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New to manga. I have a question.


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adaeze



Joined: 02 Apr 2008
Posts: 2
PostPosted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 4:11 pm Reply with quote
Hi. I'm new to shojo (and all manga for that matter) and I want to know how do you get into stories that have already started? I just happened to see the Dec. 2007 issue of Shojo Beat in the local library and I picked it up because it looked like what my 11 year old brother reads, which is Shonen Jump. I remember him telling me about something like this a long time ago. He said he thought I would like it because it was suppose to be for girls my age. I've pretty much always like anime, but I guess I always thought manga, like all comics I've come across, would be booooring.

I started reading Millennium Snow and I LOVE it. I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. But, what I read was the very first chapter (I think, I haven't quite finished yet, I've got a lot of homework to catch up on). I tried to start reading Vampire Knight, but I couldn't get into because I didn't know what had happened before.
Should I get back issues or something to catch up on a story, or is there some kind of website or something where I can go and see what happened first? It's not like I can actually go buy any manga, I live in a rural area and the nearest place is an hour away. Oh, and I'm 16 without a car, so....
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fighterholic



Joined: 28 Sep 2005
Posts: 9193
PostPosted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 5:12 pm Reply with quote
Let me suggest, that you try and look at what series that you are interested in, and there are places such as the publishers (Tokyopop, ADV, Viz, etc.) that offer free chapters to sample. From there though, if you like the series, but you are in a location that does not have a bookstore I would recommend going online to one of the various places that would sell manga. Either the publisher, or my recommendation of an online store would be Rightstuf International, they are very good with their shipping and customer service.

Last edited by fighterholic on Thu Apr 03, 2008 10:05 pm; edited 1 time in total
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stuckinfresno



Joined: 21 Aug 2007
Posts: 223
Location: Fresno, CA
PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 10:20 am Reply with quote
I'm going to second the idea about buying manga online. I live in a fairly large city and we still don't have much of a selection. (And I just found out that our B. Dalton is closing!)

As for starting halfway into a series, I can't do it. I've read chapters from series that have begun like Godchild. However, if I liked the chapter, I then sought out the volumes in order to read from the beginning. I, too, have no idea how people can read volumes out of order. (Perhaps this works in series where each chapter is it's own story.)

Edit: Removed text on illegal website. Sorry about that I can never tell which is legal or not.


Last edited by stuckinfresno on Fri Apr 04, 2008 11:27 am; edited 1 time in total
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Moomintroll



Joined: 08 Oct 2007
Posts: 1600
Location: Nottingham (UK)
PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 10:44 am Reply with quote
stuckinfresno wrote:
I can suggest checking websites such as [SCANLATION SITE REMOVED -TK]. I believe it is a legitimate website, since the publishers can request the website to remove scans of their publications (which the website does remove).

Looks like an illegal scanlation site to me. Willingness to remove scans on request does not confer legitimacy - it merely indicates an understanding that doing so reduces the chances of being taken to court for copyright infringement.
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Not a Jellyfish



Joined: 21 Feb 2007
Posts: 539
Location: Boston, MA
PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 1:51 pm Reply with quote
Like everyone has said, you're most likely going to have to purchase things online. But you can read previews from a legitimate website here. They are just previews, though, but they will help you decide if you'd like to continue a series. And I believe all the previews are just the first chapters, or portions of them. So, you're at least getting the beginning of the story.
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jgreen



Joined: 14 Mar 2005
Posts: 1325
Location: St. Louis, MO
PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 2:35 pm Reply with quote
When I first started reading manga, I used to start reading new series in the middle all the time. it's definitely possible to get into a series without reading it from the beginning, but it may take you 3-4 chapters before you start getting a handle on what's going on.

Another good source is to look for reviews of the series, which often feature pretty good plot synopses of those earlier volumes. There's a short review of Vampire Knight Vol. 1 in this edition of Carlo's "Right Turn Only!!" column right here on ANN, for example. It's not the same as reading it, of course, but it's a start.

