Anime:

Anime is the term used to identify Japanese cartoons such as Dragon Ball Z and Sailor Moon.  It was developed at about the same time as Western animation using simplified techniques to lower costs, because at the time the Japanese industry had neither the budget nor the experience to match Western animation.  Some of these techniques have become part of the distinctive style of Anime even today, despite ever growing budgets, but some series have started using techniques such as CGI and cel-shading.

The anime in our collection range from the bleak, cyber-punk stylings of Ghost in the Shell to he heart warming direction of Hayao Miyazaki.  Whatever your taste you’ll find something that you love .

Manga:

The (not so) ancient Japanese art of the comic book, Manga has experienced growing popularity in recent years, with series such as Dragon Ball and Bleach fuelling Western audiences appetites.  Manga covers such a range of genres, themes and stories that it is impossible to box it into any one category.  From the alien pacifists to femme fatales and everything in between, Manga has something for everyone.

There’s something for everyone in our manga collection, with holdings ranging from romantic comedies to kung-fu adventures and even the occasional combat suit series.

Manhwa:

Manhwa, as opposed to Manga, is a Korean form of Comic book.  There are a couple of ways that you can differentiate between the two.  First you can look at the name of the author to ascertain their nationality (for example an author with the name Lee will be Korean rather than Japanese).  The other major difference is the books are printed Left to Right (like western books), while most Manga have been printed in their original Right to Left format.

Much of our Manhwa collection is from the horror genre, with inspiration drawn heavily from traditional ghost stories.

Graphic Novels:

The term Comic Books having developed a negative connotation of childishness more recently American publishers such as DC and Marvel have started using the term Graphic Novels, a term which more truly reflects the adult nature of some more recent comic books.

Our collection houses a number of Graphic Novels, including Usagi Yojimbo, Sin City, American Splendour.