Manga is TAKING OVER... Here's Why | 2 To Ramble #91

[@thomassteenkamp4575]

Im 32 and I feel old and decrepit. What are these mangoes you young folks are talking about

[@RobynHoodeofSherwood]

😂👍

[@ryanfebrianto8973]

The mango that could give you traumatic experience or the joyful ones. Depending on the demographic you choose

[@wimaazikiwe1308]

Bro I can drop some recommendations. Berserk is a dark fantasy series and its at the top for me One piece is long but has a very rewarding story down the line . You could also check attack on Titan (though I only know the quality from the anime side)😅

[@LeonC0704]

It's not mangoes. It's Men gas.

[@adoniscreed4031]

Hey man!!! Theres PLENTY of people in your age range (Im only 5 years younger tbf) who grew up with it, you're not old, you just missed the boat when you were younger hahaha It is super popular with the youngsters now and I feel like my life choices have been vindidated 😂

[@ryanfebrianto8973]

"... Mangas are quicker to produce.. " Meanwhile berserk and Vagabond readers: 💀💀💀

[@icy7857]

I mean vagabond is never coming back he's already made an ending for it 😭

[@cyst9084]

Akagi

[@noone9472]

As a French person, I could be offended by your comment 😂, but instead, I’ll tell you a bit more about why France consumes so much mangas and animes as I think you’ll find it interesting. In the 70s the largest kids program on French tv had a dilemma: what show should they televise? They had 3 options: American, French and Japanese. French shows were incredibly expansive to produce and were not much liked by kids, like German shows, they were usually considered too sad haha Then you have US shows. Buying the rights were also quite expensive, and there was a lot of anti US sentiments at the time (the us was meddling with European economy and politics during the Cold War) And then you had Japanese shows. They were cheap, produced massive amounts of episodes, and Japan didn’t have a bad rep with French people. So we’ve grown up with anime since the X generation (some of them are in their 60s now) and Japanese culture, whether it is through manga, food, language, or Ghibli movies or others like makoto shinkai are huuge in France. The last Ghibli movie, the boy and the heron was a whole event, plastered everywhere in the city and discussed months in advance Hope this was interesting! Love your videos ❤

[@2ToRamble]

Didnt know that - thats really cool!

[@lordminerva418]

You forgot to mention the close collaboration between the french x japanese that fostered some of the best animes in the late 80, 90 (e.g Princess Sarah, Ulysse 31, Rémi, Lady Oscar, Once Upon a time...) and the massive impact of Dorothée on the 90's kids-fun fact, when we think about it, she and her team did way much than any lobbies would do and have done for the Japan soft power in France, the 2nd greatest consumer after Japan itself, and they didn't even get credit for that.

[@gearoidoconnell5729]

Astérix, Tintin and then big one Spirou witch is week comics series that has 12 or more out go story at the end of year each story get handbook. It is Franco-Belgian comics but always think is France as a kids. I Irish So not to sure is Spirou still popular it was when I was a kid.

[@amuro9624]

It's all because of club Dorothée 😂

[@YzaekPark]

Irónico. Dices que en Francia hay mucho sentimiento anti-EEUU, mientras que en el resto del mundo hay mucho sentimiento anti-Francia.

[@IbbyMelbourne]

As someone who deeply loves both mediums, I'm so glad that One Piece specifically has recently gotten popular on fantasy booktube. Sounds crazy coming from a manga, but its worldbuilding, imo is up there with the fantasy greats. You can go down wiki rabbitholes exploring the lore and politics of islands briefly mentioned in the main storyline. For the first 200 chapters, Oda was literally tracking the phases of the moon in his story just cus he wanted it to feel realistic. I've been reading it weekly for 10 years, and let me tell you that when you get payoffs and answers decades in the making, the feeling is unreal. You'd think Oda would fall off eventually, but the crazy thing is we're arguably in one of the best arcs in the series currently.

[@2ToRamble]

That is massively impressive

[@שגיאאדרי-ו4צ]

yes and the fact that op has 525milion sales is crazy its second only to superman which i believe will surpass it

[@liyenong2017]

When I was younger as in I was a kid, Naruto was popular and One Piece was unheard of, now at my workplace, most of the guys there love One Piece, I think because One Piece is more of a slow burn hit more mature political topics and kids attention span are shorter prefer action over talking ( although Naruto did more talk no jutsu). like One Piece is mainly only accessible to teens, not young kids unlike Harry Potter, Naruto, and Spiderman but the overall plot is the best ever. If only One Piece had a big movie budget like Harry Potter I swear the various fight scenes, power, story, and location beat out all this novel series.

[@rafavizuetecastro]

I thought Merphy was invited to the podcast 😭 I was so excited to see you three talking. I guess I got baited by the thumbnail

[@2ToRamble]

Shoot that’s a fair thought whoops. We shall make up for it by actually getting her on! (Or at least try to lol)

[@a3-radio]

​@@2ToRamblethats easy... Read one piece she will just appear xD

[@pippaschroeder9660]

@@2ToRambleYAAAHS that would be an epic collab

[@micow9951]

​@@a3-radioyeah she just spawns where there's one piece I just watched the anime remake teaser and found her comment one piece is a summoning spell for her and I love it

[@pockystick8557]

I personally love the influx of booktubers who are giving One Piece a try. Then loving it and branching out to other mangas. I think experiencing special stories regardless of their medium is one of the best things ever.

[@TheMrSherko]

Fun fact as to why manga is so popular in France, in the 70s to 90s a TV channel bought the rights to a lot of animes and became massively popular with the youth. So a lot of kids at that time grew up watching animes. Bandes dessinées (Aka comics) in France were always big so mangas were a natural evolution for those kids growing up on animes.

[@brolybsavage]

Thank you, as I wondered on Instagram there’s a lot of mangaka from France

[@riardomilos8014]

Same case in Indonesia, Philippines, Mexico and Brazil. Naruto carried our childhood 😂

[@carlosandino5524]

Your guys podcasts fills in important niche. There is a lack of young male perspectives in booktube. Your contrast in personality and interests provided compelling content. As you continue to grow i hope the fun still shows through in your videos. Stay well.

[@kasperager2050]

I think one reason why Demon Slayer outsells US comics is that a lot of new fans will probably buy all 23 volumes where as if they'd become Spider-man fans they might just buy issues going forward. If you've seen the recent Daniel Green & Brandon Sanderson video, Sanderson mentions that US comic book have basically become R&D for Hollywood which is a really stark contrast to the very creator driven approach we see in manga that I' think readers respond more positively to.

[@revolutionarydragon1123]

That mainly for Marvel and DC, everything else is creator driven in the industry

[@ibruhimir]

Some mangas/anime are actually adapted from japanese light novels. And that got me into fantasy books.

[@2ToRamble]

Ahh didnt know that!

[@monkut]

"All you need is Kill" is one. Worth reading the book too.

[@martinacosta3821]

Same bro, same hahaha

[@thepokekid01]

@@monkut also as was the reincarnated into a vending machine story

[@sechmascm]

​@@2ToRambleevery manga that has a ridiculously long title is from a light novel

[@majkel1748]

As a Pole, I can say that France creates the best comics in Europe. They have their own genre, completely different from superhero or manga. I believe that it is because of the size of their market that they have interest in other genres there. :)

[@amuro9624]

French comics are actually closer to manga than comics which is probably what made it easier for France to get into manga

[@TheDiabeticGameMaster]

Despite there being a ton of issues with how manga is produced, that industry has really managed to adjust quite well to the digital age whereas both comics and traditional publishing have been struggling to keep up. That’s my theory for why we are seeing lore and more people talking about and focusing on manga. I will also say that the manga to anime pipeline is much more streamlined than the book to movie/show pipeline and I feel that fact plus the idea that, in Japan, anime isn’t as niche even as sci-fi and fantasy live action is over here, has a LOT to do with those industries current success.

