The Impact of Manga on Japanese Students’ Reading
Habits
Dale Steele Rong Zhang
University of East Asia Nishinippon Institute of Technology
Yamaguchi, Japan Fukuoka, Japan
dasteele2@gmail.com zhang@nishitech.ac.jp
ABSTRACT
The reading requirements at university are not easy. The types of
reading skills students have acquired will determine whether a
student is a “passive” unskilled reader or a skilled “active” reader.
To a large extent, reading habits govern the quality of students’
academic achievements, because they need to learn their
professional knowledge through a great amount of reading.
Unfortunately, many new Japanese university students demonstrate
considerably unsatisfactory reading competence in their academic
learning. One of the main causes for this is their excessive access
to manga. This is because reading manga is a very important form
of entertainment in Japan. This paper presents a comparative
investigation into the reading habits of both Japanese and Chinese
college students. The results show that Japanese students should
increase their awareness of improving their own approaches to
reading in order to become skilled active readers who can achieve
better results in college learning. Researchers and educators should
focus more on this issue in order to help students improve their
reading habits at an earlier stage.
CCS Concepts
• Applied computing → Education
Keywords
Reading habits; Academic ability, Manga; Japanese college
students; Higher education
1. INTRODUCTION
The reading requirements at university are not easy. Good reading
habits generate a better understanding of one’s own learning
experiences and can lead to elevated levels of self-discovery. Good
reading habits can be an effective tool in helping students to excel
in life [1]. Skilled readers do more than just read the text, they can
interact with it. Skilled readers can generate questions about the
main topic, foresee what will happen next in a text or story, and
clarify the parts of the text which were confusing to them.
Furthermore, they can develop understanding of sequence and
context of the text, and make a connection between the text and
prior knowledge [2].
A primary issue facing Japanese students today is their serious lack
of interest in reading. The Japan Times (2018) reported recently
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3291078.3291112
206
Shiyu Song
Pittsburgh Institute
Sichuan University, China
1226792395@qq.com
about a survey (10,021 samples) conducted by the National
Federation of University Co-operative Associations, which showed
that 53.1% of Japanese university students do not read books for
enjoyment [3]. This was the first time since the survey was initiated
in 2004 that the number has exceeded 50%. Average daily reading
times showed negative results as well, dropping to 23.6 minutes a
day.
To a large extent, reading habits govern students’ academic
achievements. Academic achievement and reading are both
interconnected and dependent on each other. Research has shown a
common relationship between students' ability to read academic
texts and academic success [4]. Being successful at the university
level generally depends on preexisting fundamental academic skills
[5]. These basic skills include “reading, writing, critical thinking,
oral presentation, and media literacy” [4]. Generally, educators take
for granted that students have developed these academic skills as
part of their high school education. Because of this assumption
these skills are usually not taught at university level, despite their
importance [6].
Manga is one of the most popular types of Japanese publications.
The publishing market for manga in Japan in 2016 was a 445.4
billion yen (US $3.91 billion) business [7]. Reading manga is one
of the activities that many students participate in when not reading
books. Students are able to establish deeper relationships through
reading manga and joining the manga community [8]. Eventually a
feeling of networking and belonging to a group develops, giving
rise to a genuine manga culture among students.
This study conducts a practical survey on the reading habit of
Japanese college students, investigates their attitude towards
reading and reveals the problems with in the training process. The
authors aim to attract the attention of researchers and educators to
this issue, and raise the awareness of the public to improve the
current situation.
2. CHARACTERISTICS OF MANGA
There are a number of characteristics specific to Japanese manga.
Typical manga in Japan are known as story manga because they
have well-defined narrative storylines and pictures which allow the
reader to access the comic in much the same way one would view
a movie. Manga utilizes a wide variety of themes and there is a
strong emphasis on the main character [9].
There is a wide variety of genres available to readers. The targets
for manga publishers range from children to adults. A wide
diversity of manga topics ranges from mystery, science fiction,
romance, adventure, drama, sports, to pornography. There are even
niche interests including, for example, child rearing, gambling,
cooking, fishing, and business enterprises [9]. Occasionally,
animation series and computer games are developed based on
popular manga titles [10].
