<p>On the back of a lot of US manga there's an age guide.</p>

<p><strong>Y</strong> – Youth, Age 10+
Similar to a "PG" movie rating, the "Y – Youth, Age 10+" rating means that the title may contain mild violence and/or cursing.</p>

<p><strong>T</strong> – Teens, Age 13+
The manga rating equivalent of a "PG-13," "T - Teen" indicates that the comic's content may include some sexual innuendo and/or violent action scenes.</p>

<p><strong>OT</strong> - Older Teens, Age 16+
"OT - Older Teen"-rated manga may contain more explicit sexual situations and some violent scenes, including blood and gore.</p>

<p><strong>M</strong> – Mature, Age 18+
Manga rated "M - Mature" is strictly for adults. You can expect to find explicit sexual situations, strong language and / or bloody battles and mayhem.</p>

<p>You can usually find these ratings on the back cover, but occasionally they'll be on the front:</p>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/4KbBNs.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></p>

<p>The design changes with publisher so be aware they mightn't all look the same.</p>

<p>Personally, I think the best way to determine if a manga is appropriate is to flick through it yourself - if something undesirable occurs it's likely to happen a few times and you'll probably catch it skimming through. As she's 9 though, I'd say the <strong>Y</strong> tag is fine :)</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-28T23:20:57.917Z
(and if you want any specific recommendations, I'm sure we'd love to help on chat http://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/6697/maid-cafe- ) :)
Toshinou Kyouko
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-29T08:42:07.853Z
This is interesting to read. Does that mean that most shonen manga does not even fall under the Y and T category due to the bloody fighting scenes?
Peter Raeves
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-29T10:14:26.027Z
@PeterRaeves I think generally they're under T, but the more bloody ones would be yes. I think it's done similar to movie ratings
Toshinou Kyouko
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-29T23:55:26.343Z
From what I've seen, the age-level ratings often skew high; Tokyopop rated Aria at T, for ages 13+, even though it's about as bloody and sexual as Sesame Street, so the Y rating ought to be totally clean. And 100% agree that the best way for parents to gauge appropriateness is to look through it themselves.
Torisuda
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-30T06:32:49.433Z
@Torisuda I would agree, most manga seems to be in the OT section from what I've seen
Toshinou Kyouko
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-06-01T13:16:40.273Z
@Torisuda If it's like movies, I think Y/G are meant to indicate that it's hard to imagine ANYONE finding ANYTHING objectionable. Even most Disney animated movies are PG these days.
grovberg
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-06-01T19:42:13.763Z
@grovberg Well, I have a hard time imagining anyone finding anything objectionable in [Aria](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aria_%28manga%29)--I've seen far worse stuff in adverts displayed publicly to all of humanity, or even G-rated Disney movies like *The Lion King* or *Bambi*. The series is pure sweetness and optimism; there's nothing like Mufasa's death in it. But my comment was just meant to reinforce Toshinou Kyouko's statement anything in the Y rating will likely be 100% clean, since such seemingly innocuous stuff as Aria is rated as 13+.
Torisuda
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-28T23:19:59.640Z
2015-05-28T23:19:59.640Z
Toshinou Kyouko
<p>My personal answer to this question is for the parent to become involved in what the child reads as well.</p>

<p>This helps in two categories:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>You can find things you feel comfortable with your child reading.</p></li>
<li><p>You can share in the stories with your child, maybe not at the same level of emotional interest in the stories and characters, but you can have conversations about themes being discussed in the stories, etc.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>This is the same view I have on parenting and gaming. But that is another SE.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-11-15T06:10:27.400Z
2016-11-15T06:10:27.400Z
NZKshatriya
<p>On the back of the book it should say the rating. If the manga is more adults only it will have the black and white parental advisory sticker on it.</p>
<p>Y-10+: Is basically like a pg movie (Should be fine for ages 6 and over i would say)</p>
<p>T-13+: Very similar to a PG-13 movie (May have some fan service and a bit of gore)</p>
<p>OT-16+ A good example would be the popular manga called Berserk (Has some sexual situations, nudity and gore)</p>
<p>M (Mature)18+ These series have content strictly for adults and anyone who says otherwise is lying.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-09T00:44:53.847Z
2020-07-09T00:44:53.847Z
Jesse
<p>The <strong>content deemed acceptable for Japanese children generally differs</strong> from the concept in other countries; manga contains all genres of stories, so one cannot responsibly presume that just because a title was marketed at Japanese kids, that you would likewise consider it appropriate for your kid of the same age.</p>

