Buying Manga vs. Reading online
Hey Gym N JAPAN FAM!
This week we bring you another great post by two of your favourite people… Jake and Haydon! This week we are going to talk about buying Manga vs. reading online. It is a very difficult decision for every manga reader because… we all know that having a physical copy is just more satisfying overall because a) you can tell everyone you own a physical copy and b) it's just easier to read..
Recently Jake has gotten onto the Shonen Jump app which can be easily downloaded onto your phone or Ipad etc. This has a subscription similar to netflix etc with the ability to download content (up to 100 chapters) which is great for travel, limited reception or if you are a scrub with no data outside of your home wifi… Think of it like this.. Would you buy all the movies on netflix just to have a physical copy? Maybe if you really really really liked it and you got some extra cuts/limited edition that aren't on netflix right?
We are going to make this relatively short and give you a list of good and bad aspects of each.
Buying Manga
Pros
There is nothing more satisfying than bragging about how big your Manga collection is / how much it is worth (which we might have to flex this in the coming weeks..)
You could be buying a slice of history - similar to those old harry potter books that are worth a mint these days. So buying the whole Demon Slayer series could benefit you in the future!
The collection on your shelf is so satisfying to look at when you’re sitting at home in your room with a complete to near complete collection.
It is easier on the eyes with no excess light like when on a phone/ipad
Here are a few I recently got - Haydon
Cons
Can be expensive (doesn’t stop either of us buying the cool manga). A volume costs an average of $15 per volume which has around 10 chapters. E.g. to read the whole of Demon slayer it is 23 volumes at $15 a volume it will cost $345.. If you had a day free you could probably smash it out in a day or two on the app and only pay $2.99.
Takes up valuable space in the house and is difficult if you have limited space in an apartment etc. However, if you have a bookshelf or cabinet there's no excuses.
You get scared to bend the pages and they collect a lot of dust which can also ruin the integrity of the books over time.
Can take ages to get each volume and you forget what happened in the previous one.. a well published Manga will come out every 3 months or so because a chapter comes out each week and they compile into a volume.
Reading online
Pros
Can read on your phone and anywhere you want! On the toilet, shower (if your phone is waterproof), at work (during your break obviously) and anywhere else that you can take your phone with you.
Is actually super cheap to read online through the Shonen jump app. I’m pretty sure I pay like $2.99 per month…per fkn MONTH to read any manga online. Plus you can download the chapters to read when flying or have no reception
You can zoom right in on them big ol anime t***ies
You get the chapters super quick (weekly chapters) depending on the manga and don't have to wait for the printed format which can be months or in the extreme case years!!
Here's a lil screenshot for your reference:
Also 7 days free upon signup just use code: GYMNJAPAN ;)*
Cons
Phone can be a little small - the Ipad is best for this.
Not everyone can afford $2.99 a month…peasants (not an excuse in our book… Or manga)
Once you catch up you sometimes have to wait a few weeks or months just to read another 10-15 pages for one chapter which can suck
Reading online can sometimes give you a headache from sitting in front of a screen for so long and when travelling, the motion can make you feel sick looking at a screen.
Probably the fact you can only read 100 chapters a day :P
Shonen Jump doesn’t include alot of titles that people would be interested in.. like romance/ slice of life etc but we think it does the trick for us purely because these are all the ones we read/ watch anyway.
So, the final verdicts:
Jake - as of recent I have converted over to reading online and have been loving how much I can read with no restrictions so I’m biased towards online
Haydon - Physical copies for the ones that I love and I just think having a huge collection is satisfying. Then for the longer series that I like but don't feel like paying heaps for I will start reading. (I have only just signed up too so I will have to review the Shonen jump app at some point :D)
Honestly we think it comes down to personal preference and what you can afford. We all have a phone so we can all read online for cheap or even free with lots of ads. Or if you are someone who likes physical copies and has some spare cash to splash then you can take that route as well.
*code does not actually give you anything
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If you guys have any questions, want us to do reviews etc. feel free to send us a message and we will do our best :P
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