Why I'm Enjoying Manga and Webtoons

It's not because of better stories!

Or at least not simply because of that.

It’s not because of reading on phones either.

I prefer my comics with a strong sense of movement, energy, visual storytelling, and emotional depth. Engagement without overwhelming me with dense text or slow pacing. The art, paneling, and character-driven moments are all things that for whatever reason happen more in manga and webtoons than American comic books.

But part of that pace comes from something else as well, translation!

Translations: Telling A Story To Your Audience

Translation and adaptations are more of an art than science. Even in one manga called Rokurei, characters speak in dialects as best guesses to how American readers would guess how they sound. The fonts as well as mannerisms play big into their…character. It leads to better engagement with more defined characters and personalities bouncing off of them.

That said, not every translation is created equal. I mentioned in other posts how translation with the Kamen Rider Kuuga manga had rather weak transitions at first. They were plain and kind of offset the pacing by a bit. Frankly the translator was in a bad position at the time and when lockdowns were lifted, things were looking better.

Meeting Your Audience

Meanwhile Webtoons focus big on pace while providing emotional depth to a vertical scrolling story. As such saying more with less and the right amount of context is crucial.

Laymen’s terms, no monologues or clunky dialogue allowed. They have to keep your reader’s patience by design.

Some Disclaimers

Now don’t get me wrong, some readers have preferences to how they consume their comics content.

Plus despite what some bad faith preachers would say. There are still manga out there that can bore audiences even after they get a “proper” translation. Personal experience talking with some Shonen Jump releases.

And despite some highly rated Webtoons, there were some that were just a chore to get through some days. No matter how efficient the pace, some things just aren’t going to click with readers.

But I will be the first to admit, in a lot of the comics I read, it’s hard not to go through bookshelves of stuff when stale pace or dialogue puts me to sleep. Compared to the above that is.

This A Generational Thing?

Honestly calling different comic forms better is a bit limiting. But you have to admit, in this day and age of finding your new favorite content, meeting your audience should take priority. Marvel and publishers on GlobalComix already get onto the vertical scrolling format.

But not every title under their banner has this treatment for one specific reason: only a few have proper pace. When everything’s on your phone, will a reader drop off if they think their time is better spent on Instagram?

Don’t read comics on your phone? Is that why half of the pacing on these print comics can feel like a slog to get through? No pressure to keep the pace?

Makes me wonder what other countries do to translate Western comics into other languages for devices. English is a pretty weird language to translate from.