This week's poll was suggested by our member Tessa-Meowther. What really is a manga in this day and age?

You can submit poll ideas here: https://www.mangaupdates.com/topic/kilkdnn/site-manga-poll-suggestions

Question: Do you spend more time on anime or manga (or the equivalent, i.e., manhwa or manhua)?

Choices:

• I do both, but more anime - votes: 301 (12.9%)
• I do both, but more manga - votes: 1320 (56.7%)
• About the same amount of time for both - votes: 250 (10.7%)
• I don't watch anime at all - votes: 439 (18.9%)
• I don't read manga at all - votes: 17 (0.7%)

There were 2327 total votes. The poll ended: September 6, 2025

Compared to a decade ago, the largest change in percentages is that less people watch anime (myself included)

A just ruler amongst tyrants

I'd call it generic crap. Are there any exceptions?

PS: also some authors use AI even for cover. That couldn't be worse.

Primarily I say manga, but "all of the above" would be more accurate.

Just like I'll call long strip full color Korean comics both manhwas and webtoons, I'd also consider the Japanese version to be both mangas and webtoons.

It's not mutually exclusive, "manga" describes it by the country of origin, whereas "webtoon" tells you the format, and both are correct. It's a webtoon-format manga, which in turn fits into the much larger umbrella category of webcomic. Since saying both is kind of wordy though, whether I choose to describe it as a webtoon or a manga mostly depends on context and what I'm trying to convey about it, but I wouldn't argue that someone is wrong for using any of these terms.

Traditionally, the origin of the graphic novel is how we derive what we call the graphic novel. Comics are western or for languages that adopt that word, manga is Japanese, Manhwa is Korean, and Manhua is Chinese.

With that said, formatted in long-strip should get called a webcomic or webtoon, regardless of the country's origin, because it's specifically designed for web browser consumption and is not paneled in a normal comics/manga/manhwa/manhua/etc. way. And the internet is international, and English is the most widespread language in the world, as well as the official language for things like international air traffic control (ATC) and other international navigation.

This is how I believe we best keep it consistent if we don't want to break tradition. Otherwise, manhwa like Witch Hunter would just be called manga even though it's made in Korea.

With that said, if we're willing to break with tradition and start labeling things purely according to a combination of format and style, then I argue we call western style graphic novels 'comics', Japanese style graphic novels 'manga' and Korean webtoon style graphic novels 'manhwa' regardless of the country of origin. We all stop using the term 'manhua' unless and until a distinctly unique style of modern visual storytelling using still images comes from China.

Personally, I like tradition in this case.

I'm a jack of all trades but master of none. Too many jars and not enough hands.

Personally, I would call it a "webcomic".

I do understand that "webtoon" is the most popular nomenclature among fans of the format, even having an entire website called "webtoon" hosting the most popular series. However... I never quite understood why that term was used in the first place, since it just makes me think of the word "cartoon", which really doesn't fit the subject matter of most of these series.

Then again, the word "comic" also has a similar origin as the word "cartoon". Originally being defined as "funny panelized drawings", an offshoot of the other definition of "comic", meaning "stand-up comedian".

Still, the definition of the word "comic" has shifted quite drastically over the years, starting with the action and drama present in sci-fi and superhero comics in the 1930s and 1940s, and the increased serious tone of comic books leading to the coining of the term "graphic novel" in the late 70s.

I suppose perhaps this is why "webcomic" sounds more appropriate to me than "webtoon"

In any case, I'd never call it "manga", at best I might call it "webmanga", but only for works originating from Japan. Still, that's not a term I've seen anyone else use, so I generally just stick to "webcomic" for clarity's sake.

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::End of Transmission::

I just call it manga no matter the format or the nationality of the author. How I pronounce 漫画 is how I pronounce it. Doesn't matter whether the author is Japanese, Chinese or Korean. Or even French or American for that matter. Manga = comics.

Far-off places with sweet sounding names.

Quote from vigorousjammer

Personally, I would call it a "webcomic".

