Ever since manga made its debut in the U.S. during the 1980s, American companies have been grappling with the challenge of adapting this genre for their readers. This encompasses not only the distinct art and visual elements unique to Japan, but also a completely different reading system.
Today, manga enjoys immense popularity in the U.S. and is published in a form close to its original version: black and white, on affordable paper, to be read in the traditional Japanese style. But it wasn’t always this way.
The history of manga translation in the U.S. has been marked by starts and stops as publishers grapple with the challenge of presenting it to fans outside of Japan. When should they cater to American audiences? When should they prioritize faithfulness to the Japanese originals?
Striking the right balance is a delicate task, according to Frederik L. Schodt, one of the pioneering manga translators and the author of “Manga! Manga!: The World of Japanese Comics,” a significant contribution to manga studies.
“English readers should be able to enjoy the story without being conscious of it being a translation,” he explained. “However, it should also remain as faithful to the original as possible.”
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