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That's nice ADK. Too deep, but nice. I want to meet the guy who does Saikano.

I understood all the words, but it was quantity not quality that got me.

yes, please. keep it that way. cause if america tries to do something about it, then me and the goverment are going to have words......

Okay, you know what? I'm getting sick of the discrimination. Manga and American Comics are two very different takes on this medium of storytelling. Stylistically, they are vastly different, and I mean that not just in the way of "manga has big eyes and comics don't".This is explored ad nausium in this article:

http://www.imageandnarrative.be/narratology/aarnoudrommens.htm

While Japanese vs. American is not discussed in ths blog, the style and layout is discussed very well in a multatude of articles. This is good for understanding that the manga style is much more than just big eyes and pink hair.

http://telophase.livejournal.com/113219.html#cutid1

And is explained in fairly simple terms in this blog (the comments are where Comic vs. Manga is discussed, befor that is an analysis of the page layout of Saiyuki vol. 1-3):

http://www.livejournal.com/users/kate_nepveu/114625.html?thread=888513

And if you PM about it, I can dish out several other sources.

Anyway, my point is American manga isn't the same thing as American Comics. American Manga follows the Japanese page layout while comics follow the American. It is more than just a blending of styles or a change in the location of its production. If a mangaka moved to America and started putting out comics, people wouldn't call it a comic, they'd call it a manga. Same goes for it Marvel decided to relocate to Japan. There is so much more to it than the style of the art used. I repeat, manga in no way ='s American comics, and vice versa. That is an oversimplification that I no longer believe, nor do I think anyone should be led to beleive.

( wahmbulance If you really don't care, stop reading now, because a long winded rant is coming your way. wahmbulance )

On the other side, I whole heartedly agree that most American manga does suck. The problem is that in American comics, the focus is the story. In many, there are actually captions to every frame, explaining it. Because of this focus on narratives and storylines, the art gets shoved to 2nd priority. So, when you take away that element and move into manga, it's a huge shift in style because the focus is now solely on the art, and the quality is expected to be higher. In manga, events aren't explained to you, you see them in the picture and are expected to understand what's going on. A lot of artists have trouble over coming this, myself included.

Also, page layouts are vastly different. while comics have a fairly rigid standard for frame layout, manga has absolutely no standard. In manga, frames change depending on what's going on, as well as what looks the best and is the easiest to read. I know from personal experience that it takes a lifetime to master manga style page layout. Combine these obsacles and it can be extremely difficult to learn. Not to mention that in America it is much harder to get involved in manga and to find a skilled mangaka to learn from, so many aspiring mangaka are left to figure it out for themselves. And that, my friends, is why most American mangas suck.

Wow...I was just reading back to the first post I made in this thread almost a year ago. I sure have come a long way, huh? wink Wow...you never realize how much you change in a year until something like this happens. sweatdrop

Thank you! *bows* Your support is most gratifying.