Many original Manga artists are unhappy with the western simplification of their art and feels it skews their original intentions. Characters are shown in mirror image and distinguishing marks on specific characters, or logos on clothing is shown on the opposite side that was intended. By 'flopping' pages, western publishers can avoid 'confusing' western readers, but it comes at a price. They will often show this image at the western 'front' of the book to stop readers from reading in the incorrect direction: Manga that are read left to right (like the books you grew up reading in Canada) are considered 'flopped' manga-that is, printed in mirror image to make it easier for western readers. Manga are read from right to left-backwards to those of us used to English books. Manga are easy to differentiate from traditional 'western comics' from the Marvel or DC universe. Japanese artists, taking inspiration from western countries, began to create their own ideas utilizing the growth in technology in Japan as well as the political instability in the west to create characters and stories for Japanese readers. Manga are Japanese comics that began to gain popularity in the early 20th century.

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