Also, if your only access is at the library, you can always ask them if they can order the book for you, either for their own stock or through inter-library loan.
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rinmackie



Joined: 05 Aug 2006
Posts: 1040
Location: in a van! down by the river!
PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 6:22 pm Reply with quote
I'm a big fan of Vampire Knight but Carlos dissed it in his review. If you like what you've read of the series so far, keep reading, it gets better.
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adaeze



Joined: 02 Apr 2008
Posts: 2
PostPosted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 10:46 pm Reply with quote
Thanks for all the suggestions. I will see what happens Wink
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sj21



Joined: 17 Mar 2008
Posts: 312
PostPosted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 12:41 pm Reply with quote
If you like shojo beat manga then you should visit shojobeat.com and look at some manga previews and what other manga they have to offer. I'm not personally a big shojo fan (even though haruka looks really good. i like shonen jump type series), but I do recomend the website and to buy you can go to rightstuff.com i think and buy it. Very Happy
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monkeyinalamborghini



Joined: 13 Apr 2008
Posts: 32
PostPosted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 3:02 pm Reply with quote
Go manga has a few decent previews.
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Red Lotus
Exempt from Grammar Rules


Joined: 16 Apr 2008
Posts: 85
Location: In the tunnels beneath your feet
PostPosted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 7:44 pm Reply with quote
i agree that it is hard to get into a series in the middle of it but i find that it is more fun to start a series at the beginning after it has progressed a ways that way you don't have to wait 3 months until the next one comes out.

Btw guys MOST/SOME manga is ok and legit to dl if u live in US or outside of japan. they don't copyright it over here so its everyones property (yay for international laws) but once they start publishing where you are then it becomes bad. so its not wrong to if its only aviable in japan. on the downside you here about it over here so its usually too late.

Note: I am not saying go DL all the manga you want now I'm just stating what is ok. If this is against the rules will someone please notify me and I will remove it. Thank you Razz
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Moomintroll



Joined: 08 Oct 2007
Posts: 1600
Location: Nottingham (UK)
PostPosted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 8:22 pm Reply with quote
Red Lotus wrote:
Btw guys MOST/SOME manga is ok and legit to dl if u live in US or outside of japan. they don't copyright it over here so its everyones property (yay for international laws) but once they start publishing where you are then it becomes bad. so its not wrong to if its only aviable in japan. on the downside you here about it over here so its usually too late.


That is 100% inaccurate.

Provided both countries are signatories of the Berne Convention (and both Japan and the USA - along with most of the rest of the world - are signatories) copyright is applied internationally, regardless of whether or not the work in question has been licensed abroad.

Whoever told you otherwise was either joking or lying. Or running a scanlation site... Rolling Eyes
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Red Lotus
Exempt from Grammar Rules


Joined: 16 Apr 2008
Posts: 85
Location: In the tunnels beneath your feet
PostPosted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 9:19 pm Reply with quote
... ummmm..... ok i might need to check my sources on that one. that is what i have been told and heard. if you say that is the case then i will go look into it (deletes manga from computer) Laughing

lolz sorry thats what i have been told looks like i am wrong thanks for the info
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captainbibo



Joined: 16 Apr 2008
Posts: 1
PostPosted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 10:51 pm Reply with quote
If you just go to a major bookstore such as Barnes & Noble, you will pretty much find manga in stock (just ask your parents to take you, it's a bookstore, they wouldn't mind or take the bus like I do Smile). If they don't have the series you are looking for you can have them order a copy for you. That will work with big publishers like Viz, Tokyopop, and other big ones. If it's from Shojo Beat, I'm pretty sure you will soon find the first volume published for Millenium snow and as for Vampire Knight, there should be at least one volume out already.
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abunai
Old Regular


Joined: 05 Mar 2004
Posts: 5463
Location: 露命
PostPosted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 1:07 am Reply with quote
Red Lotus, here's a clue: If you're going to make a categorical statement of fact, be sure that it is a fact. If you're stating something that pertains to the law or medicine (two notoriously complex subjects), then make sure to hedge your bets by making it clear that you are not a lawyer or an MD. When at all possible, attribute a source to your information.

Otherwise, you will repeatedly find yourself in the position that you just landed in: making a fool of yourself.

The English language contains a number of useful phrases that allow you to make a provisional statement, carefully marked with the degree of your uncertainty:

"I am not a lawyer, but I have heard..."
"I don't know for sure, but I believe that..."
"My mother's best friend's daughter's boyfriend says that..."
"The voices in my head assure me that..."


See how much better that would work?

- abunai
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