Issue 134

As manga continues to cement its place in the reading lives of Australian students, school libraries are increasingly faced with the task of building thoughtful, engaging collections that serve the needs of their communities. For many library staff, especially those unfamiliar with Japanese publishing or visual storytelling, this task can feel quite complex. Curating manga isn’t as straightforward as selecting novels or other library staples. Manga comes from a publishing tradition with its own rhythms, assumptions and cultural codes, many of which don’t map neatly onto the frameworks Australian schools usually rely on when selecting reading material. Library staff are often left unsure about what’s appropriate, and where to begin when developing a collection.

Alistair Maxwell, co-owner of Zombster, a Queensland-based manga and anime retailer, has been working with schools on this exact challenge for over a decade. Since 2010, Zombster has supplied schools across the east coast and beyond with manga collections tailored to their students’ interests and shaped by a keen awareness of what works in a school library collection and what does not.

Alistair’s experience working with library staff and students has informed his view that successful school manga collections are rarely one-size-fits-all. ‘The choices we make are different for every school,’ he says. ‘There are popular series that work almost anywhere, but beyond that, each school has its own culture. What students are drawn to can shift completely from one library to the next.’

In a generous and wide-ranging conversation with SCIS, Alistair shares insights on tailoring collections to school communities, navigating manga’s unique publishing system, assessing ageappropriateness, building a collection from the ground up, and the emerging trends shaping what students are reading.

A different language, a different lens

When selecting manga, library staff need to be aware that it comes from a publishing system and cultural context that is quite different to other materials they might curate.

Most manga is first published chapter by chapter in weekly Japanese magazines, such as Shōnen Jump, aimed at teen boys, or Shōjo Beat, aimed at teen girls. The naming conventions of these magazines serve as informal guides to their intended age groups, but these labels can quickly become confusing. For example, the term seinen (another type of manga magazine) literally translates as ‘youth’, yet in manga publishing, it typically refers to magazines aimed at adults, covering readers roughly from 18 to 40 years old.

This means librarians can’t rely solely on magazine titles to judge audience suitability; they must apply an additional layer of cultural interpretation to accurately understand a manga’s intended readership.

Alistair says understanding this system is one of the most useful ways librarians can quickly assess the appropriateness of manga. ‘Check the magazine a series was published in. If it’s meant for adults, you already have your answer and it’s unlikely to be suitable for a school collection.’

However, even titles from youth-focused magazines can present unexpected challenges. Cultural differences, especially around visual storytelling, mean scenes considered normal or harmless in Japan can feel uncomfortable to Australian readers. One example Alistair highlights is the use of bath scenes. ‘In Japan, bathing is culturally normal, often portrayed as a reflective, non-sexualised moment,’ he explains. ‘It’s a visual cue that a character is processing something emotionally. But in Australia, we’re not used to seeing characters bathe in stories, and that can make it feel more suggestive than it actually is.’

Scenes like bathhouse moments reveal a broader issue. There is often a cultural gap that makes selecting manga more complex than simply checking age-appropriateness. Without an understanding of the norms that shape these stories, library staff are left to make nuanced decisions without the full picture.

‘Another challenge is that manga is also visual, which changes how readers interpret what they see,’ Alistair explains. ‘Something that might pass as a throwaway line in a novel becomes more loaded when it’s a drawing. Even with cultural context you might understand a scene isn’t meant to be inappropriate, but still question its place in your library.’

This layering of cultural differences, distinct publishing structures, and the visual nature of the medium often leaves library staff in a grey area when it comes to selection, one they need help navigating. The question is often where to find that help, and there are several places to start. Staff can draw on the knowledge of colleagues, undertake additional research, or seek support from suppliers like Alistair to approach their manga curation with greater confidence.

Some helpful tips on selecting manga for your school

Whether your library is introducing manga for the first time or building on an existing collection, Alistair's advice is to focus on variety and balance, and develop a working knowledge of how the medium is structured.

A few volumes of many beats many volumes of one

‘Don’t go all in on one series,’ he says. ‘If you buy 72 volumes of Naruto, you are catering to a narrow group of readers. It‘s better to get three to five volumes of several different series. That way, more students will find something they connect with, and you can expand from there.’

Manga display in a library.

