In our Manga 101 series, we’ve covered a lot of manga-related topics. We looked at some commonly asked questions, explored demographic categories, reviewed several popular manga genres, and discussed related types of media. In our final Manga 101 post, we'll look at other manga-related materials the Free Library has to explore!

If you want to take a deeper dive into the history of manga, the Free Library has resources to learn more about famous artists, events, and developments throughout manga’s history. Check out One Thousand Years of Manga to learn more about manga’s history and cultural context, or try A History of Modern Manga to learn more about famous manga artists from the 1950s through the early 2020s. For a revisionist history that challenges conventional wisdom regarding manga’s origins, check out Comics and the Origins of Manga. Or for an even broader view, you can read about manga and other Asian comics in Mangasia at Parkway Central Library’s Art Department. 

If you want to know more about how manga is actually drawn, or you want to try drawing manga-style art yourself, there are plenty of books at the Free Library that will help you get started. Draw Manga Style: A Beginner's Step-by-Step Guide for Drawing Anime and Manga or The Practical Encyclopedia of Manga offers an introduction to drawing manga in general. If you want to learn to draw your favorite character, check out Manga 100: The Ultimate Guide to Drawing the Most Popular Characters. For tips on drawing specific types of manga styles, check out books like:

• Manga Now!: How to Draw Monsters & Mecha
• The Manga Fashion Bible: The Go-To Guide for Drawing Stylish Outfits and Characters
• Drawing Chibi: Learn How to Draw Kawaii People, Animals, and Other Utterly Cute Stuff
• Manga Mania Romance: Drawing Shojo Girls and Bishie Boys

And if you’re looking for a manga drawing guide for younger artists, try Young Artists Draw Manga.

Learning to draw manga isn’t the only thing you can learn in our manga-related resources. If reading manga has sparked an interest in Japan, A History of Japan in Manga can help you learn about the history of Japan, while Learn Japanese with Manga can help you learn the Japanese language. You can also find books about cosplay (such as A Guide to Manga, Anime and Video Game Cosplay) and makeup (Makeup Is Not (Just) Magic: A Manga Guide to Cosmetics and Skin Care), if you’re inspired to create your own cosplay of your favorite manga character!

The Free Library is constantly updating our manga collection with new releases and old favorites, so make sure to check out our online catalog, book lists, and the Free Library blog for up-to-date information about our manga and manga-related materials and resources.