Historical shoujo romantic drama is a relatively common subgenre of manga, and one that’s well-done more often than not. Veteran shoujo manga creator Ken Saito’s Tales of the
Among the many appealing aspects of Japanese manga is the diversity of its genres and styles. Countless fans globally adore shonen adventure manga stories targeted at adolescent boys.
The “isekai” sub-genre of Japanese fantasy literature is defined by stories in which a character is migrated from Earth to a fantasy or futuristic sci-fi world. In recent
Although Japanese “isekai” stories of characters spirited away to or reincarnated in alternate worlds have been prominent since at least the 1980s, the fantasy sub-genre began an unprecedented
Japanese fantasy light novels typically fall into either the sci-fi or hard fantasy genres. Stories usually revolve around aliens and advanced technology, such as Yoshiki Tanaka’s Legend of
In a society that values politeness above nearly everything else, little white lies are commonplace in Japan. Polite or considerate lies are like the oil that keeps the
The sub-genre of Japanese “isekai” fantasy light novels, stories about characters either transported to alternate worlds or reincarnated in alternate worlds, is so populated with titles and series
Kugayama Reki does a fine job of creating a manga adaptation of author Kurokata’s 2014 light novel The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic. The story introduces three
The nature of Japanese light novels is to be simple, easy-reading, disposable literary entertainment. By design, light novels are only barely more literary than manga comic books. Moreover,
Contemporary mainstream avant-garde manga creator Usamaru Furuya may be best known to American readers for his off-kilter humorous stores Genkaku Picasso and Lychee Light Club. His two-volume 1999
During the late 1990s and early 2000s Japan’s manga and anime fan community became infatuated with a figurative and literary concept called “moé.” Although the term partially referred
Although the modern variation of the “isekai” trope has existed within manga and anime since the early 1980s, the concept of a character swept away to a life
The romantic comedy and the sitcom of misunderstandings are global literary staples. The idea that opposites attract is a universally recognized trope. And the concepts of the “sukeban,”
Yuki Fumino’s subtly complex, resonant, and heartfelt dramatic manga series I Hear the Sunspot premiered in 2013 and has sporadically extended into five ongoing collected books. The touching
While the traditional Japanese literary concept of living a lifetime in another world may date back to the Japanese Urashima Taro fairy tale, the modern provision of the
