Even people with an avid interest in the Japanese language and culture might turn away from the idea of learning the hiragana and katakana (collectively called kana). Both are syllabaries; sound-based scripts that Japanese children learn before 1st grade. Hiragana are used to write any native Japanese word (sakura, sushi, etc.) and katakana are used to write words that are "foreign" to the Japanese language (for example, America would be written with the katakana for "Amerika") as well as sound-effect words (like "para-para" for falling rain).
Manga fans, Japanese language-learners, as well as those with a passing interest in Japanese culture will find this book an entertaining and refreshing change from the tedious textbook-like approaches to the kana I've seen in the past. Each character is accompanied with a Japanese word containing it, an illustration, and a description with relavance to the word. One could easily learn the hiragana and katakana using this book, with practice and perhaps using on-line flash card tools. Pages for written practice are included in the back, as well as a handy green reference card showing all the hiragana and katakana.

Have you ever wanted or needed to learn Japanese? Kana De Manga, by Glenn Kardy, allows you to do just that. By helping you learn the ABC's of Japanese you can, after mastering it, learn to read and write to write other more complex characters. The book gives both the cursive and print versions of each character, and allows space to practice each of them. I would recommend Kana De Manga because it has enough information to spur someone's thirst to learn to read and write Japanese.
The content in this book is factual and consistent in a way to optimize the rate at which you learn the basic Japanese characters. For consistency, the cursive form of the word is always on the left side, while the printed version is on the right. When words are made up of two or more derivatives, the book tells the reader those words and what they mean. The quotes coincide with the pictures on that page such "the odds of being struck by lightning are 700,000 to 1" as a quote about lightning. There are also pictures associated with every word, sort of like apple for "A" in the English language. There are also easy to learn definitions so you can remember all 72 of the definitions in this book.
Instead of the paragraphs being unemotional and boring, the author adds small tidbits of humor. For instance, one of the characters was part of the word "crybaby" in Japanese so there was a picture of a crybaby on the page. The author stated that usually people think these kinds of characters are cute, but he thinks "they are pathetic." While the book is humorous, it keeps you informed. While you are laughing at some of the jokes, you are not as bored while reading. The pictures themselves are also hilarious, such as a boy trying to smash a suika, or watermelon or one where a boy is squeamish at his own chi, or blood.
The author tries to appeal to teenage readers who do not know Japanese in various ways. He uses somewhat complex vocabulary but nothing teenagers should not know by now. He gives encouragement such as "the odds of you memorizing all the Kana in this book are 3 to 1" or "you are halfway there!" This makes the reader feel like the author is actually a real person, not just some text on a page.
This intriguing book will enrapture even people who are only remotely interested in Japanese characters because it is not filled from top to bottom with words. The facts and organization come together to make a superb read. After reading this book, you can even go into advance characters such as Japanese kanji!