#translated manga is really affordable and good quality too

[cranberrylane]

bought the first volume of the spy x family manga in my heritage language bc i have one (1) class in said language and have not used in it formal contexts for so long i feel like writing assignments in it will be scary & reading helps me the most so i'm starting with something light before i read Actual Texts 😭

[tobimikesan]

Haikyuu!! Complete Illustration Book

Aaahhhh, it's finally here! So happy to finally get my hands on this. The photo quality is not that good but look at the stars and snow on Kageyama's illustration!

I knew it's going to be A4-sized, but didn't realize how big it was until I took it out if the box. Was surprised with the weight and thickness too.

Overall really, really satisfied with the quality. Especially after having to be content with the first illustration collection that's only as big as normal tankobon (manga volume) size. Don't get me wrong, the paper and printing were good too on that one, but it's just so satisfying to enjoy sensei's art in A4 to A3 size (some of the illustrations are printed on a double spread, soo good).

If you love the series and would like to support it but was hesitant to buy any of the Japanese volume/light novel/guide book because of language barrier (understandable), I can't recommend this enough for you. It's 400 pages of the illustrations Furudate-sensei has drawn for Haikyuu including color spreads, volume covers, and Twitter illustrations, so no language issue there. It also has new exclusive content that isn't released anywhere else. And the little bits that are in Japanese are fan-translated (text only afaik, to encourage people to buy the book), so you can still enjoy the full experience despite not knowing Japanese.

Also, I have to add that since these are the original illustrations (not from scanlations, etc), the quality is very high and you can see the small details like the shading sensei used, the coloring, etc. I saw some of the original drawings firsthand on the first exhibition a few years back and the printing quality manages to reproduce most of the details -- not all of course, but since it's not possible to fly to Japan for the current exhibition because of the pandemic I guess this will have to do :')

If you're wondering whether to buy the first illustration book (the small one) or this one, I recommend just get this one. All the illustrations on the small one are here too, with nicer formatting and in bigger size. Of course, the first one has its charms too (the afterwords on this new release is a call back to the afterwords on the first illustration book), but if you're on a limited budget and can only afford one, the new illustration book is the way to go.

Here's a picture with a pen for comparison. Also with the first illustration book.

I bought mine from Amazon JP, but you can get it from CD Japan as well. If they're out of stock, try to check back later, they'll usually restock it.

- CD Japan: https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/NEOBK-2544438

- Amazon JP: https://www.amazon.co.jp/ハイキュー-Complete-Illustration-終わりと始まり-愛蔵版コミックス/dp/4087925862

(not sure if the links are working because I'm posting from mobile, but you can just copy-paste them)

Anyway, I'm not going to post the content from it so that I don't spoil anyone who's still waiting for their copy and to encourage people to get it, but I'll just say that it's. worth. it. Please get one if you can to support the series! :)

[charlotteever103]

Best Photoshop Software Alternative Mac

We recently took a look at the Adobe Creative Suite, breaking down when to use Photoshop vs. Illustrator vs. InDesgin, but there’s one glaring fact we didn’t mention: not every designer has access to these programs.

Best Photoshop For Mac

Best Mac Alternative To Photoshop

GrafX2 – Best Image Editing tool to Photoshop Alternative A free image editing tool for all the open source and support Mac OS X and Windows. The GrafX2 used for drawing in indexed colour mode,palette editor, colour cycling,transparency, number of effects and brushes. May 27, 2019  Here are the best alternatives to Photoshop. Luminar is a professional photo editor that provides all the essential tools you need to create outstanding photos with maximum flexibility. Luminar is one of the best Photoshop alternatives for Mac and Windows because it gives you endless possibilities to mix presets, filters, and styles. May 15, 2020  Affinity Photo is the best paid Photoshop alternative, and we particularly like that it has an iPad version. PaintShop is among the best for Windows. Photoshop has been an industry standard for decades, but it’s pricey for those who only use it occasionally – and for those who only use it for basic photo editing. Here is 17 free Photoshop alternative for basic photo retouching or graphic design, and some offer the best of both worlds. It is a low cost, easy to learn alternative to Photoshop. Pixelmator 3 ($30) Pixelmator has, over time, filled in many of the missing elements to make it a true Photoshop alternative. Apr 17, 2020  The Best Photoshop Alternatives for Mac Though Adobe is the major solution for creative software for decades, you don't have to obligatorily use Photoshop. There are plenty of great alternatives! Last but not least Photoshop alternative software supports more than 500 cameras, custom lens and camera profiles. And while Capture One can’t.

