#I still use some piracy sites for manga - but if I find it on manga plus I read it there | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

traincat · 3 years

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I know the comic piracy debate is a never-ending cycle, but in India where I live, you can't get western comics (or manga for that matter). There aren't comic book stores. Sometimes on Amazon you can find collected editions worth more than INR 1000 at least, for the paperbacks. Most older collections, even from the early 2000s, will be upwards of INR 6000. And sure, it's because the exchange value is so low for Indian rupees, but that's still a LOT of money to Indian citizens. You can get digital editions of random odd issues for approx. INR 150, so that's there. But overall it's really a huge investment to buy a physical comic. So yes, I pirate. But I get so guilty when this debate rolls around, every time. I just don't see any other alternative.

I debated whether or not to answer this considering I haven't really addressed the comics piracy issue before so I'm not sure I'm the right account to talk about it, and also because my askbox is not a confessional and I am not a priest, but then some Spider-Man news broke that I feels ties into it this so whatever, we're going for it. The comics piracy debate comes up every couple of months and will probably continue to come up every couple of months until forever and all of these points have been stated before by others because nothing in this debate is new. First things first, you shouldn't feel guilty. I'm going to suggest actually that nobody should feel guilty, unless you are like, a millionaire and you're exclusively pirating indie books. The prices you're quoting are prohibitively expensive but I have some unfortunate news for everyone involved: the prices are really bad in the US, too. If you want good collected editions, especially in hardcover, they're going to run at similar if not quite equal prices. Comics have gone from a cheap hobby to an overwhelmingly expensive hobby.

This is a good article comparing to the cover costs of American comics since the 1960s adjusted for inflation which I think puts some things in perspective. Comics currently cost roughly $5 USD per issue, which doesn't sound that bad, even though most of my monthly streaming services are roughly that price for a whole month's access to a library of content. But it only doesn't sound that bad if you're not buying special issues (the Marvel Pride book retailed for $10), and if you're only reading one or two books a month. The problem is, American superhero comics are specifically designed so you're not reading just one or two books per month -- this is why we have events! And crossovers! Not for the story potential but because it forces the consumer to purchase more product. This is why there's constantly an event running with a checklist of tie-in issues in the back. So now you're spending probably at least $20 a month. If you're a fan with a lot of interest in different titles, and in different publishers, this can easily hit triple USD digits. It's a money pit. It's not affordable to most people. And this is where that new Spider-Man news comes in, because it was announced today that Amazing Spider-Man is going back to a thrice monthly schedule like it used to operate on during Brand New Day. Which sounds good at first -- more comics, yay -- until you realize that's probably going to be $15 USD a month for a one title. That's $180 a year for one title, not including annuals or special issues. That's not feasible for a lot of fans -- young fans, poor fans, fans with other financial obligations etc. And most people aren't reading just one title. I don't know how the X-Men fans are currently financing their Krakoa habit and I'm afraid to ask. There are services like Marvel Unlimited, which make things slightly more affordable, but I imagine the wait for newer issues to hit the service can be alienating for some fans who want to join in current discussions, the library has some incredibly massive holes in it which is unacceptable when it's coming from inside the mouse house, and I believe, although I could be wrong, that it is not available in all countries. Comics are no longer an easily accessible hobby, if you're paying for everything you read.

"But the creatives deserve to get paid" is the common argument and yeah, they do, I'm not arguing that point. They should absolutely get paid and they should get well. I'm a writer, I'm a published writer even, and I want to be a published novelist, and I definitely want to get paid, and I'm reserving the right to be a complete hypocrite about this, as I do with everything in my life, but this is where the difference between indie publications and Marvel publications comes in: Marvel is owned by Disney. There is absolutely no excuse for Disney not to pay their creatives. If they are not getting paid fairly, it's not because you pirated a book -- it's because Disney has a vested interest in not paying their creators, as evidenced by Alan Dean Foster's lawsuit claiming that they are withholding royalties from him. Fans pirating these books are not the reason the creatives are not getting paid fairly -- the creatives are not getting paid fairly for the same reason that Disney park employees experience homelessness, and it's because Disney would rather put that money into the pockets of their executives. There is no debate on that subject. It's easier and perhaps more convenient to blame fans for pirating comics rather than putting all of their money into what has been for years now a prohibitively expensive hobby to keep up with, but the fact of the matter is Disney could pay all of their creatives what they're worth without hurting their bottom line and instead chooses not to. That is not on you, as an individual reader. You have no reason to feel guilty about that, no matter what your circumstances are, and you do not have to justify your actions to either me or the House of the Mouse. I'm with you, and Disney ultimately doesn't care. They're making that money up elsewhere and then not distributing it fairly to the people who create the properties their media empire is built off of. But especially if you're buying older books, you should know that your money is not going to the creative team -- once it's out of publication, they're not going to get any of the money you spent on it. The argument then becomes that you should be supporting local comics stores which yes, is true, but also doesn't apply to everyone, like anon who doesn't have access to local comic book stores. And again, this can become prohibitively expensive -- collections are expensive. Older, hard to find collections can be very expensive. Once something is out of print, all bets are off on what it might be selling for. Buying single issues is only affordable if the single issue isn't desirable or sometimes if it's in exceedingly bad condition. For the sake of transparency, I have a fairly big single issue collection because it's my preferred format, but I had the time to bargain hunt, access to local comic book stores and large comic conventions, and I'm very good at sniping eBay auctions. The most I have ever dropped on a single issue was expensive for me -- and still under three digits USD -- and it's for an issue from the '60s that is not in great condition.

The problem with this debate is that it is generally a nuanced issue that always gets boiled down to "piracy bad" in a way that makes a lot of well meaning and well intentioned fans, especially the ones with extenuating circumstances, feel bad. It's not your fault. You shouldn't feel guilty. There are a huge amount of reasons why someone might pirate something that are not bad reasons and do not make you a bad person who is personally withholding money from the creators -- because you're not. I don't publicly tell people where to pirate comics, mostly because I really don't think it's that hard to find out for yourselves especially because several creators involved with Marvel themselves have, I suspect accidentally, posted pages of their work to social media WITH THE BANNER OF A WELL KNOWN COMICS PIRACY SITE STILL IN THE IMAGE please learn how to crop, so maybe my standpoint on the issue wasn't well known, but there it is. I think readers should, if they are able to financially and otherwise, support the creators they like, but that it should be acknowledged that this is a more complicated issue than it's commonly made out to be on Twitter and that the largest part of the blame needs to be put on the companies making these comics inaccessible to many and who refuse to pay their creators fairly, not on individual fans. Don't feel guilty, anon.

#traincat talks comics #*replies

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dropintomanga · 4 years

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Regarding That CODA Anti-Piracy Campaign

So I found out that this is a thing.

CODA (Japan’s Content Overseas Distribution Agency) decided to do a manga campaign featuring 16 manga stories from notable mangaka (list of mangaka can be be found here) about anti-piracy in order to stop readers from reading manga on scanlation and/or unofficial raw sites. The theme of every manga in this campaign is basically read legal manga with lessons featuring each respective mangaka’s series and characters (i.e. Adachitoka and Noragami’s Yato and Yukine).