By using pictures and words Manga delivers stories and
information. Takeuchi (2005) informs us that in order for manga to
express meaning it relies on abbreviation, hyperbole, and
deformation [11]. Manga also depends on a careful relationship
between panels, graphics, and text [12].
Allen and Ingulsrud (2003) conducted a survey in an attempt to
gather together some of the reasons why students like to read manga
[13]. One of the reasons lies in the easy accessibility of manga. The
limited amount of text mixed with many pictures makes manga an
easy read for the students. They do not need to read long
complicated sentences. Many times they do not need to really think
about anything, they just follow the story [12]. This supports the
argument that doing excessive reading of manga becomes a
obstacle in fostering students’ reading competence.
3. METHODOLOGY
In order to discover the reading habits of the Japanese college
students, this comparative study was conducted between Japanese
and Chinese college students. 184 Japanese students from one
national university (The University of Kitakyushu) and two local
private universities (University of East Asia and Nishinippon
Institute of Technology) participated in the survey. Their majors
vary from social sciences to humanities and engineering. 88 of the
Chinese students answered the survey. 34 of the Chinese students
are studying at the three local universities in Japan mentioned
above, while 54 of them were studying at various Chinese
universities. They completed the survey online. The authors hope
that a clear trend will be found regarding the reading habits of the
Japanese university students through comparison with the Chinese
students. In other words, this survey aims to detect the students’
preferences and attitudes towards reading in both countries. Some
of the questions might appear in similar ways several times with
different options offered. Although the questions focus on a similar
issue, the optional answers show the tendency from different
perspectives. In this sense, this survey also functions as a semi-
conducted interview, because the authors intend to gather as much
detailed information as possible through the survey. In the
following section, we will summarize the result of the meaningful
responses.
4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Figure 1. How Often Do You Read a Book?
Fig.1 shows the result of Q.1– how often do you read a book?
26.1% of the Chinese students read a book everyday (a), 13.6%
three or four times a week (b) and 37.5% once a week (c). That is,
77.4% of the Chinese students do reading at least once every week.
In contrast, 9.8% of the Japanese students read a book everyday (a),
17.9% three or four times a week (b) and 19% once a week (c). In
total, less than half (48.7%) of the Japanese students do reading
once a week. This is a much lower ratio compared with the Chinese
students. 20% of the Japanese students do reading once a month (d),
while 14.8% of the Chinese students show the answer. Another
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interesting result is that 33% of the Japanese students say they never
read a book (e). This ratio is more than four times greater than the
Chinese students (8%) (e).
Figure 2. What Kind of Books Do You Read?
Fig. 2 shows the replies to Q.2 – what kind of books do you read
(multiple choices)? Chinese students are interested in a wider
variety of books. 26.1% of them read manga (a), 72.3% read novels
(b), 15.9% read biographies (c), 31.8% read history (d), 31.8% read
professional books (e), and 26.1% read books regarding general
information (f). In contrast, 71.2% of the Japanese students read
manga (a), 41.3% read novels (b), 2.7% read biographies (c), 6.5%
read history (d), 14.7% read professional books (e), and 14.1% read
general books (f). Choice (a) indicates a striking difference. 71.2%
of the Japanese students indicate they read manga but the ratio of
the Chinese students is only 26.1%. That is to say, more than 2/3 of
the Japanese students read manga while the ratio of the Chinese
students is less than 1/3. This shows a great difference in the
reading preference of students from the two countries. Japanese
students are much more influenced by manga than the Chinese
students.
Figure 3. Are You Satisfied with Reading Books?
Regarding Q.3 -- how much satisfaction do you get from reading
books with more words other than manga (multiple choices)?
