Now I totally agree with you on this. Multi-platform is the best way to go since there will be people like me who will not invest in a hardware platform just to unlock DRM.

Interestingly enough the most recent revision of the DMCA did state that you ARE ALLOWED to break the DRM on a digital book (that you obtained legally) in order to view it on a device or player of choice.

Thank you Librarians!

I think you are absolutely right. Manga publishers in the United States need to get organized. I think one important thing we have learned these past few years is that digital distribution is slowly becoming the next big outlet for the entertainment industry. I’m not just talking about manga and anime, but all media as a whole. Television networks have used programs like Hulu in order to distribute their shows legally while making revenue at the same time. Even anime distributors such as FUNimation have their own media player, or use you tube as a means to distribute their programs. If we look at American comics, we have Marvel’s digital comic resource, which offers thousand of comics spanning hundreds of different titles (Although, to fully appreciate the sheer abundance of titles, you would have to subscribe for a fee).

However, the manga industry does not have a feasible way to legally distribute their product, which is why so many fans resort to illegal distribution of manga so easily. Now, I understand that manga distributors in America have it hard, especially with the growing pressure from the original licensors in Japan to halt illegal fan-subbers. If only there was something in place, a website or something, in which manga companies could legally place their licensed works online for legal digital distribution, like Hulu did for television, or if a single company would create such an outlet for their own licensed work, like FUNimation did for its anime, it would solve a lot of problems in the manga industry. Even if they had to charge a fee, like Marvel does with its comic reader, just the option of a legal means of distributing manga online would be an important first step for the industry.

With the manga industry so viciously going after illegal manga distributors, such as One Manga, one can only hope that the industry will create its own legal distribution site in their place, or else they are going to have a lot of bitter manga fans who feel betrayed by the American licensers.


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So close...yet so far! I'm not too sure about that comic reader myself. I know some people may like it. But, it just doesn't look right to me. As for this ep, I think you hit on the concerns everyone has about manga apps. They're getting there. But, is it too late?

Time will tell.

You really hit the nail on the head with this.

Nice to hear some news about this. I had heard a bit about it a while ago, but nothing too extensive, so it's nice to hear more.

I think this could turn out really well. It would be really nice to have a multi-platform way to do this, so let's all hope for the best, eh? =)

You know what the part of digital distribution I'm looking forward to the most? Not having to worry about my manga wearing out. Actually thats not so much an issue for me anymore since after I buy the manga I go and download a groups translation of it anyway. Digital would also be in theory cheaper because you wouldn't have to ship it, convince a store to carry it, and you can also sell chapters individually. I could see chapters getting sold for 50 cents like this. Maybe even 75 cents.

If they go for the same price as hard copys though, I'd say screw it.

Edit - I went and checked the prices of the stuff tokyopop has up on Zinio. HALF THE PRICE OF THE HARD COPYS. If they can get enough of the stuff up there then I will be a happy camper. Especially since stuff like GTO is out of print (I have it now, but I spent more then I'd have liked to do that >.>) so hopefully we get a resurgence of that.

I wouldn;t say they wore out, but they do yellow. I have a lot of yellowed mangas from the 70s; they only cost $5 apiece.

just change the name of the show to O.N.E
(otaku news editorial) :)

"Otaku" carries several negative associations(stalker-like obsession), plus it's not something everyone have heard of (neither is "anime", but it's at least more well known).

I hope Zinio manages to expand their library, cause at the present it's rather small. And if it's available for all those platforms, I certainly would be interested in becoming a customer.

I still rather read Manga on the Cdisplay than anything else.

I read american comics on CDisplay. I delete the issues I don't like & buy copies of the issues or paperback compilations of the ones I do. CDisplay comics are also good for panel scans, much faster than using my slow low quality scanner. I use the scans to entice the girls on my comics blog to pick up the issues.

Excelent episode MG, the idea of having digital manga legally distribuited it's a good thing, regardles the the plataform it can be a great solution for both companies and fans, but you're rigth some divices are just not practical to read manga.

What companies should do is take the example those who have been doing it for a long time, that's rigth, I'm talking of Onemanga, Mnagafox and such, this guys have the best online readers you can imagine and their work model is actually pretty good. If a publisher did the effort to swallow it's pride a little and tries to get an agreetment with them it will become something even greater.

