<p>I'm not sure there is a specific answer to this. As you acknowledge, different artists have different styles. Both Japanese and western books vary from "cartoony" to "realistic". There are cultural differences seen in the art, such as in Japanese media adults often smoke, while in American media, they seldom do -- definitely not in titles geared to children. (Maybe they do in French media; that's why I switched from "western" to "American".)</p>

<p>Hell, sometimes an artist has extremes in his own work; consider Yoshiro Togashi and his "bad days" on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter_%C3%97_Hunter" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Hunter x Hunter</a>.  Here is a comparison of a page that got published in the weekly mag, versus how he improved it for the HxH volume:</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/kQnNK.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/kQnNK.png" alt="poorly drawn page on left, well-drawn on right"></a></p>

<p>Is the left even identifiable as manga vs comic book (vs fan art)? On the right, the main clue as to being a manga, at least to me, is the eyes of the upper right character. Otherwise it could be from a (somewhat dark) American funny-animal comic book, a la "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_the_Cat" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Fritz the Cat</a> visits a jungle".</p>

<p>Let's look at another page:</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/gsEC4.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/gsEC4.jpg" alt="First Kingdom, Book 6 cover"></a></p>

<p>Is there anything innately Japanese or western concerning <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Katz_(artist)" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Jack Katz</a>' work on <em>The First Kingdom</em>? If I didn't already know, I could not tell anything except that he is a remarkable artist (a mangaka in every sense of the word except his nationality). ... Hmm, maybe in Japan they would have to fade-out all the nipples.</p>

<p>I myself instantly recognize manga because the pages have to be read from right to left. The other instantly recognizable hint is that manga are typically b&amp;w, whereas western comics are usually color.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-02-09T23:00:25.267Z
2017-02-10T00:06:40.917Z
2017-02-10T00:06:40.917Z
RichF
<p>well to me It's more about the lack of details. Be-sided the obvious eyes (tough they come in different styles) the main deference to me between comics and manga it's the lack of realism.  Comics use a lot of details in the hair, eyes, shading, and body...making the characters look more realistic. But in Manga for example they gather a bunch of hair into two line strokes and gives volume with shading, a vary cleaner look to the character. Idk, just less realistic I suppose. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-12T03:57:32.470Z
2017-03-12T03:57:32.470Z
ferrethause
<p>If you do research you will find that the Japanese consider animation such as cartoons and anime to all be anime but some styles are usually seen separately.</p>

<p>www.crunchyroll.com/forumtopic-807827/the-anime-is-a-cartoon-argument</p>

<p>The main difference is the age.  What we call cartoons are things aimed at kids, while anime is usually aimed at older people as well as young but the so called cartoons pokemon and yugioh are anime.</p>

<p>The thing is us Americans just separated everything.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anime" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Definition of Anime by Merriam-Webster</a></p>

<blockquote>
  <p>a style of animation originating in Japan that is characterized by stark colorful graphics depicting vibrant characters in action-filled plots often with fantastic or futuristic themes.</p>
  
  <p>a simple drawing showing the features of its subjects in a humorously exaggerated way, especially a satirical one in a newspaper or magazine.
  synonyms:   caricature, parody, lampoon, satire; More</p>
  
  <p>a motion picture using animation techniques to photograph a sequence of drawings rather than real people or objects.</p>
</blockquote>

