Recommended manga

In a previous post I mentioned one manga by name for the first time on this blog, only it was linked to an English version. Now I’d like to introduce a couple of my personal favorites to you, and offer some advice for selecting manga that interests you.

Why you should read manga

I love me some Superman. I have no reservations about saying that. But I know the comic book-world doesn’t appeal to everyone out there. And even if you like comic books like Superman, it can be hard to make the transition to Japanese manga that have such mundane themes like “aspiring businessman” or “woman aiming to be tennis champion”. But therein lies the beauty of the manga genre – It’s utility for everyday life in Japanese, which directly applies to our studies!

How I choose manga

If a manga doesn’t strike me as interesting within the first 4 pages, I put it down. If it gets rave reviews later, I might come back to it and give it another chance, but I treat the first 4 pages like I treat the first page of a novel – If it doesn’t capture me within that block of text, it probably won’t capture me at all.

That’s one aspect of my decision process. The other is utility. I read some One piece, and it was fun, and I recommend it to help get you used to the Japanese literary tool of ending sentences with a trademark speech style, but ultimately I put it aside for manga with more grounded themes, because really – When am I ever going to be talking about my wish to become the 海賊王 (Pirate King)? Although we could talk about the 海賊 hijacking ships these days… Pirates do interest me, and it’s a fun escape tool from my alternate systematic approach to learning Japanese, but I don’t focus on it as a study tool as much.

So what manga do I consider to be useful in terms of vocabulary acquisition? The more mundane, the better. Salaryman Kintaro, Initial D, Conan – All of these talk about things you can directly apply to your social life, from business to hobby to news. But if you’re just starting out with Japanese, you might want to invest in text a little easier to process.

Doraemon

Classic Doraemonwill never fail you. It’s the first manga Japanese kids go through, and they continue to have a soft-spot for the blue robot cat from the future into their adult years.

The best part about Doraemon is that it talks about mundane life at home and around school (and introduces you to dorayaki, a little pancake snack with sweet red beans inside), but it keeps the fantasy characteristic in tact with things like the どこでもドア (a door that will take you anywhere) and the タケコプター (a hat with yellow helicopter blades that turns you into a, well, a human helicopter). [seen below]

Salaryman Kintaro

How entertaining could a manga about a businessman be? Very. Salaryman Kintarois about a kick-ass former 暴走族 (Japanese bike gang member) who retired from his delinquent ways to settle down, later moving to Tokyo with his infant son to make a life as a businessman (in Japanese, “salaryman”) after his wife dies. He’s every Japanese businessman’s dream – Doesn’t take crap from anyone, assertive, and idolized.

This series will introduce you to the Japanese business environment – 残業 (overtime work), 会社の飲み会 (office drinking parties after hours), and 偉そうな幹部社員 (bossy company execs). Of course, you’ll also pick up on business-use terminology.

Detective Conan

Detective Conan(reference to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle of Sherlock Holmes fame) is about a teenage detective who gets turned into a little boy through some bad mojo potion, but has to conceal it as a secret while he continues to solve mysteries. Sounds hokey doesn’t it? It is. But it’s fun.

Plus, you’ll be learning useful newspaper terms like 殺人事件 (murder case) and 容疑者 (suspect). You’ll be able to read the national crime reports and participate in watercooler-gossip – In Japanese!

Read what ever piques your interest

What it comes down to is picking a manga you’ll ultimately have fun reading. Whatever you’re into, that’s what you should be buying. Don’t force yourself to study something that doesn’t interest you. What’s the point? Don’t let Japanese become a chore. You vacuum the house and clean the dishes because you have to. You chose Japanese, it didn’t chose you. Don’t ever lose sight of your reasons for choosing it.

I welcome anyone else to leave their own recommendations here in the comments section. Tell the rest of us – What’s good?

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• Read about Japanese history with manga