Customer Reviews

Even A Monkey Can Draw Manga, Vol. 1

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The other reviewers of this book seem to have missed the point. This is not a how to book or a parody of different series: This is a satire of the cliches in the manga industry, in all the genres, the popular magazines, the public taste for the vulgar and even in how manga is becoming popular as a medium for works not commonly associated with pop art, like government documents.

Be advised that the book is sexually explicit (it parodies manga porn among other things) and is not intended for minors.

Sad but true, even though this book is over twenty years old, some of the cliches they mention are still prevalent in manga. For example, Shonen still consists of 'enemy inflation' and plots consisting of little more than strings of battle. They also mentioned that one day, ninja comics may make a comeback. Remember, this was published years before series like Naruto and Basilisk. There are a lot of analogies too, for example, women are like a game of Tetris! It's crazy but fun, and I can't help but burst out laughing at moments. I would recommend this for any serious fan of manga comics.

These two authors let us in on the secret world of manga creation, but accidentally seems to reveal the bitter, ugly truth behind the creation of anything for popular mediums.

With the growing popularity of the 'How to draw manga' books in the USA, PULP and VIZ's publishing of this forgotten, but brilliant guidebook to success, or failure, depending... where was I? I seem to have run off on a big-word rant. Oh well.

Anyway, this book shows us the best and worst parts of working in an existing and popular medium, and the compromises you must make to experience even modest success.

Darn. There I go again. Just assume I was talking about something interesting there.

Perhaps the best part of this whole book is that you never know if this is a parody or an honest take on the world of harsh deadlines and demanding publishers. Or perhaps it's brilliant satire and informative advice combined. Who knows?

A few rules taken from the book-

'The basis of all manga is theft'

(every manga artist rips off otomo!)

'you dont need to know your subject matter to make a story about it' (Mahjongg manga. 'nuff said.)

'Graphic and lewd pictures of Aihara-sensei published in a monthly format are the key to success' (As told by Aihara-sensei)

Okay... maybe the third rule is B.S....

BTW- If you replace 'manga' with 'movie', you pretty much experience the true creative processes hollywood uses to create such blockbusters as 'master of disguise' and 'Street Fighter.'

Not enough humor content to make it worthwhile. The humor harps on the same points again and again. Find Super Cruel and Terrible Tales of Mangaka instead which spoofs mangaka's although different genre's get the focus.
Both are the equivalent of hanging out with male artists at a bar with too much booze. The difference is that the next morning, this book is filled with a bunch of "did I do that?" moments versus "That was cool."

I don't care for Manga. I thing the current market is glutted to the big watery eyeballs with the stuff, most of it of poor quality and indistinquishable from one another.I bought this book because it seemed to offer a overview of the medium while poking fun at it. The book is hillarious! At one point, lacking female models to draw from, the authors resort to taking and drawing nude pictures of THEMSELVES in various cheesecake poses. I particularly like the section on how to draw Manga for kids - and how it takes a sly jab at the buying parent at the same time. The book is raunchy in places, so like most Manga, it's not really designed for kids. It's a cynical but light-hearted exspos'e of the entire Manga industry. Will these guys ever work in Manga again? :)