What manga are you currently reading?

[noodles]

[scy]

Mangatraders doesn't seem to give a fuck and, like noodles said, just find the group's website yourself.

I'd care more but I've never actually used OneManga since I just d/l what I read.

[eharper256]

Wow, thats a pain. I kinda liked the ability to just stroll onto oneManga and randomly read something. Since I'm unlikely to read a manga again, once read, for at least a year or so, and unlike a book they're consumed within an hour or two, I'm always adverse to shelling out for them.

Jeez, the industry is really trying to kill both fansubbing and scanlations.

Oh well... guess it gives one a reason to actually use the manga tab of Tokyo Tosho.

(I wonder whether someone will go crazy with DownThemAll and rip an entire archive of the site?)

[Maxine MagicFox]

eharper the industry is not trying to skill scanlations, it's trying to kill thievery. :[

Seriously, go to your local bookstore and pick up your manga. ^_^ You'll be happier you did. The translations are often better as well as the image quality. Plus you get the joy in knowing that you just helped support manga fans in America by becoming one more valid statistic that there's a market for manga in America. BRING OVER THE REALLY GOOD STUFF!!

[scy]

Better translations and image quality? Yeah ... not really. But we've been through this song and dance before, I suppose.

[spoiler]Though it does apply to some older stuff and/or less popular things. Anything recent, however, is a different story; current scan quality is just flat out better assuming you're not at a low resolution (which introduces weird scrolling issues and distortion to image).[/spoiler]

[Maxine MagicFox]

I've showed you some of the recent titles that I've read that just sucked. But, yes, we have been through this song and dance, so we'll both drop it here. ^_^;

[eharper256]

I never considered reading OneManga to be thievery: I have a stack load of Manga (the entire top two shelves of my giant bookcase) and I certainly have ALWAYS supported the industry. Going by that logic suggests its wrong for me d/l fansubs; despite the fact I've spent hundreds of pounds on Anime DVDs.

I'd have no trouble buying Manga if it were a little cheaper. The problem is that it costs the same £6-9 (which is, what, $10-16 per shot? Though the pound is weak against the dollar at the moment) that a paperback does, unless you happen to see a B.O.G.O.F. (buyonegetonefree), which is about the only time I usually shell out these days.

[noodles]

Ugh...last few times I've been to a manga place I haven't even seen anything I wanted...I really wanted Kino's Journey, the light novel

[Maxine MagicFox]

[eharper256]

[Kinokokao]

Books are the one thing I absolutely 100% would never pirate. I just love them too much. i love the feel of them, the smell of them, the look of them, the portability of them, the durability of them... etc etc. I have no qualms buying manga, and I buy it by the truckload. I generally know what I like, and if I don't, I simply find a way to sell it off to use the proceeds toward a different title I may enjoy more.

I recognize scanlation has a purpose for the BL community as well; you'll notice a strong correlation between popular scanlated titles/authors and the works that become available through North American publishers. Notably, Hinako Takanaga's Tyrant series has a huge fanbase, from the scanlated work, which has translated directly into a fervor to see it published in America. I give a nod to those who appreciate such things. I, however, am generally a patient person and can wait for the official release. I enjoy such purchases because it is my opportunity to show, through my money, appreciation. A vote, if you will, toward the availability of BL manga. BL publishers have it rough, too, because they are a niche market.

Sometimes this leads to hardache and more than a little difficulty. Zetsuai, for example, is not available in English. It's unlikely to be picked up by a North American publisher due to age and the art style, which is admitedly archaic. (Regardless, I have written every single BL publisher and suggested Zetsuai for US release). I have the original Japanese manga, acquired at great expense and diligence, but am unable to read it. I had to painfully read a text translation and follow along with my manga, but the resulting experience, awkward as it was, still remained preferrable to pirating it. Call me stubborn if you must, call me a luddite even, but there is no substitute for the printed word.

[beekee]

[Kinokokao]

[Sampson]

[Kinokokao]

PAPER SMELLS LIKE HAPPINESS AND DREAMS