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No Starch Press
"The Manga Guide to the Universe" surveys the cosmos in comics.
Can you really learn relativity from a comic book? The Japanese have been using manga for decades to teach complex subjects, and now Americans are doing it too.
No Starch Press, a San Francisco publishing house, puts out a whole line of manga-style books on math and science, picked up from the original Japanese and translated for the American market. Yes, there's a "Manga Guide to Relativity," as well as calculus, linear algebra, biochemistry and other head-banging subjects.
The plot lines may sound sappy to grown-ups. Usually they involve a cute schoolgirl or schoolboy who's challenged by an equally cute teacher to master a seemingly impenetrable subject. But Bill Pollock, the founder and president of No Starch Press, says the books get the job done, especially for students who are at a crucial age for math and science education.
"We're not out to publish the best manga ever," Pollock told me. "The manga is a vehicle."
Educational comics are nothing new, of course: Classics Illustrated, for example, was delivering comic-book versions of English lit and science class back in the '50s. (I still get the heebie-jeebies when I recall the Classics Illustrated version of "Jane Eyre" that sat in the comic-book box at Grandma's house.) More recently, cartoonist Larry Gonick has been using the comic-book format to explain subjects ranging from chemistry to physics to sex. This year, one of the items on my holiday book list is "Feynman," a graphic-novel biography of the bongo-playing physicist.
But manga books come from a different cultural tradition — the same tradition that spawned Pokemon, Hello Kitty and other Japanese imports that American kids have grown up with. In Japan, there's a manga subgenre ("gakushu manga") that is completely focused on education. These books, which range around 200 pages in length, are the ones that have been adapted into English-language "manga guides."
Japanese researchers have reported that manga books can deliver information in a shorter time and make a stronger impression than conventional textbooks. "Manga's textual hybridity is utilized to promote the readers' effective learning, as verbal and iconographic tests place multiple layers of information in context and project a focused content," Satsuki Murakami and Mio Bryce wrote in the International Journal of the Humanities.
Masaharu Takemura, Kikuyaro, Office Sawa
Panels from "The Manga Guide to Biochemistry" delve into ribosomes and their role in the cell.
"I look at it as a lecture in a book," Pollock said. "It's as if you're in there learning together with this cartoon character."
The lecture can be tough sledding at times. There's no easy way to have a cartoon character utter dialogue like this: "A Lineweaver-Burk reciprocal plot is created by ... finding reciprocals for all the numeric values on the horizontal and vertical axes!" But Pollock says he's seen the manga technique work, particularly for teenage girls, who tend to lag behind teenage boys when it comes to interest in math and science.
"I've always liked the idea of exposing people to something exciting, and higher math is exciting," he said.
In the past few days, there's been a debate percolating over how the genders are portrayed in science education — as seen, for example, in the marketing of "science kits for girls" that focus on perfumery, cosmetics and spa care. Some have raised concerns about manga as well, in part because of the short skirts and ditzy demeanor sometimes exhibited by the female characters. (To be fair, manga boys can be just as ditzy as the girls.)
"Some people think manga is sexist," Pollock said. "The reality is, I've had multiple parents come to me and tell me that their daughters love the books and now they're getting into math and science. ... We may look at things one way as adults — but for kids, it totally works."
STEM education — that is, education in science, technology, engineering and math — has been a hot topic lately. What totally works for you? Do comic books fit into the equation? Whether you're a student or a teacher, a parent or just an interested grown-up, feel free to weigh in with your comics ... er, comments ... below.
More about science-minded comics:
- The lighter side of lab life
- Feed your inner geek with xkcd
- Shuttle love from Red and Rover
- Sci-ence: If you wish to break an apple pie from scratch ...
Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the Cosmic Log page to your Google+ presence. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.
