I think it’s easy for a lot of people to look at manga and to not realise how complicated and difficult it is to produce. From the black and white artwork to the way the panels are structured, there is so much to appreciate when it comes to manga and I thought it might be interesting to take a look at what I consider to be quite an underappreciated manga technique, mihiraki.
If you’ve read even a cursory amount of manga, it’s quite likely that you’ve come across mihiraki without even realising it. The most basic definition of mihiraki, 見開き in Japanese, is literally “two pages opposite each other“. That by itself can be a little confusing but, with regards to manga, it refers to manga artwork that is spread across two pages. This can result in two pages depicting a single panel or it can simply display a panel across two pages with other panels around it.
Historically, doing mihiraki artwork was surprisingly complicated. The mangaka would have to use a special type of paper called “manga genkou youshi” which outlined where the artist could draw and which parts were going to be removed. They would also have to take into account that the artwork would have to stretch across the gutter of the book, making adjustments so that the art remains continuous and not look broken by the gutter. It’s become easier to do mihiraki with advancements in digital technology since it doesn’t require special paper and can take into account the gutter.
Now the question becomes “Why do mangaka draw mihiraki in the first place?” With regards to mihiraki that span the entirety of two pages, it’s quite often used to elevate the impact of the scene. To give an example, I was reading Case Closed, also known as Detective Conan, recently and noticed that the entrance of an important and unexpected character used the entirety of the two pages in order to make the scene more powerful. This can be surprisingly impactful and leave a greater impression on the reader.
While mihiraki is often associated with a full two page spread, there are also plenty of examples where a panel may stretch across two pages while other panels remain restricted to a single page. This can used for establishing shots, such as in the above example, as well as wide shots, something I’d very much associate with Lone Wolf & Cub artist Goseki Kojima.
Let me know your thoughts on the underappreciated manga technique of mihiraki, various examples you can think of, how you think it adds to the manga you read and any additional information you might have on the topic.
Hopefully you have found this article interesting and informative and, if you wish to seek any of the works I mentioned, don’t hesitate to use amazon.co.uk or amazon.com for all of your needs!