Manga

Manga, the Japanese name for comics, is rooted in Japanese graphic arts and caricatures dating back as far as the 12th century. The contemporary manga genre, involving mostly story manga, emerged in the [Page 892]1950s and expanded in the 1960s. Unlike single-frame caricature, story manga consists of dozens of frames that engage readers in the story as the plot develops.

Children are generally assumed to make up the majority of comic book readers, but development of story manga into complex tales and human dramas helped manga attract adults who grew up with the genre. Japan's economic growth in the 1970s and 1980s helped the manga industry expand its readership to include children, adolescents, young adults, homemakers, middle-aged businessmen, and working women. To respond to these ...