As of July 3, 2020, all the comics are out. They give off important messages about anti-piracy with humor, anger, and grace. I just don’t know who they are trying to convince at this point.

A big problem is the issue of awareness and education when it comes to topics that no one may care about (yet). I see this in mental health. While we have things like Mental Health Awareness Month, suicide rates continue to rise, people with mental illness continue to be ignored and the mental health system continues to be in shambles. The problem with promoting “awareness” is that it doesn’t point out notable actions one can take after hearing about what they are now aware of. It just doesn’t feel measurable. There are fine people who want to know how to help, but you need to tell them how.

Now there’s one CODA manga story that does tell people to look for legal manga apps/volumes containing an official sign of legitimacy, which is labeled “ABJ - Authorized Books of Japan.” But almost all of these stories don’t really provide useful advice on how to support the Japanese manga industry. They just tell you to do the right thing.

I worry about the hyperbole shouting in some of the manga. One manga has a character going “Do you want manga to be wiped off the face of the earth!?” in an effort to shame someone who read illegal manga on their phone. Another character in another manga said that the industry loses 3.2 billion yen per year (a number I find very hard to believe). There is a big danger to manga in Japan, but piracy is only part of the picture.

There’s also something that bothers me - some mangaka featured in the campaign know that a good number of fans are naive about pirated manga and see the good in people. However, while there are multitudes of legal manga options available in Japan, the same can’t be said for most of the world that’s not America, France, England or any notable first-world country. Region locks are still a thing and Japan is super-notorious for this.

For an organization that’s focused on overseas promotion of content, region-locking shouldn’t be a thing if you do see the good in people who are willing to support manga as best they can.

I wish mangaka didn’t have to resort to drawing stories telling fans to not pirate their works. I know there are fans who wish a service that has everything (Spotify, Crunchyroll, Netflix, etc.) is the perfect solution. I just don’t know if it will make a difference because reading isn’t highly valued as a leisure activity overseas compared to Japan. The number of anime viewers still dwarf over the number of manga readers.

I feel like nothing is going to change. However, I do have one suggestion that probably will never be taken. Train mangaka to be more of a visual online content creator-type a la Twitch streamers. With art streams being more of a thing on Twitch, the timing is perfect. This idea came to me as I listened to a fascinating podcast about the psychology of Twitch donations. Basically, it talked about why do Twitch users donate money and subscribe to streamers.

There was this caveat about research on Twitch donations in that the people who donate/subscribe often make low-to-moderate income. So what compels them to give? Why are they willing to support streamers? While content is still a major reason, another key is an emotional connection that’s experienced via the visual medium that is the stream. There’s some kind of meaningful interaction via Twitch chat as streamers do mention users by name and thanking them for the support.

The researcher in the featured podcast believes the days of “the internet is always free” are becoming a thing of the past. This is true as more industries are figuring out how to make money via the internet that works for them and their consumers. The researcher also argued that having just content isn’t enough to make money on the internet. She said that if you’re not going to make easy all-in-one solutions (i.e. a Netflix-like manga app), then you better deliver added value to the consumer that isn’t just more content and makes them feel appreciative.

Right now, there’s very little-to-no visual emotional connection/community between the manga industry/creators and the fans at all. Everything’s all about content without feeling visual attachment to the manga creator. I see manga publishers promoting special editions with extra goods like OVAs/charms/etc. Those feel more like incentives than rewards as they don’t really change fans’ behavior. There has to be some added value alongside the manga in the form of community (this is one major reason why Crunchyroll has thrived). Maybe overseas fans need to feel that their voices really matter to mangaka or want mangaka on a video platform to acknowledge them in a para-social kind of way in order for them to provide some monetary support.

In Japan, mangaka get letters from fans and they talk about them from time-to-time. Sometimes, those letters do get mentioned online. I would love to see talks of fan letters via video form as a way to reach online audiences.

I do feel that manga publishers outside of Japan are trying their best as they do get mangaka and manga editors to come over to their countries. They are generating community as best they can, but they are still limited in scope since they don’t have control of what the entire Japanese manga industry says. I don’t envy anyone who works in manga because of this.

To be fair, I can’t expect every mangaka to start streaming on platforms like Twitch/Nico due to privacy reasons and general shyness. Sure, there’s Twitter, but how often does social media lead to donations? Rarely. Mangaka also have no time to worry about what overseas readers are into when they have to worry about their own country. Publishers may not also totally understand how streaming works as promotion and the intentions of its users. Look up Atlus Japan and Persona 5 streaming as an example of Japanese companies being unnecessarily wary of streaming. Japanese companies arguably want an absurd amount of control when it comes to promoting their messages to overseas audiences.

I don’t want to bring up Stu Levy, but he once tweeted years ago that the games industry seemed better to work with than the book publishing industry. I hate to admit that there’s a grain of truth in what he said despite whatever you think of him. Seeing Japanese manga publishers continue to struggle with how to handle piracy makes think about Levy’s words.

I think a more reasonable goal at this point is to get fans to pirate less manga over time. You can’t expect every fan to quit pirating 100% right away. It never works that way. There will be relapses and we have to be forgiving of that. Relapse is part of the healing process. Shaming someone who may continue to make mistakes from time-to-time (instead of believing they can still heal via good planning) makes them go more all-in on hiding their “bad” behaviors. I mean, as someone with mental illness, I was afraid of making mistakes as I didn’t want to be yelled at. I was told that failure was awful. It made me feel I would never be loved if I wasn’t perfect despite my best efforts. Is this something we want manga fans to experience?

CODA’s manga website URL has the word “enlightenment” in it. The only enlightening thing right now is that we still haven’t reached a solid middle ground that truly bridges manga fans and the manga industry together and financially rewards both to create a manga ecosystem that’s as good as the anime ecosystem today.

#manga #manga industry #psychology #piracy #anti-piracy

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snowbeast · 4 years

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Spoiler free Overlord light novel Volume 1 to Volume 12 review:

So, before we start, I feel the need to say that I did see the 3 seasons of the anime first before I started reading the light novel series. For anyone who doesn’t know Volume 1-3 are the first season of the anime, Volume 4-6 are the second season, Volume 7-9 are the third season, and the rest are not yet in the mange or the anime. To my understanding is that the manga is behind on even the anime and personally I would recommend reading the light novels first. Now to start the review let’s first talk about the quality of the books, these are all hardback books which are a solid black with a sort of black engraving on the spine of the book. They of course have a sleeve with the amazing artwork by So-bin, there is also a little introduction on the sleeve that you can see when u open the book for the first time. When you first open these books, you see two fully red pages, I don’t know why, but I love the red they choose. After this red page you get a 3-page foldable artwork with artworks on both sides, these are not always illustrations of the character per se, like in Volume 9 there is an illustration of the new world which is very fun to see because even in the anime you don’t really get to see it. After these beautiful artworks you get to prologue, these are most of the time not important to the story. Then you get to the first chapter, each chapter has an illustration and sometimes there are illustrations throughout the book, these don’t appear very often but are very impressive and well-made. At the end of the book there is an epilogue which leads to some events of the next chapter. After this comes probably one of my favourite features of these books, the overlord character profiles. These contain illustrations of the characters you get to meet in the story with their stats, race levels, position and sometimes even a little character description. After these there are the forty-one supreme beings' character profiles, these didn’t start appearing since volume 8, but while you don’t see their stats you do get a character description. The pages are also black for these special character profiles. Then you get the afterword of the author Kugane Maruyama, these afterwords make him seem down to earth and friendly, I really respect Kugane-sensei for being able to bring this world that he created to us. After these you get a sort of afterword from So-bin with a more sketched illustration that he made. I truly admire So-bin and I hope he knows how much quality he brings to these light novels.

