• lunarul@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    22
    ·
    6 months ago

    Yes, manga is read from right to left. When translating to English the panels and speech bubbles are not rearranged.

    • cobysev@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      10
      ·
      6 months ago

      Unless it was translated in the '90s and before. A lot of early manga translations, they just digitally flipped the pages so they were a mirror image to the original manga, then added English text in the bubbles, which were now facing left-to-right.

      I specifically remember Ghost in the Shell and Akira were flipped for American reading order. Maybe Battle Angel Alita too? I bought the English-translated books, but had to find fan translations online to read it in its original orientation.

      Fun fact: Ghost in the Shell (the first volume) actually had a couple pages of an explicit lesbian threesome on a yacht, which were edited to a few girls hanging out in bathing suits on a yacht for the American release. Too spicy for '90s American sensibilities.