The development and identity of East Asian comics is interlinked with each country’s history. The names of comic books vary by country: comic books from China, Japan, and Korea are called “manhua,” “manga,” and “manhwa,” respectively. A particular aspect of East Asian comic books are the story elements implemented in their comics, with many stories having individual genres and settings.
Manga
Manga was created in the 12th century with woodblock-printed pictures called “ukiyo-e,” according to the article “The History of Manga in Manga” from artsandculture.google.com. However, the first modern-style manga was drawn in the 1890s by cartoonist Ippyo Imaizumi. After World War II, a period of creative innovation started with manga demographics like “shounen,” aimed towards adolescent boys, and “shoujo,” targeting young girls, being made. Popular manga in both genres include Kohei Horikoshi’s “My Hero Academia” and “Sailor Moon” by Naoko Takeuchi, respectively.
Some traits associated with manga include black and white print, words and symbols to express emotions like pain and anger, and exaggerated facial features such as round eyes.
Manhwa
The first publication of manhwa in Korea was in the 1930-40’s and was influenced by manga due to the Japanese occupation, according to “The Rise of Manhua: Understanding the Popularity of Korean Comics” by Desi Monarch at medium.com. After Korea was freed from Japanese rule during the 1950-60’s, Korean graphic novel artists developed a new artistic identity focused on Korean history and culture. The most notable visual traits of manhwa include realistic, angular facial features and bright visual color palettes.
A notable genre used in manhwa is “murim,” which describes action stories set in medieval China. An example of manhwa from this genre is Biga’s “Return of the Blossoming Blade.”
Today, Manhwa’s prominence expanded thanks to the creation of digital comic publishing platforms available for individuals to use, such as Webtoon and Tapas. The former has also turned stories published on its website into physical books, including Yaongyi’s “True Beauty.”
Manhua
The oldest known form of manhua dates back to Song Dynasty China, which lasted from 960 to 1279, according to the medium.com article “A Peak into Chinese Comics” by Justin Yan. However, the earliest use of the term “manhua” dates back to around 1925 to refer to artist Feng Zikai’s ink paintings for the literature journal “Literature Weekly,” and later manhua that were usually published by literary journals and magazines, according to the article “Manhua as Magazine” from osu.edu.
A genre exclusive to manhua is the “xianxia” genre, which takes inspiration from traditional elements from Chinese culture. A popular xianxia manhua is “Heaven’s Official Blessing” by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu, which follows a once-human prince and a ghost king that the heavens fear. The manhua has also received an animated adaptation, available on Netflix.
Conclusion
The stylistic elements of East Asian comics create a distinctive identity that appeals to people worldwide. In addition, the historical development of East Asian comics has created many unique stories.
