In our last article, we covered some of the basics of Komawari and paneling for manga, such as reading direction, manga’s grid systems, sandangumi and yondangumi, gutters, the concept of rough and dense pages and misegoma, having one panel as the main focus of the page.
Today we are going to dig deeper into the less common aspects of paneling manga: the primary manga layouts, Oblique panels and Ma panels. None of these are “unique” to manga and can be used in western comics, however their use is more common in manga and can really help yours stand out from the crowd.
With that intro, let's dig in!
Basic Panel Layouts
Using the basic knowledge of the gridding systems we learned last time, I’d like to introduce you to the most basic manga panel layouts. The reason these are important is that you can use these as a base layout, and then cut them up into smaller panels as needed to fit your story. These are layouts that DO work, and you can then manipulate them to work for YOUR needs.
I’d like to note that, before moving forward, this particular section might seem easy or like a captain obvious moment, however when paneling, you don’t want to have TOO many panels. Unique panel layouts can be fun and exciting, however if they are too complicated, you can lose your audience. That’s why these basic layouts are valuable. They give you secure and known-to-work starting points that you can then expand on.
There are different sets of basic panel layouts for San-dan-gumi (3 rows) and Yon-dan-gumi (4 rows). For this example, I'll be going over the more modern set of 3 rows. These basic layouts are divided into categories based on the number of panels in them:
2 Panels:
3 Panels:
With 3 panels, we get a lot more options, 6 of them in fact.
This is where Misegoma, which we discussed last time comes in handy! Misegoma (one larger panel to be the focus of the page) can help us really create a lot of variety in our paneling! The idea behind paneling in general, be it comics or manga is pacing, a rhythm. By creating a constant ebbing and flowing rhythm, in your pages, it makes it easier for the reader to keep reading. Disrupting that flow can be exciting or interesting, but it can also be confusing. So make sure your flow is smooth and only breaks when you want it to.
Naname and Massugu Panels
“Normal” panels that have squared corners are called “Massugu koma”. A standard manga has most of these by default. However, you might want to change that up from time to time to make it exciting, yeah? That’s where Oblique panels, or Naname-koma come into play. (You might have noticed the image above in the last section contains some of these panels!
Naname Panels, also called "Oblique Panels" do not have square corners, but instead have angles. These panels are normally used to emphasize speed or action. Have a character throwing a punch, add a Naname panel to make the action feel more speedy! More dynamic, more powerful, more channeled. Here is a sample from Dragon Ball Super that uses this really well!
One of my favorite manga, Yuyu Hakusho, does this often. In fact, a lot of battle and sports manga use a large amount of these panels in action heavy scenes. It varies up the standard normal square and rectangle panels, AND has a effect on the feeling from those panels. Fun!
Ma Panels: The Quiet Moments
One more type of panel to consider is called “Ma-goma”. These are panels that don’t have balloons, but have a specific purpose. A panel could still be considered “Ma” if it has a balloon with an ellipsis (...) or even a “!” or “?”, sometimes even “Ah!” But the point is that no characters have actual dialogue (fukidashi) in said panel. In the last example, we have two "Ma" Panels.
Now what ARE they used for?
In Japanese culture, when people are having a dialogue, there is typically a pause before the other person will reply. This is considered proper manners. In many western cultures, taking time to reply, or a pause, can be considered rude, or possibly confusing, wondering if the other person understood us. We also tend to be thinking of our reply, and are ready to dish it out as soon as the other person is done talking.
However, in Japanese culture, this is completely normal to have this pause. This sort of cultural norm has been applied to manga as well, though not initially. Over time, as society has changed in Japan, Ma has been added to manga. In this way reflects more of the modern life, modern conversations. It makes manga feel more natural and easy to read. It reflects real life and can make characters feel more realistic by giving them time to react before speaking. It also gives your reader time to process since they, too, are living the lives of our characters.
In battle manga (Yuyu Hakusho pictured above), it's really common to use this sort of panel in reaction to attacks, before and after. It doesn't necessarily have to apply to a conversation. Ma is more or less the idea of a quiet moment to think, either for your reader or the characters involved. It's a period of rest before the action continues, and it is very important for long stretches of action! This concept is often seen in anime and movies as well.
Studio Ghibli uses this technique a LOT in their films, in fact, Spirited Away is especially famous for it. Next time you are watching or reading content and come to a moment of calm, maybe stop and think about it? Why is this here? Should I be thinking? Maybe just enjoy the peaceful moment before it gets busy again.
Thank you all for reading this entry today! It was a lot of content, a lot of new words if you weren't already familiar. My suggestion to help retain all of this is to learn to apply it to your own manga or manga that you like to read. Sit down and point out these different panel types, analyze your favorite pages to study the panel layouts. It's a really valuable exercise to actually study manga pages that are done by professionals.
As always, feel free to reach out to us and drop a comment if you have a question. Here are some more resources for you to keep studying!
Resources
As always, feel free to reach out to us and drop a comment if you have a question. Here are some more resources for you to keep studying!
- Komawari 2 by Tokyo Name Tank
- Oblique Panels by Tokyo Name Tank
- Ma Panels by Tokyo Name Tank
- Actions and Reactions by SMA Manga Classroom
Thank you all again for your time here today. Please drop a comment if you need some help! Share this with someone who will find it helpful! See you all soon!
~ ArtCrumbs and the GlobalComix Team ~