manga

Manga (kanji: 漫画; hiragana: まんが; katakana: マンガ;  listen (help·info); English /ˈmɑːŋɡə/ or /ˈmæŋɡə/) is the Japanese word for "comics/cartoons" and consists of comics and print cartoons (sometimes also called komikku コミック). In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th century. In their modern form, manga date from shortly after World War II, but they have a long, complex pre-history in earlier Japanese art. In Japan, people of all ages read manga. The medium includes works in a broad range of genres: action-adventure, romance, sports and games, historical drama, comedy, science fiction and fantasy, mystery, horror, sexuality, and business/commerce, among others. Since the 1950s, manga has steadily become a major part of the Japanese publishing industry, representing a ¥406 billion market in Japan in 2007 (approximately...