their readership. There’s also the excitement of jumping into a series on the ground floor and watching it grow—rather than diving into a series that’s already big.

Great Storytelling

Comics are an art form as valid as literature and manga creators have known this for some time. The adult works of Osamu Tezuka explored themes of discrimination, societal change, sexual taboos, spirituality, philosophy, war, history, and future speculation. Tezuka was doing all of this revolutionary work in the ’60s and ’70s in Japan while still being as mainstream of a creator as Walt Disney.

Whether they’re making seminal classics like Nausicaa, Akira, or Berserk, or fresh new series like Chainsaw Man, Spy X Family, and Dandadan, manga creators continue to prove that comics have no narrative limitations. Not only are the stories excellent but the mastery of the comics form is superb–the dynamic panel layouts, cinematic pacing, and creative character designs enchant in equal measure.

Whatever you think of the Manga Boom, remember that great storytelling is king. I hope that people learned something from the article and feel inspired by the Manga Boom. Manga’s success is not a threat to American comics but the creative shock we need to do our best work and revolutionize the medium. I hope this sheds some light on the current phenomenon and emboldens aspiring comic creators to push the envelope and create stories that have never existed before.