[@cr1197]

For the West, manga (and anime) didn't merely adjust to the digital age: it was BORN in it. Back in the day the only possible way to read most manga as an English speaker were fan scans/translations shared online. There was no such thing as an official English release. Never mind anime, which I (as an ancient person) remember getting as VHS' wrapped in printouts or with a web address to the English translations because dubs weren't a concept yet. Basically until Toonami proved there was a market & was financially viable a connection to digital was required for getting anime. Definitely an important factor in its popularity that so much is easily (& freely) accessible from your phone & has been for so long.

[@TheNamekianClown]

I'd say the one big final issue is leaks. Because they refuse to allow digital releases be earlier than the serialized magazines, magazines will be printed and shipped a half week ahead of release, and leaks are inevitable. Lives have been ruined over it in the past and yet someone will always appear to replace the old leaker. As a result there continues to be a thriving community of people who exclusively follow leak releases, which is obviously not ideal for an industry. The solution is simple, making digital releases come the day printing of physical happens, but they simply don't want to do that.

[@doublestarships646]

Edit: Let's not forget the FACT the major reason to the success is the female audience takes up almost half or even more than half of the fanbase. There's a lot of women that is into anime and manga. They simply don't hold back on the absurdity that the medium has to offer. The action in each moment is treated like the main event, the drama is INTENSE, the art is extraordinary, settings are extremely creative, and simply a roller coaster ride of stimulation of the mind. My favorite is My Hero Academia because it captures the essence of what a superhero show or comic could be like. It captures of how I wanted to be a superhero as a kid. Just extremely entertaining.

[@leespn4396]

I agree. A while back in the mid to late 2000s (when I was in school) you would get bullied for liking animanga ferociously. Couldn't talk about it unless you were with trusted friends. It's cool to see how guys, girls and everyone else have taken to the fanbase and collectively enjoy it. I'm sure younger me would've loved seeing it!

[@xaviercopeland2789]

They don’t take up half or more in the fandom. They show up to conventions more as they like cosplaying more, but stats show they are still the minority.

[@doublestarships646]

@@xaviercopeland2789 That's not true. They literally take up half in Asian counties. It's literally been reported recently which is why a lot of companies are leaning towards the women audience. It's only true in some of the Western side of things though but they still take up a large amount of the core audience.

[@jac_o7]

Source ?

[@sjoerdth]

The fact that I'm over 40 probably means I was reading manga before the cool kids were born, so they should get off my lawn and go back to watching tok-tics on their phone, where I'll be sitting in the sun reading my manga. (don't worry I'll keep my manga in the shade, we don't want those pages yellowing)

[@Morfeusm]

In what year have you read your first manga?

[@davidranderson1]

Yeah, every generation thinks they invented and discovered everything. The first manga I remember reading were Lone Wolf & Cub, Mai the Psychic Girl, Area 88, and Legend of Kamui in 1987 and those fantastic full color issues of Akira that Marvel put out starting in 1988. I had started watching anime before then with shows like Robotech (aka Macross) and Star Blazers (aka Space Battleship Yamato). I was surprised manga and anime weren't more popular. I was so horrified that Pokemon, Dragon Ball Z, and series like that were the break through hits. Why?!

[@JoaoAntonio-dt3rl]

I remember some years ago that Merphy did a video on the topic of stopping doing book reviews on her main channel and transferring them to, at the time, her vlog channel for the exact reasons you described: Not getting enough views. I think it's a natural and wise move for her to do what she is doing, especially because its what she does for a living. She can have the videos that get more views do better by concentrating them on her main channel and at the same time not stop doing what she likes, like she never stopped doing book reviews, just putting it on another shelf. BTW, I'm from Brazil and I endorse you roasting my country.

[@2ToRamble]

More roasts to come lol. And definitely all agreeable points you made - definitely seems like the right move for her

[@brian0057]

France has an insane comic book market (Bande Dessinées, as they call them) and it's one of the most influential. Some of the artists and writers there are legendary both in France and around the planet. Masters like Jean Giraud created superlative stories that inspired masterpieces like Blade Runner and the entire Cyberpunk manga movement, with titles like Akira and Ghost in the Shell preaching from the Gospel According to Moebius (Jean Giraud's pen name, and the one known by most). Manga may be dominant but don't sleep on the franco-belgian side of the industry. They make some incredible stuff. I recommend Blueberry and the graphic novel adaptarions of Michael Moorcock's Elric made by Jean Luc Cano. Absolute masterpieces.

[@gpanthony]

I'm young and vibrant and 42, and I've been reading manga since I was 14 years old, back in the days when all we had were some random titles by Viz and Dark Horse and if I wanted really good manga I had to buy it in Japanese. I'm glad the medium has expanded like it has, but I've been finding I've been enjoying audio books a lot more lately since I draw and drive a lot. Listening to a lot of Tolkien and Sanderson, and looking to branch out.

[@HyperFerret93]

Manga is simply easier to get into than American comics. You discover a new manga series, find volume 1, and away you go. You discover a new comic book series, and it could be a spin-off in an alternate universe of a original plot line from 20 years ago... maybe. There are so many artists and writers in DC and Marvel even among the same characters that it's honestly hard to keep track of it all. If you want everything about Batman for instance, sometimes you have to buy issues of Justice League, not just Batman comics. In a manga, you always get the full story just following the volumes in order.

[@christophrcolon]

1) Manga has a very simple to understand reading order. Start with Volume 1 and go until it’s over. Current comics have a ton of different iterations and versions of characters and there’s no easy way to get into them. 2) Modern comics from the big two have a lot of modern western politics and beliefs thrown into them. It’s less about the story now and more about the political or social message. Manga is first and foremost about the story and its characters. 3) Manga is extremely affordable. $3/mo for 100 chapters a day on the Shonen Jump app or used on the second hand market for $3-5/volume. Comics have just gone too far south in terms of content and consistency for me. Image and indie comics are doing some good stuff but overall I’m a full manga convert.

[@jonathanheady8619]

Im old, but my engineer father who traveled to Japan for work brought back One Piece Vol. 1 for me when I was 10 in 1998. Needless to say ive been hooked ever since!

[@verskarton]

Have you kept it. It might be worth some bucks. (Just assuming.)

[@jonathanheady8619]

@@verskarton lost all my childhood possessions while still in high school. House fire.

[@jaishans]

There is a simple reason why your podcast is important and hence, not pointless. It is entertaining, funny and makes people think. For that reason, it is the same as any form of art. Book reviews >> everything else.

[@2ToRamble]

Thankya man! Maybe that’s our new slogan - “not entirely pointless, but pretty damn close”

[@koen99]

27:12 France actually has a massive influence on comics worldwide with their 'BD' (bande dessinée), so the transition into manga for the French was pretty easy as they had plenty of comic stores, publishers and disribution channels... And of course it helped that national tv-channels aired big anime titles from the eighties on... When the US was watching He-Man, Thundercats and GI Joe, the French were already into Japanese anime...

[@iloveluisnani]

I'm old and have a pretty decent sized manga collection. I love it. The stories you have to choose from are very diverse, and it is great for those of us with learning disabilities like dyslexia, as it gives a visual frame of reference for what you are reading (during those times your brain is in NOPE mode).

[@Unimportant]

I completely agree with the advantage books have over other medium. The power of the imagination turns the act of reading into a collaborative story telling between the writer and the reader. It is the writer who provides the ingredients, but it is the reader who does the cooking.

[@2ToRamble]

Oo I like the way you phrased that

[@jossecoupe446]

Advantages and disadvatages, honestly. I mean, you could equally state that books are essentially a more indirect way of impressing the image its trying to in order to tell its story. Manga has the ability to give you the setting through its visual art, allowing the reader the possibility to more fully engage with the dialogue/action, it really can help lend to a more visceral experience. But with this comes the ability of the reader to easily race through chapter after chapter without actually appreciating the art that enables his engagement. And when it comes to reading, although yes, you are required to put in some more effort to paint the picture in your head yourself (which often helps impress images more strongly), I rather often find that the prose of the book in question is not strong enough for me to actually enjoy or appreciate having to do so lol (standouts are authorw such as Hobb & GRRM, who genuinely draw on prose's true potential)

[@heyelizabeth_]

i have never clicked faster for a new upload before. when i say this channel is quickly becoming one of my top 5 (or even, top 3) i'm not kidding. the way you guys talk about your interests is so refreshing and just so entertaining yet calming to watch. no air of pretense whatsoever, just good vibes all around. always love anything that you put up but if i may suggest, please also do like a "monthly wrapup" sort of thing where you talk about the books you read this month and so on :D my nosy arse wants to stay updated there hahah but if not, all goods as well!! thank you for being here!!

