So for comic book fans from Japan, we also ve in the Czech Republic a cult manga. The One Piece comic is one of the comics every fan should have. It is a cult series where the boy Luffy wants to become a famous pirate.
The quest of the boy Luffy to find the Great Base left behind by the legendary Gold Roger is very funny and interwoven with many funny moments and especially even funnier adversaries.
While the cover of the book is in color, the content of the book is in black and white. There is no need to have color pictures for this kind of comic. It is very good that the creator makes do with only black and white. As they say there is beauty in simplicity and most importantly wit.
I am glad I got into this iconic series. Everyone raves about it, there are two series based on it, one of which is on Netflix. On the online service, we enjoy the live-action adaptations and there's one whole season of 8 episodes.
Book Rating: 100 %
Now on how to read manga, or Japanese comics
Reading manga can be a little confusing at first because it's different from reading Western comics. Here's how to read manga correctly:
- Book orientation:
- Manga is read from right to left, which is the opposite of Western books. The front of the manga is on the right side.
- Page Reading:
- Pages read from right to left. Start at the top right corner and work your way down and to the left.
- Read Panels (Frames):
- The panels on the page are also arranged from right to left and top to bottom. Start with the first panel in the top right corner of the page and continue to the left and down.
- Read bubbles with text:
- In each panel, read bubbles with text (dialogs) from right to left and top to bottom. If there are multiple characters with bubbles in a panel, read the bubble furthest to the top right first.
- Reading effects and sounds:
- Sound effects and text outside bubbles are often read like other text, from right to left. These effects may be Japanese, so you may come across katakana or kanji.
- Characters' direction of view:
- Be aware of which direction the characters are looking, this can help you orient yourself on the page and understand the plot.
- Checking the order of page numbers:
- To be safe, you can check the page numbers to make sure you are reading in the right direction. The page numbers will usually be located in the bottom corners of the page.
- Adjusting to the style:
- Each manga may have its own specific style of panel layouts and bubbles, so it may be useful to view the first few pages to get used to the way the manga is organized.
- Special formats:
- Some manga may contain special formats, such as double-page scenes that are read over both pages at once. These scenes are still read from right to left, but you must follow them across both pages as one large scene.
Photo: CREW Publishing Ltd
