Discussion Why do you read Edited Mangas

[R4n]

I am curious about your opinion as well, possessedNinja,

How did you learn about Edited Mangas?

My friend introduced me to it.

Why do you read Edited Mangas? Is it because it's faster, more accurate, etc?

Note that whenever i said "official release", i am referring to the official translated mangas that are published in countries other than japan.


Main Reason: Because it is faster than official release. With Edited Manga i am able to keep up with the weekly and monthly manga release just a few days later than the Japanese release in japan.
Secondary Reason: The manga are not published (yet) in my country. Or it won't even be published at all.

I don't really think Edited Manga is more accurate than official release. It is objective. Sometimes the quality of the image of the official volumes are much better than the scans. The lines are crisper, cleaner, etc. This can't be helped because most scans i read are speed scans.

Do you think it's hurting or promoting the industry as a whole, and why?

Both. (this is from my observation )
-It depends on the people who read scans. Sometimes people choose to read scans because it is free, and it hinder them from buying the volumes.
-In some places, impudent jerks are selling the free Edited Mangas for profits. (It is a mistake to categorize these kind of people with the Manga Editors.). I feel that this hurt the industry, because there's always some ignorant people who buy them instead of the superior offical volumes


- on the other hand, some people see the Edited Manga as a "tester" before actually buying the official volume. This actually (greatly) promote the manga, series, or author.
- because of Edited Manga, many obscure titles are introduced to the masses, and BECOME POPULAR wayyy before the official volumes are released. Thus, when the official volumes are published, the existing fans buy the volumes. In this case, Edited Mangas serve as the free publicity for the official publisher.

Do you buy the manga?

For mangas i like, yes of course.
i am a manga collector afterall. Eventhough i already read them in Edited Mangas, i always prefer the tangible form.
Besides, reading Edited Mangas strain the eyes and crowd the harddisk. Sometimes the quality of the scans are inferior to the official releases.
There are bonus materials in the official volumes that are not available in scans.

 

[Akiyama]

Why do you read Edited Mangas? Is it because it's faster, more accurate, etc?
-It's the only way to read my favorite manga ~ Liar Game. The scans able us to read stuff that might never be published in your own country. Depending on where you live, the only way to read manga is through the internet with scans.

How did you learn about Edited Mangas?
-Well I first knew about manga in 2003 when the American Shonen Jump was published. With anime on tv like Bleach and Naruto I wanted to know more about the history of manga and discovered the Edited Manga world.

Do you think it's hurting or promoting the industry as a whole, and why?
-Yes, it's hurting the industry. Most people know will say "Why should I buy when I can get it for free." IMO, It doesn't affect Japan's publishers but foreign countries.

Do you buy the manga?
-Yes, you can see mine in the Your manga collection (with pictures!) thread. I like to buy stuff that doesn't get scaned and series that I like. Pluto, 20th Century Boys, REAL, Vagabond is a must even though scans are out.

Do you think that if it wasn't for Edited Manga, manga wouldn't be nearly as big in countries other than Japan?
-Yes, for one thing MH wouldn't even exist today is scans weren't available. Scans are used to cross language barriers and spread the joy of manga all over the world. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[Newkerzy]

even before internet and Edited Mangas come to existence. -> it started in the 80s and 90s
I don't know about other countries.

Yeah, but the little kiddies here don't know that there ARE Edited Mangas, so that's a good thing

 

[R4n]

Yeah, but the little kiddies here don't know that there ARE Edited Mangas, so that's a good thing

off topic: lol ya... there's a lot of "dangerous mangas for kids" out in the net if you are not careful... >___>;;;

I think they should understand the concept of Edited Mangas, though. There's plenty of pirated mangas out there. Many people justify buying those stuff because they don't understand that it comes from the hardwork of the Manga Editors

 

[LilaChan]

Why do you read Edited Mangas? Is it because it's faster, more accurate, etc?
How did you learn about Edited Mangas?
Do you think it's hurting or promoting the industry as a whole, and why?
Do you buy the manga?
Do you think that if it wasn't for Edited Manga, manga wouldn't be nearly as big in countries other than Japan?

Edited Mangas are obviously faster, it's also easier to obtain for a lazy person like me who only stays at home. Some rarer manga never see light overseas too, it's a great way of finding niche stuff. Some manga are out of print and probably fairly impossible to find physically.

I cannot remember. I think I first started reading Edited Mangas back at 2004. Most likely I just stubbled across it with googling.

Edited Manga probably hurts mainstream manga sales, such as Naruto/Bleach/FMA. Since most of their audience are casual fans, they are less likely to spend a fortune to collect the manga. But for lesser mainstream series, it does promote the manga. Also niche manga audience are obessive fans who are more likely to spend more on their hobby.

I do find it interesting that Kitchen Princess did so well with its american release. I think partially due to ANN's positive review and also it is not fully scanlated. But you also get manga like Rosario+Vampire selling really well compared to Japan, but is fully scanlated.

