Manga is the name for Japanese comics. In Japan, comics in general are known as komikku or komikkusu (the transliteration of comic/comics). Manga refers specifically to Japanese comics. Many manga magazines have the word "comics" (in English) or "komikkusu" (in katakana) in their title. "AmeComi" refer to American comics, specifically American superhero comics. The kanji for manga is the same in Japan, China and Korea and the word used in each region is the same, with only a difference in pronounciation: manga, manhua, and manhwa. Manga are printed right-to-left, usually in black & white with tones. Most stories are initially serialized in thick, inexpensive anthology magazines called zasshi and then (if they are popular) collected into graphic novels called tankoubon on better quality paper; some manga series are printed originally in tankoubon. Japanese publishers generally just break even on magazine sales (they are dirt cheap), relying on tankoubon sales to generate profit. Forty percent of all printed reading material in Japan is manga, therefore the sales numbers on the magazines and collected volumes are very high. Manga anthologies are targeted to precise demographics for women and men, girls and boys, catering to every age group and genre. Most anime are based on an original manga series.
Writer/artist of a manga series. Usually the manga-ka is responsible for the main art work and writing the script (sometimes this is split between a writer and artist), however the manga-ka works in partnership with an editor. Japanese editors are very powerful, determining which ideas should be developed and which dropped, and which manga stories become published and which do not. The job of an editor is to guide and advise manga artists to ensure that their work is commercially successful. Given how easily a young Japanese manga reader can become a manga creator by winning one of the many contests that Japanese manga magazines run to recruit new talent, having an experienced editor to guide the development of a story can be hugely beneficial. On the flip side, many manga-ka comment on their editor's domination over their work in their side comments (always jokingly). There frequently seems to be a tension between the vision of the female manga-ka and their male editors (I wonder just how many female editors there are, in what is likely a male-dominated field). Manga-ka also benefit from having one or more assistants who perform the less glamorous work of backgrounds and other routine art chores.
These are Korean comics. Sometimes written as manwha; the Korean government has settled on manhwa as the official transliteration. Not very many have been published in English, and those series appear to be primarily picked to mirror the available Japanese manga. The beautifully lithe, delicate, all-angles character designs of girls' manhwa quickly sets them apart from most shoujo manga. The currently available girls' manhwa are mostly angsty teen dramas whose beautiful characters sport some kind of tragedy in their past, which must be overcome to find happiness in their present. A great genre to be sure, but just one segment of Korean comics. A big difference between Korean and Japanese comics is the absence of the editor-mangaka partnership and assistants. Manhwa artists have much more control over, and responsibilty for, the direction of their stories than Japanese artists. They also do more of their own artwork.
The few Chinese comics published in English are the line of kung fu books published by DrMaster (inherited from ComicsOne). So far we have yet to see any Chinese girls' comics published in English.
Japanese comics are initially published in monthly anthologies (rather than the American single issue comic). These anthologies or manga magazines are nicknamed "manga phonebooks" by Westerners and are thick (200-1000 page) squarebound magazines printed on cheap newsprint in two-tone colored paper. Each magazine is dedicated to a certain type of manga series and audience and may be serialized monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly. A few are published seasonally. They're very cheap and accessible, only costing around $4-5 USD, and readers often throw them away after reading. If they like the series they will likely buy the compiled tankoubon when they are released a few months later. There is something for everyone: drama, romance, adventure, comedy, fantasy, slice-of-life, sports - even cooking all appear as manga.
Emily's Random Shoujo Manga Page lists many of the shoujo manga "phonebook" anthologies. Kodansha lists their manga anthologies on their English site KodanClub.
Literally means "separate volume". Manga are sold in tankoubon format after being serialized in magazines, with each tankoubon containing around 4-10 installments. Softcover paperback-sized books around 200 pages, they sell for about 400 yen (~$3.70 USD). Less commonly, some manga series are published originally as tankoubon and do not appear first in serialized form. Smaller than American graphic novels: 11x17.5 cm (4.25 x 6.75 inches). See Japan Book-Mart Legend for various other sizes.
The English name for fiction told in graphic (sequential art) form and published as a book. Also refers to a bound collection of monthly comicbook issues (called trade paperbacks by the American comics biz). Colour or black & white, American graphic novels are more expensive than tankoubon are in Japan, due to the much smaller fan market in America. However manga graphic novels are significantly cheaper than American graphic novels due to their high volume of sales in bookstores. In the "bad old days" of publishing manga in English, the artwork was flipped to read left-to-right, and books were pretty darn expensive. Now manga graphic novels are priced cheaper, left unflipped, and printed smaller, although still not as small as some Japanese tankoubon. (The industry seems to have standardized on a nice 5x7-inch size and $9.99 USD pricepoint).
