NON- FICTION

The Manga Guide to Microprocessors by MICHIO SHIBUYA, TAKASHI TONAGI & OFFICE SAWA

No Starch Press ( 2017) RRP $ 37.99

THERE IS A SCHOOL of thought that holds any topic, no matter how dry or complex, can be immediately made more appealing by the simple act of framing it in the textual and visual protocols of Japanese manga cartoons.

This is made immediately and almost redundantly manifest on the front cover of The Manga Guide to Microprocessors, whereon the title wording is augmented by a cartoon of a big-eyed schoolgirl from Studio Ghibli central casting, a pensive nerdy schoolboy (ditto) and a feisty little infantilised computer screen of a sort, instantly recognisable to anyone who has ever spent more than five minutes watching Tokyo morning television.

The book pretty much does what it says on the tin. Through 245 graphic novel pages, our heroes romp through the ins and outs of microprocessor history, manufacture and use (pausing occasionally to squabble with each other).

For readers fond of comic-style entertainments and with a pressing need to master electronics, the book delivers on all counts. Those wishing for a plainer, less histrionic introduction to the subject might find the whole thing a tad irritating.

Manga fans should note the authors are nothing if not prolific, having written similar guides to semiconductors, biochemistry, statistics and electricity.