Today, there are many areas in the art that are invaluable in the development of mankind. Some so far only appear and gradually develop, coming to the masses. Others are already very popular and bring fabulous income to their creators. One of the interesting and rapidly developing areas is manhwa, which originates in Japan.
What it is?
Manhwa are Japanese comics. However, you can find another name - manga. It is worth distinguishing it from anime - Japanese animation. It is believed that the Japanese borrowed the idea of creating comics from Western cultures, but Japanese residents painted cartoons and images of animals with ink thousands of years ago. These drawings were used for training and entertainment.
Manhwa audience
People of all ages are fond of manga, whether they are small children or elderly women. It helps to forget about everyday worries and plunge into the world of fantasies. Let's look at this direction in more detail.
Manhwa characters
Manhwa and anime tend to show students and office workers their daily lives. All characters from the past and future are imperfect, have their own habits and shortcomings. If the American heroes are credited with the fight against evil, then the Japanese are ordinary people who attend school, do their homework, and scandal with their parents. Characteristic of the characters lies in their psychic abilities or exotic friends. There is a stereotype that Japanese heroes have big eyes and thick hair. In the manga, this is not entirely true.
The basis is the dreams and hopes of the heroes. Korean manhwa, in addition, is a rather instructive work in which the actions of the characters always have consequences. When they make a mistake, they receive a lesson for the future. All heroes are alive, they grow, develop, gain new experience and knowledge. Negative characters change and become positive.
Japanese Manga Theme
As for the subject matter, the manhwa is far from American comics, there are no real phenomena like death. There is no absolute evil, even negative heroes have positive traits and the ability to change. Another feature of this direction is "technologization" - the combination of science and technology with the world of fantasy and fiction.
According to the Manhwa, life has a meaning that needs to be fought for, difficulties that can arise can be overcome, and painstaking work always bears fruit. Thanks to such simple and comprehensive themes, in combination with a good plot, the world of Manhwa arises.
What determines the popularity of manhwa?
To understand what this or that direction represents, it is necessary to trace its history. As you know, for a long time there are works of manhwa. Their story originates in Japan. And until now, images have been found in ancient tombs that are very similar to comics.
The main reason for the popularity of Japanese comics is the difficulty of local writing, since even now children are able to master a vocabulary sufficient to read books after only 12 years. For this reason, not only Japanese literature was created , but also its counterpart - retelling in pictures with small texts, where the whole meaning could be understood from the illustrations.
Tehzuka Osama contributed to the development of manhwa as one of the main directions of Japanese culture. And mass distribution began in the second half of the 20th century along with American comics.
Manhwa is printed according to the traditions of Japan from right to left and is drawn in black and white. Almost always, these are series that are published in 15-20 pages in magazines and newspapers. You can also find manhwa in separate volumes called tankobons. The person who draws the manhwa is called the "mangaka." Mostly texts are written and illustrations are created by one person, but in some cases groups of authors are included in the work.
There is also an amateur manhwa - this is "doujinshi." Mangaki themselves create illustrations for texts and even publish them at their own expense. In Japan, there are markets where you can buy amateur works. Some well-known mangaks started just like that, because in such places you can find your publisher.
Manhwa is a direction of the future that is becoming increasingly popular outside of Japan - in the USA, Germany, Poland and even enters the Russian markets.
Manhwa Past
About 30 years ago, it was believed that comics had a bad effect on students, and the shops where they were sold were perceived as places visited by unworthy people. Today, manhwa has become an effective tool in culture, mathematics, history and other industries.
In the 60-70s, the profession of an artist-animator was practically not quoted, and comics were associated with teenage crime. Today, everything has become completely different. Comics are gaining in popularity, a huge number of illustrated manuals are being printed. Some of them are even filmed.
Screen adaptations of manga
The most popular comic book among children and parents was The Thousand Magic Chinese Characters, thanks to which you can study the hieroglyphics, although this is not an easy task.
When the merits of manga became apparent to everyone, and the attitude to this business changed from prejudiced to enthusiastic, the comic book series Full House appeared. The film adaptation has become a hit abroad and has gained countless popularity with people of all ages.
Representatives of the cinema consider the transfer of comics to screens as a good way to promote the manhwa to the masses. In the 80s, Lee Hyun Xie’s book “The Baseball Monster Team” appeared on the screens. Then the world was the adaptation of Ho Yong Man's comic book "Thatcha" about gamblers and "Sikkek" about cooks. In modern times, Internet comics are becoming popular, such as Ikki, which Yoon Tae Ho filmed and attracted the famous movie stars of Korea to this process.
Manhwa in the visual arts
The Manhwa was also transferred to the visual arts, as evidenced by the Lee Chol Zhu exhibition in Seoul 33 + Collections. The organizer's goal was to bring the genre closer to art. The opening of the art market provided new opportunities in the field of such a business, as now the consumer has the opportunity to acquire amazing creations. Manhwa will never again return to the times when it was considered a base culture.
Manhwa art market is an exhibition of genuine works in the comic genre, which can be purchased as full-fledged paintings. The name of the exhibition was not chosen by chance. 33 + Collections means 33 famous masters plus several little-known promising artists. Here you can find not only new works, but also works of past years. Comic books, drawings, sketches - all this can be found at the exhibition, which, by the way, was the first such event in history. The best manhwa will decorate any interior.
Since the year 73, the international city of Angouleme has been organizing international comic book festivals with auctions. The largest collection of works is in the same place at the Museum of Comics and has about 8 thousand works.
So, manhwa is Korean comics, the history of development of which dates back to the distant past, but is already taking its roots into the future.