<hr>

<p>if it helps most of the cartoons we have in america are made in japan.and all of this started in japan.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-12-12T05:35:25.313Z
You're answering the question "What defines anime?", not the actual question "What defines the art style of anime?".
Torisuda
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-12-09T16:34:48.440Z
2016-12-11T19:16:26.570Z
2016-12-11T19:16:26.570Z
CRAIG JONES
<p>Even though manga has lots of different art styles we still have an idea that certain styles are "manga style" and other ones aren't. What is it about an art style that lets us know it's manga style? What elements reappear across many manga? What distinguishes our idea of manga style from our idea of Western comics style? </p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/ZqLhM.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/ZqLhM.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-04-02T20:17:09.137Z
To perhaps hint at the difficulty in answering this question, the picture you included doesn't really look like manga to me at all. In fact, the "manga-style" drawings on the top look more like 1980s American cartoons like GI Joe or Chuck Norris Karate Kommandos, whereas the "realistic" drawings on the bottom remind me of older fighting manga, like Fist of the North Star.
Torisuda
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-04-02T22:46:50.507Z
Yah, those illustrations don't look like they're trying to distinguish between manga and western comics. Instead they look like they're distinguishing between more realistic and less realistic comic styles.
Ross Ridge
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-04-02T22:58:48.793Z
Well, then just ignore this image.
ClassicEndingMusic
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-04-02T23:45:19.270Z
This is a very interesting question - but, as Torisuda points out, a difficult one to answer. In particular, there are many levels on which we can distinguish manga from other comic art - panel layout, character design, "framing" of "shots", speech bubble placement, use of color (or lack thereof), use of onomatopoeia (Japanese notwithstanding), screentones/shading, and beyond.
senshin
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-04-03T06:27:48.827Z
@ton.yeung I assume you're implying that the categorization is arbitrary and the only way to distinguish manga from Western comics is to yield to the popular vote or the opinion of recognized authorities. But the question actually asks specifically how to tell from the art style. The answer might be "you can't tell from the art style alone, it's purely definitional", but the OP did specifically ask how to tell *from the art style*, whereas your comment relates to how to tell *in general*. From your tone I gather you find that a stupid question, but that isn't actually what the OP asked.
Torisuda
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-04-03T23:56:25.120Z
@ton.yeung This discussion is fascinating, and unfortunately these comments are too small to contain it. I think there's a difference between "manga" and "the manga art style". Manga is manga because we say it is; as you point out, the spectrum of art styles in real manga is diverse, from the cartoonish One Piece to the baroque CLAMP, from the soft and fluffy shoujo look of *Honey So Sweet* to the odd juxtaposition of caricature and realism that we see in *Onward to Our Noble Deaths*. But I still argue there is some archetype in our minds of "manga style art"...
Torisuda
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-04-03T23:58:53.773Z
...otherwise we wouldn't be able to say that Legend of Korra is "manga style" and Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt is "not manga style" even though the latter is Japanese and the former is not. While the OP perhaps didn't express it in the best way, I see this question as asking "what are the defining traits of that archetype of manga art?", not "What's a magical test that can always let me tell I'm reading a manga just from looking at the art?", which is, as you say, an impossible and futile goal.
Torisuda
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-04-04T04:01:25.567Z
@ton.yeung I made a small edit that I hope clarifies the question. I'd like to add some of this material we discussed here in the comments, but I'm wary of adding a bunch of stuff and distorting the OP's question into my own.
Torisuda
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-20T06:40:15.153Z
http://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/13256/what-differentiates-manga-from-other-comics
Darjeeling
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-02-09T21:50:31.403Z
If you haven't read [*A Drifting Life*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Drifting_Life) by Yoshihiro Tatsumi (his autobiography) before, you definitely should. It describes the evolution of manga from the 1945-1960, and this question is one of the overarching themes.
HotelCalifornia
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-12-14T15:30:42.270Z
It might be worth to move / ask  this question to https://crafts.stackexchange.com/ since one could argue it is in the same league as, what defines cubism or impressionism? Afaik, art in respect of history usually found distinct features in style of paintings and painters although with of course blurry lines between. I expect nothing less for this question too.
Bort
<manga-production><manga-history>
What defines the art-style of Japanese manga?
# What defines the art-style of Japanese manga?
Posted by: username_0 on 2016-04-02
Even though manga has lots of different art styles we still have an idea that certain styles are "manga style" and other ones aren't. What is it about an art style that lets us know it's manga style? What elements reappear across many manga? What distinguishes our idea of manga style from our idea of Western comics style?

