The manga are actually written in Kanji, but will sometimes have furigana (the little phonetic letters) beside the Kanji. This is certainly not true for all manga, though.
I know it's not true. Manga aimed at adults is written at an adult literacy level, with a lot of kanji and no helpful furigana.
A couple that I've tried (and failed) to read for this very reason are both very well known: Ah! My Goddess! and Maison Ikkoku.
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The manga are actually written in Kanji, but will sometimes have furigana (the little phonetic letters) beside the Kanji. This is certainly not true for all manga, though. I know it's not true. Manga aimed at adults is written at an adult literacy level, with a lot of kanji and no helpful furigana. A couple that I've tried (and failed) to read for this very reason are both very well known: Ah! My Goddess! and Maison Ikkoku.
This is because Perl, AFAIK, was designed by a linguist.