For designers who are just starting out, still in school or operating on a tight budget, Adobe Photoshop might be a luxury that you just can’t afford. But if you find yourself in one of these categories, breathe easy; there are several free photo editing programs out there that can deliver close to the same results as Photoshop with none of the added cost.

You’ll probably end up upgrading to photo editing software with a little more power at some point in your career. However, if you need something to work with now and you can’t spend any money, using these free Photoshop alternatives as a substitute can be a lifesaver.

Cross-Platform, Open Source Alternatives to Photoshop

GIMP

You can’t have a list like this one without including GNU Image Manipulation Program, or GIMP to those who know it. There’s a lot to love about GIMP—it features Photoshop staples like layers, masks, gradients, text tools, plug-in support and more. Best of all, it’s open source software with a large community of users, so there are plenty of GIMP tutorials and add-ons out there to help you overcome any of the program’s limitations.

Be aware that GIMP cannot output CMYK files by default, so if you’re preparing a print-ready design in 4-color, you’ll need an additional GIMP plugin with CMYK support.

Gimphoto

If you really need to work in a Photoshop-like environment, Gimphoto is a version of GIMP that imitates Adobe’s layout while still keeping it open source. The menus, terminology, and basic interface have all been tweaked to give Photoshop veterans a more familiar working environment.

Unlike the similarly-interfaced Gimpshop, Gimphoto includes many extra features, such as new brush styles, layer styles, and support for standard Photoshop plug-ins.

CinePaint

CinePaint is deep image editing software that is primarily used in video editing, but it’s also a useful tool for retouching photos because it can work with images of higher color fidelity. A higher quality image produces better results in your print projects, so this might be a program worth looking into.

Inkscape

Inkscape uses a vector-based environment, so it’s a much better option for illustration than most other free alternatives to Photoshop; in fact, it’s almost more of an Illustrator alternative (though it can still be used for basic bitmap edits like photo retouching). The program’s native format is Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG), so you don’t have to worry about your project looking fuzzy if you try to resize it. Overall, Inkscape is a great choice for any designer who wants to learn vector illustration on a tight budget.

Photoshop Alternatives for Mac

Seashore

Seashore is open source Mac-only editing software based on GIMP, but with an interface designed to match the MAC OS X aesthetic. The result is a good-looking program that may not exactly be equivalent to Photoshop, but ultimately produces attractive results with ease.

ChocoFlop

The good news is that ChocoFlop is a formidable design tool made exclusively for the Mac OS, and there is a freeware beta version available. The bad news is, the designers decided not to continue forward with the project and will not be releasing any more versions or support for the program. However, it’s still a worthwhile tool, especially with its unique non-destructive image editing capabilities.

LiveQuartz

This simple photo editor for Mac offers multi-touch support and non-destructive filters as well as some essential drawing tools. The newest version of LiveQuartz does cost a few bucks on the App Store, but if you’re really strapped for cash, you can still download older freeware versions.

Photoshop Alternatives for Windows PCs

Paint.NET

Paint.NET might not be fancy, but it has an intuitive interface and plenty of the same features as Photoshop—though you might find yourself missing those features that it lacks. Despite the name, Paint.NET is really best used for photo editing since it doesn’t have many illustrative tools, though it’s also open source with an impressive support base.

Photo Pos Pro

Photo Pos Pro is a freeware program for Windows that’s great for beginners. The interface is easy-to-use, there’s a low learning curve and the software even provides helpful pop-up tips. These are the sort of things that might make a more experienced designer lose their mind, but can be a major boon for those who are just starting out.

Serif PhotoPlus

Many designers look at Serif PhotoPlus as a serious contender with Photoshop. Unfortunately, the advanced version does cost money (though not as much as the Adobe products will set you back.) However, there is a basic freeware version of PhotoPlus that might not have as many features, but still gives you the basics at a comparable quality to Photoshop, along with a simple, user-friendly interface.

PhotoFiltre

PhotoFiltre is an easy, intuitive program for photo editing and manipulation. True to its name, the program has a wide range of filters that make it easy for novices to jump right in and alter their images, but there’s plenty here for the seasoned pros to find appealing, too.

Pixia

Pixia is a Japanese program which has found popularity in the west and has since been translated into English. Pixia was created mainly for digital illustrations (specifically for manga and anime artists), but it has plenty of useful features for design and photo manipulation as well. The biggest downside to Pixia would be the outdated-looking interface, but if you don’t mind your editing software looking a bit “retro,” this may be the right tool for you.

