Spin-offs are increasingly prevalent in our modern culture. After all, it’s easier to sell something that’s related to a previous property than a completely new IP. While I would argue that Japanese media isn’t quite as fanatical about spin-offs as Western works, that doesn’t mean that they don’t exist. Therefore, I thought it might be interesting to take a look at what spin-off manga are as well as some interesting examples.
We should start off by defining what a spin-off manga is. A spin-off is a work that’s set in the same universe as the original media but may follow either a previous side-character or brand new characters while expanding on certain worldbuilding aspects. This is in contrast to a sequel that would be a direct continuation of the story of the original media.
With regards to a manga spin-off, these manga act as spin-offs of the original media, whether that be manga, anime, video games or even Western media. In comparison to many media, the production of manga is relatively cheap and this makes it comparatively easy to commission. Beyond any artistic merit that the spin-off might have, it acts as a form of marketing and can help draw more people to check out the original work.
With regards to manga spin-offs from a manga series, notable examples would include Attack on Titan: Junior High, a spin-off of Attack on Titan, Soul Eater Not!, a spin-off of Soul Eater, Fairy Tail Zero, a spin-off of Fairy Tail, amongst many others. I wanted to draw particular attention to the incredibly popular manga Sailor Moon which initially started out as a spin-off to the Codename: Sailor V manga. However, it does eventually incorporate Sailor Venus, the protagonist of Codename: Sailor V, into the main cast and the Sailor Moon manga ends up becoming a sequel to Codename: Sailor V instead. This was an interesting example of a spin-off developing into a direct sequel, something which is rather uncommon.
Additionally, it’s worth taking note of spin-off manga based on other mediums. It’s not uncommon to see popular anime series receive their own manga spin-offs with some examples being the numerous spin-offs of Puella Magi Madoka Magica like Kazumi Magica and Suzune Magica and spin-offs of Gundam series like Gundam Seed Astray and Gundam: The Last Outpost. Even Western movies sometimes receive their own manga spin-off such as the Minions manga that was made soon after the release of the movie Minions.
Spin-off manga can be a surprisingly efficient form of marketing for media, whether that be manga, anime, video games, Western media etc. Let me know your thoughts on spin-off manga and these interesting examples, what other spin-off manga you’ve heard of/read, what some of your favourites/least favourites have been, what you think of using spin-off manga as a form of marketing 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!