Comics | Quebecers always more manga fans

Japanese comics love to dabble in exaggeration, but it’s no exaggeration to say that readers in Quebec have been consuming manga galore lately. Who, why, how? Publishers, booksellers and librarians enlighten us.

In the boxes of Japanese action series, we often see explosions of all kinds. Precisely, if there is one that resonates strongly, it is that of the sale of manga in the province. One Piece, naruto, Demon Slayer… on the sidelines of these titles that have become cults, a deluge of novelties regularly hits our shores, imported from Japan, after a stopover in France. Since the beginning of 2023, The Press has also inaugurated a manga sub-section devoted to novelties in the comics section.

At O-Taku Manga Lounge, a specialized bookstore and reading lounge in Montreal, it’s obvious: the ranks of fans are growing (sales figures have quintupled in seven years), with a particularly marked runaway in recent years. “We have observed a change in our clientele, with a smaller portion of enthusiasts, who already knew us, but more people who have just discovered manga”, notes Amélie Jean-Louis, owner of the brand founded in 2010, also noting the awakening of the English-speaking market, after a long sleep maintained by American protectionism on its comics.

On the side of La Boîte de diffusion, which relays several French publishers in Quebec (including Kana and Vega Dupuis), the director of operations Mathieu Loubert noted a “big explosion” in March 2021, their leading series having tripled their sales.

Glénat, which has a branch in Quebec, is also seeing its collections taken by storm. Pioneer of the introduction of manga in France (Jacques Glénat, formerly on a mission to Japan to export his Franco-Belgian comics there, without success, had rather returned to Europe with dragonball And Akira under the arm), the editor of the spearhead One Piece has sold millions of copies, all manga combined, in France in 2021; seeing the echo of these successes reproduced systematically on the other side of the Atlantic, with a slight delay.

“All the stars have aligned for the growth of manga, the market of which has grown by 100% in 2021”, underlines, on the occasion of her visit to Montreal, Marion Glénat, daughter of the founder who recently inherited the reins of the ‘business. “In Quebec, the market doubled in 2019-2020, then doubled again in 2020-2021,” says Christian Chevrier, president of Glénat Québec.

At the Grande Bibliothèque de Montréal, in the manga section, borrowings and catalogs have also been expanded. “It’s one of the collections that has seen the greatest increase in borrowing. We always see in this section young people sitting on the ground to read, ”says Mélanie Dumas, director of the Universal Collection at the Library and National Archives of Quebec, indicating that annual acquisitions have almost doubled in five years. The choices are also thorny, given the continual tidal wave of new releases. “Fortunately, the two librarians responsible for the selection are manga enthusiasts. We try to have a balance between audiences, themes, genres, seeking the best in each category,” she says.

An inflection called Netflix

Why this unprecedented enthusiasm? One of the names that consistently came up as a Japanese hero attack was: “Netflix! »

All our interlocutors have advanced: previously, the distribution of animated versions of manga was confined to specialized platforms, but recently, the consumer giants have filled their catalog. At La Boîte de diffusion, Mathieu Loubert clearly sees the impact: as soon as they hit the airwaves, these series see their printed counterparts (again) become very popular; he points for example Hunter x Hunter, no longer very young, but whose coat of arms was restored after a Netflix revamp. “To find out what will work, just follow what Netflix broadcasts,” adds Amélie Jean-Louis.

On another table, Marion Glénat also evokes the dulling of the fears and prejudices that may have tarnished the reputation of these comics in the past, parents being more aware of the immense diversity of genres published and that, no, the manga does not do not pervert the youth.

“It has become something universal, which is no longer just for geeks, but a real social phenomenon”, table Marion Glénat.

The shonen is unleashed

Words that find an echo in the analysis of the very broad readership. At the center of the target are teenagers and young adults, which explains the large proportion of shonen (manga intended for young people who are more masculine) in the catalogs – they represent 85% of the market, according to Glénat. The shojo, more focused on young girls, is struggling to take off, while the seinen, for adults, is gaining muscle. “Historically, 16-30 year olds have been at the heart of the target audience, but knowing that the market and publications are changing, the audience is growing. On the men’s-women’s side, it’s practically 50-50″, assesses M^me Jean Louis. “The shonen stands out the most. We note, in the seinen, a love for the genre of horror; the publisher Mangetsu, for example, took over Junji Ito’s catalogue,” says Mr. Loubert.

A phenomenon of generational cycles specific to manga has also been raised, with certain waves tending to better retain or reconnect with these black and white adventures.

The manga is also a bit like a Pokémon: it evolves. Will its transformation in the archipelago be reflected in Europe and North America? “In Japan, digital manga represents 70% and paper, 30%. In France, it remains 90% for paper, even if they are all available digitally. This should develop, ”tells us the president of Glénat editions. “Comics are not very strong on digital, but in this sector, manga is the one that stands out the most. It’s about developing webtoons [mangas en ligne sous forme de défilantes] “, completes Mr. Loubert. What future for manga? The answer in the next volumes.