<p>As one example:<br>
The popular girl's series <em>Sailor Moon</em> was published in the manga magazine <em>Nakayoshi</em>, which was marketed toward elementary school-age girls (1st through 6th grade). This series includes strong language, bullying, violence, death, war, genocide, refugees, lovers' suicide (more than once), non-consensual kisses (forced while awake, while asleep, while drunk), a father fondling his adult daughter while brainwashed, human/animal romance, demonic-style alien possession of human bodies, nudity, cross-dressing, a non-monogamous lesbian couple, and non-graphic sex resulting in teen pregnancy (the 90s anime version, also marketed toward children, also added wrist/ankle restraints for a <a href="http://www.btchflcks.com/2013/02/sexual-assault-subtext-in-sailor-moon.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">rape-like</a>, pain-inducing entering of victims).</p>

<p>There are many <strong>manga reviews</strong> on the web, including those that specifically <strong>for parents and teen/preteen/kid readers</strong> on what sort of possibly objectionable content is included in the title (such as strong language, violence, nudity, gender-bending, innuendo, sexual content, etc.) and what sort of general content you can expect (for example: horror, potty humor, serious themes like depression/body image/sexual orientation/prostitution/parental abandonment/bullying/suicide) and let you as the parent or the reader use your own judgment about whether a title fits what you deem appropriate at what age. Browsing reviews also allows you to seek out titles that reinforce and contribute to your family's values (such as traits of selflessness, generosity, celebration of uniqueness, etc.).</p>

<p>Some good starting places are:</p>

<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.abcb.com/parents/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">A Parent's Guide to Anime</a></li>
<li><a href="http://mangabookshelf.com/good-manga-for-kids/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Good Manga for Kids</a> at Manga Bookshelf</li>
<li><a href="http://blogs.slj.com/goodcomicsforkids/category/manga/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Good Comics for Kids</a> at School Library Journal</li>
<li><a href="http://noflyingnotights.com/category/mangaandanime/mangaandanime-kids/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Kids Manga</a> at No Flying No Tights</li>
</ul>

<p>Since you have a daughter, she may be especially interested in shoujo manga, which was written with the target audience of Japanese girls. Within shoujo, nearly all genres of stories are included; some titles are very cheerful and innocuous and teach a moral-of-the-day, others are dark and heavy. Good starting places to get informed are:</p>

<ul>
<li><a href="http://matt-thorn.com/shoujo_manga/japan_quarterly/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">What is Shoujo Manga?</a>, <a href="http://matt-thorn.com/shoujo_manga/whatisandisnt.php" rel="nofollow noreferrer">What Shoujo Manga Are and Are Not</a>, and <a href="http://www.matt-thorn.com/shoujo_manga/susume/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Recommended Shoujo Manga</a> by Matt Thorn, a professor in the Faculty of Manga at <a href="http://www.kyoto-seika.ac.jp/eng/edu/manga/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Kyoto Seika University</a> (one of the world's experts on shoujo manga)</li>
<li><a href="http://shoujo.tripod.com/intro.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">What is Shoujo?</a> at <a href="http://shoujo.tripod.com" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Energetic Heartbeats</a></li>
</ul>

