I couldn't really think of where else to ask this. Does anyone know how long manga stays in print for? I know it will depend on the popularity, so I'm sure in a years time I will be able to buy all of the Death Note series. But say for something a bit less popular? In particular, I have the first edition of Welcome to the NHK, and I know I'll definitely want to read the rest. But my skills won't be at the point where I need more material than I currently have (at my rate of progress... which is slow...) for a year or so. Is there a chance it could suddenly go out of print? Should I just order now while it's in stock, or try to stop splashing out on new materials ahead of my rate of progress? Thank you!
2010-07-11, 6:18 am
lagwagon555 Wrote:I couldn't really think of where else to ask this. Does anyone know how long manga stays in print for? I know it will depend on the popularity, so I'm sure in a years time I will be able to buy all of the Death Note series. But say for something a bit less popular? In particular, I have the first edition of Welcome to the NHK, and I know I'll definitely want to read the rest. But my skills won't be at the point where I need more material than I currently have (at my rate of progress... which is slow...) for a year or so. Is there a chance it could suddenly go out of print? Should I just order now while it's in stock, or try to stop splashing out on new materials ahead of my rate of progress? Thank you!Death Note.....you should try Gantz instead
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2010-07-11, 6:36 am
You can assume it will follow the same in print/out of print economics as other books. If there's any chance it doesn't have enough popularity to stay in print, stock up!
2010-07-11, 6:38 am
I heartily recommend buying things you can't read yet. They are an excellent gauge for your progress and they keep your morale up. Whenever you feel like you haven't progressed, grab one of those unreadable books and see how much better you are.
As for buying the series, if it's a short series that you know you like, buy it now. Don't wait until they're rare and cost too much to buy... If you can even find them.
As for buying the series, if it's a short series that you know you like, buy it now. Don't wait until they're rare and cost too much to buy... If you can even find them.
2010-07-11, 6:52 am
Evil_Dragon Wrote:When in doubt there's always Book Off.Yeah, but if you're not actually in the country it's not really an option.
I get the impression that individual print runs for manga are relatively small (for instance my copy of ミントな僕ら volume 1 is the 19th printing and it's only dated 3 years after initial publication), which implies that once the publishers do decide it's not worth reprinting there won't be much excess stock lurking around.
In the case of _Welcome to the NHK_, all the volumes are listed on bk1 with an availability of "1-3 days" rather than 24 hours, which I tend to take as a sign that they're falling down the popularity curve rather (unsurprising since the series is 4-5 years old now). So if I were you I'd be inclined to order the rest now; if you're not in Japan then get BK1 to ship seamail since you don't care if they take months to arrive :-)
2010-07-11, 7:39 am
On a quick related note.... What are some good sites for buying Japanese manga/novels (hopefully cheap US shipping)? I know there was a thread about this before...
2010-07-11, 7:45 am
crayonmaster Wrote:On a quick related note.... What are some good sites for buying Japanese manga/novels (hopefully cheap US shipping)? I know there was a thread about this before...bk1.jp
2010-07-11, 7:46 am
See this thread or this one. Or just google for "site:koohii.com buying japanese novels" :-)
I like bk1, which is why I suggested it.
I like bk1, which is why I suggested it.
2010-07-11, 8:19 am
There is so much manga in Japan, that I'm surprised that anything else exists.
If you're actually in Japan, I think it's very easy to buy used manga, even obscure stuff. However, getting it in other countries is not going to be as easy.
If you're actually in Japan, I think it's very easy to buy used manga, even obscure stuff. However, getting it in other countries is not going to be as easy.
2010-07-11, 11:09 am
I got all of NHK ni youkoso from yesasia.com, who offer free shipping. They even added the last volume to their site when I asked them for it
And like others suggested, just buy the rest of the series right now. No need to wait a year to start reading them anyways. Assuming you learned hiragana, you can read through them. You might not understand everything, heck you might not understand anything, but just reading stuff improves your Japanese a lot. With the first manga I read, I probably understand ~5% of everything, however it did threefold my reading speed. The more you read, the more words you get.
The only reason for not reading something is if it is too boring. For beginner manga, a nice trick is to buy and read manga from anime you have already seen. You already know the general story, so you don't get totally lost. Reading through the text, trying to get a few words, and looking at the pictures usually is enjoyable enough, at least that was the case for me.
And like others suggested, just buy the rest of the series right now. No need to wait a year to start reading them anyways. Assuming you learned hiragana, you can read through them. You might not understand everything, heck you might not understand anything, but just reading stuff improves your Japanese a lot. With the first manga I read, I probably understand ~5% of everything, however it did threefold my reading speed. The more you read, the more words you get.
The only reason for not reading something is if it is too boring. For beginner manga, a nice trick is to buy and read manga from anime you have already seen. You already know the general story, so you don't get totally lost. Reading through the text, trying to get a few words, and looking at the pictures usually is enjoyable enough, at least that was the case for me.
2010-07-11, 5:52 pm
Was kind of the answer I was hoping for 
Thanks to all for the answers, I'm ordering now. I'm ordering from YesAsia, which I've used before. BK1 appears to have some very cheap prices, but although I can read most of the sign up process, I don't want to accidentally screw it up. I'm sure the pricing is similar when the free shipping at YesAsia is taken into account also.
Thanks to all for the answers, I'm ordering now. I'm ordering from YesAsia, which I've used before. BK1 appears to have some very cheap prices, but although I can read most of the sign up process, I don't want to accidentally screw it up. I'm sure the pricing is similar when the free shipping at YesAsia is taken into account also.