[Random] "BL manga is like a box of chocolates..."
"...You never know what you're gonna get."
No, Forest Gump never said that, but I always think that as I browse around Animate and Mandarake in Shibuya.
To be honest, I used to not buy much manga, because I didn't have so much leisure money to spend,
but the thing with manga is, once you start buying, you just can't stop.
Nowadays when you can find most stuff for free online, it's easier to just resort to that, instead of actually buying,
but somehow, for me, I love picking up a manga, actually seeing the paper cover, and feeling the weight in my hands as I read. XD
Especially when it's a GOOD manga, it really is worth the money.
Like YONEDA KOU's "Doushitemo Furetakunai".
Best BL manga out there, is what I personally think. :P
No matter how may times I read it, it's just as good the next time.
It's got a good number of pages too!
But anyways, going back to how I think buying BL manga is like a box of chocolates.
Unlike the mainstream shounen/shoujo manga out there, BL is popular, but still underground stuff.
So you can't really find much helpful information about a certain book before you buy.
And since most mangas are tankoubon and not serialized volumes, you buy them alone, without having any reference to look on.
In the BL manga world, particularly since it's becoming so widespread nowadays, new mangakas just popping up like groundhogs.
So every week basically, if you go to Animate or some other bookstore where they sell BL manga, you'll see a new lineup of mangas on the shelves.
Some of course are by mangakas that have already earned themselves a name, but like, 70% of the stuff out there is REALLY new stuff.
So since there's so much new stuff out there, and very few informations to go by, you kind of just have to... buy it XD
Of course everyone has their own tastes, but in my own experience, 8 out of 10 purchases are misses.
It's really like searching blindly for hidden treasure >D
Don't get me wrong, this post isn't a complaint.
In fact, I kind of love the feel of searching blindly for the treasure.
Because that way, when you do come across something amazing, you just fall all the more in love with it.
These past few weeks, I don't think I've had a hit yet.
The only downside of this though, is that BL mangas that I've only read once are now piling up in the corner of my room.
I don't have time to scan everything, and I don't really want to make the effort to scan stuff I don't care much for, so I really have to make a trip to Book Off or somewhere soon and sell my "misses" XD
Oh, and another thing I thought about BL manga in particular.
The covers are SO deceiving it's almost funny!!! XD
They say you can't judge a book buy its cover, but you kind of have to buy BL manga based soley on its cover.
But there have been soooo many times where the cover artwork is nothing like the inside artwork XD
Mysterious.
And then there have been some where the cover is all like, emo and cool, but then the story itself is... WACKED. LOL.
Anyways, that was my two cents! :D
Happy reading, everyone on my f-list!
PS: If you see this post, but can't access my other DL ones, then that means that I have yet to add you back. If so, please remind me and I will add you back asap :D
No, Forest Gump never said that, but I always think that as I browse around Animate and Mandarake in Shibuya.
To be honest, I used to not buy much manga, because I didn't have so much leisure money to spend,
but the thing with manga is, once you start buying, you just can't stop.
Nowadays when you can find most stuff for free online, it's easier to just resort to that, instead of actually buying,
but somehow, for me, I love picking up a manga, actually seeing the paper cover, and feeling the weight in my hands as I read. XD
Especially when it's a GOOD manga, it really is worth the money.
Like YONEDA KOU's "Doushitemo Furetakunai".
Best BL manga out there, is what I personally think. :P
No matter how may times I read it, it's just as good the next time.
It's got a good number of pages too!
But anyways, going back to how I think buying BL manga is like a box of chocolates.
Unlike the mainstream shounen/shoujo manga out there, BL is popular, but still underground stuff.
So you can't really find much helpful information about a certain book before you buy.
And since most mangas are tankoubon and not serialized volumes, you buy them alone, without having any reference to look on.
In the BL manga world, particularly since it's becoming so widespread nowadays, new mangakas just popping up like groundhogs.
So every week basically, if you go to Animate or some other bookstore where they sell BL manga, you'll see a new lineup of mangas on the shelves.
Some of course are by mangakas that have already earned themselves a name, but like, 70% of the stuff out there is REALLY new stuff.
So since there's so much new stuff out there, and very few informations to go by, you kind of just have to... buy it XD
Of course everyone has their own tastes, but in my own experience, 8 out of 10 purchases are misses.
It's really like searching blindly for hidden treasure >D
Don't get me wrong, this post isn't a complaint.
In fact, I kind of love the feel of searching blindly for the treasure.
Because that way, when you do come across something amazing, you just fall all the more in love with it.
These past few weeks, I don't think I've had a hit yet.
The only downside of this though, is that BL mangas that I've only read once are now piling up in the corner of my room.
I don't have time to scan everything, and I don't really want to make the effort to scan stuff I don't care much for, so I really have to make a trip to Book Off or somewhere soon and sell my "misses" XD
Oh, and another thing I thought about BL manga in particular.
The covers are SO deceiving it's almost funny!!! XD
They say you can't judge a book buy its cover, but you kind of have to buy BL manga based soley on its cover.
But there have been soooo many times where the cover artwork is nothing like the inside artwork XD
Mysterious.
And then there have been some where the cover is all like, emo and cool, but then the story itself is... WACKED. LOL.
Anyways, that was my two cents! :D
Happy reading, everyone on my f-list!
PS: If you see this post, but can't access my other DL ones, then that means that I have yet to add you back. If so, please remind me and I will add you back asap :D