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Children's manga (Japanese:子供向け漫画,Hepburn:kodomo-muke manga) andchildren's anime (子供向けアニメ,kodomo-muke anime) refer tomanga andanime directed towardschildren.[1] These series are usually moralistic, often educating children about staying in the right path in life. Each chapter is usually a self-contained story. An example of a notable children's anime isDoraemon.
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Manga aimed at children started in the late 19th century with the production of short manga, approximately 15 pages long, printed in magazines. These short manga were created as a part of theMeiji era's attempt to encourage literacy among Japanese youth. A major milestone in the popularity of anime was the creation ofAstro Boy byOsamu Tezuka, who is often considered the father of anime.[2]
Children's anime and manga can be divided into four categories. The first category consists of anime and manga adaptations of Western stories, such asWorld Masterpiece Theater. Most of them are TV series. Despite being popular, they are less representative of traditional Japanese anime. Instead, they are modeled after classical American or Soviet cartoons. The second category consists of adaptations of Japanese media and original works. They use linguistic gags, contain references toJapanese society, and may be harder to understand fornon-Japanese audiences. They are in some ways similar toAmerican animation. An example isDoraemon.
The third category, known asjoji-muke (女児向け),[3] consists of manga and anime aimed towards young girls, such asHello Kitty. The fourth category, which is closer toshōnen, has connections with popularvideo game and toy franchises, and has the greatest commercial success.[4] Manga magazines such asCoroCoro Comic andComic BomBom primarily target young boys, especially those in elementary school, though some, such asPucchigumi, target young girls. Popular children's manga is often adapted into anime and accompanied by a plethora of merchandise.
The annualShogakukan Manga Award andKodansha Manga Award each include a category for children's manga.[5][6] The former first included a category for children's manga in 1981.