"I think the balloons are different because that accomodates the various characters better."
Interesting concept. I also thought maybe the shape was similar to how signs are made in the Orient. I think I've seen signs that have a similar shape.
"Oh, yeah, and if you read too much manga, your eyes go funny and you'll start reading every comic right-to-left."
What's confusing about that for me is I'm also trying to learn Hebrew and that also reads right to left, except there you start at the last page and read backwards, so I'm finding myself feeling like I should be starting on the last page of the manga instead of Page 1 :)
Well, you would start at the last page if it were in book form, but being individual pages, I guess it's easier to set up with the first page being 1.
I'm going to bed now. See everyone tomorrow.