36.4% of the Chinese students say that they love reading books with
words (a), which is in strong contrast to the ratio of the Japanese
students 10.3 %. 58% of the Chinese students and 40.8% of the
Japanese indicate they appreciate what they learn from reading
books (b). This result shows that a much higher percentage of the
Chinese students are content reading books with words. 22.8% of
the Japanese students and 29.5% of the Chinese students say they
know better about this world through reading books (c). At the
same time, 9.8% of the Japanese students and 8% of the Chinese
students say they don’t much from reading books (d). They are the
group with the least reading ability. 19.6% of the Japanese students
and 11.4% of the Chinese students only read books which are
important for tests (e). In other words, they do not read books other
than textbooks or teaching materials for school learning. That is
why they are not enjoying reading books as they should. Possibly,
this is due to the competitiveness and the pressure of the entrance
exams in both countries. Students are forced to receive cram school
education and do not have any free time for optional reading
activity.
Figure 4. How Do You Feel When You Read Books?
As to Q.4 – what do you feel when reading a book other than manga,
37.5% of the Chinese students say they have a feeling of
accomplishment in learning when reading a book other than manga
(a). Again, this figure is about three times the ratio of the Japanese
students (13.6%). 75% of the Chinese students say they know better
about life and this world because of reading (b), while only 34.2%
of the Japanese students choose this answer. Japanese students
appear not to be thinking when they read books with words. 45.1%
of the Japanese students say they don’t feel much of anything when
reading (c), and only 18.1% of the Chinese students indicate they
feel this way. 5.4% of the Japanese students and 5.7% of the
Chinese students say they feel bored and confused (d). 1.6% of the
Japanese students and 3.4% of the Chinese students feel like it is a
waste of time when reading. Chinese students show a little higher
ratio reading these two questions. This implies that there is a great
gap between the top and the bottom level in Chinese students’
reading competence. It is a challenging issue for both countries as
to how to improve the awareness and the motivation of the
incompetent students and help them learn to enjoy reading books.
Figure 5. What Do You Do with Books You Have Finished
Reading?
Students are supposed to choose a way they deal with books they
have finished reading through Q.5. 70.5% of the Chinese students
will keep them for future reference (a) and 34.1% will look at them
occasionally in the future (b), while the ratios of these two options
for the Japanese students are 29.9% and 51.1%. 0.5% of the
Japanese students and 13.6% of the Chinese students sell the books
they have finished reading to other students or second-hand book
stores (c). 2.2% of the Japanese students and 2.3% of the Chinese
students just throw them away (d). 17.9% of the Japanese students
and 4.6% of the Chinese students indicate that they usually do not
buy books other than manga (e). Although students have changed
this question into one with multiple choices, the trend is very clear.
In all, Chinese students consider books as important assistance in
learning and appreciate the books they have more than the Japanese
students.
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Figure 6. What Do You Think of Reading for Your Study in
College?
Q.6 investigates what students think about reading books and
receiving higher education. 55.7% of the Chinese students realize
that reading books are essential for gaining knowledge during their
college study (a), while only 31.5% of the Japanese students think
reading assists them in gaining knowledge. 31% of the Japanese
students and 23.9% of the Chinese students answered that reading
books is important but it is difficult to understand books (b). 12.5%
of the Japanese students and 10.2% of the Chinese students do not
think that reading is an important assistance in gaining knowledge
for university education (c). 16.8% of the Japanese students and
10.2% of the Chinese students answer that their university learning
is not affected even though they don’t do reading (d). This shows
that students in both countries need necessary guidance and
instruction concerning the formation of their reading habits. 8.2%
of the Japanese students say that they never read a book and thus
don’t know the answer (e) and no Chinese students gave this answer.
In all, Japanese students don’t enjoy reading because they don’t
think reading is important for their college education. Teachers
should help them to gain a better understanding about reading
books.
Figure 7. Are You Willing to Buy Text Books?
Q.7 investigates whether students are willing to buy textbooks.
