Ever more important to BUY manga!
VIZ MEDIA recently had to cut 40% of their staff and Go! Comi! nearly disappeared due to lack of sales. Be it simply our economy and no one can afford manga (as it's not a necessity, of course) or "digital theft" aka scanlations. Now, when you hear "scanlations" you may think "Sagakure" or "MangaFox/OneManga" Well, at least, I did. However, I want you to understand, Sagakure is not stealing from the companies. She ALWAYS states to buy the books/merchandise to support the series' you love!
Listen, we all are going through tough economic times (some more than others). The purpose of this post is to encourage you all to BUY your favorite manga, not just read them. Don't just sit in the aisle of the bookstore and read or solely read scanlations. I read scanlations, but I buy the series because I love the series and enjoy re-reading.
Do you want your favorite manga series (from VIZ, I can't speak for other companies in the USA because the other ones aren't doing so well either or have gone bankrupt and disappeared) to die off? Didn't think so. If you're thinking you'll just re-read online, well the book you can take anywhere and read anytime, unlike the digital version (unless you own an iPAD or something). Maybe manga companies should sell digital copies of their series to read on an iPAD or other reader as technology catches up. But, I digress. It's great just to won the manga, to collect and pick up whenever you want, to pass down to your kids eventually!
Do not fall into a false sense of security that VIZ says not to worry that our favorite manga series will not die off. RIGHT NOW, it's not going to die off, but it could!! It is more important than ever to BUY the books from your favorite series, not just read them.
Don't have the money? Well, next time you want that soda, snackfood, or eat take-out, don't buy it! Eat at home instead and drink water (get a Brita filter to clean out impurities). Bargain shop! Put money away in a piggy bank or something. The books come out ever 4 months or so anyway, that should be plenty of time to save up $9.99 plus some tax. Also, BORDERS and even BARNES and NOBLE have coupons for a % off, too!
Don't get the books in your area? Buy online! Often there are deals if you spend a certain amount of $ there is free shipping. Need some good, trustworthy, official sites to buy? Message me and I'll send it to you!
(Note:I don't think buying manga off ebay really supports the company of the series as you're giving money to someone who already purchased it wheeas buying from another well known company is just the way you buy from Borders/Barnes and Noble).
So, PLEASE, purchase the manga you love! Otherwise, I hope BORDERS and other bookstores start keeping all their books wrapped in plastic so no one can read them in-store so you can buy them (like Kinokuniya does). Also, don't buy bootleg manga or anime DVDs. Buy from a legit company or the actual company to avoid this!
If you think you can't make a difference as one person, yes you can! You KNOW how many people leave comments after reading Sagakure's scanlations for VK that if each of those people bought the manga when released in our country then that's that many more people supporting the series! Pass this news to a friend!
Thank you!
Here's the full story on how VIZ and GO! Comi! are being affected:
http://www.mania.com/viz-media-cuts-40-staff-comi-disappears_article_122522.html