<p>Some shoujo manga review sites are:</p>

<ul>
<li><a href="https://shojocorner.wordpress.com/2012/07/29/the-classics/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">The Classics</a> at <a href="https://shojocorner.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Shoujo Corner</a></li>
<li><a href="http://niko-niko.net/shoujo/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Emily's Random Shoujo Manga Page</a>  (despite its unassuming name, contains many detailed reviews)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.heartofmanga.com/review-index/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Heart of Manga</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.shoujosavvy.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Shoujo Savvy</a></li>
<li><a href="http://shoujomangarecs.tumblr.com/tagpage" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Shoujo Manga Recommendations</a></li>
<li><a href="http://romancemangareviews.tumblr.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Romance Manga Reviews</a></li>
<li><a href="http://kieuana.blogspot.jp/search/label/review" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Shoujo Manga Reviews</a></li>
<li><a href="http://shoujomanga-reviews.blogspot.jp/p/shoujo-manga-with-anime.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Shoujo Manga with Anime</a> at Anime Manga Reviews</li>
</ul>

<p>More general review websites include <a href="http://mangablog.mangabookshelf.com/category/reviews/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">MangaBlog</a> and <a href="http://www.kuriousity.ca/reviews/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Kuriousity</a>, and a Google search will find you many more.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-30T10:23:06.913Z
your description of *Sailor Moon* has reminded me about death and violence in western kids film: [Why *Finding Nemo* could be more traumatic for kids than *Pulp Fiction*](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/11296745/Why-Finding-Nemo-could-be-more-traumatic-for-kids-than-Pulp-Fiction.html).
jfs
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-11-16T02:24:29.850Z
I should've tried seeing reviews of anime/manga before I even started watching/reading them :( ... I got introduced to hentai really fast and it really changed stuff for me. I think I was twelve when I first saw it, and dude, it was terrifying!
Akira Mahisaseru
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-29T02:13:33.850Z
2018-03-17T04:49:55.680Z
2018-03-17T04:49:55.680Z
seijitsu
<p>I have a 9 year old daughter that has expressed some interest in manga, but I'm having trouble locating series that are appropriate for her age. No one at our local bookstore could offer any advice. Is there a kid-friendly imprint or other resource I could use to help her find something appropriate?</p>

<p>Clarification: I recognize that there's a lot of personal opinion wrapped up in what is considered appropriate. What I'm really hoping for is a way to narrow down my options so that I can make a judgement for myself.</p>

<p>My preference is for physical books but I'm willing to explore digital options. I see from the potential duplicate question notification that the Crunchyroll app may be an option.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-28T19:52:14.833Z
possible duplicate of [Looking for manga apps which filter out mature content](http://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/20621/looking-for-manga-apps-which-filter-out-mature-content)
Alagaros
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-29T02:24:22.987Z
@Alagaros, I do not think this is a duplicate because this question is not limited to apps, but rather inquires about the general practice of evaluating manga, which can include researching online; reading published guides, books, & scholarly articles; obtaining librarian recommendation lists; visiting bookshops and conventions; getting advice through local fan groups; etc.
seijitsu
<resources>
How can I identify child-appropriate manga?
# How can I identify child-appropriate manga?
Posted by: username_0 on 2015-05-28
I have a 9 year old daughter that has expressed some interest in manga, but I'm having trouble locating series that are appropriate for her age. No one at our local bookstore could offer any advice. Is there a kid-friendly imprint or other resource I could use to help her find something appropriate?

Clarification: I recognize that there's a lot of personal opinion wrapped up in what is considered appropriate. What I'm really hoping for is a way to narrow down my options so that I can make a judgement for myself.

My preference is for physical books but I'm willing to explore digital options. I see from the potential duplicate question notification that the Crunchyroll app may be an option.
**Tags:** resources
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: possible duplicate of [Looking for manga apps which filter out mature content](http://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/20621/looking-for-manga-apps-which-filter-out-mature-content)  
> **username_2**: @Alagaros, I do not think this is a duplicate because this question is not limited to apps, but rather inquires about the general practice of evaluating manga, which can include researching online; reading published guides, books, & scholarly articles; obtaining librarian recommendation lists; visiting bookshops and conventions; getting advice through local fan groups; etc.  
---
## 4 answers
### Answer by username_2 on 2015-05-29. Score: 47 | Accepted answer
The **content deemed acceptable for Japanese children generally differs** from the concept in other countries; manga contains all genres of stories, so one cannot responsibly presume that just because a title was marketed at Japanese kids, that you would likewise consider it appropriate for your kid of the same age.

