Picture touch, also known as “painting style” or “style,” is a term that is always used when discussing manga.
To be more specific, the term comprehensively describes the fineness of the illustration’s lines, the fineness of the workmanship, the characteristics of the artist’s drawings, and his/her personality.
The touch of the picture is also an important factor for readers to know about the work. For example, large eyes of characters and thin, soft lines throughout the illustration can be found in many shoujo manga. Once these trends are understood, it is possible to determine the genre of the manga just by looking at the illustrations.
This article discusses the characteristics of each genre based on pictures of popular shonen, shoujo, and adult manga.
Juvenile manga
The Titans of Progress
Source: “Shinkoku no Kyojin” © from Hajime Isayama/Kodansha
Synopsis
In a world where Titans ruled everything, the remaining humans built a triple wall and peace was maintained for 100 years.
The protagonist, Eren Jaeger, enjoyed a peaceful life with his childhood friends Mikasa and Armin.
However, the Super Colossal Titan and the Armored Titan suddenly appeared, and Eren’s hometown and the wall were cruelly destroyed.
In order to exterminate the Titans from the world, Eren goes outside the wall and joins the Scout Regiment, which conducts research and fights the Titans.
It is a dark fantasy work about Eren’s growth and revenge.
dress
Source: “One Piece” ©Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha
© Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha ・Synopsis
In the great pirate age, when pirates ruled the seas, the main character, Monkey D. Luffy, was a boy who longed to be a pirate.
One day, however, he accidentally ate the devil’s fruit “Gomu Gomu no Mi” and became a rubber person.
Luffy, who was rescued by the pirate Shanks and vowed to eventually become a pirate and return the Straw Hat that was entrusted to him, grew into a young man and left his hometown to set sail for the Pirate King. It is a masterpiece of the royal road shonen manga that represents Japan.
Dragon Ball
Source: “Dragon Ball” ©Akira Toriyama/Shueisha
This is a story about the “Dragon Balls,” which are called wish fulfillment when seven are gathered together. The main character, Son Goku, is an unusual boy with a tail who is on a journey to collect Dragon Balls to bring his dead grandfather back to life.
It is a story of the adventures of Son Goku, who grows up and becomes stronger through his encounters with Bulma, a mechanic and daughter of the Capsule Corporation, and Kame-Sen’nin.
Even now, more than 20 years after its serialization ended, it remains unwaveringly popular and is considered one of Japan’s best manga, well known even overseas.
Detective Conan
Source: “Detective Conan” © from Gosho Aoyama/Shogakukan
High school detective Shinichi Kudo is a master detective who has solved several cases. One day, while on a date with his classmate Mouri Ran, he solves a case, but he finds a suspicious man in black and tracks him down, but is caught, drugged, and transformed into a child.
Thereafter, he is protected by the Mori family under the name of Conan Edogawa and solves cases as Conan Edogawa while hiding the fact that he is Shinichi Kudo. A milestone in mystery manga, this work is also highly acclaimed overseas.
Fist of the North Star
Source: “Fist of the North Star” ©Tetsuo Hara, Takeru Takemono/Shueisha
The year is 199x, the world has been engulfed in nuclear fire, civilization has been destroyed, and violence rules all. It is an adventure story about Kenshiro, the heir to the Hokuto Shinken, the assassination fist passed down from one generation to the next, who fights as the savior of the world in this world of the weak and the strong.
Filled with deep drama, including his love for his girlfriend Yuria, and his separation from and sorrow for his brothers-in-law Raoh, Jagi, and Toki, who had also studied Hokuto Shinken, the manga had a profound influence on later generations of manga artists.
The manga is still very popular today, and new developments such as animated TV series and external works continue to be developed.
My Hero Academia
Source: “My Hero Academia” ©Kohei Horikoshi/Shueisha
In a world where people are born with supernatural abilities as their “personality”. The main character, Midoriya Izuhisa (a.k.a. Deku), has a yearning to be a hero who defeats the villains who do evil in the world, but he does not have an individuality.
Then All Might, the number one hero, appears in front of Deku and inherits his personality.
It is a royal battle manga in which Deku, who has no individuality, grows through enthusiasm and hard work.
It is strongly influenced by American comics, and one of its appeals is its depiction, which is different from other Japanese manga. It is also immensely popular in the United States, the home of American comics.
girl-oriented manga
boys before flowers
Source: “Boys Over Flowers” ©Hoko Kamio/Shueisha
Tsukushi Makino is a commoner who has entered Eitoku Gakuen, a prestigious school for wealthy students. She is disappointed with her own situation as she sees the lives of the rich students on the sidelines, but the four flower girls, known as the F4, who control the school, take notice of her and make her a target of bullying.
Tsukushi, who has a strong sense of justice, decides to confront F4 head-on. In the meantime, Domyoji, the leader of F4, falls in love with Tsukushi, and F4 will change because of Domyoji.
It is a masterpiece of romantic manga depicting Tsukushi’s growth and love.
Versailles rose
Source: “The Rose of Versailles” © from Riyoko Ikeda/Shueisha
The time is the 18th century. Marie-Antoinette, born a princess of the Habsburgs of the Austrian Empire, was to become the wife of Louis XVI of the Bourbons of France.
It is a masterpiece of shoujo manga about a girl who says goodbye to her birthplace and marries into the most royal family in Europe, and the tumultuous love and revolution that await her.
The Takarazuka Revue Company has dramatized and animated the story, creating a social phenomenon.
glass mask
Source: “The Mask of Glass” © Suzue Minai/Hakuizensha
Maya Kitajima, a young girl who grew up in a poor family, helped her mother serve food at the Chinese restaurant where she worked after school.
Although she had no special talents or good looks, she was a sucker for plays and movies, and when she saw them, she was so absorbed in them that she could not do anything else.