[@carlosandino5524]

Facts

[@2ToRamble]

Thank you for such a kind comment 🥲 - we have been toggling around with doing a monthly update video, not entirely decided yet but this comment tells us there is a demand for it so that helps! Cheers, thanks again 👊

[@renmochizuki464]

I got into manga because when I was a kid I had a hard time focusing when it came to reading. I loved to read but I could never focus on it. I started with manga and got into light novels which got me back into reading. Now I mainly read novels with breaks of manga in between. It really helps!

[@guutenks2498]

what are some good light novels? ive never read one.

[@renmochizuki464]

@@guutenks2498 That time I got Reincarnated as a Slime, Rascal does not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai, The Rise of the Shield Hero, Sword Art Online. But there are so many new ones out now that I have lost track!

[@guutenks2498]

@renmochizuki464 sword art online is a good light novel? Interesting.

[@renmochizuki464]

@@guutenks2498 hah! I enjoyed it. Tbh the one I would highly recommend is bunny girl. It’s so good!

[@OwlionJeshu]

​@@guutenks2498better than the anime that's for sure

[@arc7818]

There's a lot more diversity of subject matters depicted and target audiences in manga. In mainstream US comics, it's pretty much all superheroes, superheroes, and to mix it up, they add in some different kinds of superheroes. Whereas with manga, you've got a world of warring ninjas, slayers of demons in antiquity, card battlers, romance stories, slice of life, zombie apocalypses, wacky comedies, pirate adventures, and more. And don't get me started on the visual appeal of the character designs. In manga, every important character's look is unique and finely crafted to suit their personality and abilities, whereas in US comics, it's just different variations on people in spandex. I've seen so many of those art spreads of DC and Marvel characters, maybe 250+ characters, and they all look identical. Compare that to manga, where I might not know every character from series I haven't read, but it's possible to tell who comes from which artist. US comics are old and outdated. They either need to adapt to the changing times or go away. As a patriotic American, I would hope they change and develop, but I don't have much hope for DC or Marvel.

[@nichescenes]

Most comics actually dont deal with superheroes. This is the classic i think all anime is shonen mistake. Most anime isnt shonen. People hate the popular mass appeal stuff and think how much better their stuf is...but their stuff has just as much issues that mass appeal wouldnt help. Your thoughtful deep story about the meaning of life that's mature and deep...is slow and plotting for mass audiences. Your action show about adventure and high stakes, is too high stakes and action is boring to others...people say tension makes a story best, but many readers say they get bored by tension and want a story to be slow and deep character driven and dont care about the plot, others want plot and get bored if a story is too complex, others want it to be deep, others hate deep plots as it confuses them, no right way to appeal to mass but shonen or action does cause most enjoy a spectacle and a main level, fans of media end up hating spectacle and want a change of pace and look for slow deep stories, doesnt make that best. People say one piece is the greatest story ever told and no story is able to get near it and its deep and mindblowing etc...others think its padded out, slow, boring, and predictable and silly for the sake of it along with badly drawn and overrated by fans stuck with it for all these years cause the mystery box ending that they will ignore if they dont like and say journey not ending even if they dont use that excuse for other series. Fans of one piece state naruto is bad for chosen one trope then luffy is peak for the same cause foreshadowing...and ignore foreshadowing in naruto cause well they just hate naruto...all stories have foreshadowing for the most part...look deep enough. One piece somehow has scientist working on reveals vs bleach where people say plot holes for things that were explained...

[@neerajcherukuri4052]

​@@nichescenes One Piece fans who were reading for 10 years or more are a small percentage. The popularity of One Piece exploded after pandemic where people had time to read/watch it. I don't know how you made that stupid assumption even if it's just your opinion. And don't speak like Naruto fans are victims. 5-6 years ago they dominated in popularity and the fans were just as annoying as present day One Piece fans. Bleach was hated and made fun of by Naruto fans at the time of the manga ending. My blood used to boil seeing them make fun of one of my favourites at the time. Naruto fans used to make so much fun of One Piece for the artstyle and bad pacing of the anime. Now that One Piece is popular, Naruto fans are having a shocked Pikachu face when One Piece fans started doing the same thing. Of the big 3, only Bleach had actual foreshadowing. But the reveals are handled with so much care in One Piece. Bleach used to have that too, but nothing of that sort in TYBW. Foreshadowing is not equal to Setup. What Bleach lacks is setup for the payoff to hit. One Piece handles the setup carefully many times in each arc and saga. There are entire arcs dedicated to setup like Jaya, Reverie, Zou. This leads to a very satisfactory payoff. That is why I think, Gear 5 made many people leave the fandom. Same with AOT, many fans felt like the payoff isn't justified for the setup, hence they left the fanbase and became haters. The first half of your rant is understandable and I agree with it for the most part.

[@nichescenes]

Sorry for the long post: one piece had tons of its fan base due to being fans not recently but over many years. Look over the one piece sales again and tell me most fans are from the pandemic, that's ridiculous as you calling my assumption stupid. I don't think one-piece fans are annoying, in fact im jealous of the deep and thoughtful discussions they have, they rarely call oda's writing bad cause a misunderstanding and try to figure things out vs other series. or let him cook.@@neerajcherukuri4052 I actually like all 3 of the big 3. And agree Bleach got shafted as we all knew kubo had health and personal issues and was forced to end it in the less advantageous (can't think of a better word) way. Thankfully my man is getting a second chance with the anime and shows his story was good just before its time (people are way more into bleach now as it has a modern feel vs the other big 3 from back in the day to now.IMO, lots of show dont tell and a bunch of great animation and exciting stuff if you skip filler it almost feels like a bit slower-paced seasonal. Anyway, I agree one piece gets hated for art style and i think besides just hey cant like art if you dont, its kinda unfair and agree it's a style that works for the series and helps it sell in fact since people (new to anime) like the goofy tone and look as its lighthearted and they get turned off by the quick pacing into edgy/subversive stories (IMO) that JJK or Chainsawman offer as those are more for after your in need of a faster series that dodges tropes and skips long build up. I think One piece fans are usually nicer and very good at dissecting their series. You rarely have hot takes like naruto is only about hard work and Naruto failed after pain etc...from one piece as they nip that in the butt. No, water 7 was peak all after it bad...people say one piece has tons of peak arcs...so im saying the fans are good. I can't say im onboard the AOT hate fandom, they ate crow when they for years said the ending was bad and anime onlies will hate it and did the worst disservice to a work and wrote their own arguably worst fan ending. The anime onlies like the ending, and they coped hard saying the ending changed when it was the same besides some translation corrections. I go back and forth with G5, as hey it's shonen power ups what are you gonna do...take the “foreshadowing” or not. Still cool looking. And i think bleach has foreshadowing, not just set up. From ichigo losing powers to byaguag and getting his own back hinting at him having powers to his inner person looking and acting to bring out his full potential when needed, to his family being a high house to them talking about Quincy and leading to TYBW, they mention squad 0 early on, IMO all the big 3 are good given they were written under tight deadlines and fear the shonen axe...People saying their trash are somewhat unfair or dont like action series. For what they're worth their good entertainment for their time, slow today but ehhh what can you do. Thanks.

[@futurist999]

I am convinced that if you did one piece readthrough discussions (like the ones you do for The Wherl of Time), you’d hit 50k in a year. Maybe even 100k. You two genuinely have one of the best dynamics i’ve seen on youtube.