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/ZqLhM.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/ZqLhM.jpg)
**Tags:** manga-production manga-history
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: To perhaps hint at the difficulty in answering this question, the picture you included doesn't really look like manga to me at all. In fact, the "manga-style" drawings on the top look more like 1980s American cartoons like GI Joe or Chuck Norris Karate Kommandos, whereas the "realistic" drawings on the bottom remind me of older fighting manga, like Fist of the North Star.  
> **username_2**: Yah, those illustrations don't look like they're trying to distinguish between manga and western comics. Instead they look like they're distinguishing between more realistic and less realistic comic styles.  
> **username_0**: Well, then just ignore this image.  
> **username_3**: This is a very interesting question - but, as Torisuda points out, a difficult one to answer. In particular, there are many levels on which we can distinguish manga from other comic art - panel layout, character design, "framing" of "shots", speech bubble placement, use of color (or lack thereof), use of onomatopoeia (Japanese notwithstanding), screentones/shading, and beyond.  
> **username_1**: @ton.yeung I assume you're implying that the categorization is arbitrary and the only way to distinguish manga from Western comics is to yield to the popular vote or the opinion of recognized authorities. But the question actually asks specifically how to tell from the art style. The answer might be "you can't tell from the art style alone, it's purely definitional", but the OP did specifically ask how to tell *from the art style*, whereas your comment relates to how to tell *in general*. From your tone I gather you find that a stupid question, but that isn't actually what the OP asked.  
> **username_1**: @ton.yeung This discussion is fascinating, and unfortunately these comments are too small to contain it. I think there's a difference between "manga" and "the manga art style". Manga is manga because we say it is; as you point out, the spectrum of art styles in real manga is diverse, from the cartoonish One Piece to the baroque CLAMP, from the soft and fluffy shoujo look of *Honey So Sweet* to the odd juxtaposition of caricature and realism that we see in *Onward to Our Noble Deaths*. But I still argue there is some archetype in our minds of "manga style art"...  
> **username_1**: ...otherwise we wouldn't be able to say that Legend of Korra is "manga style" and Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt is "not manga style" even though the latter is Japanese and the former is not. While the OP perhaps didn't express it in the best way, I see this question as asking "what are the defining traits of that archetype of manga art?", not "What's a magical test that can always let me tell I'm reading a manga just from looking at the art?", which is, as you say, an impossible and futile goal.  
> **username_1**: @ton.yeung I made a small edit that I hope clarifies the question. I'd like to add some of this material we discussed here in the comments, but I'm wary of adding a bunch of stuff and distorting the OP's question into my own.  
> **username_4**: http://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/13256/what-differentiates-manga-from-other-comics  
> **username_6**: It might be worth to move / ask  this question to https://crafts.stackexchange.com/ since one could argue it is in the same league as, what defines cubism or impressionism? Afaik, art in respect of history usually found distinct features in style of paintings and painters although with of course blurry lines between. I expect nothing less for this question too.  
> **username_5**: If you haven't read [*A Drifting Life*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Drifting_Life) by Yoshihiro Tatsumi (his autobiography) before, you definitely should. It describes the evolution of manga from the 1945-1960, and this question is one of the overarching themes.  
---
## 3 answers
### Answer by username_7 on 2017-02-09. Score: 2
I'm not sure there is a specific answer to this. As you acknowledge, different artists have different styles. Both Japanese and western books vary from "cartoony" to "realistic". There are cultural differences seen in the art, such as in Japanese media adults often smoke, while in American media, they seldom do -- definitely not in titles geared to children. (Maybe they do in French media; that's why I switched from "western" to "American".)

Hell, sometimes an artist has extremes in his own work; consider Yoshiro Togashi and his "bad days" on [Hunter x Hunter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter_%C3%97_Hunter). Here is a comparison of a page that got published in the weekly mag, versus how he improved it for the HxH volume:

[![poorly drawn page on left, well-drawn on right](https://i.sstatic.net/kQnNK.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/kQnNK.png)

Is the left even identifiable as manga vs comic book (vs fan art)? On the right, the main clue as to being a manga, at least to me, is the eyes of the upper right character. Otherwise it could be from a (somewhat dark) American funny-animal comic book, a la "[Fritz the Cat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_the_Cat) visits a jungle".

Let's look at another page:

[![First Kingdom, Book 6 cover](https://i.sstatic.net/gsEC4.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/gsEC4.jpg)

Is there anything innately Japanese or western concerning [Jack Katz](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Katz_(artist))' work on *The First Kingdom*? If I didn't already know, I could not tell anything except that he is a remarkable artist (a mangaka in every sense of the word except his nationality). ... Hmm, maybe in Japan they would have to fade-out all the nipples.

I myself instantly recognize manga because the pages have to be read from right to left. The other instantly recognizable hint is that manga are typically b&w, whereas western comics are usually color.
---
### Answer by username_8 on 2017-03-12. Score: -1
well to me It's more about the lack of details. Be-sided the obvious eyes (tough they come in different styles) the main deference to me between comics and manga it's the lack of realism. Comics use a lot of details in the hair, eyes, shading, and body...making the characters look more realistic. But in Manga for example they gather a bunch of hair into two line strokes and gives volume with shading, a vary cleaner look to the character. Idk, just less realistic I suppose.
---
### Answer by username_9 on 2016-12-09. Score: -2
If you do research you will find that the Japanese consider animation such as cartoons and anime to all be anime but some styles are usually seen separately.

www.crunchyroll.com/forumtopic-807827/the-anime-is-a-cartoon-argument

The main difference is the age. What we call cartoons are things aimed at kids, while anime is usually aimed at older people as well as young but the so called cartoons pokemon and yugioh are anime.

The thing is us Americans just separated everything.

[Definition of Anime by Merriam-Webster](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anime)

> a style of animation originating in Japan that is characterized by stark colorful graphics depicting vibrant characters in action-filled plots often with fantastic or futuristic themes.
>
> a simple drawing showing the features of its subjects in a humorously exaggerated way, especially a satirical one in a newspaper or magazine.
> synonyms: caricature, parody, lampoon, satire; More
>
> a motion picture using animation techniques to photograph a sequence of drawings rather than real people or objects.

---

if it helps most of the cartoons we have in america are made in japan.and all of this started in japan.
> **Comments:**
> **username_1** (2016-12-12): You're answering the question "What defines anime?", not the actual question "What defines the art style of anime?".  
---
