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Genres of manga are standards. Shojo, Shonen, Yuri, Yaoi, Hentai, Sentai, all these are variations on a theme. (And no Hentai and Sentai are not related . . . ) I've discussed these genres some before, but one theme I really want to look into and talk about the Elements of Sentai manga, through a Sentai-lite manga series, or series of series, Transformers.
Now I'm not going to delve into the plotlines of Transformers in depth, but it is interesting to look at how these series follow certain . . . trends. The elements of Transformers manga show the great tendency to embrace and utilize sentai elements which Japanese writers and artists seem to view is essential to attract their core market of young boys to read their stories. Though things have changed as well over the past almost 30 years Transformers manga have been done.
The most common element of Sentai manga that Transformers embraces enthusiastically is the young male sidekick or sometimes protagonist. Most Sentai shows either have the young boy as a sidekick, or the young males, and sometimes females, are the heroes of the piece. Transformers manga utilizes most of their young "human" characters as sidekicks, describing the action, naming new characters, or cheering on the heroes. They do what any of us would if giant robots were fighting around us and we didn't have to worry about dying. (After all none of the sidekicks die . . . ) These sidekicks or relatable heroes are the gateway into the series for a young audience and pretty essential for any Sentai or Transformers manga.
Next, is the changing arrangement of main characters or often introduction, sometimes monthly!, of new characters that are of course to promote new toys. The manga try to make these introductions seem organic, the new characters are introduced by having arrived from some place else or as new partners, and these elements help promote the toy line. Now these elements really remind us that these manga are really used to sell toys, which is fine, and sometimes you can get great stories from these manga.
Now Sentai manga can sometimes embrace more childlike elements, having characters leave instead of die, or sometimes can do the reverse of the show where a character dies or a darker tragedy occurs. These changes are hard to predict and often seem to embrace either the likes of the artist or go against what the show predictably did so that the manga and the show/toyline the series is based off gives the audience something new. (Ask many anime fans and they will say they don't read manga because they read exactly like what they watch on TV. Differences make a people want to enjoy both.)
One interesting element that many Sentai manga don't use, but Transformers did in the beginning was constantly changing male sidekicks. This element meant that continuity really wasn't important, and it did give fans different characters to relate to. Most sentai manga keep their sidekicks consistently, and eventually Transformers manga did embrace this idea once the show was not being made in America, but the constantly changing sidekicks made the stories perhaps more realistic. The idea that the Autobots would constantly keep around the same kid everywhere they went borders on . . . creepy.
(Though realism and sentai shows are not concepts that relate to each other well.)
Finally, Sentai manga, and Transformers manga, always embrace the eternal struggle of good vs. evil. Now obviously a lot of manga does this, but in this genre the lines are very clear and good is good and evil is evil. (Gundam manga for example, has many examples where the lines are much more blurry between who is really the hero or villain of a piece.) Though the interesting element of both Transformers manga and Sentai manga is that occasionally the line would blur with the bad guys becoming the good guys.
These elements definitely help sell to their target audience, giving the series reliability and consistency, even with rotating casts, and help get the audience wound up for exciting new toys. Some elements have changed a bit recently. For instance, the new Transformers Manga "The Cool" has a female sidekick, but these elements remain very consistent as many of the core elements of manga do.
Jya mata otakus!
As always you can reach me at vdf1@hotmail.com
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