If I hadn't started downloading, I now wouldn't be buying. Simple as that. I don't have enough money to go buy manga simply becuase I enjoyed reading it when my friends in FL used to lend it to me, especially since my parents don't approve of it (does my mom approve of anything?) and watch all their kids pretty closely (not that we've ever caused trouble). But now that I'm at college I'm slowly starting to buy my favorite series and I know my collection is only going to get larger (shoot, I would have bought another volume today if I wasn't saving up for an Aaron Roger's jersey).

________________
I am a breath of insanity in a world of chaos.

Me: Performing Random Acts of Klutziness for over 30 years.

I only buy the best stuff. There are some manga that I read just 'cause. I would be much more selective if I only bought. Especially since I can't "test drive" the manga first.

Also I really hate editing when manga comes over here, taking out things, replacing or just getting lost in translation. Scanners do much better job than any licensing company.

I think that if something is worth reading, it's worth buying and having a hard copy. Since manga costs so much in the States, I will not buy anything without having read a little of it. At the same time, I do believe in supporting the artist. If it's available domestically, I get it in English. If not, I'll get it in Chinese, or Japanese, though it costs more. I'll stop grabbing scans if it becomes licensed in the US, unless I've purchased that edition. In that case, I like to have a digital as well as hard copy, and hey, I paid for it, right?

Speaking of supporting the artist; I only buy new. I'm supporting the artist, not the second hand store.

I voted the second one. The thing is, with unlicensed series, we can't get the series any other way. But for licensed series, I read everything (from the public library) first, then download for what hasn't been released. Truth is, reading Manick's post from a while ago, I don't have enough money to buy manga - I wonder if I'll have enough to get through my university education. Most manga that I download are unlicensed, and my downloading in general has lessened in this past year.

I do believe in supporting the authors though definitely, with the number of awesome books I buy (shamelessly mentioning Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand), I also buy an artbook or two here and there. It makes me feel more complete than buying part of a series.

What I wish that we had more of in the States are comic book rental stores. Basically, my parents grew up in Taiwan, and they frequently rented comics like they rented movies. The stores would by maybe 10-20 copies of each series (enough to say that you support a place that really supports the author) and you they paid a very small amount for each book and rented whole series at a time.

..............

Last edited by chibilin at 3:44 pm, Dec 15 2012

Yay, another Kaze Hikaru fan! (okay, that's not really relevant to the topic but...)

It is kinda complicated. I voted the second option but it doesn't exactly describe my opinion perfectly. I don't think downloading is "alright" if I really stop and think about it, but I download manga anyway (if it's not licensed—if it is, I decide whether I like it enough to keep reading and therefore buy it (usually the case), or decide I'm not interested and drop it altogether (and I often come to this conclusion before any licensing is even announced)). I do like to do things legally though, so if I want to "preview" a licensed series before buying, I'll usually try to find it in a library to determine if it interests me. And I agree with what a couple others have said, having a physical copy of the book is soooo much nicer than reading it on the computer.

I do understand I'm fortunate to have a job and to live in the US where manga grows on trees, so I can sympathize with some of you who want to buy manga but can't afford it. But do try to find stuff in your local libraries! Or ask for manga (or bookstore giftcards) for birthdays or Christmas if you celebrate them. Or make a deal with your friends who like the same series: you buy one series and they'll buy another and you can trade to read both for the price of one!

Also, I don't know what scanlations some of y'all are reading but I generally find the official translations a lot more readable, since they actually have paid staff who [usually] make sure correct grammar and spelling are used, etc...

I'd pretty much go with a no holds barred philosophy for any media that is censored by U.S. distributors so I picked option 3. I especially detest anime distributors since they have a long history of price gouging,butchering, censorship and distributing low quality video/translations. In either case, I prefer not to d/l them though I likely read it/seen it all before it was licensed anyway. Fansubs and scanlations all the way.

well, i download almost all my manga, mainly cuz its just to hard too find any good series in my contry, and i dont feel like paying about 50 dollars in shipping

________________
"Sanity is for the weak"

I didn't, I actually said a couple of things in favor of that and a few more things, but in the end it was going to hurt my business plan, so I decided to shut up

Just believe me, I know the best way of support the mangaka is by buying the magazine, but I can't buy it without getting out of my country.



________________

I download freely and I don't feel bad about it. People say that downloading will destroy the industry and/or it's doing a dis-service to the manga creators.

But what about checking a volume out from the library? What about reading it in the bookstore? What about buying a used copy online or at a used bookstore? The original creators don't see any revenue from those actions, either - and no one complains about those things destroying the manga industry as we know it.

I DO buy a lot of manga (as much as my broke self can afford), but it's almost entirely bought second-hand. So does it really matter if I buy it second-hand or download it? Nah. Either way, the industry isn't making any money off of me.

And if I REALLY like a series? I'll buy it new and not download it (personal preference, I'd rather read a fresh new book than read one I already read online). But I almost always found those series BY downloading them in the first place. So my conscience is clear

The supply does not meet my demand, so I get it by any means necessary. The only time I go to a bookstore is to buy textbooks, and when I check out the manga section, the shelves are filled with 20 volumes of like 8 series.

________________
"Hip-hop was set out in the dark. They used to do it out in the park"

Vote 2 For me, plz!

Well, the most have the same point of view as me or should i say i've got the same as them?! What ever. The Point is just there are too Many Manga out there. Would i only buy the Manga i'm interested in i had to buy 'round ~100 Vol per Month. Thats just impossible or at last it's just possible if i gonna stop living at all.

I'd rather buy a real Manga then Download it therefor i only Download what i intent to buy. Or at last i don't keep Manga (Digital) i don't intent to buy.

I don't really care, so I picked the third option, its easier anyway, seeing as then I can just go on the computer and don't have to beg my parents to drive me anywhere.

________________

That. I don't support the publishers (US or Japan), and scanlation quality is usually better anyway. How could that change? They could focus more on publishing, and NOT forcing the artists to make a certain ammount of chapters in a short deadline (Which leads to crazy filler).

I voted "It's alright as long as it's not licensed where I live" but I don't necessarily stick to that value.

The last manga I actually purchased was just last week (first time in maybe three years) and the only reason I purchased it was because it was shrink-wrapped and I can't find it online. I love the series, though. So I'm not complaining about spending the $8 on it. (I just wish there was more of my favourite character in that volume!) I plan on purchasing the rest, eventually. I would much rather own the copies of the book.

If I can't find it online, I usually read it in the bookstore. I've been doing it every two months for Gintama, since the scanslations skip around... But then again, that's pretty much the only manga I've been reading for quite awhile now.

The wait between volumes really sucks, too. My boyfriend keeps telling me every time we head to Borders that Naruto and One Piece are much further ahead of our translations in Korea. He said he has already read all of the new volumes that are coming out now. He hasn't even been to Korea in almost 3 years...

Anyway, I suffer from lack of available spending $$$. I don't usually read books twice, either. Same goes for movies and anime.


This topic pops up a lot in this [anime and manga] community, doesn't it?