Let’s talk about the story telling now, the world building is truly amazing. In the beginning you see only where the great tomb of Nazarick lies. Then you get to see the kingdom, the empire and the list goes on about new species and new locations from swamps to mountains. You get to see so many new places in this series. You won’t always read in the perspective of Ainz, but it will sometimes be about totally different characters that you don’t know of yet. There are some differences between the light novels and the anime. Some parts are presented in different times then the anime, and you do go deeper into the story, and you see some characters that haven’t been in the anime yet. I don’t want to say too much since I want to keep this spoiler free. But do remember that the English translated does have some harder words for non-native English speakers, but most people shouldn’t have a problem reading these. I also want to praise Nigel-sama for these translations. To my understanding there will be a new translator for Volume 13 onwards by the name of Hitori, I hope that we can get faster translations with the new translator since volume 12 was released on June 2020 and Volume 13 will be released on April 2021. There are as far as I know 14 officially released volumes and I hope that we can get Volume 14 translated before Volume 15 comes out in Japan. Some do think that Volume 15 will be released in September 2021, but these are rumours, and nothing is confirmed yet.

Let’s talk about the characters now, the characters all have a unique appearance, and all have their own backstory, the floor guardians are all very loyal to Ainz-sama but still have their own interpretation of how they glorify him as a leader. They all believe that he is the greatest leader there ever was and ever will be, but they all see him in a different light. Even the normal humans all have different reason to love or hate him. The dynamic between these floor guardians and Ainz are very interesting as well, they all glorify him but Ainz doesn’t think too much of himself. I love the dynamic between Ainz and the greatest strategist of Nazarick, Demiurge, He thinks that Ainz is always a couple steps in front of him while Ainz has no idea what’s going on.

Lastly I want to talk about something that I find very important, the piracy that’s going on with the fan made translations. While I get that there are passionate fans that will still buy the books even after reading the fan made translations, I Know for a fact people are pirating these books without batting an eye. Recently the author Kugane-sensei tweeted out that there will be 17 volumes total. There were a lot of people who are worried about it being rushed, but I think that this is the fault of piracy, he has tweeted out that seeing people pirate his books made him unmotivated and even wanted to become a normal office worker again. There are threads about how these are a small minority and doesn’t affect sales, but I don’t think that’s the problem here. Working very hard to make a great series for your fans to only see them translate these new volumes themselves and basically wanting to read a book with most of the time pretty shitty translations instead of respecting him and waiting for the official English release is just not fun to see. I do agree that it takes a long time for yen press to publish these translations, I still think it’s just polite to read these books like the author intended. This piracy that’s going on is affecting the decent human beings who actually care about this series and want this series to have a proper ending. I get that people don’t like waiting but this piracy is killing this amazing series. So please if you are considering starting this series does not pirate these books, they are amazing books with an amazing quality. Also, when trying to find a release date for Volume 13 I got something spoiled for me because there was the biggest spoiler in the first sentence on google. https://overlordmaruyama.fandom.com/ has so many spoilers please do not go to it and look at the yen press site for release dates.

If I had to put a number on this series so far, I would give it a 9.5/10. The only reason that it isn’t a 10/10 is because the series does have some fewer interesting pages that frankly didn’t interest me as much.

#Overlord #light novel #spoiler free #review #recommended #books #book #series

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mangacapsaicin · 5 years

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how do u read manga ? (like do you read it online ? if u do read online what website ? ) i’m trying to read more manga but idk what the best way to do it would be

so, to preface: it’s generally better to support artists directly insofar as you can afford to (unless they suck as human beings, i mean), but i know that for most of us those options are limited. for longer running works like one piece, beastars, or mob psycho when it was still releasing, i tend to read scans week-by-week and sometimes buy my favorite arcs as once they’re collected into volumes. generally i read scans if i can find them (raw or translated) and if i really enjoy the works i might buy them to support the mangaka. when it’s a mangaka i already know and love or stuff i’m super interested and willing to gamble on but can’t find scans of, i might buy it as well. however, i don’t actually end up buying the majority of the stuff i read. i’ll be the first to admit the ethics of that are ultimately somewhat murky, but as far as ethical concerns i’m going to devote significant financial resources to ameliorating go, manga piracy isn’t even close to being a priority.

all of that being said, my go-to for translated stuff is https://mangadex.org/

untranslated stuff i get via stuff like https://nyaa.si/ and some other similar japanese-language sites. not getting into more specifics than that.

#ask

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gyoomie · 5 years

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1) i eased back into reading manga regularly after like. 3+ years? i think it helps that ive branched out to other genres outside of shoujo, such as yuri, BL, isekai and even webtoons. im still not great with long series though, so i usually stick to manga with 1 to 3 volumes (unless theyre REALLY good) ww

standout manga (ongoing): jibaku shounen hanako-kun (♡♡) / colette wa shinu koto ni shita / sachi-iro no one room (cw: emotional/physical abuse and mature themes)

standout manga (completed): ohayou, ibarahime / yagate kimi ni naru / vanilla chocolate cigarette

standout BL mangaka: furuya nagisa / suzumaru minta (nsfw) / hinohara meguru (explicit nsfw)

standout webtoons (ongoing): july found by chance (korean) / starting with a lie (从谎言开始) / to be or not to be (穿越成反派要如何活命)

※ im not linking to any manga sites bc uhh. piracy (pls support the original artist if u can ;w;) but if u need help finding anything or want more recs just drop an ask !!

2) those who follow me on twitter may know this alr but i started dabbling in a bit of kpop this year!! it honestly started with me reconnecting with a friend by supporting what she likes (and a bit of curiosity ngl), then it quickly spiralled out of control aha,, some friends have shared song recs so i do know other grps besides the ones listed below, but im still a casual lost person most of the time sjdsdjd

mamamoo ☀️ 26.02.19 standout songs: gleam (cf song) / gogobebe / 4x4ever

oneus 🌙 24.11.19 standout songs: lit / valkyrie / plastic flower

queendom final - album standout songs: destiny (mamamoo) / lion (g-idle) / sorry (AOA)

seventeen - by proxy standout songs: happy ending (japanese) / fear / flower

※ most of these are links to official mvs (if the song has one), which have english CC subs available! happy ending has an official mv but it doesnt have subs so i linked to a colour-coded vid instead lmao

3) ive always had this habit of just knowing about a series w/o actually getting into it, so its great that i finally got into some new stuff... even if a lot of it is still by proxy (^”: its kind of nervewracking to work with canon personalities and NOT au the shit out of everything, so thats a change of pace... still not giving up on vocaloid though !!

haikyuu!! - anime 3 drabbles

persona 5 - game by proxy 2 drabbles / 1 longfic

※ speaking of vocaloid, i was considering if i should share some recs... but decided against it or else this post is gonna be 32928 miles long orz,, i might do it next time? maybe? no promises

4) in terms of uni - jesus, where do i even begin. its been a trainwreck of grp projects this sem but thankfully my grades are still intact, and bc of a screwup with the mods my graduation has been pushed back by a whole year (thx @ uni, REALLY fueling my will to live here xoxo). its gross, it sucks, we dont stan, but what can u do, huh

… i mean i say that, but i cant deny the underlying frustration. i had only 4 mods left, was a little terrified of the idea of graduating but getting used to it, and now i have to wait a year to take my last mod. all the ppl i know in uni are graduating except me. its just... upsetting. sometimes i feel like im always the one who gets left behind.

but yea. i try not to think about it. again, what can u do but move on?

