How to read manga

From right to left. Open the book from what Western readers think of as the back cover, so the spine is on your right. On each page start at the top-right panel and move left, then down to the next row. Speech bubbles are read the same way. English editions keep this layout so the art is not mirrored.

Japanese is written and read from right to left, so manga is bound and read that way. Publishers keep the original orientation so the artists’ layouts work as drawn. What you would call the back cover is the front, and the last page is the first. It is not backwards, just the other direction.

Start with the top-right panel and move across the row to the left. Then go to the row below and repeat, again from right to left. If a tall panel spans several rows, read it where it starts, then continue with the neighbor to its left. The diagram above shows the path.

A chapter is one installment that first appeared in a magazine or on a website. A volume, also called a tankobon, is a paperback that collects several chapters. The number of chapters in a volume and the number of volumes in a series vary from one series to the next, so check the listing.

Choose a genre you already like and start with volume 1. One Piece, Spy x Family, My Hero Academia, Fullmetal Alchemist and Demon Slayer are popular first series. Check the age rating printed on the cover. If you enjoy volume 1, buy the next two or three before you commit to a long run.

Some of it. Publishers print an age rating on each book, such as All Ages, Teen or Mature, so check it. We keep most manga in our teen band or above, with a few early picks for younger readers. Read the description and look at a few pages before buying for a child.