Also, nowadays it is much easy to obtain Edited Mangas compared to when I started. With sites like onemanga/mangaviewer hitting the first page when ever you search for a series, it's just going to get more people expecting manga to be free. Maybe back in the days, where manga need to be downloaded from mIRC, Edited Manga probablly did more good then bad (to allow less known manga to gain a fanbase). Now, a potential fan can just google and expect manga for free. But without the Edited Mangas from the start, there would have been no manga fans.

I used to buy more manga like 2 years ago, before yesasia pricing their chinese edition manga like three times the original price. Back then I guess I buy about 70 volumes a year, now I buy about 20 a year. I do buy less manga, but I've been buying more merchandises/artbook/others. Buying the manga now is more about collecting it and leave it on my shelf to dust. I tend to buy lesser known manga, since famous ones already have a large a fanbase.

In Hong Kong or Asian countries in general, manga are already very popular over there. Mangas are released one or two months (with varying quality) after the Japanese release. Also, even without Edited Manga, there's manga renting store which doesn't that much good to the industry anyway. So Edited Mangas seem to have little influence over there (and alot of the Edited Mangas are printed and sold).

In the UK (and probably US) probably have a larger effect. In my little anime club in school, there's more manga/anime fans in the lower years then the higher years. In my year (13), there's only 3 of us. Year 8 have like about 8. Most likely due to them using the internet much younger, and finding out most of anime/manga on the internet. Somehow, it makes me cries that it's so easy to get mangas nowadays. These kids never knew back then manga Edited Manga releases takes much longer (just like fansubs) and much harder to obtain too.

I think they should understand the concept of Edited Mangas, though. There's plenty of pirated mangas out there. Many people justify buying those stuff because they don't understand that it comes from the hardwork of the Manga Editors

I'm quite pissed about that too. Although I've only seen it in Hong Kong myself (UK is pretty free from pirate copy stuff). I personally only edited about 2-3 chapters of manga , and I know the hardwork that goes to Editing (I gave up after 3 months meh). Also, don't forget the hardwork of the mangaka too, drawing manga takes ALOT of work.

 

[Dive]

Why do you read Edited Mangas? Is it because it's faster, more accurate, etc?

I read scans when the manga isn't available in my country. Very seldom do I read them when they're licensed in America (usually when there's a giant cliffhanger that my anticipation needs to be subdued, haha).

How did you learn about Edited Mangas?

"Click here to download the manga!"

Do you think it's hurting or promoting the industry as a whole, and why?

Both. I know there's a few series out there that I've read and determined that I don't want to buy it when licensed, but that holds true for the vice versa.

Do you buy the manga?

Only if the series is shelf worthy to me. If not, I'll see if it's available at a local library. I never sit in a bookstore and read in front of the shelves.

Do you think that if it wasn't for Edited Manga, manga wouldn't be nearly as big in countries other than Japan?

Not really. Things can get big outside of a country without the aid of free device; word of mouth is usually the biggest form of promotion.

 

[Kaiten]

Why do you read Edited Mangas? Is it because it's faster, more accurate, etc?

Mostly because of how slow it can be for new chapters/tankobon to be released outside of Japan. Especially for series I don't love, it's annoying to have to wait three months for an old volume.

How did you learn about Edited Mangas?

When the anime of Inuyasha ended I wanted to know what happened next. Being a noob I started reading the VIZ releases of the manga. Not paying for, but sitting in Barnes and Nobles and reading (take that publishers). At the time the released manga hadn't caught up with the anime, let alone Japan, so I googled and found my way to Freelance Manga and Inuyasha Edited Mangas

Do you think it's hurting or promoting the industry as a whole, and why?

Promoting. I would never have heard of Freesia, Kimi ni Todoke, or Nurarihyon no Mago without Edited Mangas. Now I buy the books of one, will buy for another, and would for the third if it were licensed.

Do you buy the manga?

Yes. I mostly buy series that aren't scanlated but will buy favorites to read again.

Do you think that if it wasn't for Edited Manga, manga wouldn't be nearly as big in countries other than Japan?

No. I don't know if people would even have heard of manga. The online community has done much of the grunt work for the industry. And continues to do so.

 

[Drmke]

-Why do you read Edited Mangas?
Because several series I love to read have yet to be released in English and probably never will. Also, other series I enjoy reading are released extremely slow and while I'll still buy them when they are available I don't like waiting forever for a volume to come out.

-How did you learn about Edited Mangas?
I got bored one day rereading all my manga I owned and since I knew you could find anime online, I thought what the hell I'll give it a try. And bam there was the mother load.

-Do you think its hurting, promoting, etc. the industry?
Promoting. I know several people who got into manga through Edited Mangas alone and now go out and buy them. And some manga here are as popular as they are almost solely because they were first introduced through Edited Mangas.

-Do you buy manga?
Most def. Though not all I read because its expensive and I need to eat.