5) in terms of personal life - i know ive had like 3 major breakdowns (and some small ones in-between) over the past year. i fell out with a friend bc of my own insecurities, ive done my fair share of inexcusably shitty things, and im sorry. im working with my current counsellor to better myself. maybe im handling things a bit better than i did before, maybe im not. its a work in progress.

as for new year resolutions... i usually dont have any sdshdsjds i just hope next year will be kind. please @ god no more shitty grp projects my heart cant take it anymore

and thats 2019 - thanks for sticking around, and heres to 2020 (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧

#or: what be goin on in 2019 in a nutshell #i had this saved in my drafts for a while now but added some new stuff tonight for new years #so ye tl;dr: manga recs + kp/op recs + new fandoms + irl updates under the cut #gyoomiebabbles

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udunie · 5 years

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Ask Batch 1

Alrighty, then. Let’s get this show on the road.

Anonymous said: May 7th 2019, 10:46:02 pm · 10 hours ago

Release the jock strap!lawyer!Peter fic so that all may lay their eyes upon it and hopefully someone might write it!!!!!!

Your wish is my command, anon! It should be in this batch!

Anonymous said: May 7th 2019, 10:38:47 pm · 10 hours ago

Lost? ask anon: Oh no, even if you say you're not stressed by it, I feel bad just looking at that number of asks! Honestly mine was pretty stupid. I just wondered if you knew about the web store Mr S Leather (NSFW). Some (lots of) products made me think of your kinky fics, and I thought you could use it as inspo if you ever need that. And if not... well the website is still pretty hot! Lots of love.

Hullo, nonnie! Don’t worry about it, at least you gave me an incentive to start cleaning out the inbox :D (Your ask will be in this batch!)

Anonymous said: May 7th 2019, 1:20:12 pm · 19 hours ago

I love your fic so much and am thankful for anything you write. But sometimes I daydream about you finishing the sequel to Room 27.

Oh man, me too, dear nonnie. I should just. Quit my job and finish my wips :P (no, seriously, that would be awesome.)

Anonymous said: May 7th 2019, 2:47:58 am · a day ago

i thought that people were against pornhub buying tumblr because of their widespread piracy of sex worker’s content and ensuing lower pay and job conditions for people in the industry as well as their policy that might be brought over to tumblr that they own everything posted on their site. like that all could be justification for “oh no a child might see a boob” but if it’s true those reasons seem like fair reasons to be very opposed to pornhub buying tumblr

I never claimed pornhub is perfect, and it’s not like there’s any proof that they will even buy this hellsite. I was really just playing with the thought of it.

(On the other hand, I’ve seen different accounts about how good/bad pornhub is - yes, there are concerns about their practices etc, BUT they do give a platform for independent porn creators etc - anyway, I’m not nearly knowledgeable enough to have a well-formed opinion on it.)

Anonymous said: May 6th 2019, 6:04:57 pm · 2 days ago

I was wondering if you would consider writing a fic where Peter wears a jock strap for stiles? I think it would be so hot 😍😍beefcakes in jock straps 😍I mean I'm sure it would 💯💯% suit stiles as well but he's more of a twink in my opinion, you know? 🤔maybe a date night where lawyer!Peter gives his twink boyfriend stiles a show?

Here’s your jock-strap prompt, nonnie!! Tbh, this doesn’t really get my engines going, I hope you do find someone to write it for you tho! (And Stiles is totally a TWINK)

Anonymous said: May 5th 2019, 6:08:55 pm · 3 days ago

I was on the website Mr S Leather and the articles by Oxballs made me think of your fics... I'm altering my wishlist right now, to use on myself or guys! Seriously, if you ever need some inspo, that online store is NICE.

Here is your ask, nonnie! :D I don’t know that website, and I’m at work now, so I can’t check it, but I will try not to forget and, will google it at home! Always looking for inspiration :D

Anonymous said: April 19th 2019, 10:20:22 am · 19 days ago

OMG if you're looking for more monster-under-the-plot bed, how about Stiles goes to Deaton (who involves maybe Peter and Chris?) and has to help him get all the tar-cum out of him or something, cause its so deep and sticky. And the monster appears in the room and freezes everyone, and Stiles gets fucked (and likes it) in front of the others, and the monster will keep showing up until Stiles gets pregnant, or lays eggs, or whatever. So everytime they wash him out, the monster comes back.

This is a lovely idea, nonnie! Tbh, For what I have in mind for the Adakku fic (and yeah, it’s still happening, just... very slowly) focuses more on Stiles and the monster. But I love this idea!

Anonymous said: April 19th 2019, 1:10:13 am · 19 days ago

Teen wolf but instead of all werewolves going all... wolflike there's a chance that the bite will just send you to heat every full moon. During that scene with Peter in S1 Stiles actually does take the bite, and what do you know? He just becomes an Omega

I HAVE HONESTLY NO MEMORY OF RECEIVING THIS ASK???? That. That is actually a wonderful idea! *_* I might have to write this at one point, then again, the ‘write at one point’ list is about the mile long :(

Anonymous said: April 15th 2019, 10:51:22 am · 23 days ago

What about some Stiles/the nogitsune? Considering the nogitsune has complete control over Stiles' mind and body, it could lend itself well to erotic horror/creepy sex

I think I got this when I asked for creepy/horror prompts? In any case, I have literally zero feelings about the nogitsune. I didn’t like that plotline at all, so I’m afraid I will have to pass... But maybe someone else will pick it up! :D

Anonymous said: April 15th 2019, 2:03:05 am · 23 days ago

Alright so my friend made me read this manga called Pupa yesterday. Not sure if you’d like it I thought it was eh but what about a horror/guro short where one character cannibalizes the other (who hopefully has strong regenerative abilities) and they both like it

This was also for the horror prompt stuff!! I haven’t read that manga, but it sounds properly terrifying! :D I do like the concept intellectually, but I’m not sure I could do it justice tbh...

ANYWAY! this was my first askbatch!! TBC tomorrow!

#askbatch #writing prompt

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nangbaby · 8 years

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What do you think of the current hostile environment toward dubbies ever since Viz got the license? There seems to be a "No dubbies allowed" sign everywhere in the fandom. SailorMoonForum members will kick and scream at you if you dare say anything nice about the DiC dub or have the audacity to not think Viz's dub with its sub par voice acting and mediocre sound mixing isn't the greatest thing. Is there any place for fans of the old dub to just enjoy their version of the show in peace?

