Manga About The Writer’s Life
Today on the blog, I’m delving into the wonderful world of manga once again! Since I did a recent post about bookish anime I was inspired to talk about manga about writers and the art of writing. I know a lot of readers who are also writers (including myself) and I wanted to share some recommendations of manga that explores the topic of writing. Hope you enjoy these picks!
Synopsis: A perky girl named Christie who falls in love with a Tall, Dark, and Snarky cosplayer over the course of three volumes, each of which involves one annual three-day anime convention. While the love story is the main focus of the book, in telling it the book deftly tackles the oddities of pop culture conventions, and the fans and people of the industry who attend them.
Dramacon is one of my favorite manga series that explores the daily events of an anime convention. The main character, Christie, is a writer of a manga which she sells at the convention, and the series chronicles her struggles of being a writer. She gets critiqued by one of her favorite writers and struggles to figure out what direction she should go in with the co-creator (artist) while trying to soak in as much as she can of the convention. It offers a small glimpse of creators that have booths at artist alleys during the convention.
Destiny or delusion? It’s a hilarious rollercoaster of laughter and confusion when Taishi, the ultimate otaku, drags his friend Kazuki into the swirling world of ambition, hatred, and love—the world of fan comics! Poor clueless Kazuki must sink or swim when he’s dumped straight into the middle of a massive comic convention. Lost amidst hoards of buyers, sellers, and cosplayers, Kazuki is about to be baptized by fire, all in order to lead him toward his true calling: to take over the world through fan comics!
To be honest, I’ve watched more of this anime than manga, but I wanted to include this manga here because the main character is a writer. Comic Party is a series about a group of friends/acquaintances and their journey through drawing, printing, and selling of their very own doujinshi (parodies of others’ works or original comics). It’s lighthearted, not too serious, and is an easygoing slice of life story for the most part.
Suzu Sakura is a lazy author who can’t keep a deadline, is twenty-four hours late to meetings, and falls asleep in the middle of crunch time-you name it! It seems like no one can keep her in line, but then she gets a new editor. Hasegawa’s a super-mega HOTTIE, but his temper runs just as hot. Though he scolds her endlessly and they’re quickly driving each other up the wall, will something bloom between this odd couple…?!An inside look at the manga industry, full of laughs and a little heartache!
To sum it up this manga is about a mangaka, Sakura, whose world is shaken up by a handsome new editor, Hasegawa, who starts to work with her. Even though she is loud and her imagination is always in overdrive, manga is her passion and that’s what drives her in her life and career. This series is very in-depth and I appreciated seeing the little details such as the writing process, making deadlines, and working with designers for the cover art. If you like stories about the heart of a mangaka I’d recommend it.
The zombie apocalypse has never been more surreal! A mentally unhinged manga artist witnesses the beginning of a zombie outbreak in Tokyo, and he’s certain of only two things: he’s destined to be the city’s hero, and he possesses something very rare in Japan–an actual firearm! Kengo Hanazawa’s award-winning series comes to Dark Horse, and this realistically-drawn international bestseller takes us from initial small battles for survival to a huge, body-horror epidemic that threatens all of humanity!
I Am a Hero follows the story of an aspiring comic artist in a zombie apocalypse who just can’t seem to get his big break. He’s kind of a loner, is dealing with writer’s block, and feels extreme jealously against big mangaka who are making it in the world. The story is mainly about a zombie apocalypse but it does feature a mangaka as the lead character. The art style is not my favorite but the story premise is definitely interesting. This is a manga geared more towards horror fans.
Asuka Masamune is a guy who loves girly things – sewing, knitting, making cute stuffed animals and reading shojo comics. But in a world where boys are expected to act manly, Asuka must hide his beloved hobbies and play the part of a masculine jock instead. Ryo Miyakozuka, on the other hand, is a girl who can’t sew or bake a cake to save her life. Asuka finds himself drawn to Ryo, but she likes only the manliest of men! Can Asuka ever show his true self to anyone, much less to the girl that he’s falling for?
This is series that is lighthearted but also talks about gender stereotypes. The conversation surrounding stereotypes plays a big role in the story and eventually, things shift to a more positive outlook. The two main leads of this manga series are not the writers, it’s instead Asuka and Ryo’s friend Juta. Under the pen name Jewel Sachihana, he is actually the author of Asuka’s favorite manga, Love Chick. Throughout the story, Juta will sometimes use Ryo and Asuka’s interactions as references for writing his manga.
I spent all my time wondering ‘what if,’ then one day I woke up and I was 33.” She’s not that bad-looking, but before she knew it, Rinko was thirty-something and single. She wants to be married by the time the Tokyo Olympics roll around in six years, but…that might be easier said than done! The new series by Akiko Higashimura erupts with sharp opinions on girls and tons of laughs!!
I thought this manga is relatable because it has themes of self-discovery and reflections on life. Rinko feels like she’s stuck and not progressing in life and her career as a scriptwriter. Rinko is our main character and the readers get a glimpse of what it’s like behind the scenes as she works on and pitches ideas for dramas (TV) that she works on. This series is silly, fun, and has many reflections about what paths we take in life.
What are some of your favorite manga about writers or the art of writing?
What a fantastic theme: now, of course, I want to read all of these!
Thanks! Hope you find a manga that you like.