Adventuring through the world of Japanese fantasy manga is not for the fainthearted. It requires bravery, intellect, and above all, knowledge. Who is your hero? What is his or her role? What superpowers are possessed? Who is the enemy that needs to be conquered? From elves to ninjas, sirens to sorcerers, this authentic guide to Japanese fantasy manga will guide you through heroes, superpowers, secondary characters, and enemies, so that you can conquer the world of Japanese fantasy manga or create your very own manga stories. Stunning full page illustrations of fantasy characters are featured along with background information on them and their superpowers, and mini illustrations highlighting their defining physical traits. Special sections throughout the book offer additional insight into Japanese fantasy manga, and a bonus manga shows how the featured components of manga can be pulled together to create one’s own manga story.

Born of Japan's cultural encounter with Western entertainment media, manga (comic books or graphic novels) and anime (animated films) are two of the most universally recognized forms of contemporary mass culture. Because they tell stories through visual imagery, they vault over language barriers. Well suited to electronic transmission and distributed by Japan's globalized culture industry, they have become a powerful force in both the mediascape and the marketplace.This volume brings together an international group of scholars from many specialties to probe the richness and subtleties of these deceptively simple cultural forms. The contributors explore the historical, cultural, sociological, and religious dimensions of manga and anime, and examine specific sub-genres, artists, and stylistics. The book also addresses such topics as spirituality, the use of visual culture by Japanese new religious movements, Japanese Goth, nostalgia and Japanese pop, "cute" (kawali) subculture and comics for girls, and more. With illustrations throughout, it is a rich source for all scholars and fans of manga and anime as well as students of contemporary mass culture or Japanese culture and civilization.

In an ancient Japan where the incursions of gods, ghosts, and demons into the living world is an everyday event, an impoverished nobleman named Yamada no Goji makes his living as a demon hunter for hire. With the occasional assistance of the reprobate exorcist Kenji, whatever the difficulty - ogres, demons, fox-spirits - for a price Yamada will do what needs to be done, even and especially if the solution to the problem isn't as simple as the edge of a sword. Yet, no matter how many monsters he has to face, or how powerful and terrible they may be, the demons Yamada fears the most are his own!

Winner of the 2019 BookNest award. Ein is on a mission from God... The God of Death. Time is up for the Emperor of Ten Kings and it falls to Ein, an eight-year-old boy, to render the judgement of the reaper. He can't do it alone, but luckily the world is full of travelling heroes. There's only one catch: In order to serve him, they must first die. Never Die is a stand alone story set in the award-winning Mortal Techniques universe. It’s a sword & sorcery adventure filled with samurai, shinigami, heroes, and vengeful spirits.

Are you a comic artist who wants to write, but doesn't know how? Are you a writer who wants to write stories like the ones in your favorite manga? Are you an experienced storyteller looking to up your game by trying something new? Write! Shonen Manga is the guide you need to understanding how the Japanese bring their stories to life and created a global manga revolution. Whether you're a complete beginner, or a master of words, this book will help you understand and break down why your favorite manga work the way they do, and how you can do the same. Utilizing the IDEA story system, this book will help you easily put together stories in ways you didn't know were possible, bring your characters and settings to life, and write the stories that will touch your audience. Naruto has sold over 220 million copies in 35 countries worldwide. Dragonball is a $5 Billion-dollar global franchise. One Piece has sold more than 430 million copies globally, and is the best-selling manga in history. And, this book takes apart the story formulas that their creators used to build their manga and anime empires so you can make your stories even better and reach your own global audience. Along the way, you'll also learn why the Japanese approach to storytelling is so different from the American one, and how this difference in perspective makes the stories what they are. Also, you'll learn to how take control of your story's central themes, characters, plot and setting, and how to combine them to create fresh takes on old stories- and make new stories that are as unique as you are. So, what are you waiting for? Hoist your flag and set sail on your own manga creator voyage with Write! Shonen Manga as your guide. You never know where your imagination and skills will carry you, and what friends and adventures await! You only need to take that first step into a new world. Let's do it together!

From computer games to figurines and maid cafes, men called “otaku” develop intense fan relationships with “cute girl” characters from manga, anime, and related media and material in contemporary Japan. While much of the Japanese public considers the forms of character love associated with “otaku” to be weird and perverse, the Japanese government has endeavored to incorporate “otaku” culture into its branding of “Cool Japan.” In Otaku and the Struggle for Imagination in Japan, Patrick W. Galbraith explores the conflicting meanings of “otaku” culture and its significance to Japanese popular culture, masculinity, and the nation. Tracing the history of “otaku” and “cute girl” characters from their origins in the 1970s to his recent fieldwork in Akihabara, Tokyo (“the Holy Land of Otaku”), Galbraith contends that the discourse surrounding “otaku” reveals tensions around contested notions of gender, sexuality, and ways of imagining the nation that extend far beyond Japan. At the same time, in their relationships with characters and one another, “otaku” are imagining and creating alternative social worlds.

Manga Matrix presents an easy grid method for mastering manga, an increasingly popular comic style. Using this unique Japanese system, artists can plot and cross-section elements on a matrix diagram to create an infinite number of original characters, creatures, and multiformed beasts. Angels, demons, dragons, monsters, and robots are all included in this book, along with descriptions of costumes and personalities for each. Manga Matrix is unlike any other manga instructional guide and is an invaluable resource for both the budding artist and the polished professional.