The hostile attitude towards dubbies has always been bad as long as I’ve known it. I’d argue that it was even worse before Viz got the license.

Even when the old dub was ongoing, dubbies were hated. People who made fan sites based on the dub were criticized for either reaching to the Japanese version and mixing and matching information. The days of Amazoness Quartet bashing dub fan sites were numerous indeed.

Then after 2002, when the dub stopped airing, the already dwindling dub fandom dissipated. By 2005, with the advent of Wikipedia (and the edit wars) and high speed Internet now giving fans instant access to the original version, there was little hope that the dub would be remembered.

Then in 2006, something happened to give the dubbie community new life; YouTube.People uploaded first clips, then entire episodes onto YouTube, and YouTube turned a blind eye for the most part. Before Google bought out YouTube people were able to watch the dub with no problem…and the numbers of dub video viewrers matched that of the sub videos. Even after Google bought out YouTube, the dub was still fairly easy to find until Content ID was refined to make it tougher to upload. People who commented on the dub weren’t endlessly comparing it to the Japanese version; they were watching it like they were watching a regular TV show. And while there was a large anti-dub segment in the general fandom itself, the fervor did cool down between 2005 - 2011, since there was no new material for fans to start fights over. By then, instead of “evil dubbies” it was “What are Usagi Kou and Miss Dream doing now?”

What really started this latest wave of anti-dubbie crusade was the announcement of the Sailor Moon manga re-release, because savvy fans realized that with a new translation of the pages, the possibility of a redub was strengthened. Note, when all of this Sailor Moon drama concerning me started unfolding, right about 2011-2012 when Kodansha USA was publishing the manga.

Then, when Naoko Takeuchi announced there would be a new anime, that really fanned the flames of possibility. Viz later getting the license was merely the cherry on top since by then, the new anime had a title (”Sailor Moon Crystal”) and was about to be released.

Believe it or not, I have seen more signs of resistance in the past year or so than I have in years prior. Take these anonymous asks, In 2012-2015 nearly all of the anonymous asks I got about Sailor Moon were “you’re a racist for liking the old dub.” After my “reboot,” I’ve actually gotten a variety of asks, some supportive, some not. That you are able to post; you haven’t been permabanned or silenced for liking the dub as multiple fans other than myself have been, or outright insulted by being called a “fag” or a “retard” while other people applaud.

However, in answer to your final question, no there is no refuge for us old dub fans.

The problem is the original version fans have a 20+ year headstart, where they literally shaped the Internet culture to reflect their preferences. Now with Viz holding the license, their vision has been codified with corporate approval, and many of those who endorsed piracy (rightly, I add) condemn it now. Anyone who paints the old dub in even a neutral light is not merely vilified but chased off any social-media, which prevents any traction from beginning.

Even accounting for this is the fact that old dub fans are typically fans of a series by default. Since most old dub fans were people who watched Sailor Moon on TV as kids or teenagers but never returned to the series, these same fans aren’t the ones who would actively search for torrents. Instead, they would need something like YouTube which would not only direct them to the episodes they want to watch, but would actively cultivate an experience tailored to their preferences and away from the rest of the fandom. Unfortunately, Viz now having the license actually changes the recommendations people get, and if someone complains, people who have nothing better to do than to bash the dub descend on the old dub fan like vultures.

There actually is a path to making the dub viable again, and Moon Animate, Make Up! showed the way. Basically, nostalgia has to be made into fuel, and using the old dub as inspiration for large scale creative fan works keeps the spirit alive. Even if the materials of the old dub are no longer available, through dedicated fan effort, fans could do for the dub what the original version fans did for the Japanese version of Sailor Moon; enhance it into something beyond itself, and make it into a celebration of the 90′s that Sailor Moon is supposed to be.

#sailor moon #anonymous users

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drink-n-watch · 5 years

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Are you an anime uninitiate finding yourself in need of a perfect present for your anime loving niece or nephew? Maybe you’re trying to impress a special classmate with the perfect anime gift but have no idea where to start cause those Japanese cartoons are scary?

I’m amusing myself terribly with this intro! Of course no one who isn’t already an anime fan will make it to this blog, I know that. Just humour me a bit longer.

You came to the right place my friend. All your questions and worries are answered. I bring you not one, not two but five perfect anime themed gifts to give your loved ones this holiday season. I guarantee they will love them…as long as they are exactly like me. In fact maybe you should play it safe and just give them to me.

This is really adorable

5) Anime jewellery/accessories

Sure we all love to display our love for our favourite fandoms but that doesn’t mean we want to become walking billboards. Besides, you can’t wear nothing but t-shirts all year round… apparently… So it’s nice to have a more subtle touch.

Sure there are pins or jewellery with the names and logos of favourite shows but even better than that are the ones that mimic elements of that show. For an even more subtle approach. These are fairly easy to find on sites like Amazon or AliExpress and double as cosplay fodder for a gift that keeps on giving.

Some of my current favourites are my Cardcaptor Sakura pendant, my Black Butler pocket watch and my Demon Slayer earrings. I regularly receive compliments on these from random people. It’s nice!

another season of Konosuba would also be an amazing gift!

4) Personal maid/Butler cafe

Depending on your relationship to the gift giver this may get a little weird but just roll with it. You don’t need to go all out on the costume (although it’s a nice touch if you can) a simple apron or a tie is enough to get the point across. The important thing here is the experience!

Arm yourself with an assortment of delicate sweets maybe some pre-made omurice and a ketchup bottle with a thin manoeuvrable nozzle for decorating and give the gift of fawning attention and servitude to your special someone. My description may have tricked you into thinking there’s something naughty involved here but perish the thought! You should be aiming for your gift receiver to feel relaxed, full and maybe just a little awkward. You can learn some common Japanese service phrases to make it extra special!

beautiful wallpapers are also a cool if slightly cheap gift

3) Plane Tickets to Japan

Hey, I said last minute, I didn’t say “cheap”! Actually you should probably throw in hotel accommodations, Tokyo can get pricey!

O.k. o.k., fine, as a Fallback position, how about some Duolingo Japanese courses. Those start at *free* and you can do them at your own pace from the comfort of your own home. Cause gifts shouldn’t come with responsibilities! And what gives more Otaku cred than being able to watch anime without subtitles! In the original language that is. Nothing! It makes you king of the nerds.

Easiest gift ever!

Told you you would love it

2. Watch anime with them

I’m not kidding. A lot of us Anime fans don’t have that many people we can share our hobby with so this is a great gift. Sure it’s a bit more of a time investment than most people put in their presents but it’s an experience that will be meaningful and who knows, you might enjoy it more than you think.

Look at me still pretending I’m writing for people who don’t already watch tons of anime. Ok let’s turn it around. Make your friends and family watch anime with you! Doesn’t quite have the same ring to it. Still find a cool Christmas anime or episode (look at that, I have a list) and share it with someone. Who knows, they might like it!

see, it looks great!

1) Shonen jump subscription

I’ve spoken of this a lot lately. I always thought Shonen Jump was a great deal but when I read that 70% of the profit are given back to the Mangaka to try to make up a bit for the astronomical possess due to piracy, I really wanted to support viz.