Picasa

Google’s Picasa software might not have the full capacity of Photoshop, but it’s a good program for making last-minute edits. Picasa does have a few unique tricks up its sleeve such as batch editing and photo-management tools, not to mention easy integration and sharing on Google platforms.

Online Photoshop Alternatives

Pixlr

Pixlr is a great online Photoshop alternative, especially if you need to do work when you’re nowhere near your home computer. It has an impressive amount of clout for a program that works in your web browser, and it stands out for having three different levels of editing power to choose from: playful, efficient or advanced. There’s even a mobile app version for designers who are on the go and need to make quick fixes.

Splashup

Splashup is an online image editing program with a clean design interface that’s highly reminiscent of Photoshop. It doesn’t have a ton of features, but it does support layers and pixel-level control. Splashup is a good tool for beginners, especially since it allows for easy sharing on the web’s top photo sharing sites like Flickr and Facebook.

SumoPaint

SumoPaint is another web-based favorite of many professional designers, since it features an interface similar to Photoshop with plenty of the same features. There’s also an inexpensive desktop version available if you don’t want to use it in your browser, and a mobile app for illustration on the go.

Photoshop Express Editor

If you absolutely have to use Photoshop but don’t have access to it, there’s always the browser version, Photoshop Express Editor. Of course, it would be silly for Adobe to give away their product for free, so the online application has limited tools, but it’s a good option for editing essentials from a name that you trust.

Conclusion

They say a poor workman blames his tools, and the same must hold true for designers. Yes, we admit, no freeware program can serve as a complete replacement for a high-end program like Adobe Photoshop. But we truly believe that a creative, clever, budget-conscious designer can overcome the limitations of any program and create beautiful results.

Are there any free Photoshop alternatives out there that we missed? Do you have any advice for working with free photo editing software? Leave your comments below, we’re looking forward to hearing from you!

Contents List

1 Best Free Photoshop Alternatives of 2020

1.1 1. GIMP

1.2 2. Paint.Net

Are you looking for the best free alternative to photoshop in 2020? Don’t worry, because this post is for you. Photoshop is the most famous photo manipulation tool, and it has become one of the industrial standards in the past few years. Photoshop is now officially 25 years old and is loved by many graphic designers and professional artists.

Even we also using photoshop for making our blog’s thumbnails. However, there are many free alternatives to Photoshop in 2020 which are quite powerful as Photoshop and offers the same powerful tools as Photoshop.

Best Free Photoshop Alternatives of 2020

Many of these free Photoshop alternatives are paid, and few of them are free. Today we going to talk about free alternatives to photoshop which will give you access to the same powerful tools and won’t burn a hole in your pocket.

1. GIMP

It stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program, and its the best and most powerful free photoshop alternative for Mac and windows available on multiple platforms. Gimp supports all major operating systems including Windows, Mac OS, Linux, Unix, BSD, etc. It supports most of the file formats including RAW, BMP, JPEG, GIF, TIFF, PNG, PSD, etc.

Features:-

Customizable Interface

Photo Enhancement

Digital Retouching

Hardware Support

File Formats

More Features.

Supported Platforms:-

GNU/Linux

Microsoft Windows (XPSP3, Vista, 7, 8)

Mac OS X (10.6 and newer)

Sun OpenSolaris

FreeBSD

Also Read:- Top 10 Best Windows 10 Themes / Skins

2. Paint.Net

It is especially for windows users. If you need some lightweight and free alternative to Photoshop in 2020 which will allow you to crop, manipulate the dimensions and offers a bunch of filters and color correction options with layers support, then Paint.Net is best for you. It’s quite easy to understand as its just an advanced version of the default paint which comes preinstalled in windows.

Paint.Net supports only Windows operating system for now. It can handle most of the basic photo manipulation requirements of a primary user. It supports RAW, BMP, JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, etc.

Features:-

Simple, intuitive, and innovative user interface

Active Online Community

Automatically Updated

Many special effects are included

More Powerful Tools

Unlimited History

Also Read:-Best Alternatives to GarageBand for Windows

3. Krita

Krita is an open source project and one of the best image editing tools available for free on cross platforms. Besides the advance photoshop tools, it also offers to make animations and also doubles as an artist sketchpad.

Krita supports Windows, Linux, Unix, BSD, and Mac OS. It can handle BMP, JPEG, GIF, TIFF, PNG file types.