25% of the Japanese students and 28.4% of the Chinese students
indicate that they are willing to buy textbooks because they are
happy to learn (a). 33.7% of the Japanese students and 43.2% of the
Chinese students can accept to do so for classes (b). 58% of the
Chinese students indicate that buying a textbook and doing the
reading are part of the learning process at college (c), while only
23.9% of the Japanese students agree with this point of view. That
also explains why some of the Japanese students don’t have a
textbook when attending classes. They don’t think reading is part
of the learning process. In other words, they don’t have good
reading habits. Unfortunately, 12% of the Japanese students and
12.5% of the Chinese students even feel angry when they are told
to read by university teachers (d). 12% of the Japanese students and
12.5% reply that they would rather spend the money for textbooks
on manga (e).

Figure 8. How Many Comic Books Do You Have?
Fig. 8 shows the number of manga books students own. 54.9% of
the Japanese students have more than 50 manga books while only
29.5% of the Chinese students do (a+b). 15.2% of the Japanese
students and 6.8% of the Chinese students say they have 25~50
manga books (c). 72.7% of the Chinese students have less than 20
manga books or don’t have any manga books at all (d+e). The
percentage for the Japanese students is 17.6%.
Figure 9. How Do You Feel When You Buy Comic Books?
In Q. 9, 25.5% of the Japanese students and 22.7% of the Chinese
students reply that they were brought up with manga so it is an
important part of their life (a). 6.5% of the Japanese students and
25% of the Chinese students say that they would rather sacrifice
their other hobbies in order to read more manga (b). This is an
interesting result because much more Chinese students show a
stronger desire to read manga. In Japan, manga is available
everywhere so students feel it normal to have manga in their daily
life. But in China, manga is still considered a fashionable hobby
due to the relatively small number of readers. Manga has started to
affect Chinese students and will have a stronger influence in the
future. 20.1% of the Japanese students and 11.4% of the Chinese
students reply that they could not live without manga though they
enjoy reading books with more words (c). 8.2% of the Japanese
students and 5.7% of the Chinese students believe that manga is as
important as food to them (d). 50% of the Japanese students and
48.8% of the Chinese students say they don’t feel much without
manga in their life (e).
Figure 10. How often do you read comic books?
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Q.10 asks how often students read manga. 30.7% of the Chinese
students and 8.7% of the Japanese students only read normal books
and never read manga (a). 12% of the Japanese students and 13.6%
of the Chinese students read manga everyday (b). 32.1% of the
Japanese students and 13.6% of the Chinese students read manga
three or four times a week (c). 17.9% of the Japanese students and
21.6% of the Chinese students read manga once a week (d). 28.3%
of the Japanese students and 12.5% of the Chinese students read
manga once a month (e). From this result, we can conclude that
manga is more popular with the Japanese students and they have
been significantly influenced by manga. They spend much more
time reading manga in their daily life than the Chinese students.
Figure 11. How Do You Feel When You Read Comic Books?
The result of Q. 11 shows that 57.1% of the Japanese students and
33% of the Chinese students feel relaxed when reading manga (a).
25% of the Chinese students and 14.1% of the Japanese students
say they appreciate what they learn from manga (b). 21.6% of the
Chinese students and 7.1% of the Japanese students say they learn
a lot about life and this world through reading manga (c). 20.7% of
the Japanese students and 23.9% of the Chinese students don’t learn
much from reading manga (d). 9.2% of the Japanese students and
28.4% of the Chinese students never read manga (e). Again,
Japanese students show a stronger trend of dependence towards
manga.
Figure 12. What Is the Reason That You Don’t Read Comic
Books?
Q. 12 tells the students to offer reasons if they don’t read manga.
Many more Chinese students realize that manga can’t be a
substitute for normal books. 22.73% of the Chinese students and
6.5% of the Japanese students think that reading manga makes
people disengage from the real society (a). 13.64% of the Chinese
students and 2.2% of the Japanese students feel that books are
easier to read than manga (b). 25% of the Chinese students and
2.7% of the Japanese students comment that manga does not
describe the true human condition (c). 31.8% of the Chinese
students and 2.2% of the Japanese students believe that more
information is contained in normal books (d). 13.6% of the Chinese
students and 4.4% of the Japanese students prefer reading books
with more words (e). 15.9% of the Chinese students say they don’t
have time for reading manga (f). Chinese students show a better
understanding and more logistical attitude towards reading manga
than the Japanese students.
