Artistic literature
As compared to the normal prose we have read and analyzed all of this semester, manga stands out as the most artistic form of literature. Manga is filled with pictures in black and white luring the reader into a trance. The art is not just captivating but its leaves the interpretation and reasoning of the comic up to the reader. It is this subjective form of literature that has captivated so many manga fans.
Script
Manga has stuck to it Japanese roots. Manga like any Japanese script is read from the last page to the first, right to left and top to bottom. For the conventional prose enthusiast this is hard to accustom to, but once mastered it is a thrill to read.
Dialogue
The only form of literature in manga is the dialogue between characters and the occasional sounds of a punch or an agonizing cry. It almost feels like if one had to flip through the pages really quick it would play like a 1920’s Laurel and Hardy clip.
Fan base
Most normal literature is written to tickle the taste buds of just a select few readers. These people enjoy a similar format and plot written by similar authors. On the other hand manga is strewn over almost every age range. Its pictures captivate the young, while its plot reels in the rest.
Characters
Manga deals with a wide array of characters ranging from the supernatural to regular human beings. This gives it a creative edge, allowing readers to dwell into fantasies of ghost and spirits.
On page 12 we witness the first time Ichigo see Shinigami –God of Death- This page presents no dialogue just pictures of each character. But, each character represents a different expression. Shinigami thinks Ichigo cannot see her and she just walks on as if nothing happened. As for Ichigo, we see a quizzical look on his face. The art gives the reader the canvas and the paintbrush. Thus, allowing the reader to create a portrait of his/her fancy. This is unseen in regular novels and story books.
One experiences a vast symbolic relevance to evil and good or heaven and hell. These are by far the two most major attributes of Christianity. The Christian religion often expresses the evils that lurk in hell with bearing on the devil. Also there is a constant symbolism of spirits in manga, Christianity refers to spirits as angels or guardians. Ancient Japanese culture has often mystified people. The samurai swords and the ninjas have been at the epicenter of this fascination towards Japanese mysticism. Manga art utilizes a lot of ninja attributes including swords. It also gives them supernatural powers, as some people believe ninjas actually possessed such power.
The lesson behind manga is hard to uncover. The core reason being that they just introduced vol. 169 and books are still in production. But, from reading and analyzing manga it might be safe to say that manga tries to impress upon the reader that he/she is not alone; whether in life or in death. Also one gets the feeling that safety is a major issue in manga. It seems like there is always someone out there to feed on your life while you try to feed on others as seen on page 53.
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