[@acurlyboi2944]

as a massive one piece and fantasy fan, chapter 1000 of one piece was one of the worst things to happen to my beloved fantasy youtube content

[@2ToRamble]

Thank you! But oh my it really is that popular

[@happyclapper7620]

@@2ToRambleEasily. One piece fans love watching new people experience the series

[@jamesmorseman3180]

@@2ToRambleyes Lmao one piece fans search every crevice of this site for more OP content. Don’t do it for popularity, do it because you’re enjoying it though. Give it a shot and you’d be surprised (and also not surprised at all) by what you read. One of the reasons why one piece is so popular is because it’s both exactly what you expect it to be going in, yet so so much more than you’d never expect out of a goofy looking pirate manga. I’m no stranger to novels and the great classics, but I have to say that legitimately the world building in the series is leagues better than 95% of every book I’ve ever read, and the only things that compare to it are things like the works of Tolkien, It really is that good. There are times when I’m reading the newest chapter and I have to think introspectively for a second to understand how far the series has come and how crazy it is that the quality has arguably only gone up since the very first chapter.

[@tonii-chan]

You mentioned viewers getting back into reading because of you guys and I am one of those people too! I started watching you guys about 3 weeks ago and I was reading way of kings at the time. I finished the book last week and immediately watched your review discussion on it. I love watching your videos! Thank you for all you do

[@2ToRamble]

Cheers anthony! Thanks for tolerating us

[@akangsuki]

I'm over 40 and I still read manga. I once stopped reading manga (and comics in general, mostly European comics; Tintin, Lefranc, Asterix and Obelix, etc) once I started going to college because I thought it was childish. So I sold my Dragon Ball manga collection (the only manga I have at the time) and my European comics that I collected back when I was still in junior high and starting to buy and read some serious adult books; biography, religion, philosophy, history etc. Once I got out of college, starting to get a job, I'm beginning to realize how tough life can be. So I figured, life is already hard enough. The last thing I needed is making it harder by reading these serious adult books. I need some entertainment. I need to escape from all these. So I began to read manga again. I thought, what's wrong with having a little fun? I don't care what people think of me. As long as it doesn't hurt anyone then just do it, whatever it is that you like to do. Don't limit yourself by society's standards. If it's not against the law, nobody gets hurt by it then why not. I still read serious adult books every now and then but (mostly) manga is always my go to ritual whenever I wanted to just sit and chill after one long, long day

[@maximilianosepulveda8587]

I don't know if it is simpler to make a manga than a book, in a manga of the creators of "death note" they talk about that, in context in a manga that they made the characters of the story compete with a book creator that tries to make manga and in the main characters one of them draws and the other one writes, where they give to understand that it ends up being much more difficult to make a manga than a book because of the pressure and the demand behind the manga, the book gives you certain time to do it, the manga does not, if you can not keep up with the rhythm they cancel you or if the public does not like it in the 10 chapters they cancel you, when many times the story did not reach to develop even its main story. and if you tried to turn a well-known manga into a book, depending on the author of the book, a 300-chapter manga would be as long as the Harry Potter saga.

[@xxxnarurto5747]

In my opinion manga is more easy than book, I done both not publishing but writing both and I realized manga is easy but than again is actually dependent on the person

[@dymaxelmi]

Guys, I am strongly considering becoming a patron of yours (hard as a student). I've bingewatched your content for the past two weeks. You guys are great, and even if austin dismisses both your opinions and asks why we should listen to you, videos like these are the reason. You fill a spot deeply needed. Conversation about the art of books from the perspective of young guys, accessible, opinionated and fun. Keep going!!

[@2ToRamble]

Ahhh thank you 🤘 Watching our stuff is support enough, appreciate it very much! Cheers! What are you studying if you don’t mind me bugging ya (college/university im assuimg?)

[@dymaxelmi]

@@2ToRamble Not bugging me at all. I'm in the french speaking part of Switzerland (the country of cheese and chocolate) At university I am doing my masters degree in Cinema and English literature. (Pretty much what you guys tackle here) Oh! And Richard, the french and Belgian comics have been going strong since the 50's (you know Tintin ?) And if you want to know why manga is huge in France, go look up "le club Dorothée"

[@madison60542]

this podcast has legit made me look forward to Mondays KEEP UP THE AMAZING WORK

[@2ToRamble]

THANKYOU!

[@avsambart]

There has definitely been a massive shift in booktube towards manga and manga content and as you mentioned about 15:00 mins in, book reviews are/were becoming less. And I don't know if you've seen more recently, but Daniel announcing he was bringing back more book reviews and Gavinreadsitall (like MN) announcing he's separating his book content and manga content, so many booktube viewers in the comments are thanking them and saying "I've missed your book reviews. I never watched your manga because I'm not interested". While manga did give all these channels a viewer boost (especially because they were starting with big named household manga that millions of people in the world know), it alienated a lot of viewers who actually love and enjoy the book content and book reviews. Lately book reviews across the board are coming back (and even longer, if you check out KrimsonRogue) and I'm so happy! But for a good year or so, I was losing interest in booktube a lot because all my fav booktubers had stopped making reviews and were only making manga content.

[@moussadotco]

France's substantial manga following can be traced back to the late 80s and early 90s. The most popular children's program called "Club Dorothée" broadcasted on the biggest TV channel featured a broad selection of anime. This show was a massive hit and introduced a generation of kids to manga classics like Dragon Ball, Saint Seiya, City Hunter and many others shaping a lasting enthusiasm for the medium. PS: I am one of those kid's. 😄

[@arlaalfrost8445]

I’m 25 and I’m starting to feel old… Also just wanted to say that you have had a really positive impact on my reading. I read the Stormlight archive for the first time this year, read all 4 main books and the shorter stories in July and after reading each one I’d watch you’re review of that book before moving into the next one. Also read sword of Kaigen because you recommended it, my TBR list is pretty long at this point lol

[@YeForWorldPresident]

Thanks for all the content. I could listen to you guys talk about mostly anything. Whatever direction yall go ill be there!

[@2ToRamble]

Thanks a bunch!! - a lesson on Astrophysics 401 from two people who think the moon is made of cheese coming next week 🤝🤝

[@looplooplooplooploop]

Just a little correction. Comics are usually a writer, a line artist and a colorist. 3 people. Mangaka have assistants once they become popular, usually way more than 3. Some do work alone though of course.

[@BeardedBardMusic]

I saw the red Rising review on Tik-Tok like 4 months ago and i ended up buying it and reading the whole original trilogy. All because of the enthusiasm you showed for the first book, and I loved it! I just wanted to comment to say that I really enjoy your content and I am grateful because you did get me back into reading and I am enjoying it so much! thank you Richard and Austin!!

[@2ToRamble]

Way too kind, thank you and glad we got you back into reading - thats the best compliment ever. Cheers!!

[@_jared]

It's helpful to think about the scale of the fandoms (and how this impacts the economics). One Piece has sold over 500 million copies worldwide. I think the Netflix adaptation got 50 million views in a month. That's an extreme example, but plenty of of manga have fanbases that are much bigger than the entire fantasy fanbase, and many members of those fanbases will watch KZbin content about it. We KZbinrs don't love to admit it, but to some extent we do have to follow the viewers - if we don't, our channels crash and burn.

[@2ToRamble]

Would be cool to discuss some of this on a Pod episode with ya - great channel! Let us know and we can reach out to you on whichever platform is best 👊

[@damiancastillo317]

@2toramble funny you guys mentioned it but you actually did get me back into reading I haven’t pick up a book since i was a junior in high school like 5 years ago because of you guys (mainly Austin) I picked up red rising I started it yesterday I am currently half way through thank you guys so much

[@2ToRamble]

Ey!! Hope you continue to love it!!

[@nicodemogawronski2052]

I'm 35 and grew up in Italy with mangas and anime. Probably 40 years old as well but probably (?) not the ones in the US as you have DC/Marvel? Manga/anime are probably what got me into fantasy as well. I see why booktubers would cover more mangas. They probably get more reactions, more views more money. They can literally make a ton of content out of few reading hours. With books as you mentioned, sometimes I have not read the book and I don't want any spoilers and even when you get a non-spoiler review, you still get a lot of info about the book, sometimes it is too much.

