Analyzing Finland’s Manga Scene : A Bibliographical Study on Manga Comics Translated into Finnish and Published in Finland

Abstract

This thesis aims to explore Finland’s manga scene through a bibliographical analysis of all manga volumes translated into Finnish and published in Finland from 1985 to the end of 2025. The purpose of this study is to discover what kinds of manga series have been trans-lated into Finnish and published in Finland and if there are any translation policies (Toury 2012, 82) that Finnish manga publishers may follow. Moreover, this thesis aims to make conclusions about manga publication in Finland.

To achieve this, a bibliographical study was conducted by creating a catalogue based on Mi-ka Simanainen’s (2025) already existing catalogue, freely accessible on his website Tokio.fi. Simanainen’s catalogue was expanded upon by including information about target de-mographics and translators, and by filling in gaps where information was insufficient. Fur-thermore, research was conducted on all publishers that have published manga in Finland and findings were compiled. An interview was also conducted with Sangatsu Manga / Pun-ainen jättiläinen, one of Finland’s active manga publishers. Finally, data from the catalogue was analyzed through various graphs, and conclusions were made by linking all findings together.

Key results of the study reveal that a total of 233 different manga series and 2047 total indi-vidual volumes of manga have been released in Finland. Series of various genres have been released for various target demographics, but publishers appear to have a clear preference for publishing shounen manga and genres associated with it, such as action and adventure. Therefore, it can be argued that publishers appear to have a translation policy that largely focuses on releasing series that appeal to readers of all ages and genders, which shounen manga is known for.