Abstract:

Working in Japan we have found that understanding the hit series, the plot lines and the messages people take from manga helps us understand the motivations and the coming trends in popular behavior.This study describes in detail the use we have made of ethnography studies of popular manga titles along with detailed interviews with various 'experts' to understand how manga effects the attitudes of Japanese people in terms of social connection, product and category beliefs.Ethnographic studies have become increasingly popular in recent years however the practical use of such techniques on manga has been rare. The study will indicate some clear effects manga have had on social trends and their following effect on consume behavior