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Thus highlighting a the fundamental flaw in education in general: lack of stimulation. People are going to learn if the subject material is disinteresting, unless you are one of us many science "nut-weirdo-geeks" as my teenaged neice would put it. Seriously, we should put Bill Nye in charge of science education for this country, he's the one who helped spawn an entire generation of science geeks.
Don't forget Mythbusters. There's nothing my teenage daughter would like better than to grow up to be paid for doing all the cool stuff they do on TV. I believe they've helped stimulate her interest in Chemistry.
Ooooooo Bill Nye guest staring on an episode of mythbusters. Now that would be an awesome episode
Bill Nye actually made a couple cameo appearances as an engineering professor on the CBS series Numb3rs. Each time he had some interesting scientific demonstration. I felt like a kid again.
What about web comics? Geared more for adults as they cover college and graduate level science and math, mostly, but I've learned about some really interesting concepts from at least 2 of them:
XKCD and Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Of course, you may have to wade through a few penis jokes, but they tend to be higher-brow penis jokes (and by penis jokes, I mean generally risque but somehow funny humor).
THIS is why we fail.... :(
Anything that makes learning interesting and fun is a win.
Japanese manga has everything; history, politics, sports (tennis, golf, bowling), and even gambling. No matter how mundane the subject is they have manga for it. And to be honest, I have a really strong dislike for it.
Not necessarily. For the Japanese, there are MANY concerns about how it's ruining their pristine literacy rate... And the overindulging of the influence that it has on society; a.k.a. Cosplay.
While I roll my eyes at cosplay and have no opinion of it other than to say I wouldn't have participated in it even at my youngest and geekiest, I think that if these comics are doing their job, and sparking an interest in a subject, that it's hardly going to hurt anyone's literacy rate.
I'll be in my bunk.
To teach science you have to know science. I contend comic book editors and writers know very little about science and what they know they learned from totally defective teachers. Thus, comic books teaching science is just another comic joke on our failed, defunct educational system, compliments of the criminal teacher's unions.
Unless it was written by a scientist.
Exactly what I was going to say, Stoltz.
Unabridged, All such commercial media products are made by a team. For an educational science video the team might be include the video technicians, graphic artists, model builders, computer progammers and content experts, which would be scientists. The manga educational books are undoubtably created by a team. Scientists would be part of the team, vetting the material presented. It sounds like you never worked anywhere if you don't immediately understand this concept.
Without Chicken Little where would we be in America, and so few posts as well.
If our educational system is so good and well-performing, then why do our students, at every grade level, fail and perform at the lowest level on all international math, science and reading tests? Why do our college students in humanities and liberal arts, learn absolutely nothing while earning a BS college degree, which by the way takes them six years to acheive? Why is a college education so expensive when the performance of its graduates is so low as to be embarassing to the US as a nation? Just tell me; why in hell is our educational system so bloody f**ked up? You morons have no answers to these questions and you ignore all criticisms by name calling and changing the subject. You along with our education system are an embarassment to any dialogue and debate. A pox on all your houses.
First of all, unabridged, while I haven't scrolled down and read every comment, I don't see where anyone has been calling you names here. No one has changed the subject. I think most every comment here is addressing the topic, which is educational manga, not the state of American education. However, I see where you feel you may have been rather quickly dismissed, because I wasn't keen on giving you much of a response upon reading your initial comment, and I'm not entirely sure I still care to address you beyond this post.
Nowhere in the article does it state who is writing these comic books or what their qualifications are, or how they are going about their research on the topics they plan to address. You immediately assumed that those writers have no knowledge of science, and went on a tirade about the education system and everything that is wrong with it, ignoring the fact that these comics are actually an attempt to turn kids onto highly practical and important subjects that they might not otherwise show an interest in learning. Whether these comics achieve that goal is left to be seen, but you've already decided that they are crap. While there are problems in our education system, your criticisms of it are over the top and quite frankly, a bit off topic. You just busted out with an aggressive post that was more of a rant than it was anything else. Who wants to get into that conversation when you've decided that everything about these comics is bad without having actually read one or learned anything about them that the rest of us wouldn't have gleaned from this article? Who wants to converse with someone that only wants to rant about how everything is horrible in your eyes and how every teacher in America sucks (which by the way, is completely untrue)? You didn't get the attention you wanted, so now it's a pox on all our houses? Niiiiice.