As one example:  
The popular girl's series *Sailor Moon* was published in the manga magazine *Nakayoshi*, which was marketed toward elementary school-age girls (1st through 6th grade). This series includes strong language, bullying, violence, death, war, genocide, refugees, lovers' suicide (more than once), non-consensual kisses (forced while awake, while asleep, while drunk), a father fondling his adult daughter while brainwashed, human/animal romance, demonic-style alien possession of human bodies, nudity, cross-dressing, a non-monogamous lesbian couple, and non-graphic sex resulting in teen pregnancy (the 90s anime version, also marketed toward children, also added wrist/ankle restraints for a [rape-like](http://www.btchflcks.com/2013/02/sexual-assault-subtext-in-sailor-moon.html), pain-inducing entering of victims).

There are many **manga reviews** on the web, including those that specifically **for parents and teen/preteen/kid readers** on what sort of possibly objectionable content is included in the title (such as strong language, violence, nudity, gender-bending, innuendo, sexual content, etc.) and what sort of general content you can expect (for example: horror, potty humor, serious themes like depression/body image/sexual orientation/prostitution/parental abandonment/bullying/suicide) and let you as the parent or the reader use your own judgment about whether a title fits what you deem appropriate at what age. Browsing reviews also allows you to seek out titles that reinforce and contribute to your family's values (such as traits of selflessness, generosity, celebration of uniqueness, etc.).

Some good starting places are:

* [A Parent's Guide to Anime](http://www.abcb.com/parents/)
* [Good Manga for Kids](http://mangabookshelf.com/good-manga-for-kids/) at Manga Bookshelf
* [Good Comics for Kids](http://blogs.slj.com/goodcomicsforkids/category/manga/) at School Library Journal
* [Kids Manga](http://noflyingnotights.com/category/mangaandanime/mangaandanime-kids/) at No Flying No Tights

Since you have a daughter, she may be especially interested in shoujo manga, which was written with the target audience of Japanese girls. Within shoujo, nearly all genres of stories are included; some titles are very cheerful and innocuous and teach a moral-of-the-day, others are dark and heavy. Good starting places to get informed are:

* [What is Shoujo Manga?](http://matt-thorn.com/shoujo_manga/japan_quarterly/), [What Shoujo Manga Are and Are Not](http://matt-thorn.com/shoujo_manga/whatisandisnt.php), and [Recommended Shoujo Manga](http://www.matt-thorn.com/shoujo_manga/susume/) by Matt Thorn, a professor in the Faculty of Manga at [Kyoto Seika University](http://www.kyoto-seika.ac.jp/eng/edu/manga/) (one of the world's experts on shoujo manga)
* [What is Shoujo?](http://shoujo.tripod.com/intro.html) at [Energetic Heartbeats](http://shoujo.tripod.com)

Some shoujo manga review sites are:

* [The Classics](https://shojocorner.wordpress.com/2012/07/29/the-classics/) at [Shoujo Corner](https://shojocorner.wordpress.com/)
* [Emily's Random Shoujo Manga Page](http://niko-niko.net/shoujo/) (despite its unassuming name, contains many detailed reviews)
* [Heart of Manga](http://www.heartofmanga.com/review-index/)
* [Shoujo Savvy](http://www.shoujosavvy.com/)
* [Shoujo Manga Recommendations](http://shoujomangarecs.tumblr.com/tagpage)
* [Romance Manga Reviews](http://romancemangareviews.tumblr.com/)
* [Shoujo Manga Reviews](http://kieuana.blogspot.jp/search/label/review)
* [Shoujo Manga with Anime](http://shoujomanga-reviews.blogspot.jp/p/shoujo-manga-with-anime.html) at Anime Manga Reviews

More general review websites include [MangaBlog](http://mangablog.mangabookshelf.com/category/reviews/) and [Kuriousity](http://www.kuriousity.ca/reviews/), and a Google search will find you many more.
> **Comments:**
> **username_8** (2015-05-30): your description of *Sailor Moon* has reminded me about death and violence in western kids film: [Why *Finding Nemo* could be more traumatic for kids than *Pulp Fiction*](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/11296745/Why-Finding-Nemo-could-be-more-traumatic-for-kids-than-Pulp-Fiction.html).  
> **username_9** (2016-11-16): I should've tried seeing reviews of anime/manga before I even started watching/reading them :( ... I got introduced to hentai really fast and it really changed stuff for me. I think I was twelve when I first saw it, and dude, it was terrifying!  
---
### Answer by username_3 on 2015-05-28. Score: 18
On the back of a lot of US manga there's an age guide.

