Film comic facts for kids
A film comic, also called anime comics or ani-manga, is a special type of Japanese comic book. Unlike regular manga, which are drawn by artists, film comics use actual pictures taken from an anime TV show, movie, or video.
Imagine your favorite cartoon or animated movie. A film comic takes still images from that show, arranges them like comic panels, and adds the full dialogue that characters speak in the anime. It's like watching the show in a book!
Film comics are usually printed as books. But you can also find them as e-books, which are digital versions you can read on a screen. Sometimes these digital versions are called e-manga.
How Film Comics Are Made
Film comics are created by taking screenshots from an anime. These screenshots are then put together in a sequence, just like panels in a traditional comic. The words spoken by the characters in the anime are added as speech bubbles or text below the images. This way, you can follow the story and dialogue exactly as it happens in the animated version.
Film Comics Around the World
This cool way of making comics isn't just popular in Japan. Companies in other countries, like Disney, have also started making film comics. They use images from their own animated movies and TV shows. Sometimes, film comics are even made from live-action movies or TV series, using photos instead of drawings.
In Western countries, companies like Tokyopop and Viz publish these comics. Tokyopop often calls them "Cine-manga," while Viz Media uses "Ani-manga." Many of these books are made especially for young readers, like you! They have become very popular in English-speaking countries, with some titles selling over 500,000 copies. This shows how much people enjoy reading their favorite animated stories in this unique comic format.
See also
In Spanish: Anime comic para niños
