Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics : Collectors Edition [Hardcover]

Frederik Schodt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1998

Since first published in 1983, Manga! Manga!: The World of Japanese Comics has been the book to read for all those interested in Japanese comics. It is virtually the "bible" from which all studies and appreciation of manga begins. More than that, given the influence of Japanese manga on animation and on American-produced comics as well, Manga! Manga! provides the background against which these other arts can be understood. The book includes 96 pages from Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix, Reiji Matsumoto's Ghost Warrior, Riyoko Ikeda's The Rose of Versailles, and Keiji Nakazawa's Barefoot Gen.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"... a thoroughgoing exposition of the manga genre in text and pictures." -The New Yorker

"Buy this book. Read it." -The Comics Buyer's Guide

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

FREDERIK L. SCHODT is a writer, translator, and interpreter who lives in San Francisco. His books include America and the Four Japans: Friend, Foe, Model, Mirror; Inside the Robot Kingdom: Japan, Mechatronics and the Coming Robotopia; and Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga. Among his translations of novels are The Gundam Mobile Suit series, Betty and Jack Forever, and My Boy: A Father's Memories. His translations of manga include Barefoot Ben: A Cartoon History of Hiroshima (vol. 2), The Rose of Versailles (vols. 1 & 2), Ghost in the Shell, and The Four Immigrants Manga: A Japanese Experience in San Francisco, 1904-1924. Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics won the special prize at the Manga Oscar Awards in 1983, sponsored by the Japan Cartoonists Association. In 2000, Fred himself was awarded the Asahi Shinbun's Osamu Tezuka Culture Award "Special Prize" for his outstanding contribution toward making manga known outside of Japan.
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: Kodansha Amer Inc (April 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 4770023057
• ISBN-13: 978-4770023056
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,968,671 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Frederik L. Schodt is a writer, translator, and conference interpreter based in the San Francisco Bay area. He has written widely on Japanese history, popular culture, and technology. His writings on manga, and his translations of them, helped trigger the current popularity of Japanese comics in the English-speaking world, and in 2000 resulted in his being awarded the Special Category of the Asahi Shimbun's prestigious Osamu Tezuka Culture Award. In the same year, his translation of Henry Yoshitaka Kiyama's 1931 pioneering graphic novel,_The Four Immigrants Manga_, was selected as a finalist in Pen West USA translation award. In 2009, Fred was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, for his work in helping to promote Japan's popular culture overseas. Also, in the same year he was awarded the "Special" category of the Ministry of Foreign Affair's 3rd International Manga Award.

Fred's WEBSITE-- http://www.jai2.com | TALKS-- http://www.jai2.com/ABE_Talks.htm | BIBLIOGRAPHY-- http://www.jai2.com/Mybiblio.htm

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars May be a bit outdated, but a very good read nevertheless., June 2, 2000

By 

R. Garcia "Beeyotch" (Brockport, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Manga! Manga!: The World of Japanese Comics (Paperback)

A very serious fan of manga and anime will like this very intriguing study of the immensely popular Japanese medium. It takes you on a tour from the fables of the feudal times through the 19th-century political satire to the use of cartoons to taunt the American soldiers during the WWII to the great mushrooming of popularity in today's "manga" and "anime" that we all know and enjoy greatly. We are also introduced to Osmau Tezuka the very reowned "father" of the modern manga and anime. In fact, he was quite aptly dubbed "the god of manga" when he first began creating comics quite similar to the Disney style of 1930s; thus bringing some real entertainment to the bored children of the post-war era. His work includes AstroBoy the cute little flying robot and Kimba The White Lion (ironically, Disney actually "borrowed" from Mr. Tezuka's work while making "The Lion King" WITHOUT knowing it at all - a real repay, of course!) Other than those sweet children's tales, Osamu Tezuka also launches very serious projects such as BlackJack the eccentric surgeon and a very long saga about a young man finally meeting the legendery but vain Phoenix in her very own flesh. In addition, you get treated a few samples of the best work from the other well-known manga artists, including the very sparkly and flowery "Rose of Versasilles".

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic, August 13, 2002

By 

Daitokuji31 (Black Glass) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Manga! Manga!: The World of Japanese Comics (Paperback)

The first book written on Japanese comics in English. It is very important to remember that this book was written in the year 1983 because when today's manga reader reads this book he is most likely to be greeted with several series that he or she has never heard of, but don't let that stop you from reading the book. Schodt's book is a wonderful introduction to manga, and many of its cultural aspects. The book is divided into several sections including, the history of manga, girl's comics, work comics, and comics dealing with samurai or the modern day samurai the salaryman. Easy to read and ckock full of information about manga creators and readers. This is not a book to be missed by manga fans, and if you like this book please read _Dreamland Japan_ also.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars simply the best, February 14, 2002

By 

Jonathan Clements "muramasa industries" (London) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Manga! Manga!: The World of Japanese Comics (Paperback)

Fred Schodt's Manga! Manga! still delivers the goods. The toughest of acts to follow, his fluency, his meticulous research and his personal anecdotes make his work truly irreplaceable. Schodt's translation genius shines through, it's his job to break the language barrier, and he does it so well one forgets that at the time he wrote it, nobody knew what a manga was. Be advised, this is classy stuff. There's no amateurish, media-studies fudging, no fancy guesswork about partially-understood titles, but an incredible introduction to the manga world, presented with stunning clarity. Schodt has no need to rely on what others translate, by going straight to the source he remains years ahead of the competition. To write this review, I took my weatherbeaten copy off the shelf and was amazed at how much of Schodt's writing remains original and unexplored, even today. I found a piece on Graveyard of the Fireflies (why didn't I see that before?), and chunks of Saito and Otomo much ripped-off by lesser researchers, I chuckled once more at the manga Einstein, and fell in love with three titles still unavailable in English. This is still the best book on manga, and even now, the only serious contender is Schodt's own Dreamland Japan. After nearly 20 years of being plagiarised by lesser writers, Schodt's book is still effortlessly outshining them all. Buy it. I did.