Matt's Manga-gaku Home
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Since beginning my study of shôjo manga (Japanese girls' comics) back around 1988, I have of course picked up a lot of knowledge about other kinds of manga, and my interests have developed into various directions. For the courses I teach in Seika's School of Cartoon & Comic Art, I have had to do a lot of studying, and have become fascinated with the history of manga and of comics outside of Japan, too. I have plenty of ideas about this history, and every week force my students to listen to me rant on the subject, but I have yet to put most of these ideas down in writing, either in English or in Japanese. Until I do, this page will consist of little more than links to a very brief history of manga I wrote ages ago. Looking at it now, the history I wrote seems shockingly oversimplified, but it will probably be good enough for someone who just wants a very general background on manga. For English translations of the syllabi of courses I teach, follow this link. If you have any questions about any of this stuff, drop me a line and I'll try to find time to respond. (Forgive me if I don't find time to respond!)

A questionnaire Matt's columns in The Japan Times Shukan ST Do Manga Characters Really Look "White"? A History of Manga (Revised, September 2005!): Works on Manga by Others Message Board
  • Down but not out. Hopefully the boards will be back up again before the end of the century.

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Matt Thorn ()
Cultural Anthropologist
Associate Professor
Faculty of Manga
Kyoto Seika University