4. Pixlr

If you don’t want to download and install a dedicated program but still want to edit pictures on the go, then Pixlr is the right choice for you. Pixlr is a web-based program which is excellent for on the go photo editing tool. It offers Layers support along with dimensioning support, resizing images, adding shapes and custom texts.

Pixlr is a web-based free alternative to photoshop in 2020 and it runs on every platform you can think of as long as you have a web browser. It can handle editing with BMP, JPEG, GIF, TIFF, PNG file formats.

Best Photoshop For Mac

5. Gravit designer

Gravit designer is a photo manipulation tool with additional support for vector designing. Its free and cross-platformed, perfect for web designers, graphic designers, product designers, etc. It’s a free photoshop alternative that can handle illustration and vector designing too!

Its available for Mac OS, Windows, and Linux and supports BMP, JPEG, GIF, TIFF, PNG file formats.

6. Seashore

If you’re a Mac user and you need something lightweight to meet the needs of primary photo edits and manipulations, then seashore is the best and free alternative to photoshop for you.

It supports multi-layering, editing, cropping, resizing, adding texts and objects, applying effects and color corrections. Its available only for Mac Os Users and it supports RAW, BMP, JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, etc. If you have a windows OS, then you can use Paint.Net for the same.

7. Canva

Canva is newly introduced and a web-based photo editing and manipulation tool which will help you to make beautiful and engaging photo edit for your Facebook and Instagram stories. It offers essential as well as advanced tools and its best for creating collages and grid pictures.

Its web-based program so it should run on any operating system as long as you have a web browser installed. It can handle PNG, JPEG, TIFF, JPG, GIF format files. It is the best option you got if you’re a chrome book user.

Final Words

Best Mac Alternative To Photoshop

So here you can find best and free alternative to Photoshop of 2020, let us know your opinion if you’re using one of them in the comments below. If you think we missed any freeware program in this list, then feel free to comment below, and we will add the same. Thanks for reading up to this far. Consider sharing this article with your friends over social media.

[dropintomanga]

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.

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AAAAAARARRRRRGHHH WHAT A WASTED PLOT TWIST god I feel so mad, that would have been really good in any other context it was really surprising!! it should have been really depressing and got me amped to see this villain be defeated, but instead its just depressing in the sort of ‘well there goes my only reason to keep reading this comic’ way :P Spoils n stuff for Phantom School, so don’t read under the cut if you’re interested in reading it. But meh its really obscure manhwa with a reaaaaallly slow translation and its dropped in quality so much and abandoned its initial premise, so I wouldnt blame anyone for not reading it... SERIOUSLY, why have we just run away from the whole concept of Phantom School for a twenty chapter arc that’s now been extendd EVEN MORE? The idea of a human being a teacher at a school for youkai is awesome!! I didnt come here for just a generic shonen battle against some random mysterious shadow guy who only got his identity finally revealed after 20 chapters. In a series where each chapter is 50 pages. 50 pages twice the size of A4, cos it started as an infinate-scrolling webcomic interface. A LOT OF PAGES. 20 chapters is over half the size of THE WHOLE STORY SO FAR and we ONLY JUST learned who the mystery villain is and why we should care about him and it as a reveal that killed off my fave character in a really sadistic way and revealed someone else was evil all along, and we havent even SEEN the goddamn protagonist for so long so they were the closest thing we had to protagonists right now an GAHHHH anyway, spoiler talk:

BLACKIE BLACKIE WHY gahhhhhh Literally RIGHT AFTER the comic revealed his backstory and why he trusts One-Armed so much, they show us him sacrificing himself to protect One-Armed after he was captured by the shadow monster, only to IMMEDIATELY give us a second flashback that recontexualizes everything and reveals One-Armed IS the shadow monster, and he was just faking it all to brainwash this guy into his willing servant and then eat his soul when he outlived his usefulness

Oh and I just need to take a second to point out how the translation is kinda bad and literal. The guy is named Blackie cos that’s the closest they could get to the nickname he had back when he was a normal mortal dog who got reincarnated as this humanoid youkai. It tends to have a problem of over-translating stuff that doesnt need to be translated?? At least ‘Blackie’ mostly works in-context, but its damn weird that this guy is called One-Armed. And used to be called Left-Armed before that! They translate EVERYONE’S names as if they weren’t names, they translate the names of all the youkai even! I guess its an easy mistake cos its a korean manga using japanese monsters, so I’d assume there’s a bit of confusion from a casual translator. *shrug* BUT SERIOUSLY Not even ‘One Arm’ but One-Armed. Super literal visual descriptors of everyone! It gets a bit weird and problematic when it comes to a disabled guy and literally a black guy named Blackie... And... Left-Armed??? ‘This guy is so spectacular, he possesses two arms! How Unusual!’ Its supposed to be because he could turn his left arm into a magic claw, but meh. And it gets uber problematic since the point is that One-Armed is now the villain and he uses shadow powers, so we have people yelling ‘damn that black guy for killing blackie’ and just... I’m glad this got translated so I can read it, but it can be really hard to understand sometimes :P

