青幻舎 SEIGENSHA Art Publishing

A diverse profusion of essay manga—first-person accounts of the author’s life or experiences—is to be had in today’s Japan, particularly on social media. The content out there is so vast and varied, in fact, that it seems as though there’s nothing anymore that the genre doesn’t cover; but what makes it so popular? This guide looks at the evolution and spread of essay manga and explores the appeal of standout titles in the genre—titles that deliver healthy doses of “medicine” of all sorts to us in today’s world, from laughter to knowledge to empathy and empowerment and healing.

Features twenty-seven manga artists
Sakura Momoko, Yamagishi Ryoko, Saibara Rieko, Aonuma Takako, Uchida Shungicu, Ito Risa, Yoshida Sensha, Anno Moyoco, Kera Eiko, Oguri Saori, Takagi Naoko, Masuda Miri, Nohara Hiroko, Hosokawa Tenten, Tabusa Eiko, Higashimura Akiko, Fukumitsu Shigeyuki, Yoshimoto Koji, Seino Toru, Mankitsu, Yamamoto Saho, Nagata Kabi, Yabe Taro, Tsudui, Mamekichi Mameko, Mame, Gregory Aoyama

Partial contents
Chapter 1. Exploring the Roots of Essay Manga
Chapter 2. The Birth of Essay Manga
Chapter 3. The Emergence of the “Comic Essay”
Chapter 4. No Bounds, No Limits: Essay Manga Today
The Birth of the Comic Essay: Untold Stories from the Editorial Trenches (interview with Matsuda Noriko)
50 Prescriptions of Essay Manga for Us Today (essay-style catalogue of essay manga)

Contributors
Kawahara Kazuko (manga essayist)
Takeuchi Miho (associate professor, Department of Design, Faculty of Fine Arts, Seisa Dohto University)
Kuramochi Kayoko (curator, Kyoto International Manga Museum)
Ishii Akane (curator, Kitakyushu Manga Museum)
Niimi Takuma (curatorial staff member, Kyoto International Manga Museum)
Yoshimura Kazuma (professor, Faculty of Manga, Kyoto Seika University)
Omote Tomoyuki (researcher, Kitakyushu Manga Museum)
CJ Suzuki (associate professor, Baruch College, City University of New York)
Saiga Tadahiro (associate professor, Anime and Manga Department, Kaishi Professional University)
Yamada Tomoko (staff member in charge of exhibits, Yoshihiro Yonezawa Memorial Library of Manga and Subcultures, Meiji University)
Yoo Sookyung (lecturer, Faculty of Global Culture, Kyoto Seika University)

The Kyoto International Manga Museum is a museum and library devoted to manga. It collects, preserves, and shows manga, conducts research on manga culture, and holds related exhibitions and events.