The Importance Of Art In Manga.

Now how is art important in Manga? Well the question has a very obvious answer,we are a visual medium.Unlike Light Novels manga requires very good art to stay effective to most..Well cynical people.(Myself included.)

However the terms "Good" and "Bad" Are very subjective,especially when speaking about art.Now i myself cannot actually draw,but i have grown up on the medium of Manga.It was and still is my passion.I compare it to music producing.I may not be able to sing,but i sure know what sounds good.To be honest i don't think i can even judge art in Anime because i have grown up on Manga.Its been everything to me since i picked up a volume of Dragonball Z.

To try to show you what i consider good and bad,allow me to give you an example.

Good Example:



This is good art.This piece is taken from one of my favorite manga's,Deadman Wonderland.Just look at how everything on the character (Known as the Red Man) Is layered.Every single piece of cloth on him has wonderful detail,and everything in the backround is detailed enough so that you can notice it,but not to the point where it overpowers the focus of the Red Man.

Bad Example:



This is BAD art.This taken from Tokyo Ghoul,another one of my favorites...Well,its at the bottom of my favorites.Now why is this bad? Simple,it looks like a first draft.A prototype.The concept and groundwork for the art is there,but the product appears to be unfinished.Seriously how did this get through?

Anyway back to the point.

Art is also very important in manga because it makes up about 85-93% of what the actual book is.Chances our you are not going to enjoy looking at bad art while trying to read the book.

Its the reason why i consider the Attack On Titan anime technically better than the manga,the manga has TERRIBLE art! I had to slug through the volumes.And while it does get better by about volume 7,its still more than half of the volumes that are currently out (In english that is)

Hate to bring another picture out for you guys but..I just have to do this.



Now this one is tricky.Hajime Isayama (The writer and artist for the Manga.) Has a very controversial and subjective art style.I however am on the negative end,and i don't care for his art.

And here is why.He uses a tactic some manga artist use that i like to call-"Covering Fire." What is Covering Fire? Allow me to explain. Go back up and take a closer look at the Titans chest,arms,and facial features.Notice how it has all those lines,sort of a shaded kind of feel...?

Well if you do good,stay with me.This tactic is mostly used for detail purposes.And some artist believe that it adds more layers,and focus to the character.However i don't exactly agree with that.I will admit that it can however work,but its very rare.The only artist i can think of right off the top of my head that does this in a way i find very well done is Masashi Kishimoto.And hate to shove more pages of manga in your face,but i am forced to now give you another example.



Take notes Isayama,this is how "Covering Fire." Is used effectively.This works because of the context of the situation.A gigantic beast has just been revealed,and is about to be one of the biggest threats that the protagonist has ever faced.It works because of the sense of desperation and terror.A titan eating a person however..That's melancholy.In reality yes thats a terrible thing,but its the way YOU THE ARTIST treat it.This is fiction,not reality.Takeshi Obata proved that even writing a name in a note book (Granted the note book can take a life..) Can be suspenseful.

And this brings up another point.

Art in manga (And comics actually) Is all about how the artist treat the context,and situation.But in the Anime and the manga this scene is downplayed quietly.You don't need this much detail for something like this.

Also that brings up another...Actually i think i'm done,if i continue i risk going into rambling territory.So i will end this by asking you-The audience a question.

Do you feel that manga requires good art to stay effective,or do you feel that art is important,but not the main focus for its effectiveness?

That's it for me,see yah in another discussion.
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THIS ISAYAMA! This works,more of this please!

Image upload: 800x1141 totaling 242 KB's.

While I do enjoy the art in manga, I dunno if I can say definitively that art is as important as you are making it out to be. 

By looking only at art in manga, there are many great titles with great stories that could easily be overlooked.

I use Azumanga Daioh as an example.
The art isn't exactly great, but the story is great and the manga is very entertaining. 
If I had only looked at the art, I would have immediately dismissed this manga.
My first impression from flipping through the pages and seeing some of the mediocre art would have made me think it wasn't worth reading. 

I still gave it a chance though, and it is one of my favorites to this day. 

So, be careful not to dismiss a manga because of its art.
Although I didn't want to use the often over used adage, much can be said about not judging a book by its cover or cover art in this case.