Forum - View topicJake Forbes on why Manga is Broken- FANTASTIC read.
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Tamaria
 Posts: 1512 Location: De Achterhoek |
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Don't most fans have a sense of responsibility as well? Look at the manga cows, even they try their hardest to promote anime and manga as something cool, though in an often awkward manner.
I don't think the hunger for scanlations and fansubs of licensed material has purely economic origin. It's what is considered normal nowadays. Seriously, I've met so-called fans who think I'm crazy for paying for the things I like. For many people it's not really about enjoyment, it's about being the first and best. Can't this attitude be changed from within the community itself? |
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dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor
 Posts: 9902 Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC |
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While I agree that Mr. Forbes spent a great deal of efforts to put things together into a coherent article, to be frank I found the article a bit disappointing, despite of praises and endorsements from many people in this thread. Why? Because I learned nothing from it.
This might sound like a snob bragging, but I knew all those problems he mentioned, and I'm sure not the only person on this website who could say so. It's easy to point problems out, but solving them with valid methods is another story. Furthermore, what he had suggested could be problematic, such as "look for Japanese bloggers who have interesting perspectives and ask if you can translate their content." As far as I know (feel free to correct me), 1) most Japanese blogs do not welcome English comments; some even states so in written form; 英語で！アニメ・マンガ is a rare exception. 2) Few Japanese bloggers embrace the concept of Creative Commons (CC), as Japanese copyright laws have no Fair Use either. I do agree that manga in US is too expensive compared to the original releases in Japan, which is just the opposite of the anime market. I had been suggesting the idea of manga rentals but it looks like no American is interested. For how manga is created, edited, and published in Japan, I strongly suggest reading Bakuman. |
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Paploo
Posts: 1875 |
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Good thing Bakuman's coming out in August....
BTW-- The reason manga rentals aren't a great idea to me is that the US, Britain, Canada and Australia have good library systems which do he same thing for free. Anyone here wondering where to get free, legal manga should check out their local libraries. I think Jake wasn't putting forward solutions so much as looking for them, namely, calling on companies to look for ways to combat and compete against piracy sites, and calling upon fandom to get off it's collective butt, do something about the issue, and stop making excuses for it's abuse of creative content. |
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Tamaria
Posts: 1512 Location: De Achterhoek |
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Oh, there is one in the Netherlands. Atleast, it's similar to what you're suggesting. It functions like a traditional library, but is much smaller and specializes in manga and books about/forum Japan. At conventions it's more like a manga café because they serve tea when the location allows it. Not only can you read manga for free there, the atmosphere is quite pleasant. There is soft music, pillows to sit on (and not nearly as smelly and hot as some of the other rooms at a convention!)... Granted, it's not much of a business, so I doubt many will try to copy it... |
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Paploo
Posts: 1875 |
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Wierd ANN's server stuff made me double post.... anyhoo, good point about the Netherland's manga cafe. I think a having manga cafes at cons is a good way to reach out to new fans with new titles. Maybe if companies were in better condition, they'd be able to send out samples for use in the cafe. (Most companies have printed up freebie samplers for cons and comic shops to give out for free in the past, and sending manga for use as prizes at cons is pretty common for support)
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Tamaria
Posts: 1512 Location: De Achterhoek |
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Yep, though many fans are a bit wary of titles they've never heard of, even when they can try them for free! 
In any case, it's a nice thing to have at conventions. The manga café is one of the few places where you can really get away from the noise and relax for a bit. Anyway, I doubt traditional rental libraries will work well in western countries, because manga just isn't that widespread. Over here, it can't be just a place to rent manga, it has to be a place you want to be. Being at a manga library has to be a special and pleasant experience, or else people will just read manga at home (from a computerscreen) or go graze in the manga section of a random bookstore. Make it a cheap and comfortable meeting place for fans and organize small events. In the Netherlands there are several specialized stores that allow customers to hang out. A videogame store in Utrecht has a special area with couches were people can play videogames together. Some of the regulars order pizza at the end of the week and eat them together with the staff. There are also several gameshops that focus on board- and cardgames that have a special area where people can play games together. Some even have their own D&D campaign. Something like that, but with manga (and other Japanese media). |
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dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor
Posts: 9902 Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC |
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It would be even better if served by maids.
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Tamaria
Posts: 1512 Location: De Achterhoek |
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Nah, it's better to add some cute, cuddly cats! 
Or maybe both? I'm surprised Japan doesn't have Maid-Cat-Manga cafés yet. |
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suika
 Posts: 33 |
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Ditto, the incessant demand for instant gratification definitely does propel scanlations (and practically everything else) more than economics. Patience is not a virtue in today's world. We want things NOW, and with a click of a button we can get it NOW. It's just too darn easy and way too tempting. As for free (and legal) entertainment, there's plenty to be found on the Internet. For those who love reading comics online so much, why not just migrate over to webcomics instead? There are plenty of non-commercial works (in English, Korean, Japanese, etc - take your pick) who would surely love to have more readers. There are some really beautiful works out there that could easily rival published ones. |
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Paploo
Posts: 1875 |
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As someone who makes webcomics, and reads a lot of them, that's a point that frustrates me- there's so much good stuff to read online, and you actually directly support the artist when you read it on their website. Why waste your time reading stuff that abuses their rights? It's not like there isn't a whack of free, legal content online. Support the works presented to you for free by hard working amateurs (and sometimes pros with free time), and if an artists chooses to do something as a print work, respect their choice, and the fact that that's how they make their living. |
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