For a mere 2$ a month, you get new chapters of the latest Shonen Manga every single week plus full access to their entire archive library. There are some amazing titles there! Do I sound like I’m being sponsored or something. I’m not at all. I just really love both the cause and the product. I’m actually getting these for a bunch of people myself.

See, even though there’s just a handful of days left, you now have your pick of awesome presents to give your anime loving friends, family and/or me!

Remember, even though it sounds super cheesy, it really is the thought that counts. If you try your best to give someone something they would actually enjoy, that sentiment will mean more than anything you can buy. Except possibly those tickets to Japan. I mean ‘cmon!

celebration Rini!

5 Last Minute Anime Themed Christmas Gifts I would Like to Receive Are you an anime uninitiate finding yourself in need of a perfect present for your anime loving niece or nephew?

#anime #christmas #List #merch

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dropintomanga · 5 years

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On the Industry, Fans, and Piracy - My Feelings on Manga Today

This year has been quite an interesting one for anyone who’s involved in manga industry happenings with regards to piracy.

As most of you may know, an infamous manga app known as Mangarock was finally shut down this year after years of proliferating as a “legit” manga-reading app on the Apple and Google Play Stores. They finally got shut down when a Western comic artist found their work being distributed on the platform. While this was good news, there has been criticism about whether there were signs of subtle prejudice towards manga (since it’s a foreign medium) as it took a Western comic to bring things to attention.

There was also the news of Mangamura, a well-known Japanese raw scan site, and how the head honcho of the site got arrested in the Philippines this year and will face consequences for his actions. (Update: 12/21/2019 - Now Mangastream and Jaimini’s Box are out of the game with regards to scanlating popular titles)

While this is good news for people who love to support the manga industries in both Japan and overseas, things are still the same. The pirates will keep coming over and over again. I wonder when enough is enough or maybe I’m just tired of hearing the same old debate on legal vs. illegal manga.

I see multiple Twitter threads from pro-industry folks on why everyone should support buying manga. I also see threads on why manga publishers suck. They’re both right if you ask me.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how this industry vs scanlators fight is similar to what I’ve been reading about in the mental health field recently - psychiatry vs. anti-psychiatry.

Psychiatry advocates believe that taking medicine is the best way to solve mental health problems and mental illness. They realize that things can happen in the human brain that lead to something worse. However, they think a lot of issues warrant medication when it may not be the best solution.

Anti-psychiatry advocates believes that medicine isn’t the best way to solve mental health problems and mental illness. They dislike how the mental health care system treats people with mental health problems. Yet they believe that “mental illness” doesn’t exist.

So throwing it back to manga -

The manga industry believes that supporting the industry involves purchasing their books at any costs. You buy the books, you support the mangaka drawing them. Yet the system that drives the industry is terrible. As we all know from Bakuman and tales from manga professionals, the system to become a successful mangaka involves often-poor working conditions in the form of long hours, strict deadlines, and a good amount of isolation.

Scanlators believe they are doing the manga industry a favor in providing free exposure to titles that would go undiscovered by fans. More often than not, scanlators do what they do without any care for profit. However, they tend to go a bit extreme with regards to translating certain text. Some scanlators also become a bit too egotistical for their own good and end up causing ridiculous drama among other scanlation groups over material they are technically stealing.

Tying this back all together with all regards to comparing psychiatry vs. anti-psychiatry and industry vs scanlators, there’s a third party being affected that’s ignored in both debates.

For the 1st war (psychiatry vs. anti-psychiatry), there’s not enough focus on the seriously mentally ill. The seriously mentally ill are the community suffering the most right now and present a great deal of harm to themselves and others. A 3rd party group that addresses them would utilize certain views and rejects certain views from the psychiatry and anti-psychiatry movements to help the seriously mentally ill. They are often forgotten as a lot of money goes to those whose mental health issues aren’t as bad on both sides.

For the 2nd war (scanlations vs. legal manga), you can argue that there’s a huge crowd of fans that are willing to pay for manga as long as you give them almost everything on one platform a la Steam/Netflix at a very low price. That platform also needs to be easily accessible with little-to-no regional restrictions. There are so many fans in certain parts of the world that can’t purchase manga due to lack of access to bookstores/libraries or availability of them. I’ll put this in caps in case people don’t get it - THE WHOLE WORLD IS NOT THE UNITED STATES OR ANY OTHER NOTABLE AND PROLIFIC COUNTRY. I sometimes think certain fans that are able to buy manga forget how lucky they are.

A side note: While a huge step forward for legit digital manga, Viz’s Shonen Jump isn’t enough because not everyone likes shonen. All the other subscription services are fine, but everything’s kind of fragmented a bit compared to how Crunchyroll has almost everything anime-related (though they are going through a big streaming war that’s causing fragmentation as well). Though to be honest, I think the scanlation community and the manga industry have to band together on one thing I think both sides can all agree on - it’s the relative value of manga compared to other forms of media in general.

To explain, I watched a video feature on the mangaka Shinichi Sakamoto, creator of Innocent and Innocent Rouge. Sakamoto goes into a discussion about manga’s value that really got me thinking. He talks about how manga is treated as “disposable” and how he tries to make his works worth keeping and remembering.

In the end of the video, Sakamoto says: “I feel manga is something that is read, then thrown away. For example, people would read a manga during their work commute and throw it away once they finish reading it. Or they would read a manga at a restaurant during lunch break. Then they would close it once the food is served and forget about it. I thought at first, manga was something that was read then thrown away. However recently, since I started to adopt my current style, I now want to make something that stays close to readers. Something that remains. It’s what currently motivates me to draw manga.

I ask myself what to do in order to make something that stays for a long time, using themes or opinions that they stay engraved in the minds of readers without being forgotten. I keep this in mind in order to leave something behind. It is what motivates me.”

The quality of manga made in Japan isn’t the best. The paper is comparable to toilet paper. If you ever browsed through a manga magazine in person, it feels like going through a super-thick newspaper. Compare that to overseas volumes of manga and it’s a world of difference. I’ll admit that publishers like Viz Media, Kodansha Comics, and Yen Press do a great job in making their printed manga high-quality albeit at a higher cost to fans.

Yet I realized that there’s a larger number of manga fans who don’t care about quality as long as what they want is accessible and cheap. That’s a big reason why scanlations have exploded and will continue to do so. Convenience is something that a lot of outside forces now push onto everyone. I frankly love print books, but I wonder what if the price of printed manga volumes reaches a certain point that makes me go “Yeah, I don’t think I can buy printed manga anymore.”

In the end of the day, even if you make it look pretty as hell and close to a luxury product, manga is still a “throw-away” item with little relative value to a lot of fans thanks to how it’s originally conceived in Japan combined with how internet culture takes advantage of what the meaning of “free stuff” is. Not everyone will find a sense of belonging with manga the same way that fans do.