**Y** – Youth, Age 10+
Similar to a "PG" movie rating, the "Y – Youth, Age 10+" rating means that the title may contain mild violence and/or cursing.

**T** – Teens, Age 13+
The manga rating equivalent of a "PG-13," "T - Teen" indicates that the comic's content may include some sexual innuendo and/or violent action scenes.

**OT** - Older Teens, Age 16+
"OT - Older Teen"-rated manga may contain more explicit sexual situations and some violent scenes, including blood and gore.

**M** – Mature, Age 18+
Manga rated "M - Mature" is strictly for adults. You can expect to find explicit sexual situations, strong language and / or bloody battles and mayhem.

You can usually find these ratings on the back cover, but occasionally they'll be on the front:

![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/4KbBNs.jpg)

The design changes with publisher so be aware they mightn't all look the same.

Personally, I think the best way to determine if a manga is appropriate is to flick through it yourself - if something undesirable occurs it's likely to happen a few times and you'll probably catch it skimming through. As she's 9 though, I'd say the **Y** tag is fine :)
> **Comments:**
> **username_3** (2015-05-28): (and if you want any specific recommendations, I'm sure we'd love to help on chat http://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/6697/maid-cafe- ) :)  
> **username_4** (2015-05-29): This is interesting to read. Does that mean that most shonen manga does not even fall under the Y and T category due to the bloody fighting scenes?  
> **username_3** (2015-05-29): @PeterRaeves I think generally they're under T, but the more bloody ones would be yes. I think it's done similar to movie ratings  
> **username_5** (2015-05-29): From what I've seen, the age-level ratings often skew high; Tokyopop rated Aria at T, for ages 13+, even though it's about as bloody and sexual as Sesame Street, so the Y rating ought to be totally clean. And 100% agree that the best way for parents to gauge appropriateness is to look through it themselves.  
> **username_3** (2015-05-30): @Torisuda I would agree, most manga seems to be in the OT section from what I've seen  
> **username_0** (2015-06-01): @Torisuda If it's like movies, I think Y/G are meant to indicate that it's hard to imagine ANYONE finding ANYTHING objectionable. Even most Disney animated movies are PG these days.  
> **username_5** (2015-06-01): @grovberg Well, I have a hard time imagining anyone finding anything objectionable in [Aria](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aria_%28manga%29)--I've seen far worse stuff in adverts displayed publicly to all of humanity, or even G-rated Disney movies like *The Lion King* or *Bambi*. The series is pure sweetness and optimism; there's nothing like Mufasa's death in it. But my comment was just meant to reinforce Toshinou Kyouko's statement anything in the Y rating will likely be 100% clean, since such seemingly innocuous stuff as Aria is rated as 13+.  
---
### Answer by username_6 on 2016-11-15. Score: 1
My personal answer to this question is for the parent to become involved in what the child reads as well.

This helps in two categories:

1. You can find things you feel comfortable with your child reading.
2. You can share in the stories with your child, maybe not at the same level of emotional interest in the stories and characters, but you can have conversations about themes being discussed in the stories, etc.

This is the same view I have on parenting and gaming. But that is another SE.
---
### Answer by username_7 on 2020-07-09. Score: 0
On the back of the book it should say the rating. If the manga is more adults only it will have the black and white parental advisory sticker on it.

Y-10+: Is basically like a pg movie (Should be fine for ages 6 and over i would say)

T-13+: Very similar to a PG-13 movie (May have some fan service and a bit of gore)

OT-16+ A good example would be the popular manga called Berserk (Has some sexual situations, nudity and gore)

M (Mature)18+ These series have content strictly for adults and anyone who says otherwise is lying.
---
