Discovering Manga in Japan
When I got to Japan, one of my missions was to hunt down a manga not obtainable physically anywhere else, and I am happy to say I was successful!
Manga Space offers a nice area to chill with your favourite manga at Dormy Inn Ueno Okachimachi, Tokyo.
It goes without saying that there is a culture and appreciation for comics in Japan that is very different to back home in the UK.
I noted people openly reading both physical and digital manga books on the train, killing time on their commutes. At the last hotel I stayed at during my trip, they even had a manga library, chock-full of a variety of manga stories that you could enjoy with an ice cream or beverage after spending time at the onsen.
It would be the equivalent of having a library dedicated to Dark Horse, 2000 AD and Marvel comics for you to browse at your leisure in your nearest Premier Inn or Travelodge.
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For anyone who happens to be unfamiliar with manga, they are, in short, comics!
The word manga 漫画 (katakana: マンガ; hiragana: まんが) is composed of two kanji:
漫 (man) meaning "whimsical or impromptu"
画 (ga) meaning "pictures"
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So these impromptu or whimsical pictures are, in short, a visual form of storytelling. Manga’s roots are international, as manga is a term used for comics, graphic novels and cartooning, but it is a word used to describe Japanese comics and cartoons in particular, or those drawn in the style of Japanese comics.
The fantastical dimension is very much evident in manga. Mangaka, or manga artists, not only create the drawings but also the story behind them, and there are so many genres out there, but some of the most popular ones involve a sense of magic, fantasy or eccentricity.
European, American, and Japanese comic traditions have followed different paths in terms of how they are created, edited and published for mass consumption, so initially I was unsure what I was looking for. For Westerners, manga is generally sold and bought in individual volumes, but I knew the name of the manga story I wanted, and that was The Jet Black Hedgehog: Shadow the Hedgehog.
So my hunt began, but I didn’t have to look too hard…
On my fifth day in Japan, and towards the end of my second day based in Kyoto, I decided I needed to feed myself after a long day exploring the full length of Fushimi Inari Taisha. After wondering around for a period of time in Kyoto Porta, which is an underground centre of shops, cafes and restaurants beneath Kyoto bus and subway station, I settled on queueing patiently for nearly an hour at Kanazawa Maimon Sushi, and I wasn’t disappointed. You can tell by the number of plates piled high that I highly recommend it!
Each plate had a beautiful message or inspiring life affirmation design on it.
The top plate reads: “Even in life the wind blows hard. Wild flowers bloom everywhere”.
Very profound.
Anyway, after consuming my weight in sushi, I visited a Kumazawa Book Store (more or less opposite the restaurant) on the off chance that they had the manga I was looking for. There was a great range of books, magazines and manga, all clearly presented, with a cute and unusual stationery section too.
Kumazawa Book Store in Kyoto Porta
Prior online research told me that The Jet Black Hedgehog: Shadow the Hedgehog was printed in CoroCoro Comic (katakana: コロコロコミック, pronounced KoroKoro Komikku - which is very cute to say out loud).
CoroCoro is a Japanese children’s manga anthology published by Shogakukan. It was established in 1977 and several of its properties, like Doraemon and Pokémon, have gone on to be cultural phenomena in Japan.
Coro Dragon is the mascot of CoroCoro Comics. It says “share this article!”
Fun fact: The name CoroCoro comes from the Japanese phenomime korokoro (hiragana: ころころ) which means "rolling". It also represents something spherical, fat, or small.
CoroCoro regularly promotes toys and video games related to their manga franchises, releasing stories and articles featuring them. In this case The Jet Black Hedgehog: Shadow the Hedgehog (漆黒のハリネズミ シャドウ・ザ・ヘッジホッグ, pronounced Shikkoku no harinezumi Shadou za Hejjihoggu - also cute to say out loud) is inspired by the latest Sonic the Hedgehog video game, Sonic X Shadow Generations, which follows the character Shadow and his story.
After some reading online, it turned out that Sonic isn’t that popular in Japan, so this manga’s “goal”, alongside entertaining it’s readership, was to introduce a new generation of Japanese fans to the video game series.
Anyway, back to my search through Kumazawa Book store!
I found it! CoroCoro Comic November 2024 issue, piled high alongside other manga and books.
I was overjoyed to have found what I was looking for. As you can perhaps tell, I am a Sonic fan.
The anthology is a thick book, and comes with free items. In this case, it was a Duel Monster trading card game, other trading card packs, posters and a Kirby sticker. Very generous at 700 yen.
The cover itself is literally covered in characters and text. It’s visually communicates that it’s actioned packed, full of many stories to enjoy.
After a sweet and slightly embarrassing exchange with the shop assistant (I gave her way too much yen for the comic, for which she laughed with me as I apologised, saying that said I was very tired in Japanese) I was now in possession of the ultimate manga!
The cover for chapter 2 of The Jet Black Hedgehog: Shadow the Hedgehog, written and illustrated by mangaka Yuki Imada.
I was hoping to have got my hands on chapter 1 of this serialised story, but CoroCoro Comic is released monthly with new issues on the 15th of each month, so I had just missed out. Regardless, I was over the moon that I had found it during my adventures in Japan.
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I will not be sharing images from the manga, as that would be a clear violation of copyright, but you can take my word for it that The Jet Black Hedgehog: Shadow the Hedgehog (along with all the other stories) is beautifully and comically illustrated.
If the manga turns out to be popular enough, hopefully it will make it’s way to the rest of the world in time!
