Week 10: Ranma

Ranma

First off, I didn’t expect Ranma to read left to right because most manga I’ve read are the opposite,
so it makes me wonder if this was made for a western audience specifically. In terms of design,
attention is drawn to figures in action heavy sequences, with little emphasis on the background.
This manga is action packed, but due to the medium’s limitations, it is hard to determine exactly
what is going on at times. Dialogue accompanies particularly confusing actions to explain what’s
going on. 

I’ve read a lot of manga and I’ve noticed that children (12-16) are often the protagonists and often
sexualized. Not only are they sexualized, but they’re even drawn as adults (curvy, ‘stacked’, etc.).
It must be a cultural thing because apparently the age of consent in Japan is 13 (gross). 

One thing I liked in particular about this manga, and many others, is the humor. Japanese comics
can have the most random and silly jokes it’s almost impossible not to laugh.