By: Peggy Sue Wood | @pswediting

Last October, I ordered a Kindle copy of The Shonen Jump Guide to Making Manga, a new book that delves into the art of creating manga. It was heavily advertised on MyAnimeList as well as promoted on Crunchyroll’s various Industry Panels, so I thought I’d give it a try.

As I began skimming the opening pages, I couldn’t help but feel like I’d seen it all before. The design was unique, but much of the opening content seemed lackluster and, dare I say, repetitive of works I’d seen before. Based on first impressions, I thought it would be another run-of-the-mill guidebook, much like Scott McCloud’s books on making and understanding comics, or Hirohiko Araki’s Manga in Theory and Practice: The Craft of Creating Manga.

I set the book aside in my Kindle Library and figured I would return, eventually, but was not very motivated to do so right then. However, despite my initial reservations, I recently decided to give the book a proper read, and I’m glad I did.

The Shonen Jump Guide to Making Manga is not just another how-to book; it’s a reference guide that provides insight into the manga industry from a creator and editorial perspective. Instead of teaching readers how to draw, the book focuses on the industry side of things, such as the tools of the trade and how people enter the industry in Japan. It also features commentary by famous authors who work with Shonen Jump, such as Kohei Horikoshi (My Hero Academia) and Tatsuki Fujimoto (Chainsaw Man).

What sets this book apart for me (beyond its informative text), is its unique style. Much of the book reads like a transcription of interviews or e-mail exchanges, and the editors make sure to include different perspectives. For example, in the storyboard section, the editors collect samples from various creators for a prompt and provide commentary from said creators on the process of storyboarding and what they felt was important to include or leave out.

I liked that the editors break the information down so clearly. I also like how they have grouped certain creators, as well as the format of this particular style. It definitely doesn’t feel like a book when reading—rather, it feels more like an editorial magazine regarding writing, art, and business topics of the manga industry today that the creators and editors seem to think are important for newer people hoping to enter the industry to understand. I think that the book offers a fresh perspective on the world of manga that is usually only seen in snippets of interviews and articles. While some of the content may not be well suited for the comic industry in the West, many of the tips and comments in this book overlap with the same advice given to those wanting to enter the US-based comic industry. Like the suggestion of getting familiar with available digital tools and practicing art by copying the styles of those you admire.

Overall, I rate this book a 9/10 for the unique style and approach that the creators and editors take in their collection of information. Minus one because all of this information was probably available online already to some degree.

The book is available for roughly $11 as a digital version and $20 for a paperback copy on Amazon, and given the content of the book, I find this to be a great addition to one’s library, particularly if you are interested in better understanding the manga industry from an editorial/creator perspective. I personally would recommend getting the digital version for ease of access and lower cost since it is more of a reference guide for the industry now than it is a collectible work.

TL/DR: Worth buying a digital copy if you are interested in better understanding the manga industry from an editorial/creator perspective and are new to comic creation.

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Copyedited by: Katherine Cañeba | @kcserinlee