## 35 Back in the Manga

For months, I hadn't read any volume of a Manga. I had many choices in the library, in my "stock" but hadn't much time to do it...I don't like to begin a series with one or two volume and stop it for weeks or months so I often wait to have at least 5 volumes available. Many series have a story that really starts after 3 or 4 volumes. And I also had some "classics" to read. I still have but I have read much more pages in the last month than before in my reading history.

I'm of this generation that saw the first manga coming in France in some historical book shops in Paris, next to the Japanese quarter in Paris, near the Opera. Now Junku is not the only bookshop to sell Manga in Paris and every bookseller have a manga section with tons of series and one-shot. I often prefer one-shot and short series...because the default of Manga series is to extend and prolong the plot indefinitely and lose sight of the original story. In the three or four series read during the last months, it was also the case after 10 or 12 volumes. Sometimes, I have stopped the series after 20 volumes. That's enough and I had fun reading it.

I'm an old guy now and I'm not found of Shonen (for teen boys and young men) series like when I was young. I prefer Seinen (for adults) and sometimes I have read Shojo (for teen girls and young women) but now, it's less gender centric and you can find some "crossovers" between that. I love when it's "very Japanese" like someone who learns calligraphy, a special recipe or discovers his/her own country. Sometimes it's a bit more historical, not only in Japan like in a Chinese empire, or during WWII with some criticizes of the country during those dark years. I was like a teenager with my volumes, eager to know what happens next. But now, to have a book in your hands is not the only way to read manga. The Android/iOS app Manga plus from the biggest japanese publisher is very useful. You can read free chapters, in english, japanese and even in French, like Crunchyroll for Japanimation.
It was fun to see how two months in manga made me open books from the end and read from the right to the left. I had a moment of readjustment. I can see how the style evolved in some series. I have read so many manga, from the 70s to now that I can see how some authors were inspired. But I still have to read some of the best sellers of the 10 past years. I'm not a big fan of One Piece, Dragon Ball and all those endless series. That's exactly the same with TV series like SOAP. Even with spin off, I have to change after 4 or 5 years/seasons. I still have my preferred series with me in my smartphone (they are in my own library) and I love to read it again, like a good old Taniguchi or Hojo. It's like a visit to an old friend, a time travel. And there are so many comics and manga that I will never stop reading it. For the moment, I'm back in the novels... But in 2026, I'll decide what to do with manga. For the moment, you'll find posts on the french blog.

2Dɛ
=> mailto:icemanfr@sdf.org Comments by mail
or by a reply on your blog