Manga for Librarians

Yeah, so I figured I should explain a little bit about why you should even bother listening to my opinion. *laughs*

I've had my MLS for almost two years now, and I worked in Young Adult services in a public library branch system for almost five years. My mother was in the school library system for nearly 20 years, so even though I've never personally experienced this setting, I feel like I know a great deal about it via her knowledge.

So, why does this qualify me to talk about manga? Why should you risk including or excluding something from your collection based on what I've got to say? Well...I've been a serious manga/graphic novel addict since I was very young and my personal collection currently contains over 2, 500 titles. So, while I would never claim to know everything there is to know about the graphic novel world, I do believe that I have the knowledge to help you make informed, educated decisions about what kinds of manga you spend your money on.

Please feel free to contact me with further questions; I will be more than happy to respond.

This is a quick link to the titles I have easy access to for reviewing purposes. Please feel free to use this list to make requests for things you'd like to know more about.

Ameri-manga - this is a comic originally published in English which is drawn in the Asian art style; also known as an OEL

Chibi - also known as "super-deformed"; this is when a normal character is drawn short and squat (and usually extremely cute.)

Cosplay - This is when people dress up as their favorite characters from a book or show; originally this term was only used for anime/manga characters, but more and more it's being used to refer to American fictional characters, as well.

Fan Service - this refers to when something is intentionally illustrated to entice the intended audience. (Ex. a voloptous woman in a bikini, or a man in nothing but a small bath towel)

Hentai - animated Japanese pornography

Kawaii - cute &/or sweet, almost to the point of nausea

Lolita - a woman who dresses herself up to look much younger; usually involves lots of lace & frills; can also be used to describe the clothing style itself

Manga - a comic originally published in Japan

Manhua - a comic originally published in China

Manhwa - a comic originally published in Korea

OEL - stands for Original English Language; this is a comic originally published in English which is drawn in the Asian art style; also known as an ameri-manga

Otaku - someone completely obsessed with any or all of the following: anime, manga, Japanese culture

Shojo - manga geared for girls

Shonen - manga geared for boys

Super-Deformed - also known as "chibi"; this is when a normal character is drawn short and squat (and usually extremely cute.)

Yaoi - a romantic relationship between two men

Yuri - a romantic relationship between two women

Please note that for a more thorough and complete list of terms you should visit The Librarian's Guide to Anime and Manga.