Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 4: Choosing manga
• Method 2 of 4: Get started
• Method 3 of 4: Read boxes
• Method 4 of 4: Reading characters' emotions

Manga is a particular style of Japanese comics. Reading manga is different from reading a comic, book, or magazine. You can have more fun with manga by learning to read right to left and top to bottom, by correctly interpreting frame elements, exploring the emotions of characters, and by familiarizing yourself with emotional imagery common in manga.

To step

Method 1 of 4: Choosing manga

1. Learn about the different types of manga. There are five major types of manga. Seinen is also considered a male manga. Women's manga is josei. Shojo is girl manga, while shonen manga is more for boys. And manga for children is called kodomo.
2. Explore the many genres within manga. Manga has many genres, covering many subjects and themes. Some of the most common manga genres are action, mystery, adventure, romance, comedy, naturalism, science fiction, fantasy, gender bender, historical, harem, and mecha.
3. Learn about some popular manga series. Before you start reading your first manga, take the time to explore the popular series. Some popular science fiction series are Ghost in the Shell and Akira. Well-known fantasy series are Dragon Ball and Pokemon. Love Hina is a manga series of popular series on everyday affairs, and Mobile Suit Gundam 0079 is a series that is a mix of mecha and science fiction.

Method 2 of 4: Get started

1. Choose manga that suits your interests and personality. After you have explored the different types and genres of manga and familiarized yourself with some popular series, it is time to make a decision on what type of manga you will be reading. Go with your gut and choose something that really excites you!
2. Start with the first manga of a series. More often than not, manga is a series and covers many stories each. Make sure to start with the first story and read your way through the series chronologically. If a series is popular enough, the episodes may have been released in bundles. The issue and series are usually printed on the cover.
3. Place the book with the spine to the right. Manga should be read with the spine of the magazine or book to the right. Place the manga book on the table, making sure that the edges of the pages are on the left and the spine on the right. This is opposite as compared to English books.
4. Start on the side with the title, author name and edition. It is important that you start reading the manga from the right side. The front cover usually contains the title of the manga along with the name of the author or authors. Flip the manga if you see a warning such as, "You are reading the wrong way!"

Method 3 of 4: Read boxes

1. Read the boxes from right to left and top to bottom. Like the pages of manga, individual boxes should be read from right to left. On each page, start by reading the box in the top right corner of the page. Read from right to left, and when you reach the edge of the page, continue with the box on the far right of the next row of boxes.
   • If the frames are all arranged vertically, start with the top frame.
   • Even if the boxes aren't perfectly aligned, stick to the right-to-left rule. Start with the highest row or column and read - from right to left - to the bottom row or column.
2. Read speech bubbles from right to left and top to bottom. Speech bubbles contain conversations between characters, and should be read from right to left. Start at the top right corner of each individual box and read the speech bubbles from right to left, then down.
3. Read boxes with a black background as a flashback. When a manga box has a black background, it usually indicates that the events in the box precede the story being told in the manga. Black backgrounds signal a flashback to a previous event or period.
4. Read gradient frame backgrounds as a transition from the past to the present. A page with a frame with a black background at the top, then frames with fading shades of gray, and finally a frame with a white background, represents a shift from the past (black frame) to the present (white frame).

Method 4 of 4: Reading characters' emotions

1. Read a sigh speech bubble as an expression of a character's relief or bitterness. Often times, manga characters have an empty speech bubble on or under their mouth. This means that the character is sighing, and can be interpreted as swindling or bitterness.
2. Interpret lines across a character's face as blush. Manga characters who blush are often drawn with lines across the nose and cheeks. Interpret these expressions as depicting shame, happiness, or even romantic feelings for another character.
3. You can regard a nosebleed as pleasure, and not as an injury. When a manga character is drawn with a nosebleed, it usually means that the character has lustful thoughts about another character, or stares greedily at another character (usually a beautiful woman).
4. Interpret a drop of sweat as embarrassment. Sometimes a drop of sweat is drawn on or around a character's head. This usually indicates that the sign is embarrassed or very uncomfortable in a particular situation. This is usually less severe than the embarrassment depicted by blushing.
5. Read facial shadows and dark auras such as anger, irritability or depression. When a manga character is depicted with a purple, gray, or black spot or shadow in the background, it is usually an indication of negative energy surrounding the character.