Are you interested in manga (Japanese comics)? Take a look at CJAS’s weekly Manga Club!

Purpose

Ever wonder where anime comes from? Many are based on Japanese comic books, or manga. American comic books are done by committees, with decisions on story development influenced by sales (like Superman). In Japan, however, they are conceived and drawn by a single person. (A few are done by joint teams: X, for example, was created by CLAMP, one of the leading girls’ comic artists.) There are hundreds of artists, working on genres ranging from shoujo (girls’) comics, to action, sports, and fantasy. Though not all get animated, those that are the most popular inevitably get the honor. Some of the most famous artists are Rumiko Takahashi, creator of Urusei Yatsura, Ranma 1/2, and Maison Ikkoku; Akira Toriyama, creator of Dragon Ball. Perhaps the most important of all is Osamu Tezuka, father of manga, and creator of a plethora of series, such as Astroboy, Adolf, and Black Jack.

Anime that is based on manga do not always tell the complete story. If you have gotten hooked to anime like Please Save My Earth, the only place that you’ll get all your answers is in the manga. This is where Manga Club comes in. A group of dedicated otakus got together last year to discuss stories and gripes about how expensive comic books are, to fold origami, to try to draw some manga of their own, and basically to just create a more personal gathering to get to know each other. Many of us bring and share our own comic books and anime magazines. We have quite a collection among us, both in the original Japanese and translated, ranging from Lone Wolf and Cub, anything by Takahashi, Fist of the North Star, and Animage magazines.

For additional information, contact the current Manga Club head (can be found in Officers & Committee Heads).

CJAS Manga Library

The manga in the library will be available for reading during the weekly Manga Club meetings. Due to limited transportation resources, and also the relatively limited popularity of untranslated Japanese manga in the club, the entire library collection will not be brought to every meeting. If you want to see any specific manga, please notify the club organizer by email at least 4 hours before the meeting. If there are no requests, the organizer will just bring a random selection to the meeting.

CJAS Manga Library Catalog

See the Manga Club Library page for catalog.