The data is clear. In Barcelona’s libraries, manga are the most requested books. A good part of its readers –not all– are young or very young. The news may surprise, but only relatively, since we know that comics, cartoons or comics have always been a good gateway to reading. Decades ago, classic magazines such as Pulgarcito or TBO or the booklets of El Capitán Trueno took care of it. And they still do, since the usual library loans also include albums such as Mortadelo and Filemón. The novelty is that, since the first Dragon Ball notebooks were published in 1992, the presence of the manga has only increased. Another proof of its success is that one in three comics purchased in Spain is of Asian origin according to the 2022 Tebeosfera report, only the North American comic has slightly higher sales.
The connection between the manga and younger readers is explained by different reasons. In the first place, because it has been able to propose modern and attractive themes, while some classic, national or European comics repeated the same formulas so much that they drifted away from the new times and from the new readers. On the other hand, the most commercial manga –because there is another, more intimate and adult manga that plays in a different league– has been able to take great advantage of a very particular type of narration: a visual and dynamic story, full of lines of movement, which It has connected very well with young readers. Reading this type of manga is an experience that is close to the accelerated consumption of images that movies or television have accustomed us to.
And precisely, film and television is another factor that explains the popularity of manga. This industry and the audiovisual industry feed each other. The successes of one side pass to the other and vice versa. What succeeds in paper format is adapted to the cartoon and the success of the television series relaunches the reading of the original manga. Dragon Ball, Naruto, One Piece, Death Note or My Hero Academia are a good example. And they have not only been adapted as animated series, there are also live-action movies, video games and, of course, a wide range of merchandising. There are examples that go in the other direction, such as Pokémon, which was first a successful video game and then became a manga. What is confirmed, in both cases, is that the most popular series are true multimedia products that include comics, series, movies or games. Success in one of these formats increases popularity in any of the other formats.
Years ago, an unfortunate slogan to promote reading ensured that where today there is a comic, tomorrow there will be a book. Indeed, it is common to start reading through comics, but the truth is that once the habit of reading is well established, where today there is a comic, tomorrow there will undoubtedly be more comics along with many other books of any kind. . And who says comics says manga, comics or cartoon. Books, after all. Like those that libraries lend day after day.
