Manga and Growing Up

[tinnako]

''Comics are for kids'' - discuss.

OK, so we all know that's not true. Graphic literature exists in many forms and genres and is not only read by all ages, but caters to a wide range of ages and experiences. But...

Many of us have been reading manga for a long time, whilst others of us are new to the scene. I just thought it would be interesting to discuss how our manga habits have changed with time (and perhaps with the dawn of the internet). Is there anything you feel you have outgrown, or do you still read pretty much what you used to? Have the characters you're interested in changed in age or type at all? I think it would be really interesting to find out how everyone experiences their hobby :)

Myself I find that as my teens turned into my 20s, and I have less time for manga, I have become more selective. When I was new to manga, I wanted to try EVERYTHING out because I had less knowledge of what I would like, but also less exposure to manga. So I couldn't afford to be as picky. Now with the internet and online shopping, I don't have to take the one manga that's out there, but can find something that suits. And now that I've read around, I have a better idea of not only what I prefer, but what a better series may be. And I'm more bored of cliche's! But also because I have less time, I look for series to get into that look more meaningful to me. I have little interest in the 507978th 'moe' schoolgirl anime of the year, I wait to pick up anime or long manga series that I feel are above average for me.

What about you guys? All the same or changed with time?

[verdandi]

I started reading manga in middle school.  Back then I saved up and had my parents drive me to the comic book store across town where I could buy Viz translations (back before they stopped flopping the art) of Pokemon, Oh My Goddess!, Dragonball, and Inu Yasha. 

I didn't get BIG into manga until I was in college and moved out on my own at 21.  Then I got a subscription to shoujo beat and began reading manga online.  I took a break from that for a few years when I got into World of Warcraft, and then picked it up reading manga online again a couple years ago.

And here I am, in my late 20s, more into manga than ever.  So...I don't think it's for kids at all. 

Comics in American culture actually started out with pornography in tiny pocket-sized books that could be hidden and read in private.  And then they began writing non-pornographic stories as comics, and eventually comic books became really popular with children.  So much that for several decades, very few comics were made with adults in mind since the biggest profit came from kids.  I think that's what gave it the stigma of being a kid thing in America, but it's been gaining popularity with adults, too.

This has been helped along of course by graphic novel-inspired movies like 300 and Sin City, and of course the Marvel movies have renewed interest, a lot more than I think the Superman and Batman movies did.  The increased interest in comics combined with the growing popularity in America of anime has really brought more attention to manga (although anime is still the big winner there). 

Hell, I'm just happy to see a good selection of Anime these days, and the ability to see it without having to borrow VHS tapes from people or try to score them on ebay.  But I do prefer manga to anime since I'm a fan of reading in general and can go at a quicker pace than anime allows.

[Vauxhall]

I think for me, my experience regarding manga/anime has changed over time.

At first, I was like you Tinnako. I started out in my early teens and I wasn't very selective of what I watched or read since I wanted to try everything. However, as I grew up (I'm in my late teens now), I also grew out of that phase and I became more selective. By then, I knew what I liked and what I didn't like. I've even resulted to searching up an anime/manga (without spoiling myself) to get a feel for it before picking it up. Being a uni student with a bunch of other hobbies was a really big factor in this.

In a way though, I feel like I'm less open-minded now because I stick to a certain type of manga/anime (which is fantasy/action/comedy). I don't think I regret it though since I feel like I'm wasting less of my time than before. *sweat drop* And in saying that, I feel as if it would be a while before I drop this little 'otaku life' of mine, lol. Watching anime and reading manga has given me a better feel for character development, plot lines and art - which ties in quite nicely to my drawing, writing and reading hobbies. xD

[Pau]

my anime days started when i saw FMA. the characters were really pretty (nice art) and the story would make me laught. In fact I learned the word "anime" from the channel "animax". since then I would always go to that channel evertime i go home after school. during weekends, even when i wake up early XD. too bad we don't have channels anymore though so I would download them instead. Then I learned manga a few years later. So now almost all the anime/manga i've watch/read are online.