Manga is an umbrella term for a wide variety of comic books and graphic novels originally produced and published in Japan. Unlike American comic books, which are usually printed in full color, Japanese manga are almost always published in black and white. Full-color prints are often only used for special releases.

Japanese manga is read right-to-left rather than left-to-right, which is the norm for English language publications.

What is the difference between manga and anime?

Anime is yet another umbrella term for all forms of animation created and published in Japan. When most people hear the word 'anime,' they think of adaptations of manga series, such as Dragon Ball Z and Sailor Moon. Both television shows boosted the popularity of Japanese anime in the west when they aired on American TV during the 1990s.

If a manga series is popular enough, it might then become an anime, as was the case with both Dragon Ball and Sailor Moon. In some cases, the opposite is true; a popular original anime will be given a manga adaptation. However, the two terms are not interchangeable.

Anime is animation. Manga is print. That is the difference.

Useful Resources

Here are a few websites to check out some reviews of different manga or to see age ratings:

No Flying No Tights: https://noflyingnotights.com

Common Sense Media: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/