ANYWAY

Its just so demotivational and horrible and gahhhh And it COULD have been a really emotionally affecting twist, cos its destroying a good character and revealing it was all a lie, and just.. gahhh But we ONLY JUST heard the backstory of One-Armed being a good guy and Blackie having his reasons to care about him THAT got me emotional, and the speed of the backpedal just negates that emotion instead of evoking new ones its just got SO dark and cynical now that it kills all my interest especially cos its so padded out long, and so hard to understand the translation... and seriously we’ve spent so many chapters focusing on these two instead of the protagonist and just GAHHH it makes a long filler arc feel so wasted!

and I’m just so damn sad for Blackie!! his backstory is that he was this sweet adorable puppy whose owner became homeless, and he doesnt understand it and he’s just ‘don’t worry, I’ll wait!’ you’re struggling to push this fast food cart up a hill? youre doing extra shifts? I’ll wait! we dont do that job anymore? we won’t sleep indoors for a long time? I’ll wait! you’re feeling too sad and tired to pet me today? I’ll wait! I’m sick? We cant afford to see the doctor? I’ll wait! Oh the doctor didnt do my surgery? I guess I’m not sick after all! I’ll get better soon, you just wait! Meanwhile his owner is crying and struggling to scrape together any money to afford it, starving even more than usual, going back to the doctor every day to beg for help even as everyone is all ‘ugh this stinky homeless bastard’, kicking him out and then one day Blackie can’t wait for his owner to come back, he tries to follow him to the doctor, and doesnt realise the traffic lights have changed his owner sees him about to be hit by the car and yells at him to wait, which just manages to save him! but while he was distracted saving his dog he got hit by the car instead :( and then we have Blackie licking his lifeless face, and the monologue of “Are you sleeping? I’ll wait! Can I lie down next to you?” *UGLY SOBBING*

And then he meets One-Armed cos he was the youkai assigned to reap this soul. Apparantly Blackie’s love was so strong that his pure soul is able to see soul-creatures, so he can grab his owner’s soul and try and protect it from One-Armed AND THE SECOND FLASHBACK JUST MAKES THIS EVEN WORSE IN CONTEXT Cos One-Armed was actually trying to eat that soul, and Blackie actually did save it! One-Armed was just this horrible asshole who’d infiltrated the soul reaper government group as a way to hunt for victims in his serial killer nonsense :P But then the story we get in the first flashback is that One-Armed is totally nice and Blackie caused him to lose his arm while fighting off a monster from eating that soul, and it was totally bad that he didnt cooperate and such So he feels like he owes One-Armed, and thats why he became a youkai and joined the organization as One-Armed’s new partner And then we have a montage of how he started trusting One-Armed and seeing him as his new owner that he loved even more than his original one, and then he lets go of the soul and lets his old owner get reincarnated... And ALL OF THIS was for nothing and he was being manipulated by a lying freako who controls this fake shadow monster to hide his own crimes, and he HELPED HIDE THOSE CRIMES unwittingly, cos he was so convinced his best friend loved him too! T_________________T

and its just... SUCH A SADISTIC WAY TO KILL HIM OFF it looks like ‘oh no the shadow monster has captured One-Armed, we have our chance to kill it but it’d mean killing One-Armed too!’ and Blackie cares about him so much that he abandons logic and stops the other heroes from taking that chance to kill the monster and then ONE-ARMED KILLS HIM And all along he was the real shadow monster and he faked his whole capture and Blackie just cos everyone the chance to defeat him and now he is dead and in retrospect he abandoned his ENTIRE LIFE to join One-Armed as a partner and it was all for a sick fucker who pretends to be a friend and just *SOB* *SOB* And now stupid shadow fucker has won and everyone is dying and EVEN WORSE THAN THAT it means this arc is gonna be EVEN LONGER and we probably will never go back to the school-based plot :P And the translators left us off on this cliffhanger and it took AN ENTIRE YEAR for this translation update so who knows how long the next one will be :P :( :( :( :( :( :(