Once with this tecnology in ther hands manga can be read by suscription, more less like a cable or sat tv fee "all the manga you can read per month just $X:MHdlls".

i read mine online for free :>

I do that when I'm 1)unemployed to catch up on series I'll return to buying as soon as I have a paycheck & 2)titles not available in American bookstores.

you hatin

So, I'm all for digital manga since it should be cheaper than in paper form, and I decided to check out Zinio. Sigh... There was hardly anything on there, so I hope that they do plan on adding a ton more. Also, it would be nice if they had a flat subscription fee instead of paying for each book, but that's not going to happen since it's not practical.
But meh, I'll just stick to paper form for now~

To keep it short and simple I don't believe in digital manga. I understand the appeal of it, just like I understand people who buy everything digital, about 90% of my music is digital (but I do have some old vinyl records and a record player). I myself however feel that for most things, it's best to buy a hard copy of it. I feel like we're living in an age were everything has to come in a 1 inch thick, electronically run display. I will most likely never give in to the "digital craze" over books and movies, mostly because I find taking a picture of your entertainment center and bookcase, much more impressive than screen capping your computer.
However, I have experienced a digital book first hand, I have friend who does own a Kindle. I have to admit I was more impressed than I thought I would be! No matter how bright it was I could still see the "book" at almost any angle. Plus the load time was probably even faster than the time it takes to turn the page on a real book. However, like I said, I find it way more satisfying to sit down a read a book, instead of charging up your kindle.

Well one way to look at it; for every 100 manga not published on paper is one less tree killed.

The other way; they'll just use that same tree for paper on something else.

I suggest pay per downloads of NICE pdf. files of manga available on company websites. They could totally do that RIGHT NOW... it's like an online/ on computer magazine subscription... problem solved!!!

The only downside is how to protect the files... I'm not a wiz at this stuff so I'm not sure how you'd do that, but I think given the choice most anime/manga fans will want to support the artists/companies that make the stuff they want to read as long as the price isn't too high.

That's what I'd like to see, and I actually think that if they made the prices reasonable enough, the NEED for protection would go down. People don't mind paying for things, they just don't want to feel ripped off.

Anecdotal example- a musician I know released a recent album in digital format only, and as a social experiment, offered it as a choose-your-price deal. You could name a price of zero- and almost nobody did. This was very profitable, actually.

Call me old fashioned or perhaps a bibliophile, but I've always preferred owning a physical copy of a book/manga over something digital. It just seems more enjoyable and satisfying to me owning and holding the real deal. Though if they did end up coming out with a quality digital manga reader that was portable, easy to use and convenient (along with having a wide selection), I admit I'd [i]almost[/i] be tempted to get one. Though it still feels unlikely to happen anytime in the near future.

[quote=gaaralee1234]To keep it short and simple I don't believe in digital manga. I understand the appeal of it, just like I understand people who buy everything digital, about 90% of my music is digital (but I do have some old vinyl records and a record player). I myself however feel that for most things, it's best to buy a hard copy of it. I feel like we're living in an age were everything has to come in a 1 inch thick, electronically run display. I will most likely never give in to the "digital craze" over books and movies, mostly because I find taking a picture of your entertainment center and bookcase, much more impressive than screen capping your computer.[/quote]

I agree with this portion of gaaralee1234's comment. I like to have my manga and books in their original book format. I think things are just getting too digital when they don't need to be.

I've pretty much been waiting for them to get off their arses and start taking DD seriously since I started reading manga. It's next to impossible to find any over here.

Europe always gets the shaft as far as media's concerned. T_T

That might be the best ending that you've done for @NE since I've been watching the show. Hopefully some industry insiders see this one in particular and become aware of how they need to get manga on major players like Kindle and ipad. I would have thought it would have been over and done by now, but then again maybe it's not entirely the publishers fault?

I never liked the idea of digital manga. Having an actual manga in your hands or on your shelf is much more rewarding. Not to mention, you can let your friends borrow and read it, unlike digital media. Because Sharing=Piracy in the digital world. And, as a plus, if you don't like it or just want to get rid of it, you can sell it online or through a garage sale. You can't sell a digital manga.

