Kodomo Mangas
Kodomo manga is generally referred to as children's manga. The simplistic nature with which children's manga is produced relates most directly to children between the ages of six and twelve. There are an abundance of stories in kodomo manga that deal with fantasy settings, robots, mystical character development and some violence. The violence expressed in kodomo manga is alarming to some with traditionally Western views of culture and its influences on children. The violence, however, is on par with much of the developmental material available to children of the age throughout Asia, where manga is most popular. Although the kodomo manga stories are directed at a juvenile audience, there are elements in the highly successful kodomo mangas that retain their audiences into young adulthood.
Kodomo manga is a merchandising goldmine when the franchise draws a sizable audience. Some of the kodomo manga is made into anime features, generating revenue in the form of DVD sales and royalties. The products commonly spawned from a kodomo manga series include cards, key chains, video games, clothes and plush dolls or figurines. Many kodomo manga franchises make the majority of their profit through merchandising and sales of products as opposed to the initial release or subsequent chapters in a series. There are many periodical publications in Japan that deal with manga and manga stories. A couple of these magazines, Korokoro Comic and Comic Bonbon, deal with kodomo manga. Kodomo manga has reached international levels of popularity, breaching many other parts of the world with their unique storylines and animation.