Other commenters have expressed their doubts about these comic books in a reasoned and logical manner that inspires friendly debate and actually brings up valid points. You have not. You've simply climbed onto a soap box and moaned.
Perhaps if you stayed on topic and approached people like something less than an ogre, you'd be more engaging.
I am on topic, and the fact that you failed to see it decries your bias and your ignorance. Fact is, every person in the US under the age of 50 was educated in a failing and now totally failed US education system, including me. I used to read and enjoy comic books. I don't anymore. Comic books are just another product of our failed educational system, and they are absolutely no commentary on science and technology. And I have no desire or inclination to "converse with anyone on these pages". That's not the purpose of Newsvine, and if you believe it is, you have totally missed the point altogether. And, finally, I never once said that every teacher in the US sucks. I don't for a moment believe that is true. However, good teachers are not very effective when the educational system is failed. The educational system has totally failed, comic books are total nonsense, and the days of reasoned and logical debate in America are long gone. Again, if you believe otherwise, you are the delusional one, not me. Rant on, comrade beagle.
You've just proven every point I made about you, and threw in a bit more name calling/wild assumptions about a person you don't know to boot. People like you kill reasoned and logical debate by discouraging any sort of debate at all. So, really, while I might have otherwise had plenty to say about the statements you've made, I can't be bothered with you.
You live in a make-believe world. You think what you have to say is important, when it is absolutely not. You have a glorified image of yourself as some beany-wearing college debater who can win the war of words with logical reasoned arguments. This is all hog-wash, and while I have not met you, I most certainly do know you. I have seen numbers of people like you who talk garbage while the world caves in around them. You will always be bothered by me. You simply can't avoid me where ever you go. By the way, the beagle is the most barking dog of all.
This is brilliant!
Usually with this kind of stuff I'm from the "if it works use it" crowd. I can see no real reason this wouldn't work for a lot of kids. I say go for it.
The only thing better would be an actual live really interesting teacher doing really cool experiments. Let's face it though, those are few and far between.
Education is absolutely fundamental and institutional primary education is very flawed.
It needs to be first and foremost engaging and fun.
This sounds great!
From a slightly different angle:
You're right, but all the tools in the world won't make a single bit of difference until American Consumer culture once again values educational achievement.
Now we value consumption, athletes, entertainers, and other false role models. Our kids reflect that.
Is it my imagination or is that magazine cover kinda racy? those body positions? NOT that I mind, mind you!;-)
That's just how it is in Japan. Anime and Manga age ratings are relatively on the low end of the spectrum compared to our own rating systems. There can be nudity and fan service in anime.manga that is rated for 15+ but no sexual situations (no the physical act but very suggestive themes) until 16+.
Cursing can be found in nearly all anime/manga from 10+ and up.
Basically most of the anime/manga rated for 10+ we would only allow pg-13 at the very least and 15+ would be rated R if rated by our own ratings board.
Not to say that is a bad thing nor should curb this great idea.
The tough thing for science teachers is balancing entertainment vs. education. My son had a freshman science teacher he absolutely adored because he did flashy experiments and demonstrations all the time. Unfortunately, he didn't learn anything other than science can do cool stuff. When he took Chemistry and Physics later, he and his other classmates that had the "cool" teacher were far behind the other kids who had a less flashy freshman science teacher. My son admitted that even though the other teacher was cool, he wished he'd had the more disciplined teacher that would've better prepared him for his other classes.
Your son had the beginnings of wisdom.
I had a chemistry teacher in high school who was both rigerous and did cool flashy experiments. That was the winning combination. This was public school, but it was a while ago.
