Manga are a staple of Japanese popular culture, constituting a large market worth more than 693 billion Japanese yen in 2023. While the Japanese word “manga” refers to comics in general and is often translated as “whimsical pictures,” outside of Japan, the term is usually used to denote comics specifically produced in Japan or following a certain style that was developed in the country as a mixture of Japanese and foreign influences. Within the
, however, it is also common to refer to the segment simply as “comic” or “comics.” The medium makes up more than one-third of the publishing market in Japan and comes in a variety of different formats, with many works first getting released episodically in weekly or monthly magazines before being turned into comic books.
An appealing entertainment medium
Manga titles are usually divided into different categories based on demographic target groups, such as shonen manga aimed at boys or shojo manga aimed at girls. Within these categories, a wide variety of genres appeal to different tastes, and it is common for people to read works not targeting one’s own demographic group. The industry is marked by frequent transmedia franchising involving other forms of entertainment, such as
anime,
movies, and
video games. The strategy to disperse content across other forms of representation is referred to as a “media mix” strategy and can create valuable synergies for companies. A successful anime series or movie not only generates additional revenue but also creates further publicity for the franchise, which in turn can result in higher comic book sales. In Japan, the
most popular manga series sell many million copies per year. Since manga can be created without large investments or extensive technical knowledge, the medium is also ideally positioned to discover new artistic talent and to serve niche audiences, which adds to the creativity displayed within the industry.
The rise of digital publishing
Just as in the case of other parts of the
Japanese media industry, the internet has exerted a tremendous influence on the publishing business. While
print media has seen a long-term decline in sales, the
digital publishing market shows a strong growth trajectory. In the case of manga, a large variety of apps now cater to readers, such as Piccoma, LINE Manga, or Shonen Jump+. Due to the high number of available services, there is an intense competition for the attention of readers. This new environment poses a challenge for traditional publishing houses such as Kodansha, Shogakukan, or Shueisha, which long had held a dominant position in the print manga business. The increasing popularity of this newer form of content distribution resulted in digital comics overtaking the combined sales value of printed comic books and magazines for the first time in 2019.
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