Now, I like the idea of Digital Books. I absolutely love, love, love my Nintendo DS Classic Book Reader (I was using it today in the Doctor's waiting room, actually). But, those are words and regular books. Manga are mostly art. And seeing a digital version just isn't the same as having it right there. There's just something so belittling about it.

But, I guess I just appreciate the book more. Maybe i'm just one of the few people left who prefer the old way.

I like "try before you buy," where you only buy the real book series after you read the first volume online. Kinda essential when you already have so much manga that there's no more room for another book case.

I completely agree with you. The experience of reading the manga from the book is much more interesting and even relaxing than it would be on a digital device. Plus, like with most books, it's a calming experience. Digital screens such as computer monitors are, in my opinion, annoying and bad for the eyes.

If, however, something like what Kanda mentioned, if they made a specific Digital Manga Reader with a huge range of titles for cheap, I'd also be tempted. But that's a long shot since they've only NOW started thinking about digital manga XD

Nice one, MarzGurl~

A lot of what this economy needs in order to improve is location. Researches released a headline today that company relocation may be the key to improve the dismal job market out there! People need to work at an office without too much hassle to travel, so maybe the same can be said for manga and anime distribution. Make it convenient for people who have access to media easily and simply, and make less choices available.

I'll stick to my books rather than read off digitally portable or computer wise. It was hard reading E.T.A. hoffman's the Sandman online, so the book was portable and I didn't seem distracted.

also, it's hard to read online anyways due to the font or text size.

VizMedia has been putting up some of their newly acquired titles for free online too. I myself am a regular visitor to sites like sigikki.com and shonensunday.com. And the best part is, they're free. I think more companies should be doing stuff like viz has started doing and be getting paid through the ads.

I, sadly, probably won't be using zinio because you have to pay. If I had to pay, then I would much rather be getting an actual physical copy of the book, instead of having to get on my computer every time to have to read something that I love.

"If it's violent or graphic, you're not gonna get it on your iPhone."

Well, that's probably 70% of them.

Meh, small handhelds don't make for comfortable manga reading.

This is just like my argument against console-exclusive games; no matter how much I want the game, I'm not going to buy a pricey console just to get it. If that game isn't available on what I already have, then the developers/producers just lost a sale.

Argh, indeed about the small handhelds. I wish they'd make a LARGE handheld. I know you can enlarge things, but then you can't look at the whole page, and in manga that would be a problem. I wish the electronics industry would realize that a LOT of people have optical difficulties to overcome and don't necessarily want a four inch screen!

How do you keep your hair in the exact same stage of dye-fading from week to week? I know back when I used to dye my hair, it would rarely hold for that long, especially at that stage of faded-ness.

Another thing I'd like to see is some other mangas being published from over seas. Like Gokusen. Gokusen has had it's anime released in America, but it serves it no justice if the manga isn't even widely available.

Reading comics in general is a pain on an iPhone/iTouch due to the small screen, but ComicsX manages to overcome that by auto-zooming on each panel as you read. It also supports impulse buying on the go with one-click purchases. While Marvel, DC and independents are well-represented, there's only five manga titles available, and none of them are household names.

The scarcity of manga titles is fixed with Manga Rock, which uses content from OneManga and 1000Manga. It has recently caught the eye of Apple, so I wouldn't be surprised if it one day vanished altogether. The app itself is decent and allows you to browse the entire collection on the fly and download individual issues or entire series with just a few clicks. Unfortunately, it doesn't have ComicsX's per-panel zooming and shows each page in it's entirety, which makes text hard to read without manual zooming and panning, especially on spreads.

There's also Comic Zeal, which understands .cbr and .cbz formats as well as PDFs, but that means that you have to explicitly upload it to your iDevice with iTunes. Impulse purchases and browsing are thus out of the question.

At least this is a start. :) Perhaps if we, the manga community, help support programs like Zinio and give constructive feedback to the companies, then more people will jump onto the ship.

Long live the free market, what will happen is the most effecient form of manga distribution that brings what the consumer considers the best bang for there money will win out.
This will take a year or two till all the kinks are worked out, assuming there isn't an over all disaster in the Manga distribution market.

Yes, manga publishers seriously need to give a litte bit more thought to digital distribution: by limiting your services to a single kind of hardware, your severally reducing your already small clientele.

With that out of the way: may zinio live long and prosper =D !

Goddamn. do you know how hot you are Marzgurl? :D hahaha