There are certain folks that support purchasing manga that say things like “Wages need to be raised because they’ve stagnated” and when it comes to fans reading manga on an illegal site, their views sound like “You should buy no matter what” and/or “Just don’t buy.” I know there are those who will point to manga sales and they still aren’t exactly affordable to some fans. 20%-33% off titles with a high price point to begin with may not feel like a significant discount to someone who may not be a hardcore manga collector. Maybe it’s better to say, “You know what? Let’s just smash capitalism for ruining everyone’s lives” or better yet, “Let’s promote wage growth so that manga fans can actually purchase manga and manga artists can survive.”

For now, let’s all be like Sakamoto and promote how valuable manga can be because appreciating the arts makes people better human beings than learning how to make a “efficient” website/software program look good for someone whose end goal is usually profit. The arts is what keeps people from turning into robots. Yes, this sounds like I’m saying “Let’s have the manga pirates keep doing what they’re doing then.” What I’m suggesting is that everyone from the top down (government, etc.) has to take charge in promotion of anything related to the arts (which manga and comics in general are a part of), not just the regular folks, as they appear to be all on-board the "let’s mindlessly consume/produce everything with ruthless efficiency” train.

I feel sympathetic towards anyone who works with on the American side of manga publishing (or anything that’s based in Japan) because Japan’s mentality on promoting their works overseas is awful. The Japanese want a level of control in how they want to be perceived outside of their own country. Compare that to a country like Korea (where K-Pop is now featured on major American TV networks), you can see how bad Japan is promoting their own brand of pop culture to the world. If you want an example, just look up Nintendo’s history of taking down anything overseas that looks to violate their principles of promoting their games.

I realize that I’m sounding like this Japanese manga creator who criticized publishers for how they handle piracy. Well, I dislike how manga publishers or professionals involved with the manga industry will shame fans for reading scanlations/raws. Almost everyone that reads scans/raws tends to be a fan of manga in general. A lot of them may not be unaware of the nature of scans (especially fans who meet mangaka in person and tell them they read them online). And even if they were aware, have you noticed how wages have stagnated for a lot of people across the world versus inflation?

Plus, how often do shame tactics work on people? They’re just as effective as most diversity training workshops hoping to change people’s bias on visible differences (spoiler alert: not very well). They never change anyone’s minds at all due to being short-term solutions that ignore the shamer’s role in perpetuating the problem. I realize changing minds takes a long time and requires a LOT of nuance (AKA not good for making immediate money), so it’s easy to focus on quick and fast.\

I also don’t like how scanlators disrespect localization efforts at times. I don’t like seeing multiple instances of swear words when most Japanese (or people in general) don’t talk like that in real life. Yes, some localization efforts are full of cringe. Appealing to a bigger array of new readers is important to having an industry thrive. Having just loyal customers isn’t enough.

Loyalty can only go so far. So many people don’t care about brands and/or will switch whenever it’s convenient to do so. There’s always a psychological disconnect between community and profit. That’s why you try to get as many new consumers as possible so they can become great word-of-mouth spokespeople for your stuff. Given how a good number of anime/manga fans stop consuming either medium after a certain age, replenishment of fans is an absolute necessity. I wish scanlators who frown at legit translators who bust their asses off to make manga accessible to a wider audience realize this.

There’s a final thing I want to address regarding the whole debate about scans and it was something I noticed at Anime NYC this year. So this year, Artists’ Alley and the Exhibit Hall were put right near each other on the same floor. In years past, they were separated via different floors or on different sections far away from one another in the same floor. I had a troubling thought and reading one convention recap reinforced it.

It’s the fact that Artists’ Alley is almost always fan works and the close proximity this time clashes with the Exhibit Hall vendors’ sale of official merchandise. There are anime industry members who dislike an arrangement like this with good reason. Bootlegs are a problem in an industry largely associated with piracy. Yet fans LOVE Artists’ Alley. Anime cons can’t just gut them to please industry folks. Supporting the fan artists at Artists’ Alley is a win-win for fans and con organizers.

Also, some of the artists at Artists’ Alley I spoke to all read scanlations in some way, shape or form when discussing certain series. I have no damn desire to play moral police with those artists because I know they are lovable and messy people. Just enforce the golden rule - don’t be a dick in a public setting even if you have a good reason to because you will never change anyone’s views that way.

I know some issues have to be made public, but go through proper channels first since I don’t want to see someone being labeled a mood killer without proper context in places that are supposed to be safe for fans.

Another thing - I have friends (both ‘20s and ‘30s) who work full-time jobs that read manga in not-so-legal sites. Some of them I’m very close with. I’m not ending friendships with them over the fact they may consume media differently. The one thing I can say is that even the best of the best will have questionable beliefs/do questionable things and all you can do is figure out what’s really important to you - their actions or the consequences of their actions. Don’t expect the people you idolize will think the same way you do in every thought you have. Everyone has their own closet of behaviors and thoughts that will always irk others.

So for anyone who’s confused on whose side I’m on, I’m on neither. I know the truth is a lot more complicated than what most people will tell me. I do want manga to thrive more overseas. It’s just that outside of Japan, regardless if you pay for or pirate a manga, there’s no appreciation for lifelong reading. Reading is treated as a pain than pleasure in the Western part of the world. Many anime fans are only tempted to read a manga because of how cool an anime adaptation of a certain series is or just from buzz.

More than anything, I feel like there should be a bigger effort in promoting a sense of lifelong reading. I sometimes get jokes from corporate folks that I like to read and it’s depressing since libraries are always threatened by budget cuts. Reading books (fiction & non-fiction) has helped me processed a lot of things for my mental health. We got to do a better job in emphasizing that reading can be for fun and not just for achievement. Still, buy whatever manga you can for the artist’s sake if you really like the works (not for the publisher’s due to how I feel about capitalism sometimes). If you still want to read or prefer scans, then that’s your thing. You know, I’m glad I’m not really a pro-industry person and a pro-fan. I live in both worlds and feel like I have a balanced understanding of how people act in certain situations versus how they behave normally. I make a joke now that if anyone who works in marketing wants to really understand what their customers are like, they should go to a DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) and see the misery there.

I guess you can say I blame Japan more than anything as I do buy what I can from the American side of things. I know the hard-working folks in the U.S. manga publishing business probably get frustrated with Japanese bureaucracy to a certain degree at times.

Next year will be the start of a new decade after a decade of slow then fast growth in all things anime and manga. Things are going to get better and worse for anime and manga. Maybe once Luffy finally gets the One Piece treasure will manga piracy be severely hampered by then. I have some doubts because this is all reliant on what Japan will do as manga is here to stay in overseas markets. I know more Japanese manga editors have been traveling overseas to understand what’s going on outside of Japan. That’s a good start. So I just hope that the final chapter over here involves cultivating a joyful love of reading because I feel technology has to really pick up on that.

When reading really matters to everyone and takes some precedence over video in the minds of people, maybe we can see some meaningful progress in a battle where we might be fighting the wrong side(s) and/or missing a bigger part of the picture.

Regardless, it’s a fascinating and fun time to be a manga fan. I’m glad to have met many people who love and read manga regardless of how they consume it. Those experiences have provided so much value for me.

Manga may be considered “trash” in many ways, but to loosely quote a certain popular Naruto ninja, it’s at least better than giving up on the true joys of life.