[@ThaNinjazTube]

33:33 An interest fact in regards to Isekai as you mentioned is that 99% of them are originally novels, or rather "light novels". My first guess as to why is maybe because people who have spent 10 years honing their art might want to spend their time on something more fulfilling. While light novel authors could come right out of high school and be lucky enough to have a generic idea published. In an industry (Light novel industry) that is very welcoming of generic ideas.

[@jammersanimovieblog]

I’m sorry, but the book to movie and book to manga comparison isn’t the same. Book doesn’t take longer to produce. It’s just a different production style. It’s not harder to write a book, just different.

[@MarieTheSFFreader]

I agree. It all just depends on the author's speed and the quality they aim for. Manga might seem faster to produce, but it's just because authors are more pushed to produce fast and sometimes it's quantity over quality. The amount of volumes also makes it seem like there is a lot more content. But one volume tends to be like 10 somewhat short chapters.

[@Tommaso251287]

@@MarieTheSFFreader and a manga can take years for it being completed. 30 years of One Piece and we're still here.

[@aligoldenboy9582]

I 100% respect you guys for addressing this trend and being honest about you guys adding manga. Much respect

[@joecassidy2887]

I think there is a visual element to mangas takeover of booktube as well. Your're able to flash a page or panel up on screen to illustrate a point in a way that you can't with a novel.

[@thewingedserpent5823]

Bi-weekly manga is becoming more common and monthly manga has been a thing for a long time (those chapters are usually double length). Also It depends on the artist and there are those who handle more themselves but in the majority of cases the backgrounds, effects and screen tones are all done by assistants while the Mangaka himself draws only the characters. They still have to do the raws but those are usually just quick sketches. That is not to say that weekly manga isn't an absolutely horrendous schedule. As for your specific examples of one piece, the backgrounds, everything that is static, are done by assistants. Also, manga isn't faster to produce. The output is just more constant. If you were to release a book chapter by chapter on a weekly schedule it would probably be faster to produce.

[@summeroftheseasons1568]

Awesome video! I watch a fair amount of anime but haven’t gotten into manga yet… sounds interesting and I love the factoids! As for the ikigai point: you guys are doing a fantastic job and I think you both absolutely bring something new to this platform. You should be super proud at how far you have come!

[@2ToRamble]

Thankyou summer 🤠!

[@Ongaliman]

Most mangakas who make it past first or second volume do have assistants. Even the HxH author does despite of the rumours that he doesn't. He doesn't like working with them, but he does have them from time to time. It's just that mangakas do the story, panelling and the characters. A lot of background and finer details are drawn by assistants. Oda's assistants for example hate when Crocodile is in the story, because of the sand. Most of the work still falls on the author ofc.

[@batmankaler]

I clicked on the video having one piece thumbnail lmfaoo and I found one of the best channels. Youre interactions are so engaging and addictive. Watched 2-3 more of your videos even tho never read any book. Yall should definitely give manga a chance, especially one piece its peak. Would love to see yall talk bout different manga series. If possible make separate channel like merph to share your thoughts. It would bring such joy to have you guys just random talk bout it. Defo gonna bring great traction as well. Again Amazing chat. Loved it❤

[@2ToRamble]

Ahh! Super encouraging thank you for watching! And yes - if we ever did go into manga, would be on a separate channel from this one - we will consider it!

[@PkrJMC]

I get not wanting to go into manga as a booktuber because it definitely will take over the channel, but in your off time you should definitely get into it. I really think stories like one piece and berserk are amazing

[@Zivilin]

If you like Berserk try Basara.

[@DarkHorseDanny]

I usually find podcasts boring, but this one is different. The energy between you two and our shared interests makes it special and charismatic.

[@2ToRamble]

Ah thanks so much!

[@g.vasher6709]

Easily could see how one piece takes up all your time and space no cap. Its really special series to the point that if you’re caught up you want other people to pick it up and have them read the greatness which you experienced during your first read. I really hope you guys pick up the series with all your enthusiasm. It wdbe amazing to hear your thoughts cuz the character moments, epic worldbuilding, foreshadowing and emotional highs the author manages to land is truly mesmerizing.

[@bradykathol8806]

If you guys stick to talking about stories in any medium no matter what direction you take I’d be there. I love long form content and your personalities play off eachother so well. I’m glad I found you guys

[@2ToRamble]

Ahh thankya!! Glad you’re here 👊

[@DSDaddio]

Found y’all’s channel a couple weeks ago and keep it up dudes. Never been a big fantasy guy but because of y’all I have started Last Empire and can’t wait to finish that series. I have Red rising on deck next! Then I am determined to tackle Way of Kings!

[@2ToRamble]

Welcome aboard - glad ya found us, appreciate it and hope you tackle Stormlight - it’s incredible!

[@amvibes9633]

You guys have great personalities, great chemistry. Let me know when yall go full manga. Read One Piece, I'll be here 🤣 17:45 you guys will make it that long if you read One Piece. It's long af, projected to run for at least another 5 years and when you're up to date, the theory crafting after each new chapter is very fun

[@2ToRamble]

😁

[@jaydunna2645]

The trends are shifting from long form to short form in all media. KZbin shorts, tik toks, etc. We're evolving to have shorter attention spans are looking for quick dopamine hits. Mangas are perfect for this. Why read Perdido street station when you can read 50 chapters of Vagabond. Its objectively lower quality, but we don't seem to care as long as we get our fix of hourly dopamine. This is also the reason why kdramas are gaining popularity. Format of 16 episodes from start to finish, and they are usually just cheesy, saccharine sweet nonsense for which you don't have to use your brain at all.

[@madatz]

As a long time book and manga reader I think a big thing is the variety and the ease of sharing snippets to bring people in that's giving manga a leg up. Everyone knows how big a movie or tv show can be to propelling a fantasy work into the mainstream like with LotR or ASOIAF. Manga you can share a really cool looking page, or anime comes out frequently enough where there's a constant stream of new underground works that have clips shared that draw in people. It's a lot easier to make a catchy thumbnail or get someone's interest with a visual than words on a page. And then there's the variety. It's not like American comics don't have great indie works coming out, but the two largest comic brands ended up going with more of an orobous eating itself, rehashing itself, constant recycling to get other fans to spend more money on tie ins. Some of my favorite runs have no physicals or got cut short 11 issues in. Some require you to read other series as a tie in written by people who aren't as good as the main series so it gives this frustrating fluff to it. It also helps that manga and anime are an actual industry with respect in japan. You can still see a lot of the people with power in media look down on comics and always act like animation is an art form before live action. It's in the oscars it's in a lot of the general audience, so you have a lot of people who really want great comics but have trouble finding them in the US or aren't being served. And manga's wide variety and ease to find online is a major contributor. You can read a chapter on your phone between work or casually. And there's something for everyone. There's a lot of trash like any major industry and art form but there's dozens of masterpieces of every style and genre out there to find. Some manga are weekly, others monthly and some have more of a "whenever the mangaka is done it's done" release schedule so especially in fantasy you have decades upon decades of classics and new worlds and magic systems unlike anything else that's very easy to dive into cause it's just reading from chapter 1 on. I do hope some publishers can also tap into this widening market to get more eyes on a lot of the great books coming out so who knows, maybe having a beloved artist do a tie in chapter or a comic adaption that leads people to books is in the future like how Japan does that to bring people into light novels. Either way great video.

[@DXDragon38]

Interesting podcast! I saw Merphy in the thumbnail and manga and I had to check it out. It'd be interesting if you can get Merphy on to discuss manga and give some recommendations!

[@2ToRamble]

Definitely going to reach out to her!

[@thomasjml82]

I’m old. I just got into Manga. I used to read western comics but everything is trash now. I’m having a blast exploring manga!

