Although in Japanese "manga" means simply "cartoon", in the West and in Europe this word is used to denote one of the most important comic book traditions in the world. Manga is a key part of the Japanese publishing market, and its stories have been adapted into animated series called "anime," as well as into films, video games, and novels. Manga online in our time, it is read by many people no less often than good old comics that can be bought in bookstores. Below are the most interesting facts about her.
Why do manga characters have such big eyes
This widespread trend originates from Osamu Tezuka, the creator of the mythical Astroboy. Although, perhaps, it would be more correct to say that its origin is connected with the great love that Tezuka felt for the animation of Walt Disney's films. The main character of the legendary manga was one of his favorites, and Osamu admitted more than once that he watched it more than 80 times. Osamu was obsessed with Disney films of the 1930s and 1940s, and at some point he began to borrow things from them, including the big eyes of the characters. Since his works were the basis of modern manga, this feature (big eyes) has been preserved in the design of characters to this day.
First contemporary manga
Although many consider Astroboy to be the first example of modern manga, it is actually the second after a comic called Tagosaku and Mokube Visit Tokyo, created by Rakuten Kitazawa in 1902. This is a story about two peasants who go to a big city, knowing nothing about modern life.
Kitazawa was also the first to use the word "manga" in its current sense, and during his career he founded an academy specializing in caricature and manga, which trained many young cartoonists and animators under his guidance.
Which manga became the best-selling in history
Although everyone might think that Akira Toriyama's "Dragon Pearl" should be first on this list, in fact, this mythical manga is only second on this list.
Eiichiro Oda's One Piece manga is the best-selling manga in history. More than 470 million copies were sold. The fantastic pirate story currently contains 96 volumes, and it continues to be published regularly, so it can be assumed that it will continue to break records and defend its first place for a long time.