Manga Art and Style

Not every comic book character has to look like an intensely muscular superhero with a cape. In the manga world of comics, characters do not look anything like the ideal Western comic characters. In the world of manga, the characters do not have big bulging muscles, but they have large, distinctive eyes. Manga has been a popular form of art and storytelling in Japan, where it became an artform in the 1950s. Now, manga has crossed boundaries making it one of the best selling forms of media around the world.


The art of manga is what makes it so unique. Compared to the traditional Western comics, manga characters look much younger and childlike. The characters in Western comics are very clearly “men” as their superhero names usually include that designation: Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Iron Man, etc. Manga characters often have names that do not designate any age at all, like Sailor Moon, Dragonball Z, or Naruto.


The characters in manga have very expressive eyes. They are usually much larger than the eyes of Western characters and the manga female eyes are larger than the male eyes. Interestingly, manga artists will change the shape of the eyes to reflect what the character is feeling. So, if the characters is in love, the artist will make the character’s eyes into hearts. If the characters is frustrated, the character’s eyes might squint or even have flames in theme. The eyes can also be turned into lines or half-circles to represent other emotions. Characters who have been injured will have X’s for eyes. Interestingly, manga artists all tend to use the same expressions and techniques when it comes to drawing the eyes.


Along with the eyes, manga characters also express themselves in their thought bubbles and speech bubbles. It may seem like there is little than an artist or storyteller can do with a bubble, but manga artists have managed to take this part of the story and add more expressions. In Western comics, speech bubbles are also solidly extended from the character’s head and thought bubbles have small circles to the bubble. In manga, thought bubbles and speech bubbles are drawn in ways that show how the characters are feeling. So, if a characters is in love, the bubble might be shaped like a heart. If the character is angry, the bubble might look like it could explode. Pair the bubble with the eyes, it is usually very clear to readers how the characters are feeling.


So that readers can really get to know the backgrounds of the characters, artists are very precise with the hair colors they give the characters. The colors are usually chosen to represent personality traits. Interestingly, it is quite easy to see the similarities between Western color symbolism and Eastern symbolism. Characters with black hair tend to be mysterious, powerful, sad, or evil; while the characters with white hair are peaceful, heavenly, and pure. Characters with white hair can also represent cold, so the hair is icy. Blue hair can symbolize dependability, calmness, and peacefulness, too. Purple hair denotes the characters is royal and a character with red hair is passionate, aggressive, and full of strong emotions. Pink hair is feminine and kind, but orange hair shows warmth and balance. Yellow hair is childlike and wealthy. Green hair shows envy, tranquility, and fortune. Silver hair shows maturity, intelligence, and boredom. Finally, brown hair shows comfort and simplicity.

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