Addendum (12/21/2019) - Two days after this post was made, two of the biggest manga scanlation groups on the net, Mangastream and Jaimini’s Box, decided to stop translating all Weekly Shonen Jump titles. I’m indifferent about either platform going away (or completely gone as Jaimini’s Box is still doing titles from other manga magazines). The one thing I will say is that Mangastream took advantage of the growing push for convenience in the minds of people over the last decade. I think about how much tech companies have abused “convenience” to generate unintended division and in some ways, Mangastream was like a tech company when they saw their ego being stroked by the large fanbase they were getting.

Photo Source: The Japan Times For one of my favorite takes on scanlations, read “Why Do Scanlations Persist?” from What Is Manga? There’s also this podcast from GeekNights about manga distribution in the United States which added some fuel to this post.

#manga #manga piracy #fandom #anime #otaku culture #relative value #manga industry #lifelong reading #scanlations

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dropintomanga · 7 years

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The Manga Price Is Right, But For How Long?

Once again, the piracy debate rears its head. Physical sales of manga volumes in Japan have fallen in 2017. For the past 2 decades, manga magazine sales have fallen. Japanese manga publishers are trying to figure out what’s the cause of all the lost sales. And of course, one of the main culprits is always pirates who scan all the manga for internet users to see for free. One manga creator says the pirates aren’t to blame, while a prominent manga creator suggests that piracy will destroy the Japanese manga industry.

For once, maybe I’ll take the side of finding that one sweet price point for manga fans to enjoy whatever they can because everyone’s perception of what’s worth their time and money is so different for everyone.

While this current piracy discussion is going on in Japan, I want to discuss the Western side of things because what’s happening in Japan can trickle overseas.

Manga outside of Japan is generally considered to be somewhat of a collector’s product, which means it will likely cost as much as a take-out lunch in a mid-tier restaurant. For most fans (usually teens and young adults), this is a turn-off. Hence the eternal war between piracy and manga publishers.

To be fair, I think the pricing of manga is fine. The manga published outside of Japan is made with high-quality stock paper and binding to make it worth something to collect. In Japan, manga is made with cheap paper. It’s supposed to be disposable anyway. The fact that unsold manga in Japanese bookstores can be used as toilet paper shows how “valuable” the medium is in its home country. I sure as hell don’t want an inferior-looking book in my hands when I buy it.

But there comes the question of what happens when the price hits that point where supply is decent, but demand is low? Would anyone buy a print volume copy of the hottest shonen manga with an hotter anime adaptation, but at $15 (not $10-$11) per volume? This is a tough question to answer. However, I can say that digital manga volumes aren’t an easy sell because of their prices sometimes.

When you go to a publisher’s hub, like Kodansha Comics’ for example, they charge their normal pricing for digital prices on titles that may not be as well-known to the public. A $10.99 manga volume in print, which is the lowest price for a Kodansha Comics volume, will cost the same in digital format. I’m not sure how this is going to attract new manga fans. I would love to support everything I like in a way that helps the creators, but this isn’t reasonable as I only have so much disposable money to spend. Other legal manga sites, like Viz and Bookwalker, have reasonable prices for their digital manga offerings.

I know manga fans talk about accessibility and pricing is a big part of that. However, what is a good pricing point for manga right now? We may have to think about our anchoring points when it comes to manga. Now you might ask what do I mean by anchoring. The anchoring effect is a cognitive bias where the person being affected by it is heavily influenced by the first piece of information they receive about something.

I’ll use manga as an example. Let’s say that a manga fan finds out a print volume of a manga costs around $9.99-$12.99 at their bookstore and considers that price to be expensive. However, let’s say a sales person at the bookstore says “Oh hey, it’s on sale right now. 20% off.” That fan would purchase it because the idea of saving money is a sign of relief, even though that 20% off discount may not mean it’s still worth buying. That is anchoring in a nutshell. That $9.99-$12.99 price range point makes them anxious and they base further decisions off of that anxiety.

For most manga fans, that anchor point is arguably “free.” When you have Hollywood celebrities not knowing the difference between legal and pirate manga sites, then you have a situation where it doesn’t seem to matter what the price is. All of this “do we blame the pirates once more?” situation reminds me of multiple conversations I had with my dad over the cost of certain things. I tell him about nice (and sometimes useful) items that are worth purchasing and the one question he asks me in broken English, “How much? $1?” He uses that as his excuse to not buy things that aren’t deemed that important to him. That $1 was jokingly his anchoring point.

What’s a good price that manages to convince fans to go “Okay, I’ll support this.” is hard to define. I mean, back then, I used to pay $14.95 to buy Dragon Ball Z from VIZ Media when it was in a huge graphic novel format in 2001 before they adopted the Japanese book format we know today. How many fans would purchase a manga volume that’s priced that much nowadays? It seems the best way to do this is to appeal to their emotional desires and connections with series they love.

To be honest, I do think there are fans who do care about manga creators. However, they may not necessarily care about publishers. I do care about both, but it doesn’t mean that I worship everything they say or do. Regarding that manga creator who thinks publishers shouldn’t be attacking pirates, they make a fair point about publishers ostracizing fans who read manga online for free because I see this quite a bunch online. The creator argues that those kinds of fans are more likely to be manga fans than those who are in the mainstream audience.

I don’t think manga fans who read a LOT online without buying make great customers, but their potential to be a paying customer is really high. Plus their word-of-mouth potential can be amazing, since you need new comic/manga-loving customers to survive. I know people who both pirate and buy manga. This is actually somewhat common.

I’m just tired of hearing things like “Oh, you’re killing the industry!,” “You should be ashamed of yourselves for pirating!,” etc. Look, I love and buy manga as much as anyone, but in the grand scheme of things, do the majority of fans give a shit about what goes on in the manga industry? Negativity only breeds more negativity. Fans mostly care about themselves and those close to them.

I know manga and also anime have been associated with piracy more than any other entertainment product out there, but most fans seeing data about sales lost due to scanlations (which I think is very important) will just go “Well, what does it have to do with me?”

I’m going to quote a marketing blog post about how consumers really think compared to marketers (which is probably going to piss some people off):

“How marketers think:

How can I engage consumers with my brands? How do I connect the personality of my brand with my target audience? How can I co-create with my target and develop a conversation?

How consumers think:

Is there parking? Will this fucking thing work? How badly are they going to screw me on the price? Will there be anyone who knows what the fuck he’s talking about?”

Notice the typical consumer question about the price because some manga fans do feel screwed. And people are just basic at heart despite what complexities they may have.

Make those fans feel good about buying manga. I just wish a manga publisher would say something like this as a selling point, “If you buy this volume of Attack on Titan, Hajime Isayama will have motivation to come up with some ridiculous plot twist that you will enjoy and tease about to your friends who only watch the anime.”

I really do think there are young fans who don’t mind paying for manga. I see so many kids go after print volumes in droves at my local bookstores, but it may take a well-versed knowledge of psychological pricing to convince those who are skeptical. People default to their cognitive bias most of the time. Right now, there’s just this wacky disconnect between fans and publishers due to how manga production works in Japan. Both sides have to own up in a way that works for everyone.

Otherwise, the price we’ll pay is the loss of creativity that’s truly starting to get the respect it deserves outside of Asia.

#psychology of pricing #anchoring #manga #industry #manga industry #psychological pricing

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