But when she met Chigusa Tsukikage, a former actress, the wheels of fate began to turn. Tsukikage Chigusa discovered her ability to accurately memorize the lines and movements of actors in plays and movies she had once seen, as well as her ability to act as if possessed by a role, and she entered the world of theater.
Most of the stories are structured as “plays within plays,” and the “white-eye” depictions are also well-known.
This one’s for you
Source: “Kimi ni Todoke” ©Karuho Shiina/Shueisha
With her long, pitch-black hair, pale skin, and brooding personality, Kuronuma Souko was called “Sadako” at school.
He lived by his motto, “Do one good thing a day,” and helped those in need every day, but he was always feared because of his appearance.
She admired Kazahaya, who was in the same class with Souko and treated her without discrimination.
At a class event held before the summer vacation, Souko plays the role of a ghost in a test of courage, which gradually brings her and Kazahaya closer together.
It is a sweet and sour shoujo manga that has been made into an anime and a movie.
To all of you who are in bloom
Source: “To You and Your Friends in Flower Blossom” ©Hisaya Nakajo/Hakuizensha
Mizuki Ashiya saw Izumi Sano, a high jumper the same age as herself, on TV and was so taken by his figure that she left her home abroad and returned to Japan alone to meet him.
She succeeded in getting into the same school as Izumi Sano, but it was a boys’ school, Sakurazaki Gakuen, and she had to live her life in such a way that it would not be revealed that she was a woman.
It has been dramatized twice in the past, and its popularity is still high even after the series has ended.
NANA
Source: “NANA” ©Ai Yazawa/Shueisha
It is a story of love and growth of two “NANAs”, Nana Komatsu, who comes to Tokyo from a provincial town neither in the country nor in the city, and meets Nana Osaki, a musician, by chance.
This popular work has also been made into an anime, but due to the author’s illness, the series has been on hiatus since 2009 and does not appear to have resumed.
However, an exhibition of original artwork will be held in 2022, and the author seems to be gradually becoming more active, and there are many calls for the serialization of this work to be resumed.
Cartoon for Adults
Golgo 13
Source: “Golgo 13” ©Tataro Saito/Shogakukan
It is the story of “Golgo 13,” a top-notch sniper who goes through politics and human drama. This work is drawn in a manga style known as gekiga, a manga for adults with a hard-boiled atmosphere and strong Hollywood movie influences that are different from shōnen manga!
The drawings are characterized by thicker lines and darker shadows. These characteristics have been carried over into modern manga.
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure
Source: “Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure” © from Hirohiko Araki/Shueisha
Set in late 19th century England, the story begins with Jonathan Joestar (a.k.a. Jojo), the son of an aristocrat, and his adopted son Dio Brando, who was taken in from the favelas.
In order to defeat Dio, who has mysteriously donned a stone mask and become a vampire, Jonathan learns and grows a special breathing technique called “ripple”.
Later, their karma is passed down through the generations to Jojo’s grandson, Joseph. This is an epic story of Jojo’s bloodline.
kingdom
Source: “Kingdom” © from Yasuhisa Hara/Kodansha
Set in the late Spring and Autumn period of the Warring States period in ancient China, this is the story of the First Emperor who unified the country for the first time in Chinese history amidst the upheaval of the Seven Warring States, and Li Xin, a general who supported him.
The protagonist is the warlord Li Xin, and the story begins in his youth.
It is a popular work that has been made into a movie and an anime, but it was not popular when it was first serialized.
However, it is said that the author’s popularity gradually increased after his mentor, Mr. Takehiko Inoue (famous for “Slam Dunk”), pointed out his advice: “Make your black eyes bigger.
This is a typical episode that shows how a single way of drawing the eyes can completely change the reputation of a manga.
Tokyo Ghoul Tokyo Ghoul
Source: “Tokyo Ghoul” © from Ishida Sui/Shueisha
The main character, Ken Kaneki, was an ordinary young man who loved books, but an incident led him to become a “ghoul,” a creature that eats human flesh. The story depicts Ken Kaneki’s struggle and growth as he wavers between being a human and a ghoul.
The author of this work originally became famous for his web manga, and his drawing style is still influenced by his days as an indie web manga artist.
Ushijima-kun, the Dark Money Man
Source: “YAKKIN Ushijima-kun” © from Shohei Manabe/Shogakukan
The story centers on Ushijima, a black-market money manager, and depicts incidents that occur on the other side of society.
Hosts, cabaret prostitutes, yakuza, and anti-gres also appear, depicting people who fall under the power of money. It has also been made into a drama and a movie, and gained popularity.
BLUE GIANT
Source: “BLUE GIANT” © from Shinichi Ishizuka/Shogakukan
It is a music manga in which the main character, Dai Miyamoto, fascinated by jazz, begins to learn the saxophone in order to become the world’s best jazz player.
As the main character grows, his saxophone skills also improve, and it is a masterpiece to see the main character, who was just a high school student, become an active player in the world.
The manga will be adapted into an anime in 2023 and will be the focus of much attention in the future.
summary
The touch of manga drawings varies from author to author and also depends on the genre of the manga, such as for boys, girls, or adults. When drawing manga, it is a good idea to change your drawing style to suit your audience.
The popular drawing touch also changed with the times. For example, “Fist of the North Star,” one of the most popular shōnen manga, is drawn with a gekiga-like touch, indicating that gekiga manga were very popular at that time.
This trend was continued in “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure,” but the gekiga touch declined, and the touch of drawing with thin lines and emphasis on character deformation, such as in “Dragon Ball,” became popular in shōnen manga. Capturing the changes with the times is also considered to be a part of the art making process.
Since trends tend to change more quickly in recent years, the key to success may be to actively incorporate the pictorial touches of popular works.
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