Forum - View topicGender bender addict: Legit source options
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P€|\||§_|\/|ast@
 Posts: 3498 Location: IN your nightmares |
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I would like to field questions about how to go about accessing or promoting the development of a streaming service similar to Crunchyroll for manga titles.
Ideally this could work in a business model very similar to it, where revenue is derived from advertisers and multilevel subscribers to return a profit as well as contribute to creators and publishers for obtaining rights to distribute works over the internet to English speaking consumers. One additional caveat of this is the emphasis on obscure titles that have content that is not likely to have widespread commercial appeal in paper format because they are more expensive to publish, hence require high market value and profit margins. Limiting to electronic versions don't require the overhead and pretty much even if a title sells only a few copies it will reap benefits for the producers. Another reason I point out obscure tiles, besides pretty much 90% of manga made is already obscure, is because I am obsessed with gender bender titles and these in particular fall into that category of no or low mainstream appeal to justify physical distribution. But they are actually quite popular in the illegitimate online scanlation world. What I desire is to get access to these titles, feel good about knowing I'm supporting the creators so they can make more and this niche genre can flourish. I'm a serious gender bender fan and I know there's others out there like me who will pay for this stuff, if it's available. Even if it's also available on Mangafox and Mangareader. My goal is either to convince a currently active translation group, whether it be Crunchyroll, a visual novel translation group or a scanlation group looking to go legit OR to gather up a team myself. Remember, Crunchyroll started up the same way, they were once just a fansubber group. It can happen with manga too. Edit: decided to change the title to something more specific. Last edited by P€|\||§_|\/|ast@ on Fri Feb 03, 2012 10:10 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Avarwen
Posts: 21 |
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To be honest I'm not sure how well this would work. If you were talking about super popular titles I'd say you have good chance. But obscure titles most mainstream fans won't read will be a VERY tough sale. It takes money to license and translate a manga and it's not cheap. You might try kickstarter to get money and try getting a hold of a big manga U.S company that might help. But with the economy being how it is I doubt right now anyway this would work. But try anyway I could be wrong.
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P€|\||§_|\/|ast@
Posts: 3498 Location: IN your nightmares |
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I think the biggest challenge to this is not which titles, or even how popular they are, or the investment involved with actually turning out a product. It's getting a green light from the property owners to allow such a thing. Perhaps some logistical difficulties but what would interest a mangaka and a publisher in possible a few extra sales from overseas customers? But what would be so bad about that? Come to think of it how receptive to the idea are they to sales of digital copies even in their own country these days? The manga industry still seems pretty stuck on print copies as the primary form of revenue.
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MrXarnus
Posts: 79 |
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I don't think this would work all that well. The manga industry is 'stuck' in the print industry for a reason. What would be good is offering a digital chapter every week and offer a POD version for those who want it, because most people who read manga in print read it because they like having something in their hands, they would just read scan's if they didn't care about that. (and this will never change.)
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P€|\||§_|\/|ast@
Posts: 3498 Location: IN your nightmares |
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But the success of it is beside the point as long as THE ONLY WAY for niche, obscure titles to have some legit market standing for English readers is to distribute them digitally. I know with the industry situation as it is, it's near impossible to have a print presence when dealing entirely in obscure titles.
I think it's worth repeating, my primary objective is to gain access to more gender bender titles, and to elevate their popularity and success to English readers (while perhaps doing the same in Japan). All other types of titles I could care less about. That's why my focus is on "obscure;" gender bender titles are by their nature obscure because lots of people don't like them. But many people do and I think their fans are deserving of a legit, online source to buy them and read them and support this little dark corner of the manga industry. I want to point out I recognize and stress the alternative is nothing. |
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MrXarnus
Posts: 79 |
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POD is not expensive, you don't need to take things in mind like storing your copies and etc.
POD was created for publishing niche titels, so if you offer both physical and digital copies you please both sides of the fanbase, the side that just want's to read chapters quick and free, and the side who buys print manga BECAUSE they don't like reading on a electronic device. I would personally never buy a digital copy, because I can't stand reading on a tablet, pc,... and etc. so I buy the print copies,simple isn't it? |
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Pineapples
 Posts: 3 |
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I definitely agree. I'm interested in the dark little niche you speak of too, and I would really like to see something like this happen.
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P€|\||§_|\/|ast@
Posts: 3498 Location: IN your nightmares |
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POD? The Christian metal band? Ha ha j/k. Well thanks for your ideas and suggestions MrXarnus. I still think my words were falling on deaf ears when I said print is not an option. I don't want to discount or alienate people who prefer paper copies, but my intended target 'audience,' I guess, are those who already read online manga. So my objective is to only encourage an alternative for those people and myself to obtain titles legally. Because they are interested in them but the only way to get them are through scanlation means, which is detrimental to the success of the creative expression that these titles present. And to me that is upsetting and unacceptable.
And just in case, let me clarify what I mean by gender benders. Stories about cute traps, gender switching, cute traps, crossdressing and did I mention cute traps? :3 |
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vashna
Posts: 1313 |
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Haha, to be honest each time I saw POD I also thought of the metal group. I actually like reading electronic copies, and I wouldn't be opposed to a download structure that was completely legal at all. It saves me from having to store manga. I already read completely legal manga websites, like those offered by Viz Media's Sig Ikki page. Is this a serious discussion as a business venture, or just a bit of musings, however? I'm not sure I'd be into the genre being discussed, but I'd have to see.
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P€|\||§_|\/|ast@
Posts: 3498 Location: IN your nightmares |
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As for the genre being discussed, technically AFAIC it does require some interest in the gender-bender genre. If a bunch of people put effort into putting together a site like was suggested but all those people prefer shonen-ai mysteries, most likely it's going to become just another manga site and won't be pertinent to my interests. So I'm looking for others interested in the specific genre, or just want to help out, makes it easier to agree on a genre to focus on don't you think? I'd be happy to convert anyone into a gender-bender lover, btw 
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einhorn303
 Posts: 1180 |
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The only form of digital manga I'd pay for would be DRM-free downloads. But I seriously doubt that most major JP publishing companies would accept that. Smallpress or doujin publishers, on the other hand, are a possibility. GEN Manga sells all of its manga in a DRM-free format.
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Alan45
 Village Elder Posts: 10012 Location: Virginia |
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@Past
While it is possible that the prior poster was making reference to a rock group... Given the topic POD probably was a reference to "print on demand", don't you think?? And yes, it is a pain when people use initials with out explanation. 
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P€|\||§_|\/|ast@
Posts: 3498 Location: IN your nightmares |
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If anyone here is actually interested on working with me on this, please send me a PM or email. |
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MrXarnus
Posts: 79 |
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If your plan ever get's of the ground, I will buy the first manga you release! (if it's in print form, ofcourse
 )
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vashna
Posts: 1313 |
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From a pure technology standpoint that's neutral to genre, I prefer systems that take advantage of the fact that browsers are so widely compatible in these respects. I've praised Viz's system before. I can go on Viz Media's website and buy an electronic Shonen Jump manga, for instance, and read it right with their flash system. For that matter, the free manga they offer on websites like Sig Ikki works in a similar way. It's really nice, and worked decently even when I had to live with dialup.
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