Starting manga: shonen, shojo or seinen, and reading direction

Reading right to left

Japanese manga are read from right to left, and the English editions keep that. So you open the book with the spine on the right. On each page you read the panels from right to left and top to bottom, and the speech bubbles in that order too. The English text inside a bubble you simply read from left to right. If you open the book at the wrong end, you usually find a note from the publisher explaining the reading direction.

After a few pages it comes naturally. A volume collects the chapters that first appeared in a Japanese magazine, often weekly.

Shonen: adventure, sport and friendship

Shonen means "boy". These are series from magazines for boys and teens, such as Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump. They often revolve around adventure, fights, sport and friendship.

• Spy x Family 1 runs on Shōnen Jump+: a spy, an assassin and a girl who reads minds, as a fake family.
• Frieren 1 comes from Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday: an elf who lives on after the end of a heroes' quest.
• Haikyu!! 3-in-1, volume 1 is a volleyball series from Weekly Shōnen Jump.
• Blue Lock 1 is a football series from Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine.
• Demon Slayer 1 and Dragon Ball 1 also appeared in Weekly Shōnen Jump.
• Chainsaw Man 1 is shonen, but very violent. Check the age rating on the back.

Shojo and josei: relationships and feelings

Shojo means "girl". These series come from magazines for girls, such as Kodansha's Nakayoshi and Hakusensha's Hana to Yume. The story centres more on friendship, love and what the characters feel. Josei is the same for adult women.

• Sailor Moon 1 by Naoko Takeuchi appeared in Nakayoshi. Kodansha publishes it as the Naoko Takeuchi Collection.
• Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya appeared in Hana to Yume. Yen Press sells the whole series as a box set.
• Nana 1 by Ai Yazawa is about two young women with the same name in Tokyo. Viz now publishes it as the 25th Anniversary Edition.

Seinen: for adult readers

Seinen means "young man" and comes from magazines for adults, such as Kodansha's Morning. The stories are often slower and more serious, set in historical, crime or fantasy worlds.

• Vagabond Definitive Edition 1 by Takehiko Inoue follows the swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. It appeared in Weekly Morning.
• Witch Hat Atelier 1 by Kamome Shirahama runs in Morning Two: a girl who discovers that magic is drawn.
• The Apothecary Diaries 1 is Square Enix's manga from Monthly Big Gangan, about a young apothecary at the imperial court.

Single volumes, 3-in-1 or a box set

A series can be long: dozens of volumes. There are three ways to buy:

• Single volumes: one at a time. That is how you try a series with volume 1.
• 3-in-1 or omnibus: three volumes in one book. Viz calls it the 3-in-1 Edition, as with Haikyu!!; Kodansha calls it the Omnibus, as with Blue Lock Omnibus 1 with volumes 1 to 3.
• Box set: the whole series or a large part of it in one box, such as the Demon Slayer Complete Box Set with volumes 1 to 23. Useful once you know you want the series.

When you continue a series, stick to the same edition: a 3-in-1's numbering runs differently from the single volumes. All manga are under comics and graphic novels.

Age

Viz Media and Kodansha print an age rating on the back of their manga. Shonen and shojo were made for teens in Japan, but some series are very violent. Seinen and josei are for adults. If you are buying a manga for a child, check that rating first.