Manga are meant to be read back to front, right to left. If you open a typical shojo like a regular book, you’re likely to see a note saying: “Stop! You are going the wrong way!” The idea is that it’s “a completely different reading experience”, as one popular series, Othello, explains on its first (that is, last) page.
The Chinese characters used to write the word manga in Japanese can be translated as ‘whimsical drawings’. The word first came into common usage in the late 18th century with the publication of Santō Kyōden’s picturebook Shiji no yukikai.
Shojo comics (manga for girls) have become one of the hottest markets in the book business. The genre has been called ‘big eyes save the world’ because of its predilection for girls with saucer-shaped eyes and supernatural powers.
While the earliest known Japanese animation dates to 1917, the characteristic anime style developed in the 1960s – most notably with the work of Osamu Tezuka, considered by many ‘the god of manga’.
On October 31 in 2006, ‘cosplay’ was declare Urban Word of the Day by urbandictionary.com, which defines it thus: “Literally ‘Costume Play.’ Dressing up and pretending to be a fictional character (usually a sci-fi, comic book or anime character).
Yuichiro ‘Jienotsu’ Nagashima, one of Japan’s top-ranked kickboxers, makes all his appearances for K-1 dressed as different female anime characters, accompanied by cosplaying girls.
When choosing your cosplay character, take time to study their mannerisms and be prepared to pose for camekos (‘cosplay photographers’).
Make sure you’re at the right cosplay convention: no self-respecting Doraemon wants to find themselves shoulder to shoulder with Stormtroopers.