Figure 13. What Is Your Purpose of Reading Comic Books?
Q.13 asks about students’ purpose when reading manga. 43.2% of
the Chinese students say they feel like they are involved in the
characters’ lives when reading manga (a), while only 22.3% of the
Japanese students reply this way. 27.7% of the Japanese students
and 31.8% of the Chinese students realize that most of what they
see in manga is a false reality (b). The answer that shows the biggest
difference between these two countries is Option C – I feel many
of the protagonists are evil and we should favor the good ones.
19.3% of the Chinese students chose this answer but only 1.1% of
the Japanese students did. Chinese students tend to be more
emotional and have been educated more about what is right and
wrong since very young. They seem to have stricter criterion for
judging one’s behavior. 7.1% of the Japanese students and 15.9%
of the Chinese students have a strong feeling that they are in the
same situation as the characters (d). 29.9% of the Japanese students
and 23.8% of the Chinese students are interested in the way the
characters improve the bad situations (e). 7.1% of the Japanese
students and 9.1% of the Chinese students feel depressed when they
realize that they cannot do what the characters can do (f). 19% of
the Japanese students and 17.1% of the Chinese students admire the
lives of the protagonists (g). 21.7% of the Japanese students and
18.2% of the Chinese students believe that manga makes their lives
enriched (h).
Figure 14. How Do You Like Reading Comic Books?
Again, Q.14 examines how students feel when reading manga. 33%
of the Chinese students say the feel like they are one of the
protagonists in the story (a), but none of the Japanese students
answer this way. 40% of the Chinese students admire the lives of
the protagonists (b) but only 8.7% of the Japanese students show
this feeling. Again, Chinese students are more emotional in reading
and tend to connect their own life with the protagonists in the story.
42% of the Chinese students say manga is easier to understand than
normal books (c), and the ratio for the Japanese students is only
10.9%. This suggests that Chinese students have received more
training at school for reading normal books. Although they prefer
reading manga, manga has not been introduced much into school
210
curriculums. That is why they are much more used to reading books
with words than the Japanese students. Interestingly, 51.6% of the
Japanese students indicate that they read manga because they want
to escape from the real world (d), and the ratio for the Chinese
students is only 17%. Option D reveals this tendency again. 26.1%
of the Chinese students realize that manga is only a false reality
while only 4.3% agree. This is to say that Japanese students tend
not to challenge real life difficulties, but rather, prefer to indulge in
situations that make them comfortable although it may not be real.
4.3% of the Japanese students and 26.1% of the Chinese students
say manga helps them gain better understanding about the real
world through contrasting (e). 12.5% of the Japanese students and
6.8% of the Chinese students lose their confidence in dealing with
the difficulty in the real world because they think they are not as
powerful as the protagonists (f).
5. CONCLUSION
As a result of this study, Japanese students show a stronger desire
for and devotion to reading manga than Chinese students. They
have a relatively narrow selection of books they read in their daily
life, and tend to spend more time and energy reading manga.
Chinese students select a wider scope of book topics, which makes
them rely on manga less than the Japanese. As mentioned above,
college students should be competent in reading and understanding
books with words in order to promote their professional learning.
Japanese students’ preferences for manga prevent them from
developing the competent reading ability needed for professional
study.
Manga uses a combination of dynamic drawings with impressive
and interesting plots coupled with attractive characters. These
techniques allow the manga industry to maintain contact and
allegiance with loyal readers in Japan. Through pictures and a few
words manga offers insight into a multitude of themes. This assists
Japanese college students in forming the mistaken idea that they
don’t have to read normal books in order to learn about the world
and life. They tend to resist books with words and many have not
developed the ability to understand logical and theoretical
descriptions and explanations needed for professional learning. It
will be a very challenging task for the future to try to help Japanese
college students establish proper reading habits.
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