Tag: tramps like us

A Quick and Easy Break Down of Manga Genres

by admin

As a young excessively nerdy middle schooler, it took me a while to figure out exactly what all of the different genres of manga meant.  It really wasn’t until I started reading scanlations instead of buying books (I apologize greatly for that, but I have bills to pay you know) that I really became acquainted with the genres.  It is overwhelming at first, but after a while they are incredibly helpful.  Wrote a post earlier that helps identify whether or not you’re reading a Shoujo or a Shonen manga, and this one will go much more in depth.  Some of the genres like ‘comedy’ and ‘mystery’ are easy to figure out what they are all about, but some are a little bit more difficult.  I will try to organize this as easily as possible, and will attempt to find recommendations or examples of each genre.

Break Down By Age Groups:

Shoujo: These mangas are the ones that I read most.  They are geared towards younger girls from the ages of 13-18, sometimes younger depending on the maturity rating given.  They could have a wide range of settings, but most often deal with romantic themes.

Shonen: The male counterpart to Shoujo.  They are generally more action packed, and because it is geared towards boys, the focus is less on romance and more on kicking ass.

 

Josei: A more grown up version of Shoujo.  They often deal with more difficult/ mature themes and the characters are often older as well, set in a work place instead of a school setting.

 

Seinen: The male counterpart to Josei.  Made for an older male audience.  I do not have much experience with this, perhaps I should start looking around for some good ones.

Break Down by What Characters/Themes You Will Find Inside:

School Life: Like the name suggests, this genre will primarily take place in a scholastic setting.

 

Magical Girl: The main character [s] is a girl and has magical abilities.  They often transform in elaborate sequences.  The most popular example of this would be Sailor Moon.

 

Gender Bender: I love this genre just because of the fact that it is one and you can pick up mangas that deal with gender identity that are not sexually charged.  I most often see it with males being dressed as females, but there are a few notable ones with females being disguised as a male.

 

Harem: This is one where I was unsure as to whether or not I should put it in the naughty category or not, but I have seen ones that are not explicit that have this genre.  It is when a male character is surrounded/lives by multiple/many female characters.

Slice of Life: This one is self explanatory to me now that I have read a few.  It is a manga is rooted in reality.  It deals with normal every day experiences and issues.

Mecha: Basically big machines, or in a world where it is technologically advanced.

 

Break Down by Naughty

(I am not going to recommend these, I am including them so that way you are aware of what they are, and are not surprised if you pick up a manga labeled ‘Yaoi’ and don’t know what to expect.):

Hentai: Porn in manga form with attempts at strange and elaborate plots to get characters into bed with each other.

Ecchi: This not quite hentai, but definitely not okay for younger audiences.  It’s that weird in between, and half the time you will just be wishing it is hentai.

Yaoi:  Man on man love.

Shonen-ai: Younger version of Yaoi, with young boys as the main characters, not as graphically sexual.

Yuri: Woman on woman love.

Shoujo-ai: Female version of Shonen-ai

Futanari: Love with a female character with male genitalia.

Shotacon: Love between an adult and a young boy.

Lolicon: Love between an adult and a young girl

QUICK NOTE: In manga genres mature does not mean that there is a hentai.  It could have sexual themes, but if you are specifically looking for or looking to rule out anything overtly sexual, the term most commonly used is smut.

Break Down by Whatever Else Is Left:

Doujinshi: I didn’t know what to do with this, but it is basically manga that takes an existing story that they enjoy, and creates their own.  It’s the fan fiction of manga.

Manga: Japenese comics, read right to left.

Manhwa: Korean comics, read left to right.

Manhua: Taiwanese or Chinese comics, read left to right. [Editors Note: Thank you!]

WHEWWW!  That is over with.  Now I send you off into the world of manga, educated, and ready to go!  Remember to read many different kinds to find out what you like, unlike me who continues to read the same ones over and over again.  Hope this was helpful.

-Eastyn

Panel Bound’s Manga Pick of the Week: Tramps Like Us

by admin

Tramps Like Us, written by Yayoi Ogawa, is a manga driven powerfully by the idea of what is considered to be an acceptable match between a Japanese man and woman.  Tramps Like Us is a josei manga.  If shoujo manga were the peppy cosplaying high school student, josei would be her single older chain smoking aunt who has a shoddy view on life at best.  It features Sumire Iwaya, a tall and beautiful business woman who is perceived as cold hearted by her colleagues.

She suffers from depression and anxiety after her fiance called off their wedding and a demotion at work.  Her fiance was threatened by her higher height, status and pay grade (the three highs that japanese women look for in a male partner) and left her for somebody more suited to his societal level.  This of course, bums Sumire out to no end.  I know this sounds like the happiest story in the world, but bare with me.

Now that you have the set up for the huge bummer that Sumire is in her life, let me set up the little bit that gives this manga what I like to call the ‘manga factor.’  That little twist in the plot that is just strange enough to work:

Sumire finds a young homeless man in a box outside her house.  He reminds her of a dog she used to have named, Momo.  She then agrees to let him live there as long as her pet.  She names him Momo.

I am going to let that sink in.  She is now keeping this young man as a pet.

Anyways, so that’s pretty much the set up of the story, as you can tell there will be issues that ensue, especially when she starts dating (NO SPOILERS FOR YOU!)

As for the technical sides, the artwork is wonderful.  The characters all have a strange sensual feeling to them that match the mood of the story quite well.  The clean lines and natural placement and movement of characters throughout the story really help you to forget what you are reading is drawn.

The storyline is what drew me in, however.  The plot seems like it is a bad porn set up, however the characters are all so deep.  Every single one of them is human.  There is no set bad guy or good guy, they just are well developed characters with pretty neutral morality just like us.  It’s easy to latch onto one character and identify with them, which will undoubtedly send you on a whirlwind of emotions throughout the manga (Sumire is my personal favorite as the heroine).

This is by no means a manga for the kids.  The subject matter is heavy (although it does have some humorous parts) and can get pretty steamy at times.  It’s a wonderful 14 volume series and comes highly recommended by yours truly.

Buy it Here!

Also, just to let you guys know, we are going to be making the manga recommends into MANGA MONDAYS!

So stay tuned to find out what new manga I have to recommend next!
Next week: Something for the men to really enjoy

-Eastyn