The History of Manga and the Greatest Artists

First, let’s clarify that manga is Japanese comics, while anime is animated films or series. To get closer to the world of anime, it is obviously a good idea to know the history of manga. Therefore, in this article, you can read about the beginnings and origins of manga, as well as learn the names of the greatest manga artists.

First and foremost, it is worth knowing that the original meaning of manga is “random pictures” and “sketches.” Nowadays, we tend to refer to comics created in the Japanese style as manga. The precursor to manga is medieval Japanese printmaking, or woodblock art.

Woodblock Printing

Ukiyo-e was a form of woodblock printing that flourished in Japan between the 17th and 19th centuries. Literally, it means “pictures of the floating world.” 

Ukiyo-e acquired this meaning during the Edo period (1600–1867), when artists working in this style brought the world of entertainment and pleasure quarters to life in their works. This would certainly include gambling today, and thus casino bonuses Canada as well. The pictures mostly feature teahouses and theaters (such as kabuki), as well as samurai, geisha (geiko, maiko), and courtesans.

Katsushika Hokusai and Osamu Tezuka

Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) is considered a great ukiyo-e painter, whose name is closely linked to the birth of the term manga. Hokusai manga is characterized by its depiction of themes such as landscapes, flora and fauna, everyday life, and supernatural beings.

Hokusai focused more on interesting scenes and movements, whereas Osama Tezuka’s storytelling manga focuses more on a specific plot line, on a story to tell. The SG Casino Bonus & VIP program is also interesting primarily because of its history.

Tezuka Osamu’s style is very similar to the drawing style that prevailed in America in the 1930s and 1940s (even the American ideal of beauty appeared in manga).

The Storyteller Manga

Regardless of the abundance of Western influences in manga as we know it today, there are also many unique features. Just as casino bonuses Canada have unique features. For example, these comics are black and white, and color images can only be seen on the covers of bound works, or possibly on some of the inside pages. Because of this, meticulous attention to detail in the drawings plays a much more important role in the creative process.

Interestingly, Japanese manga are read from right to left and from top to bottom. Tezuka’s reading experience was greatly influenced by his love of films, and he wanted to recreate the experience of the silver screen and slide films in his comics. The experience is very important, as casino bonuses Canada websites know.

So Tezuka uses elements in his comics that are as if he had “cut and reassembled the images from a film reel.” He also borrowed from cinema the technique of often approaching a scene or a character frame by frame with an imaginary camera. Such graphic tricks can also be found on the SG Casino Bonus & VIP Program website. This solution provided a more realistic experience for the reader. 

In addition to detailed characters, he also used iconic figures drawn with just a few lines (Tezuka was also the first to use this technique).

The Popularity of Manga

It may come as no surprise that manga is Japan’s most widely published medium. It is worth noting that manga vary greatly in physical size, length, content, and style. There are entire books as well as special manga magazines.

Cookbooks, user manuals, and parenting books can also be published in manga form, so the range is really wide. The SG Casino Bonus & VIP Program can also be presented in manga style. It is also interesting to note that in America and Europe, the primary target audience for comics and cartoons is children under the age of 14, while the target audience for manga can include teenagers and adults as well.

Other Popular Manga Artists

Before we conclude this brief overview of manga, we feel it is important to mention a few more big names. Among the greatest manga artists, we consider Akira Toriyama (1955–2024) to be one of the most famous, primarily for his works Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump.

Eiichiro Oda (1975– ), creator of One Piece, the manga series with the highest sales figures ever, is also famous. Masashi Kishimoto (1974– ), creator of Naruto, is another name that should not be forgotten.

Naoko Takeuchi (1967– ) is undoubtedly a favorite among girls, as she is the creator of the world-famous Sailor Moon. Katsuhiro Otomo (1954– ), who is also a director, is the creator of cyberpunk manga, and his name is associated with Akira.

These are all big names whose works are worth checking out and can be good reads for beginners.