//I didn't see any other thread think this, sorry if there is//

This is an intelligent debate and discussion. Please do not troll and be respectful.

I noticed in the last year or two things have been going down hill for the online scanlation community.
I've been scanlating for some time now and never seen so many groups go down like in this last year.
Never before has it been so hard for me to find staff.
Mangareader sites are getting out of control.
The quality of work done by scanlation groups is getting worse and worse.
With all the issues and drama that has been happening do ya think this is a sign of times to come?
How long do ya think we are going to last if this keeps up?

I'm really interesting in what other scanlators and fans think of what is going on in our little world of manga scans.

I don't think scanlations will end until manga ends or until foreign publishers somehow be able to concurrently release their manga/manhua/manhwa online with official releases in their own country. Otherwise, scanlation will go on because there will always be a person who can't read Japanese/Korean/Chinese who wants to read manga/manhua/manhwa. Sure, there may be ups and downs, but I don't think it'll end any time soon. But I do see it getting harder to acquire scanlations, with the whole community being in a legal gray zone, and the rise of mangareaders. Some groups may go back into their own little irc cave or like some groups, make it very hard to get access to their releases, and some have already done so since the scanlation scare of OneManga. :/ And people don't understand why so many scanlators dislike mangareaders so much...

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♪MONSTARR~ will eat all your cookies and steal your bishies~♪ Φ_Φ

I think that because mangareaders exist a lot of the people who (want to) read manga do not drop by on the sites of the scanlators. And when scanlators who do something for the community are ignored by the same community they might not feel the need to do something for them anymore.
This is especially true for non popular manga's I think. As the popular manga's get forumposts that can be read by the scanlators. (and unpopular manga does not)

(Though I myself mostly go to scanlator's site's that have a mangareader (like EGscans) and do not comment much)

I don't think that there's really an end to this enterprise in sight. It's a volunteer service, yes, and a number of both ethical and logistical problems will continue to present themselves, but I don't think that's really a sign of a coming end. We all love doomsday theories, I suppose (just look at the outcry after the whole Tokyo ordinance fiasco despite results that point clearly to a much smaller effect than anticipated). So we'll keep saying the sky is falling.

The thing, mainly, is that we've got a huge fanbase with an entitlement complex. Even if scanlation groups keep dropping like flies, there will still be a desire out there for someone to capitalize on. This means to me that the scanlation model might change drastically (perhaps becoming even more ethically dubious if current trends continue), but there's such a large and vibrant community out there that a complete shut down of the industry seems entirely unlikely.

Besides, even looking at the releases page alone, you can see that we're still highly active, even in a possible decline. I'd argue that the community is just sorting out another evolutionary shift, rather than strictly fading into oblivion.

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Reviews of my Work:
You are kind of boring - Blackorion
Congratulations! Ur an asshole! - tokyo_homi
Your awesome!!! - Cherelle_Ashley
NightSwan also said that she wanted to peg me, once, but I'm not sure whether to take that as a compliment or a threat...

If some mangareaders will act unethically there will be a countermovement (like batoto) and the solution that might be the best is when the official publishers publish on their own reader (like naver or daum) with an option for an english version.

I think they'll probably last until there are official English translations available online for almost every series, and the wait between the Japanese and English is a small one. Until then there will still be demand for scanlations.

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It may be possible to at least alleviate the majority of the problems with the online manga readers. Rather than having an independent company that cashes in on scanlators' works, maybe an online manga reader that spreads out the ad revenue to scanlators. This would increase motivation for some scanlators, help remove the problem of disrespectful online readers, increase the number of people who would like to work on a scanlation team, etc.

It's just a small idea that popped in my head, but could prove effective. One of the main arguments people have is that you have to download on the scanlators sites, whereas online readers just allow you to quickly read on your browser. I don't know about everyone else, but I prefer reading Red Hawk's releases on their online manga reader.

Scanlation will last as long as there are those willing to do it.

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"Officially, this machine doesn't exist, you didn't get it from me,
and I don't know you. Make sure it doesn't leave the building."

actualy... tha age where theres no need to do any scanlatin will surely come... but then again, it will then be named piracy and just that.

It'll end when all the translators are no more.

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"I'll shut your mouth~~~~~ with mine~~~"

二息歩行

It'll never end, nothing really does...

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ミレニアム・マ スター１８

lol We actually already have an online reader like that. Go check out batoto.

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♪MONSTARR~ will eat all your cookies and steal your bishies~♪ Φ_Φ

yah i doubt scanlation will ever go away...cuz it like asking when will people stop pirating stuff.
except that the quality of scanlation work may change

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPNDqAF03V8

Hopefully it won't go away. Who knows about the popularity of manga a century later?

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Nulla in mundo pax sincera
"Always go too far, because that's where you'll find the truth." - Albert Camus

Being a manga fan is hard. Manga gets dropped half way, sites come and go, you never know what to expect.
I am also a scanlator, so it's twice as hard for me. There's always a chance we'll get a C&D, cos we have a free distro policy.
Everytime something big happens - like mature manga being chased out from manga sites, THE coallition being established, Tokyo bill being passed, and so on.
Each of these time, I thought: "This is it. It's the end. Totally..... I need a new hobby."
Still, this site is still here, my favourite manga is still available, so I guess it will take some time to get rid of us for good.
Let me give you an example - 3 years ago, I thought manga was a tropical fruit. Now I read it daily, and scanlate it myself. There are a lot of other people like me.
We'll always find a way. Heck, we'll share it by email if there is no other option.