Your child (or friend) has finally found something they’re interested in. Great! But it’s this weird Japanese thing. Oh no! They’re getting really into it, and they talk about it whenever possible. Now what do we do? Is this healthy for them?
Do not fear: Getting into manga is actually indicative of good character! Those who get into manga and anime are highly intelligent, and often artistic, but have no outlet for it. Many people get into manga in late elementary or early middle school, when they start to branch out their way of seeing the world, but can’t find enough books or programming that speaks to their level of intellect. In addition, with so many schools’ art programs shut down or sub-par today, manga offers a lasting, physical link to art that attracts many readers. Lasting manga enjoyment will most likely also get your child (or friend) into many creative endeavors that would make any educator proud and that they can carry with them their whole life long.
A common story among myself and all the fans I know is that from love of manga, we become interested in all sorts of arts – photography, film, advertising, painting, fashion, and their histories – and international studies, language, and music studies (Japanese specifically but not always), writing, cosplay (costuming), and clubs based on any of those (which brings one social and leadership opportunities). I don’t know a single anime and manga fan who hasn’t picked up at least one of those, and never have I seen it be with negative results. Drawing gets one to look at the world as it is, to better recreate it, and it is always a useful skill; writing gets one into books and helps with school; international studies helps bring a new group of world citizens around; Japanese and language study could get one a job; and fashion, if nothing else, could get one to dress better (worked for me). All of these often bring greater confidence.
If “costuming” concerns you, don’t worry: Dressing up as one’s favorite character allows for a safe environment in which to invent the self and try out new ways of expressing personality goals (like greater self-esteem), which may be unavailable at established community gatherings such as school or sports teams, where there is a bias of treatment toward the person “everyone already knows them to be.” Learning how to sew is a skill that will be useful one’s whole life and can be a great parent-child time opportunity and pride-builder. It also, as the father of a friend put it, “got his little girl to use power tools.”
Beyond all this, going to anime and manga conventions brings one a multitude of potential friends; I have made my best friends of many years through attendance, specifically at smaller conventions. Manga, especially boy’s manga (“shonen”), instills deep themes of friendship and the necessities of being a good person. As stories, both boys’ and girls’ manga show ways in which treating other people will or will not work, how to think critically about people and situations, and many stories focus on identity creation, debating the pros and cons of becoming different types of people. (The “good guys” almost always come out on top.) Of the many people I’ve talked to regarding this issue, literally all of them have said that manga taught them basic social skills that they missed picking up through early school years, and this helped them become much happier adults. Art, hobbies, character-building, and enhanced social skills? What’s not to love about getting into manga?
Thank you for such a well written and well informed article. Hopefully this will open up the eyes of those without a strong understanding of this specific hobby/subculture.
Just because what we enjoy isn’t the same as everyone else, doesn’t mean it’s bad or negative. I always believe that being different and unique is better than sheeping along with the rest of them.
I feel like I should pass this article along to some of my family. I’ve been in to manga since 6th or 7th grade and I’m now a college graduate (and I still buy manga every month). It was actually manga and anime that really spurred me into writing. It was also an entry point for me to get into other Japanese things, like literature, movies, fashion, and especially music (I’m a huge Visual Kei fan). But some of my family has always kind of looked at me oddly for my love of Japan and a few times they’ve actually made fun of me or put me down for it. (After all these years I still can’t explain to them the reason why VK bands dress like girls, they just won’t listen to me!).
Anyway, you would think if you had a child that loved to read, wanted to learn a foreign language, and study a new culture you would want to encourage that. After all, there are much worse things a child could get into.
Art is a universal concept, everyone can appreciate it whether it’s the art in a manga or the words in a book or the rhythm of a song. Wouldn’t it be nice if someday everybody realized that?
i agree with you guys i think i will show this to my dad not that he puts me down but he thinks its a little weird i to love anime and manga and i enjoy j-music and anime has gotten me to make many friends thank you anime and manga
That sounds like me. I found out about anime when I was 13.
i love you people. It’s true that no one really understands. This artical explains everything. why don’t more parents accept this hobby/subculture? i still get a “look” (you know the one I’m talking about) whenever i buy a new manga. But the funny thing most people who look down on us don’t understand, is that some of their favorite childhood shows are animes
so if you go back to way back when, i’ve been into this thing since birth!
My daughter was the first to start reading Manga in our family. I started making her costumes so that she can cosplay with her friends. Next thing I knew, I started reading them so I would know what she was talking about. I’m hooked on them now! I think I’ve read about 300 or so books since the beginning of summer 2010. My daughter now sings songs in Japanese, wants to try new Japanese and Asian foods and many other new things. I think this is great and it is all from getting into Manga books!
Last year we even tried to get more Manga books into the Middle School. Our problem was finding ones that were appropriate for that age level. Our Media Center person was very willing to bring more of it into the school. She had told us that the Lexile (reading level) for Manga books was higher than most of the regular books that kids that age were reading. So why not read Manga?
I think Manga has brought positive influences to my daughter’s life and mine. I just hope I don’t run out of books to read….
Once when I was at Borders in the manga section, I saw a boy around the age of ten pick up a Pokemon manga. He looked very interested in it. Then, his mother comes along and says, “No, you’re not getting that. That’s not a REAL book.” And she took him by the hand and whisked him away.
This scene made me frustrated for two reasons: 1. I’ve loved Pokemon since I was four years old (I’m sixteen now) and felt insulted that she would degrade the series that taught me about perseverance and friendship, and 2. I felt like walking right up to that lady and saying “Manga ARE real books. They have more complicated plot lines and vocabulary than any of the drivelling childrens books you would consider to be REAL books”.
The point is: Loving manga is something to be appreciated, not degraded. Don’t judge something blindly. Look into it, test out the waters, and see if you actually like it first.
thank for proving my case this is totally me
every one else who doesn’t get manga does’t get me or they think i’m obsessed
with it but really it’s like i really love the art the story lines are awesome especially magical girl manga
As a 13 year old manga lover I completely agree with this article. All my school friends (my other friends think I’m partially insane) enjoy cosplaying, watching anime, and reading manga too. I’ve learned bits and pieces of Japanese along the way and it’s helped me make new friends.
That does sound like me |D. I got into manga in yr 5, but only read a few volumes a year at this stage… now I read sooo much manga at 14… My parents consider manga to be ‘childish’ and when I tell them that the plot is a lot more complicated than a normal novel, they won’t really believe it either… At least they don’t oppose it too openly ;D and lots of my friends and classmates are interested too, so it’s fine.
Manga also teach you a lot about history, specially japanese history and culture. For example, hakuouki shingensumi, it’s about samurais called shinsengumi, and they were actually real. It’s awesome because manga many times are based on true histories with a little fantasy on it. And then you can investigate more and learn about history that probably school wouldn’t teach you. I’ve lived the experience that teachers sometimes want to say something about history and I am the only one who knows because I read it on a manga book. Manga is general culture for everyone. It’s important and it’s not a waste of time. I got into anime and then manga since a very young age (almost all my friends and cousins likes anime and manga too) and now I am studying something related to it (animation) so for more reason, reading manga or watching anime is not a waste of time but some kind of homework for me. xD
thank u so much! i completely agree i felt so excited to see people who understand i personaly am an artist inspired by anime. i cosplay and go to cons and its really good 2 see some1 write a paper 2 help others understand. this really will help my persuasive essay im writing!