[@RobynHoodeofSherwood]

I'm old but I know what Manga is. I haven't tried it yet. Though I was into comics as a young person. Books, movies and music will always top my list of things I love best.

[@hexeldev]

It reminds me of Man Carrying Thing, he started with Stormlight skits posted in /r/cremposting, now he's mostly doing non-book stuff.

[@travisbewley7084]

I think western comics/books/TV/movies are in a huge rut. And that rut is called The Heroes Journey. I'm so sick of the heroes journey and its steps that media outside of that just feels fresh. I love manga because it breaks from that but also focuses in more on moment to moment action. In western comics most pannels are going from event to event. Any western comic with action usually just show a windup and then result if you even get that. Despite a lot of western comics being violence based in action the resolution hardly ever comes from the actual physicality, which is disappointing some times.

[@LChaos2]

There's a manga I'm reading called Red Cat Ramen. It's about a ramen restaurant that is owned and operated by cats, and it recently hired a human employee who admitted in the job interview that she preferred dogs. The manga is chill vibes about the daily lives of the cats and customers. It was successful enough to have an anime adaptation announced for it. If a western comic can be produced with similar levels of chill vibes and be successful, then I think comics can at least get back some market share.

[@2ToRamble]

That sounds very calming

[@Friskey]

been a long time manga reader but I got heavy into books recently because of you guys putting me on red rising, finishing up lightbringer than cannot wait to start stormlight archive

[@2ToRamble]

Hell yea - glad you got into Red Rising! Stormlight will be such a journey, prepare to be amazed

[@noname3609]

Stormlight the goat.Did you read Mistborn,Elantris,Warbreaker though ? It would be easier to get into Sanderson with that :D

[@Friskey]

@@noname3609 I haven’t read any of his books yet, maybe i’ll start with mistborn i’ve heard a lot about it

[@noname3609]

​@@Friskey Mistborn is a great place to start with.Fast paced,alot of action,you'll get hooked,im sure ! :D The books in Mistborn era 1 are: The Final Empire,The Well of Ascension and the Hero of Ages ! Stormlight Archive is much more ambitious and complex.Trully Sanderson like

[@yalo3162]

Anime is super popular and mostly adapted from manga. I think that helps feed into the source material a lot. Another big thing to note, is the “show, don’t tell”factor. You can do so many things with that. Your imagination can picture images from words, but also can imagine the emotions shown on a characters face, as well as their thoughts. And there can be details in the background that aren’t focused on, but become relevant later. I never read any comics, because as far as I’m aware, all they have is superheroes, and I’m burnt out on that. Most people probably are after the Marvel movie wave.

[@moominkomet]

Old person chiming in … I am 55yr old woman and have been reading manga since the early 90’s. I never really thought about it, it was just something I enjoy. Still read it almost every day. And I read a bunch of Sci Fi, I read everything…..

[@lucasbrucas9632]

I don't think anyone is betraying any fanbase if they pivot to manga, or any media reviews. On KZbin, most if not all reviewers/critics are watched for their personality first and opinion second, i.e., Anthony Fantano, YMS, IHE, Karsten Runquist, Daniel Greene, Murphy, etc. All of these people are entertaining individuals and could review mulch and if they made it funny or insightful I'd watch. All this to say, you guys really should consider integrating an occasional media discussion other than books. Be it manga, western graphic novel, film, tv, webseries, whatever! It's excellent to catch the algorithm and once you hook that algorithm, with the high quality nature if your content, you'll have the freedom to make whatever videos you want.

[@xuanstriker4086]

Im 42, addicted to One Piece since 23 years ago😊

[@tsubasahaneno]

I personally like to call isekai series "anime and manga's world fast food", because from what I saw untill this point, they are a genre that stemmed from light novel. And contrary to what some people say, light novels are not a literature. Professor that works as a translator of anime/manga and sometimes light novels in our country told us, they are often very badly written (like an 12 year old's wattpad fanfic bad at times) and translators basically have to partially rewrite them because they would not be readable if they were translated more accurately (like manga's are for example). That is also why they are called "LIGHT" novels. Since they are not proper novels, they are something supposed to be lighter and easier to read then an actual novel. And a lot faster. Which in result ends up with them having very poor quality. And that ends up being the case in the manga and anime adaptations of said light novels as well. And probably the fact they are all the same is also why they are popular, a lot of people likes watching the same schemats or shows over and over. In my opinion it can get really boring because I like to challenge myself when it comes to stuff (I rarely reread or rewatch stuff, and I try to mix stuff, new and old, good rated and bad rated, every genre without excluding any of them) but I know a lot of people who just keep rewatching /rereading this two/three series or movies they like and don't really like getting into anything else. So I think isekais might bring this sense of familiarity while adding a little sprinkle of new. But that is only my personal theory, I am no psychologist or anything so take this with the grain of salt.

[@idk-dz]

In Arab countries Anime is a huge thing, we all grew up with it (even our parents grew up with anime back in 60s 70s 80s) so when we stop watching it on TV we keep watching it on the internet and then we slowly get into mangas.

[@SaucySkater]

22:38 Im 200 pages in and im in love!!

[@bcool9272]

I'm 50. Shonen is a style of manga directed to young boys. Shoujo manga is romantic manga. That fridge is a kind of Isekai. The vending machine is also and isekai and an interesting story. The vending machine evolutes and becomes a strong fighter.

[@bcool9272]

One Piece not only have character development and is very centered on characters, but also worldbuilding with pay-offs some on the same arc and some several hundred chapters after.

[@harshdave1392]

great video idea from you guys!! excited to watch I was into manga before I started reading seriously. Still patiently waiting for the Lightbringer vid :) hope you guys are enjoying it!!

[@2ToRamble]

Finished Lightbringer, just waiting on Richard and we are recording within the week!

[@harshdave1392]

@@2ToRamble Awesome! Greatly appreciate the hard work you guys put in!! You're giving books the love they deserve. Also as another commenter mentioned if you're gonna do manga, you must read Berserk!! The GOAT fantasy Manga haha

[@2ToRamble]

If we do, that'll be the go to! Thankyou for the kindness!@@harshdave1392

[@iW34Rglasses00]

6:36 it is also an anime on crunchyroll. He is a totally op vending machine with a unique power function. It's so stupid, though. Its called Reborn as a vending machine, I now wander the dungeon. Ive only seen the anime, its quite gaggy but does have some deep character exploration that was probably explored more in the manga. 6.5/10

[@juliandovalina]

What’s up fellas. First off, keep up the great work. Been watching for a few months now, and I gotta say the back and forth banter definitely has me coming back for more. So keep doing what drives yall. With that being said, heres some unsolicited advice that is probably worth dog shit. From a viewer who loves discussions on all creative story driven mediums. Keep it book driven with a sprinkle of other mediums. However as someone with a full time job two kids, and a wife who has an internal alarm as soon as i put my feet up, its hard to get caught up with a book your reviewing in a week. Maybe break up a book into a few chapter and deep dive. Rather than reviewing a book all in one sitting. Would love this for wheel of time. Appreciate the content!

