MANGA OUTSIDE OF JAPAN
Since the early 1990s there has been a notable increase in the export of Japanesemanga to Europe, America, and countries in Asia. In places like Taiwan, Hong Kong, and South Korea, which used to be known for their pirated editions, large numbers of the most recent popular manga from Japan are published in translation through formal license agreements with large Japanese publishers. In Europe and America, the popularity of broadcasts of Japanese animation on television has greatly increased interest in manga. Shelves lined with manga featuring the stories of animation series such as Dragon Ball (by Toriyama Akira) and Yu-Gi- Oh! (by Takahashi Kazuki) are now a familiar sight in U.S. bookstores. [Source: Web-Japan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan]
Anime first rose to international popularity in the 1970s, and paved the way for manga in the global market. To adapt to overseas audiences, manga images were initially flipped so that readers could read from left to right. However, nowadays it's common to see manga read from right to left as it's strange to see a right-handed protagonist become a left-handed one. While the text in speech bubbles is still read from left to right, non-Japanese readers have become accustomed to reading pages right to left. [Source: Takamasa Sakurai, Daily Yomiuri, August 17, 2012]
“In 2002, a major Japanese manga publisher established an overseas affiliate to market translated editions of Japanese manga and distribute animated manga. The company launched a monthly English-language edition of Shonen Jump in 2003. As of 2009, NARUTO, a manga serial in the Shonen Jumpmagazine, in which the main character is a ninja boy, has been republished in book form and distributed in more than 30 countries. The animated version is on the air in more than 80 countries. Japanese manga and animation have clearly expanded beyond their original group of hardcore fans to become a significant part of Western pop culture as a whole. [Source: Web-Japan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan]
Manga has been popular in the United States, Germany and France for some time. It didn’t really begin to catch on in Britain until the mid-2000s. The Internet has help spread manga around the world but has also provided alternatives to spending money on manga books and magazines. When asked why they like manga and anime American university-age students say they like the art, they get a kick from the sex and violence and they find the plots and stories refreshing and different from American ones and the characters more multi-dimensional and less superficial.
Two of the most popular comic, which have been translated into English, are Akira and Lone Wolf and Cub. Manga like Doraemon, City Hunter and GTO are popular in Asia.
Many foreign movies and television dramas have been based on Japanese manga. A Battle of Wits, set in the warring epoch of ancient China, is being made into a movie by Hong Kong director Jacob Cheung. The popular South Korean film 200 pound Beautywas based on the Japanese manga Kanna-sam Daiseoko Desu! by Yumiko Suzuki. In Taiwan, more than 10 television dramas have been based on Japanese manga for girls. Including Meteor Garden.
As a sign of the extent and the talent of oversees manga fans, the Morning International Manga Competition award for best new manga artist went to a Houston-based artist who goes by the name rem for her work Kage no Matsuri (“Festival of Shadows”)
The Japanese government has developed a national plan to export manga.
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