I do understand that "webtoon" is the most popular nomenclature among fans of the format, even having an entire website called "webtoon" hosting the most popular series. However... I never quite understood why that term was used in the first place, since it just makes me think of the word "cartoon", which really doesn't fit the subject matter of most of these series.

Then again, the word "comic" also has a similar origin as the word "cartoon". Originally being defined as "funny panelized drawings", an offshoot of the other definition of "comic", meaning "stand-up comedian".

Still, the definition of the word "comic" has shifted quite drastically over the years, starting with the action and drama present in sci-fi and superhero comics in the 1930s and 1940s, and the increased serious tone of comic books leading to the coining of the term "graphic novel" in the late 70s.

I suppose perhaps this is why "webcomic" sounds more appropriate to me than "webtoon"

In any case, I'd never call it "manga", at best I might call it "webmanga", but only for works originating from Japan. Still, that's not a term I've seen anyone else use, so I generally just stick to "webcomic" for clarity's sake. Basically "comic" is always horizontal xd not vertical

Webtoon or webcomic... i had to use webtoon more often, so voted for that... that is just how it shows up in searches...

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I really don't know why every Japanese vertical strip seems to be so bad.

Webtoon. If its vertical, I call it a webtoon and if its horizontal or a one-page strip, then I call it a webcomic. (The coloring is irrevelant.) It has nothing to do with nationality, just formatting. Though in conversation, where formatting is not important, I would say something like I was reading this new comic title such and such on what-cha-ma-call-it platform. Completely avoiding the topic of nationality or original language unless the person I was taling to thought it was necessary.

Internet Lurker At Heart

Manga: structured like a traditional graphic-novel comic, even if digital

Webcomic: self published online manga (as opposed to a serialized version of the same story)

Webtoon: vertical and structured for phones (I hate it)

It's clearly a manga (i.e. a Japanese comic), AS WELL AS a web comic. (comic that is "published" on the web)
Neither term has ANYTHING to do with format, in any way, whatsoever.

As for "webtoon", that term is an abomination that needs to be obliterated
...except maybe if it's used to refer to web published cartoons. (so if it's a web anime, for example)

Not manga. Manga havea unique structuring and arrangement of panels, and a vertical strip doesn't have that. Just because it's from a Japoanese author doesn't automatically make it a manga.

I'd call it webcomic. I don't like the word webtoon, tbh.

Quote from LazyReviewer

Traditionally, the origin of the graphic novel is how we derive what we call the graphic novel. Comics are western or for languages that adopt that word, manga is Japanese, Manhwa is Korean, and Manhua is Chinese.

"Graphic novel" is just another word for comic, which was made up by people, who wanted to increase the respectability of comics. Idiots who think that renaming something, changes how people view it.
"Comic" doesn't mean it's from the West. In any way, shape or form.
It's the name of the medium, regardless of country of origin, or format.
All manga, manhwa, and manua are comics.
Manga specifies Japanese origin, manhwa Korean, and manhua Chinese, but they're all comics, just the same.

With that said, formatted in long-strip should get called a webcomic or webtoon, regardless of the country's origin, because it's specifically designed for web browser consumption and is not panelled in a normal comics/manga/manhwa/manhua/etc.

So all 4-koma manga, should be called webcomic or webtoon?
Like Sazae-san, Azumanga Daioh, Machikado Mazoku, and countless others.
Actually, "long strip" perfectly describes a ton of Western comics. Especially those (originally) published in newspapers. (and please note that there are newspaper comic strips, in Japanese newspapers, as well. [which are all, obviously, manga] Sazae-san originated as one)

is not paneled in a normal comics/manga/manhwa/manhua/etc.

Comics (and this is true of both Western and Japanese [and I presume also Korean and Chinese]), come in all kinds of formats and panellings. Even if you only look at ones that are physically printed on paper.

Quote from amy_levi

Not manga. Manga havea unique structuring and arrangement of panels

...
A preposterous claim. There are countless examples of what everyone would agree are manga, with different structuring and arrangement of panels.
...and 4-koma manga, are no different to Western comic strips, in terms of structuring and arrangement of panels. (they're vertical, rather than horizontal, sure, but that's obviously not a meaningful difference)