Customer Reviews

The Manga Guide to Molecular Biology

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4 star:		(1)
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This manga is an excellent introduction to the subject. In contrast to some other manga guides that deal with subjects that are more difficult to explore graphically (e.g. calculus, statistics), molecular biology lends itself well to visual treatment.

Manga usually uses human subjects in a story to try to maintain interest. The story in this book is contrived, but that doesn't detract from the value of the biology presentation.

The book starts with some basic definitions, and proceeds to explain the workings of the cell. Sections include:

What is a Cell?
Proteins and DNA: Deciphering the Genetic Code
DNA Replication and Cell Division
How is a Protein Made?
Genetic Technology and Research.

The diagrams, pictures, and accompanying text do an excellent job of explaining the complicated process by which genes are expressed, RNA templates are produced, and via the ribosome, protein is made, amino acid by amino acid. Many texts don't do justice to the subject in double the pages.

Some of the controversial aspects of biotechnology are also addressed, including embryonic stem cell research and cloning.

As an introduction to the subject, as an accessory guide to accompany a more complete text, or just as a refresher for those of us who took biology classes before many of these subjects were well understood, this is an excellent book.

Highly recommended

All of the Manga Guides from No Starch Press provide excellent teaching of Complex University-Level Subjects in an entertaining visual form. This Molecular Biology text is particularly outstanding, even in this innovative instructional series. Because the subject matter being covered is primarily visual in nature, as opposed to other guides which cover Relational Databases, Calculus and Electricity the talented author and illustrators are able to explain what one would see under the microscope, what processes are being enacted by the genetic and molecular components, and thus superbly explain what this vital field covers, even to one ignorant of college-level biology such as myself.

This is a fascinating and illustrative guide to a field which has implications to all of us biologists and laymen alike.

--Ira Laefsky

This book follows the same great approach as the other Manga Guides: Break a complex idea down in to small pieces, clearly explain it with practical examples, and use the fun Manga comic style to wrap the entire concept in a great story.

I never took molecular biology in high school or college, yet I was able to get through the Guide and come out at the end with a pretty fair understanding of it. Moreover, I actually enjoyed the learning journey!

My nine year-old daughter loves these books and always reads through them after I'm done. She's not coming away from the books with great knowledge of the concepts, but she's finding them interesting, fun, and is less intimidated with the subjects. I think that's a big win because these guides are laying some good ground work for her to come back to later.

I used this book in my high school introductory biology course. So far I've just used the Introduction and Chapter 1, but the students really liked it. Most of them like cartoons and comics, and they were excited to be able to read something that was visually stimulating.

The Manga Guide to Molecular Biology joins others in the 'Manga' series and is a fine collection explaining key scientific and technical subjects using Japanese-style comics. These comics make it easy for students who are slow to absorb science: they offer characters who 'journey' inside the body's cells to learn about core topics in molecular biology, enhancing the learning process with fiction and fact blends. Any school library strong in molecular biology facts needs this.

The Manga Guide to Molecular Biology follows the actions of a two students who failed their molecular biology class and have to take a special summer course. The story line is enjoyable and eases the reader's entry into the topic rather than being a distraction.

The book covers all the main questions and topics you would expect: what is a cell, what are the common parts of a cell, how do cells combine to make various organisms, what are proteins and how do they function within a cell, what is DNA and what are genes and how do they work to express the information coded in them? My favorite part was chapter 5 which focuses on potential applications for everything discussed earlier and theorizes what the future may hold in the field.

I work in a software project that is helping biologists do research, including helping process the vast amounts of data that comes from genetic sequencing. As a result, I have become familiar with most of the content this book presents. I believe the book is accurate and it is clear. The story created to assist with that presentation is enjoyable as well. I have a seven year old daughter that is reading the book with great interest. Some of the science is above her grade level, but her attention remains fixed on the art and the story and she is absorbing some of it as she reads.

Overall, I would say the book is a success and recommend it without reservation.

If you are familiar with the Manga Guide series, you will be right at home reading the Molecular Biology edition. Molecular biology suits itself well for being presented in a comic format. The pictures and diagrams of the numerous processes and structures greatly aid in the understanding of the topic. For those new to molecular biology, the Manga Guide is a great introduction. The story begins with explaining all about cells and proceeds to describe DNA and its replication, protein and its interactions, and concludes with discussing genetic technology as well as research. By no means is the Manga Guide more than a basic introduction to the subject, but it makes a great introduction that is very readable and offers some humor to accompany the learning.
For those interested in getting a brief introduction to molecular biology or wanting to review basic concepts, the Manga Guide is a good choice. Throughout each chapter there are breaks from the manga form and the information is presented in a question and answer dialogue between the characters. The question and answer form helps to explain some of the more complex material in an efficient manner and is referred back to many times. Included in the information are applications to read dieses and disorders which relate to the topics that are being discussed. My only criticism is that there are no quizzes at the end of each chapter to test your knowledge. Other than that, The Manga Guide to Molecular Biology is a great introduction into the field and an enjoyable read.

I bought this for my granddaughter, but I was so interested that I read it too. Not being a biologist, it was all new to me. I think the author has done a very good job at explaining some of the concepts of molecular biology. I have given it to my granddaugher now, and hope that she will read it.

In The Manga Guide to Molecular Biology, Rin and Ami haven't been attending their college course and need to make up classes. I liked how the manga had a story line that keeps you engaged instead of it just being a bunch of facts that are hard to keep track of. The girls even get to go into a virtual reality machine when their studies require that they see something in greater detail. As No Starch Press founder Bill Pollock says, "Who wouldn't want to be small enough to see DNA at work?"

The Manga Guide to Molecular Biology teaches the basics of cells, DNA, RNA, proteins, genetics and more. I appreciated that the complex ideas are taught with clear explanations, and the visual aspect of the books are a big help to gain understanding. The author, Masaharu Takemura lectures at the Tokyo University and is a medical doctor as well, and he does a great job at explaining these concepts in simple terms.

When things get a little too complex, the girls said just what I was thinking, i.e., "Huh?" and then the teacher backtracks and tells it again either in simpler terms, or by looking at it from another direction. I enjoyed learning lots of new things, like how peroxisomes are organelles that use oxygen to kill bacteria and other harmful things, like how I use hydrogen peroxide to clean and clear out infections (ears, sinuses, throat, skin, etc).

If you or someone you know is studying the basics of Microbiology, or if you just would like to know more about how and why living things work the way they do, then The Manga Guide to Molecular Biology is an engaging and excellent tool to learn from and enjoy.