Gekiga
劇画 / 1957–1970s / Style / Illustration Styles
The name Tatsumi Yoshihiro raised in order to separate his work from manga for children. With a thin drawn line, heavy shadow and cinematic panel flow, it treated adult social themes and violence. It decisively widened the range of subjects comics could take on afterwards.
At a glance
Visual cues
- Thin, hard drawn line
- Strong light and dark with solid black
- Cinematic panel division
- Realistic bodies and backgrounds
Best used for
- Supporting a heavy subject with the hardness of the line and the quantity of darkness
- Designing cinematic time through a sequence of panels
Use this style
Take the compact brief into a project or hand the structured version to an AI tool.
Detailed guidance and sourcesProduction rules, reference works, comparisons, research and citation formats
Dictionary entry
- Type
- Hold back hand lettering and bring the hardness of phototype onto the page.
- Composition
- Swing widely between long shot and close up, and insert silent panels.
- Material
- Build the gradations of darkness from solid black and crosshatched screening.
- Caution
- A dark drawing style is not what gekiga is. The starting point is what the hardened line was meant to tell.
- Further study
- The naming by Tatsumi Yoshihiro in 1957 / The rental book trade as a channel of distribution / The roles of Garo and COM
Related entries
- Manga Lettering (漫画の描き文字)Editorially linked for a useful contrast.Compare Gekiga and Manga Lettering
- Shōjo Manga (少女漫画)Same Illustration Styles lineage.Compare Gekiga and Shōjo Manga
More from Illustration Styles
Continue through styles in the same Illustration Styles family, prioritised by shared effects.
- Lowbrow (Pop Surrealism) (ローブロウ)Shared effects: Rebellion / Nostalgia.
- Push Pin Style (プッシュピン・スタイル)Shared effects: Nostalgia.
- Powell Peralta Deck Graphics (パウエル・ペラルタのデッキ図像)Shared effects: Rebellion.
Browse all Illustration Styles entries
Cite this entry
The dictionary is meant to be linked to. Take whichever form fits where you are writing.
- Link
- https://indexstyle.org/styles/gekiga
- Markdown
- [Gekiga — IndexStyle](https://indexstyle.org/styles/gekiga)
- HTML
- <a href="https://indexstyle.org/styles/gekiga">Gekiga — IndexStyle</a>