Japanese animation. Anime is simply the French word for animation and has been adopted by the Japanese for all forms of animation - TV series, direct-to-video releases called OVA or OAV, and theatrical films. The majority of anime are intended for teenagers or children and are based on a popular manga. Boys' manga are more frequently animated than girls', and manga for adults in general is rarely animated, as manga is regarded as a mainstream entertainment while anime is intended for the young people. Anime is intended to reach a wider audience than manga, and therefore is usually reworked or picked to be male-friendly (such is the way of things everywhere). Fortunately the sheer number of manga and anime produced mean there are plenty of girls' anime created. There is also a significant body of anime aimed at the young adult crowd which are original productions not based on an existing manga (Cowboy Bebop, Serial Experiments Lain, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Trigun, Martian Successor Nadesico).
"Original Video Animation" or "Original Animated Video" - anime created specifically for direct-to-video release, without TV broadcast or theatrical release. OVAs have higher production values than a TV show due to bigger budget and shorter length. An OVA can be 1 volume or a series of volumes, which are quite highly priced compared to North American DVDs. There is not the stigma attached to direct-to-video releases that exists in North America, and OVA are often heavily advertised, highly anticipated sequels to popular TV shows. Conversely, a profitable OVA frequently inspires a spin-off TV series.
Comics marketed to girls 6-16; the most prolific being relationship-based stories characterized by "mutuality, cooperation, and generosity"*. See The Shoujo Manga Homepage and Kodansha's Promising and Popular manga for women of all ages. There is an emphasis on character growth through overcoming obstacles in the characters' personal lives and relationships.
Comics marketed to young women in their twenties. Tend to deal with more adult aspects of being a woman in contemporary Japan, including frank discussions about sex, dating, and being in the workforce. See Animefringe Review: Happy Mania for an introduction. My favorite category of manga.
Comics marketed to boys 6-16; typically "achievement-based stories characterized by individualism, competitiveness, and materialism"*. See Kodansha's Promising and Popular manga for boys. There is an emphasis on character growth through overcoming obstacles in sports, competitions, and other typical male modes of "battle".
Manga marketed to young men aged 18-20 and up. More graphic, often with more adult depictions of sex or violence. See Kodansha's Promising and Popular Manga for teenage boys.
A genre of shoujo manga that focuses on one or a group of young girls who are endowed with magical powers at the beginning of the series, usually by a magical talking animal or mysterious stranger. The heroine often transforms into a magical alter-ego with the aid of an item given to her, or discovered, that is cute and pretty and very often resembles a wand or piece of jewellery. Her purpose for transforming into superhero form can range from helping ordinary people with their problems to saving the world from supernatural menaces. See Henshin: the Mahou Shoujo Genre for an indepth history of this long-standing superheroine genre.
Homoerotic comics written by and for women. See Aestheticism for the various types. Formerly known as yaoi and shounen ai, terms which have dropped out of usage in Japan. The current term in use is "Boy's Love" or BL.
Sentai is Japanese for "task force" and is the name of a long-running series of "Ranger" shows that air each year in Japan. "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers" is the American version with which many English speakers are familiar. The formula involves an evil group of demons or aliens who want to conquer the Earth. A group of (usually 5) color-coordinated youths with martial arts skills is empowered to stop them. Episodes follow a pattern of ordinary scenes of civilian life, followed by monster-of-the-day being called, quick battle with the minions, finished up by summoning the obligatory giant robot to destroy the evil monster. If this sounds very much like the anime version of Sailor Moon, you're right! The Sailor Moon anime was the first blending of the "magical girl" and "sentai" genres. Many girls' superhero anime have since followed this popular formula. The live action Pretty Guardian Sailormoon is of the tokusatsu genre, featuring live action characters with special effects. As far as I know, it is the first tokusatsu series produced for girls.
Notes: Definitions of shoujo and shounen manga are inevitably drawn from the well of terms describing stereotypical gender roles. My definitions of girls' and boys' manga use terms describing the values of Belonging (feminine) and Enterprise (masculine) as found in Carol Lee Flinders' Rebalancing the World: Why Women Belong and Men Compete and How to Restore the Ancient Equilibrium. Flinders' book examines the values of Belonging (mutuality, cooperation, generosity) and Enterprise (individualism, competitiveness, materialism) and how Enterprise came to dominate. These two value systems are not intrisically gender-based, but were assigned to females and males following the Agricultural Revolution which led to the elevation of masculine Enterprise values over feminine Belonging values.