You can judge this book by its cover (sort of)

In manga, the cover art is almost always created by the same artist who illustrates the story itself, and unlike Western publishing, where covers are often outsourced or stylised separately, manga covers tend to reflect the actual content and tone of what’s inside. ‘You can usually judge the tone of the book by the cover,’ Alistair explains. ‘If the art looks intense or dramatic, there’s a good chance the story is too. If it’s bright, soft or comedic, that’s probably the vibe.’ While not foolproof, paying close attention to manga cover art can be more revealing than it often is with Western books. The visual cues are intentional, and in many cases, offer a clear glimpse into the tone, themes and intended audience of the story inside.

Recognisable worlds make reliable reads for younger readers

For readers in primary school, manga based on well-known video game franchises can be a great entry point. Alistair recommends starting with titles like Pokémon, Animal crossing, Kirby, Splatoon, and The legend of Zelda. These series are age-appropriate, visually engaging and recognisable to many students.

‘They are safe, they are fun, and they draw kids in straight away,’ Alistair says. ‘That initial recognition really helps with engagement.’

Familiar characters and worlds can help hesitant readers feel more confident picking up a manga publication. These stories are usually written with younger audiences in mind, and tend to steer clear of the grey areas that sometimes make manga selection challenging. For primary libraries just starting out with manga, Alistair points out that they offer a strong foundation for a collection with built-in appeal.

Think bingeable, not just borrowable

Manga is designed to be devoured quickly. Its visual style and pacing mean students often read a whole volume in one sitting. ‘A student will finish a volume in one night,’ Alistair says. ‘If they enjoy it, they will be back within days looking for more.’

This makes manga a powerful way to keep students coming back to the library. However, it also means staff need to plan ahead. A few volumes might catch a student’s attention, but with the pace those volumes are read, it creates quick demand for follow-up series, or their interest can fade. To make the most of manga’s appeal, build collections that can sustain a reader’s momentum by planning out additional series to explore, or followup titles for those you acquire (where budget allows, of course).

How suppliers like Zombster can help you

Zombster takes a practical, student-focused approach to supporting schools with their manga collections. In southeast Queensland, Alistair often visits schools in person with a curated selection of titles, based on the school’s existing collection, what has been popular with their students in the past, and trends he is seeing in other schools.

To make sure students have a say, he runs informal voting sessions, usually during lunch. Students use sticky notes to indicate which series they would most like to see added to their library. ‘It gives students a sense of ownership,’ Alistair explains. ‘They are not just passive recipients of books. They are actively choosing what goes on their shelves.’

This process helps schools curate collections that reflect the reading preferences of the school community. These preferences can vary widely and do not always follow predictable patterns. ‘One school might lean towards action, another towards romantic comedies,’ Alistair says. ‘It often just comes down to what one enthusiastic reader has introduced to their friends.’

If there is no local supplier who can offer this kind of support, you can run your own version of this voting process in your library.

From manga to manhwa: A new graphic novel trend in schools

Japanese manga continues its enormous popularity in school library collections, but a new trend is starting to reshape what students are reading – Korean manhwa. This genre has grown rapidly in popularity, especially with the release of Solo leveling, a South Korean web novel that has been adapted into a full-colour graphic novel series.

Solo leveling is a good example of some key differences between manhwa and manga. Unlike manga, which is traditionally black and white and read right to left, manhwa is typically full colour and reads left to right, following the same flow as in most Western comics. This makes it more immediately accessible to students who are new to the format. The artwork also tends to be digitally illustrated and glossier in appearance, which many students find appealing.

‘There’s usually less sexual content in manhwa too,’ Alistair says. ‘For a lot of schools, that’s a win. It broadens the reading options without some of the trickier content considerations that can come with manga.’

The challenge, however, is price. ‘A single volume of Solo leveling might cost between $35 and $40,’ Alistair explains. ‘Compare that to $15 for a typical manga volume and it’s a big jump, especially when you are trying to stretch a school budget.’

Even if manhwa remains a stretch for some school budgets, its popularity highlights shifting tastes among students that seem to be prompting some changes across the wider manga landscape. ‘The good news is that we are starting to see less problematic content in newer Japanese series,’ Alistair says. ‘What passed without comment 20 years ago would not be published today. That’s a positive trend. It’s getting easier to find great stories without those hesitation moments.’