As a former science teacher I can only shake my head. Bill Nye should not be in charge of education. Despite his credentials, he is an entertainer. Even if you know nothing about TV production, you should be able to realize that his half-hour show takes much longer than that to produce and more money than a regular science teacher has access to.
I read Crime and Punishment and A Tale of Two Cities in the Illistrated Classic Series, but when I was in grade school. They could not suffice for the appropriate grade level of the full lenght books (11th and 10th respectively?).
It is a shame in this day and age that children MUST be visually stimulated constantly via texting, video games, etc. Humans are visual animals, but we are also CEREBRAL animals. High school texts have more pictures now than when I was in High school (68-72). And yes, I see the need to fit the educational process to the student's needs. We must ask ourselves though, are we really doing our students a service or a diservice by using methods such as these "comic books".
We as Americans already know that we are behind many of the world's nations when it comes to education, particularly math and science. We must realize however, that not every student needs to know the finesses of higher math and sciences, especially at the high school level. We can't EXPECT every student to achieve the same level as all students aren't intellectually created equal.
We need to abolish the homogenous classroom where a teacher teaches to the middle and expects the average student to bring up the lower achievers, and where the high achievers are left to their own devices. This situation only leaves the high acheviers the opportunity to get a better grade with less effort. I have seen this.
To paraphrase Alexis de Tocqueville: Democracy in education breeds mediocrity. Democracy in America
I stopped reading this post because it was long, boring, and didn't have any pictures.
The question is do they use this as a normal technique in Japan? If they do it must work because they are kicking our butts in science.
I do agree that we don't need to send every kid to college and we shouldn't have to always teach to the lowest common denominator or even the middle of the pack. High achievers should be encouraged. Students unable or unwilling to perform should be removed from that class to avoid dragging down other students and either placed into another class with specialized help or removed from school completely depending on their willingness to at least work at it.
I liked being left to my own devices. I read plenty of good books while passing the time in school. If I was a kid today, there would probably be translated manga in my backpack. I couldn't imagine what it would have been like to have laptops!
Although some real encouragement would have been nice.
Ha, thank to Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and others it's the entertainment generation. However they can make my BlueRay talk to my TV when I can't. I do agree with you that schools should track by ability, otherwise they are wasting a lot of time and money. Private schools don't track by ability either, they track by parental income. Things need to change.
I'd like to address comments from Unabridged. It is quite easy for you to deride the comics medium without truly understanding the value. There are many great science themed comics/graphic novels that do a brilliant job of putting concepts into proper context. Much of this is entirely dependent on the publisher and the artists involved in the book. Jim Ottaviani(GT Labs) does an incredible job of publishing great science books in the comics medium that engage even the most skeptical critics.
As for Rightthinker's comment about the cover, the Japanese are not as sensitive to body image and manga(comics) from Japan has an incredible appeal to the teen market here in the U.S. It's only the adults who have the issues.
The real point here is that the comics medium is a brilliant tool for engaging students of all reading abilities. You would be surprised at the number of scientists and authors(of "real" books) who cite comics as the reason they fell in love with reading which led to their careers.
Excellent posts. In response to some of the other posts here, the makers of these comic books, and really, anyone in their right mind should know that these comics aren't there to replace a good science class. However, comics are a great way to introduce concepts, explain them in a simple manner, and hopefully spark an interest in the subject matter, and as you said, john shableski, reading. They serve as an excellent supplement.
If a comic can do even that much, then I am all for them.
I agree too that the artwork is hardly racy. The Japanese aren't ashamed of the human form. No one should be, and this is hardly worth raising an eyebrow over.
You know you can be arrested in Australia and charged and jailed for reading manga that shows the human form.
Stay classy, Australia!