[@2ToRamble]

Appreciate the comment - we’ll keep this thought, definitely something we’ve wrestled with before but this shows us there’s an audience for it too. Cheers! Thanks for watching our stuff 🤝

[@thepokekid01]

Manga vs. Novels I wouldn't say one is easier to put out than the other. Difference is Manga is published by chapter, like a comic book, Novels are the whole book. Both go through editors and are revised, but you see lots of Manga as many get published weekly. Really, you could argue that it has some intentions of being a cheaper to make TV show. A manga will get audience tested as it goes out each week (or month, really depending on publication) and is often adjusted accordingly depending on their reaction (with many authors, more popular ones might get more leeway), vs. a Book doesn't get that privilege. It's really more that they are different than harder or easier to make. (It's also not like Manga gets necessarily picked up easier either, because usually when you apply for your manga to be published you usually have to pitch them a short, often called "One Shot" of the idea to get your foot in the door as a contact, and even that might take several revisions before they try it as a series, even if it goes to that first, as sometimes one shots are put out in the magazine to gauge reader responses to them. One Piece in particular actually went through a few one shots before it was finally approved for series. I also should say these are called "One Shots", and are treated as "shorts", but they often can be longer than a weekly chapter, usually anywhere from 30-60 pages, with 52 often being the sweet spot) It's also probably cultural because American comics get pinned as being for kids (regardless of their actual content) while Novels will write stories about single moms lamenting over an abortion or a woman having a midlife crisis, goes out into the world. Something that is truly "adult" in consideration of more grounded human stories that often kids have zero interest in reading. Manga can be similar where you might have a Manga about a Mom dealing with the tragedy of her kid that committed suicide, a Firefighter trying to work through personal trauma, or even just the life of a Bartender that is great at mixing drinks. I don't think Japan really has that "Novels are more sophisticated" cultural mentality that we do, so in consequence they get all sorts of weird topics for Manga that usually would usually only be vetted as a novel in America or the UK. Last thing I want to say is Manga Artist do get assistants and help. I feel like their jobs are still very difficult and possibly unhealthy with mythalizing them like many people do these days. (Try writing, drawing, and inking 20 pages in a week, that is hard enough as it is, and that doesn't include waiting for editor feedback and needing to revise or redo pages) Assistants are often freshman artist, they can do all kinds of contributions... usually not coloring pieces. (Usually artist look at that as something special, the only times I've seen different people color the manga from the artist is when they are trying an "American Style" of comic book authoring.) Still, the often contribute to backgrounds, balloons, really it can be anything. Eiichiro Oda, who was an Assistant on Rurouni Kenshin is often credited with creating one of the minor characters/villians of an arc. The thing about Assistants though, is that usually authors are responsible for them. The publishers usually give or pay authors more so that they have a budget to hire 2-3 assistants (not all are junior authors, there are professional manga assistants too), and authors can choose what to do with that money.

[@xxxnarurto5747]

I have no idea what you’re talking about, most books I read has nothing to do with mother and abortion 😂

[@Jabroni_14]

There are tons comics that take place in seperate universers its just not known to the general public. Shows like the walking dead, invincible, y the last man, preacher, deadly class and the boys are based on comics or movies like 300, wanted, v for vendetta, watchman. Comics are more than just superheroes or marvel and dc. Other publications include image, humanoids, darkhorse, idw and dynamite

[@MrDman60644]

That vending machine thing im fairly certain is a light novel,not a manga. A lot of the lengthier anime titles come from having a light novel as the source material. And anyone whose seen enough anime will tell you light novels get weird as fuck. Side note, ive always told people manga is like a western graphic novel but with a comic book style release schedule. Not that i have a problem with how youve defined it, just figured id share how i explain it since i liked how similar they are.

[@JasmineBlushes1]

I have a difference of opinion of when the person to the left says that manga is easy to produce. From what I’ve seen a lot goes into making a manga. Especially if it an English manga. That series had to be properly translated. That fact alone makes it seem like not an easy thing to produce. Also, my personal opinion again- I personally feel that manga has both great story AND amazing artwork. Which is hard to find in western comics. With western comics, the story is good, art is good on the cover but inside the art is a mess. I read both but I gravitate toward manga a lot more because of this. - Also I’m over 40 lol

[@dianeking2223]

The major difference between manga and mainstream comics is that manga is one continuous story written by one author. Comics are a bunch of stories that has canon changes and different authors, writers, and artists. I like western comics but its hard to stay interested when a few months down the line something i just read becomes obsolete.

[@jayh387]

But this isn't the case with independent western comics? Books put out by Dark Horse or Image are almost always one continuous story by one author, they may be shorter in length than manga but they do exist. There are even a few long running books too, e.g. Hellboy and Usagi Yojimbo

[@OnePieceOfEt]

As a person who loves fantasy series and manga both, I think manga is much much harder to create. Im not talking about production part, ı dont know anything about that, Im just talking about creation part. While writing a book is not easy, especially if you are building a new world with different rules , writing manga requires the same worldbuilding plus the drawing. Lets say you want to create a book and a manga versions of the movie "titanic".writing a book would be much easier than drawing all the panels and put all the information in those panels correctly. While creating something original its the same thing, just the " Movie" İs in your head. Plus when youre wtiting you can change things if you feel like later. For example,You wrote the whole book and when writing the last page you realised making the main character blue eyed imstead of brown would fit the theme of your book better or would make a great parallel to another character , so you can just change the first pages of ypur book. İn manga even if you realise you made a huge plot mistake a month before, there is nothing you can do about it becausr its already published. So you have to change your plans to fit your past writings. Ps :english is not my first language so idk if I was able to explain my thoughts but yeah

[@xxxnarurto5747]

@OnePieceOfEt, I disagree because I done both manga and books, I mean chapter books but I actually realized manga are easy than books, books are more hard to write compared to manga all your doing is drawing, might be hard for you because of doing drawings, but honestly manga are way easier than books, because all your doing is drawing compared to writing books is very painful, doing manga can be painful but manga is easy than books 🥰😁

[@MarieTheSFFreader]

I think the craze might even out eventually. Talking as someone who was into manga and anime about 10 years ago to the point of almost not reading anything else. Now I rarely pick any manga up. There are some gems for sure, but also a lot of tropes and scenes and characters that just keep appearing. Bit like YA, I suppose. I just got tired of reading the same thing over and over. Like even the good ones frequently suffer from this nowadays.

[@2ToRamble]

Ahh, could be a sign of genre burnout - Richard and I will have to dive into other types of novels every once in a while if we’ve been reading too much of one type of story. Fantasy is great because there are so many variations/endless possibilties but if we’ve been reading too many action heavy books, sometimes a break is nice. In your case do you think you read most of the great stories/feel like you want something different?

[@MarieTheSFFreader]

​@@2ToRamble I would say it's partly burnout, but not just that. I do feel like picking up the better pieces one day again, but I don't really feel like reading much of the new stuff because it's starting to be copying each other so much just like YA does in my opinion. I feel like with picking up new adult fantasy I rarely get very disappointed and usually it has some original ideas. It is less caring about what's trending, especially the self-published stuff. To be completely honest it probably plays some part that I am not counting manga volumes into my Goodreads challenge. That definitely gives me less incentive to pick it up in the first place. Not to mention that I have so many great fantasy books still on my TBR that I just don't feel the need to go to manga. I have picked up One Piece again which I previously read until like 700 chapters because it now has completition in sight. So yeah I am still not completely giving up on manga. I just need some incentive to pick it up over fantasy books.

[@neerajcherukuri4052]

Me too! I don't pick up manga or anime much anymore. But we do not constitute the largest part of the fandom. The younger teenagers do. As long as younger people keep picking it up, it will be popular. But I also think pandemic lead to excessive sales which already started to dwindle in 2022 and have stabilized now. But I will recommend somethings that have subverted the usual anime tropes - Chainsawman, Cyberpunk Edgerunners(anime), Frieren : Beyond Journey's end(manga is great, anime is better), Heavenly delusion, Ranking of kings(anime). These were some of the things that kept my interest and made me remember why I love anime and manga in the first place. I also read One Piece and a few generic slice of life romance series weekly too. I mostly read lit fic(classics), sci-fi and adult fantasy these days, and they work as amazing buffers between large books.

[@manumudgal5776]

The best thing i like about Manga is Art. Manga like Berserk and Kingdom has godly art. Also they are quick to read, all have everything for everyone.

[@Lilo_D._Boom]

I mean two different media with two different sets of strengths and weaknesses. Personally, I love both I think as long as it's a good story I'm gonna enjoy it whether it's a book, manga, animated show, live action I really don't care. Also I think some series would just not work outside of manga for example Vagabond, One Piece, JoJo, Uzumaki, and especially Berserk all work because of the medium of Manga. Like when I look at the thousands of incredible panels drawn in Berserk and Vagabond I don't want it in a book I want to appreciate it for the art the author created. Also another benefit of manga is sometimes manga does not need words to express emotions those who have read Slam Dunk will know that the last match in the story has a few chapters where there is zero text on the panels, yet the emotions you feel from every different panel and every different drawing surpasses and shatters what you would get if someone were to explain what is happening to you in text. I would say the same with a book some books work because they are books and you are allowed to imagine, but it doesn't work with everything. Therefore, it really doesn't matter what medium as long as the story is well created and fits the specific medium well.