-Do you think manga would be as popular outside of Japan without Edited Mangas?
No. It would still be popular, maybe even a growing industry still but not near as big. Anime helped me learn about manga because when I saw DBZ manga and Yu-Gi-Oh! on the cover of Shonen Jump USA I thought I want that.

 

[Asarii]

Why do you read Edited Mangas? Is it because it's faster, more accurate, etc?
I read it for availability. Sometimes I simply want to rent manga. There are a few libraries I know that offer official publications but the titles are limited. I like variety! It's also a way for me to test-run a series to see if I love it enough to buy it.

How did you learn about Edited Mangas?
My first scanlated manga was Inuyasha. I don't remember how I learned about Edited Mangas though.

Do you think it's hurting or promoting the industry as a whole, and why?
I think it's promoting. If it wasn't for Edited Mangas, non-licensed or "indie" mangas would never be known to the Western fandom. It's similar to how I encounter foreign musical artists on the Internet.

Do you buy the manga?
Most definitely. I try my best to support the mangaka. Although buying imported original tankoubons can be expensive, it requires a good scavenger hunt to find it at a reasonable price.

There's also nothing like curling up on a couch, drinking a cup of tea and reading manga It's a whole new experience to flip through the physical copy in your hands.

Do you think that if it wasn't for Edited Manga, manga wouldn't be nearly as big in countries other than Japan?
Depends. Popular mangas would still be popular regardless of Edited Mangas. If it's a small manga, it would be difficult for its name to be known internationally.

 

[M3J]

Why do you read Edited Mangas? Is it because it's faster, more accurate, etc?
How did you learn about Edited Mangas?
Do you think it's hurting or promoting the industry as a whole, and why?
Do you buy the manga?
Do you think that if it wasn't for Edited Manga, manga wouldn't be nearly as big in countries other than Japan?

I read Edited Mangas as it's an easier access to the mangas I wanna read, as well as being cheap. Plus, many mangas I read aren't published into a tankoban, at least not where I live. Plus, not all bookstores have every volume of the manga.

I learned when I came across YouTube and started reading scanlated Naruto. I was kinda surprised at how far ahead it was.

It depends. It's promoting industry in some areas where there are no mangas, and in some areas it's hurting the industry as people can just buy the volume instead of reading it online, especially in Japan.

I don't. Monetary issues. :\

I don't think Edited Mangas was the sole reason why concept of mangas caught up in other countries, but they did play a big part. By making mangas more accessible, more people can read it and take interest, and eventually even start buying.

 

[Xadyu]

Why do you read Edited Mangas? Is it because it's faster, more accurate, etc?

Because I can. If I want to keep track of great manga, buying volumes is not an option because it's too expensive, also, a lot of manga won't or might not be licensed outside of Japan. But I still want to read them.

How did you learn about Edited Mangas?

When I was just a small kid a store in the neighbourhood had new bargains involving comics, besides some well-know European comics, there was also Dragonball. It was cheap and I bought random volumes.

Do you think it's hurting or promoting the industry as a whole, and why?

Both. It's promoting manga in a good way, it's more accessible by people and fanbases can grow. Negative, however, are the people who refuse to support the industry by buying volumes because they can get everythign for free.

Do you buy the manga?

Yes. I don't have much, money is an issue, I have enough, but I don't prioritize manga (and such things) above my goals (study, work etc.) which is rather expensive. At random times I buy volumes, mostly by three, sometimes just one.

Do you think that if it wasn't for Edited Manga, manga wouldn't be nearly as big in countries other than Japan?

I think that without Edited Mangas, the manga industry outside of Japan would even be in a worse state then it now is. It's certainly growing, but it's still struggling, which saddens me. I, in fact, know a lot of business people from that industry and it seems that the reason it turns people off is that it's Japanese or meant for kids (this is probably because of more popular anime's aimed for kids; Pokemon, Digimon, Bakugan and the likes of). At least, that's what a number of petitions said.

 

[inusama]

1. Why do you read Edited Mangas? Is it because it's faster, more accurate, etc?
just looking for new episodes or to a peek story
2. How did you learn about Edited Mangas?
from friends and google/yahoo
3. Do you think it's hurting or promoting the industry as a whole, and why?
both, because we can get free manga which is someone's arts, and they get earn from making manga, that means they lost their earn. imagine if we have our own creation (could be anything) and then someone took it from us, it hurts i think.
but on the other hand, it does promote our creation. (ironic!)
4. Do you buy the manga?
yes, if i like the manga i will make saving and then buy it
5. Do you think that if it wasn't for Edited Manga, manga wouldn't be nearly as big in countries other than Japan?
hmm....i dont know, because in my country (indonesia) manga already entered since 1989, the first manga was candy-candy if i'm not mistaken. since then manga and animation became popular in here. so in indonesia Edited Manga is not the trigger. but i dont know in other countries, perhaps it'll be different answers.
but hopefully Edited Manga manga brings good things to us, and support the original manga too if have the opportunity. i cant imagine if the mangaka/creator is bankrupt