That's exactly the point, the comics are not there to teach the subject, but to introduce the subject and get kids interested in the sciences. I am the perfect example in that I'm good with numbers and in elementary school I had no problem with math. But in highschool getting in to the higher concepts of algebra and calculus, I just couldn't wrap my head around it. A couple of dry boring teachers didn't help either and I only passed math 11 with 57%. In my senior year I decided to try Physics and I excellled. I was finally able to see how these abstract concepts work in practice. ever since I have been interested in physics because it helps explain how the world and the universe works and if something really peaks my interest, I can learn the math behind that concept.
I had similar issues with math, Rory B Bellows. It wasn't until I applied a lot of the higher math skills in the field of veterinary medicine that anything clicked for me. People learn in different ways, and I would have had a much easier time with math had I been able to visualize some of those concepts in a real world context when it was being taught. Now I find it all very easy because I see that there is a use for it.
Sometimes, something as simple as a comic book, or any other form of entertainment can spark the imagination enough to lead a person into a field or interest that they would have automatically written off in a classroom setting. I forget where I was reading this, but The Big Bang Theory, which is a fluffy sit com, has actually inspired a lot of young people to get into physics and astronomy. So why not manga specifically formulated for the purpose?
Quick, show me where to find the manga for calculus! ;) I kid!
I like the idea. In this day and age, my kids are constantly exposed to visual stimulation that doesn't have a lot of intellectual value. Its going to take a lot more for their generation to concentrate on subjects like these than it did for mine.
No kidding. I hated calculus.
It's not manga, but it's been out for quite some time. We used it in my high school calculus class:
Prof E. McSquared's Original, Fantastic, and Highly Edifying Calculus Primer, parts 1 and 2.
The latest version of the textbook is the "Expanded Intergalactic Version." Highly recommended for those who want to actually learn the subject and be entertained along the way.
If anyone out there actually believes you can learn science from a comic book I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. The men and women who put a man on the moon learned their science elsewhere. The reason the US is falling way behind other countries in the quality of our education is due to this kind of flawed thinking. Keep it up and we'll be back to using stone knives and sticks in two generations.
Actually, oh uninformed and ignorant one, we are falling behind because we have a lack of innovation in education compared to other countries, we emphasize athletics over academics, 'god' is creeping back into schools, the Republicans have a general disdain for science and learning and facts, and in fact many American Consumers share this distrust and spite for science as well.
We don't value it as a culture, first and foremost, so our kids pick that up and reflect those values in their sliding aptitudes.
But I'm sure we're first in self esteem, right?
The article makes brief mention of Jim Ottaviani's new book, "Feynman." (Illustrated by Leland Myrick.) This book, like Jim's other graphic novels have a strong basis is science, but are entertaining enough for a general audience. The use of graphic novels, comics and manga (Japanese comics) to teach science is neither new nor shocking. Many people who have developed interests, or careers, in science and engineering began their interest through less formal introductions to these disciplines. So much of K-12 science instruction has been bled dry of any excitement; it is not difficult to see why so many people are discouraged from these disciplines. I think it is wonderful that people like Jim Ottaviani are introducing new readers to the fun and adventure of science!
They need a "Manga Guide to C# Programming" it would suit the intelect of the average programmer. "Redneck Guide to C# Programming" would be good too.
wow i would love to subscribe to it . and maybe get my kids to start reading it too.
This is a good idea with much hesidence. I hope it doesn't simplify something that isn't simple like Genetics, Organic Chemistry, or Cell & Molecular biology the way Classics Ilustrated did for literature. There is nothing simple in Genetics, organic Chemistry & cell and molecular biology.
Manga/comic books written for educational purposes are just another educational medium, not too different from an educational video or textbook. Personally, I am able to retain information easier with visual aids. Thankfully, I had a real life Bill Nye as a science professor while growing up so I learned to enjoy biology and other sciences because of his eccentric examples. If I had these educational Manga for the remainder of high school, I think I would have a continued interest in sciences and would not have written them off when picking a major in college.