[@YetiCoolBrother]

An interesting observation I have as someone who is a fan of both books and manga (and thus booktubers &.... mangatubers?) is that typically when people review a book they review the whole book, whereas when they review a manga they review it arc by arc as opposed to reading the whole thing first. I definitely think the latter method helps lower that barrier to entry you mentioned and have often wondered why booktubers dont review books in sections for that reason. Also let's yoy discuss the work more in depth because you're not trying to discuss the entire plot from beginning to end or review in such a way that you have to avoid spoilers for the later parts.

[@2ToRamble]

True!

[@exaggeratedhistory]

I’m 30 and love manga and books. 🎉 subbed

[@bobthegamer1880]

Stories are just waaaaaaay better

[@bensmith9984]

Surprised to hear that there isn't much crossover between fantasy novels and manga, I read fantasy novels all through my young life and then began reading manga on the recommendation of a friend and have been hooked since. Also i loved the lies of locke lamora, i also listened to the audiobook after reading it.

[@EricFigTree]

As a brazilian, the fact that he guessed Brazil as the most manga reading country outside of Japan gives my pride and shame for my country.

[@2ToRamble]

😂

[@mattbuxton]

At first I was a bit sad about Merphy's announcement but I know in reality its probably best for her channel growth so I can't be too upset about it. I discovered Merphy as just a booktube channel and loved when she started to pick up manga, especially manga like one piece which I love. I really liked seeing a typical book reader viewing manga as just another form of literature with a main focus on characters and themes. Stories like One Piece, FMA, Naruto are just fantasy stories in a different medium. I really liked that the channel showcased both books and manga under the same umbrella of fantasy. While the split is sad, I will follow both and wish nothing but success on both channels!

[@SleepParty30]

I've written a fantasy trilogy and am about to seek publishing it, but for the longest time, I've considered turning it into a manga because the story and characters are perfect for it. But I don't have the patience to draw, so that is what's keeping me back. But I'm certain a manga of my story would do amazingly well. The female character has certain shonen traits, and the plot is thick as hell. But I'm happy with my novels. I worked on them for 13 years.

[@2ToRamble]

13 years - amazing. Hope you find the right publisher and it all works out 🥂

[@jmdtaelon]

The main appeal for a Book reader to check Mangas is because the histories ACTUALLY ends at some point. Some histories are made for the long runs, like the shonen jumps, open plots premises that have lots of space to create. But even them have endings. Most of the manga industry are made of relative short in volume size, 2-3. If the manga was serialized in a magazine with success may reach to 10 or even 20 volumes. More that that is only the realm of best sellers. Some times they get axed, some times they get the end the author wanted, sometimes the editor hand is heavy etc. But IT ends, you may liked or not, you will have like with books, a moment to refect and think about it what you just read. Western comic books dont have that. You know what you just read is only the interpretation of one person writer or illustrator on a "brand". And sure that also have a pros, but from the intelectual reader point of view, for example, what you gona do after reading the best ghraphic novel ever made about batman? Read a lesser format in a comic that have an different writer? A different artist style that most probably is making a "new" new re interpretation of something that isent the same character you loved to read? So what you end loving is an incomplete art form. You may like the "theme" but you dont like the artist, you may like the artist but you dont like the plot, you may like the story but dont like the editorial choices... etc. In Manga, like in books, is all or nothing, you read, you like or dislike the artist, end.

[@draglonconx7771]

One reason I lean towards anime and manga how the high concepts vary. Normally it's a bit hard to find very unique stories that deal with abstract concepts. I've been trying to get into the western fantasy medium and it is hard to get invested into some stories people hype up, because they start really slow, and there's the risk of it not actually having the uniquity you're looking for when you reach book 12/15. In contrast, (e.g.) Serial Experiments Lain is a Freudian-based high-concept sci fi anime about a normal girl in the 1990s getting her hands on technology for the first time, thats 12 episodes long and crafts a good thought provoking narrative with a great protagonist. Basically I invest less time for a very unique experience. I see a lot more ambition and creative minds in the animanga space, and it takes much less time to sift through all these series.

[@GalekC]

I'm gonna do this thing where I go over episodes of anime, maybe their soundtracks, and corresponding manga chapters or Light Novels that they adapt yet solely focus on the manga/novel part due to my ADD. And decide between if I am a manga chamnel, or an anime channel. And have a separate channel for like every other medium that may do leagues better

[@shyguypro9876]

The Demon Slayer manga outselling the entire US comic book industry in 2020 is pretty nuts, but I do think it's worth keeping in mind that Demon Slayer was the beneficiary of a near perfect storm of factors. 1. It had an absolutely legendary anime adaptation. Without that anime, Demon Slayer is a middling shonen series that probably only the most hardcore manga readers will pay attention to. 2. By the time that the anime came out, Demon Slayer was basically winding down. The first episode aired in April 2019, the last chapter was published in May 2020. That's very unusual for a popular Shonen Jump adaptation. It meant it had a sizeable backlog to purchase. People weren't just buying the volumes (collections of weekly chapters, usually contained 10 to 12 chapters) published in 2020, but all the volumes going back to 2016. This is what allowed it to even outsell One Piece in 2020, as it benefitted from people purchasing volumes from 2016 to 2020. All that said, manga is definitely taking over. As a long time manga fan, just keeping it in perspective that Demon Slayer was an absurd flash in pan freak anomaly in terms of sales.

[@2ToRamble]

Ahh good additions here - thankya for the context!

[@Swappin.Thoughts]

I had to give this a watch because I recently have become a big fan of the One piece anime. The more you watch the more epic it gets! It’s taken me 4 months to watch up to episode 420 and I’m determined to watch them all! Also, huge respect to Austin for not drinking coffee. I don’t drink coffee either. 👍 19:02

[@ellenripley4837]

Also, you might be joking but it makes a lot of sense that France has a big manga market since French Animation studios did a lot of collaborations with Japan since the 80's and the crossover of influence of comics and animation between Japan and France is huge.

[@divivilanui3864]

As a French person I'm gonna have to say that we DO have our own thing indeed, they're called Bandes Dessinées and I'm pretty sure you've heard of some of them before such as Asterix. Also the reason why France is such a big country for mangas is partly because we got Japanese cartoons (Dragon Ball, Saint Seiya...) on TV pretty early on, earlier than America and most other countries at least, and started the interest in manga almost second to only Japan themselves

[@notationmusical]

Nice podcast! While I do agree that the isekai genre is oversaturated, as someone who has watched quite a decent amount of isekai, I can say that there is a bit of variety (you'd just have to look for it). The thing that differentiates some of the isekais are how the protagonist goes to the other world. They can either die and be reincarnated, be summoned by someone or something, or just transfer into the world. While most of the isekai can be considered mediocre, some of the best range feature many genres. Here are some recommendations if you're interested: 1. Ascendance of a Bookworm (Merphy also is reading this and is loving it)- a fantasy with the main character wanting to create a library in a world where books are rare by applying knowledge from the real world. 2. Re:Zero- the main character is immediately transferred to another world and is given a power where he can time travel. Also features psychological horror. 3. Mushoku Tensei (often referred to as the grandfather or isekais)- I would call this a fantasy, but it also focuses more on the gradual redemption of the main character and his second chance at life. 4. Restaurant in Another World-a comfy slice of life where the restaurant can travel from the real world to anywhere in the fantasy world. 5. Tanya the Evil- a fantasy that combines military warfare (very reminiscent of the world wars) and magic. There's even a subgenre of otome isekais, where a protagonist gets sent into their otome game, either as a villainess or the heroine, but that in of itself is a rabbit hole.

[@2ToRamble]

Thankyou for all the recs!