Considering the Meanings and Effects of Frames without Onomatopoeias in Japanese Comics

Onomatopoeias - echoic, imitative, or mimetic words - are good for describing intuitive, sensitive, and ambiguous feelings that are difficult to express literally. They are often used in Japanese comics as an effective means of expression. In this study, we hypothesize that there are expressive techniques in comics such as “purposely not using onomatopoeia” and discuss the meanings and effects of frames without onomatopoeias. As a result, we confirm that frames without onomatopoeias frequently appear in significant scenes even though onomatopoeias are generally highly expressive in comics.