Is It Still Worth Paying for Manga Magazines in Japan?
With the existence of official manga reading apps like MangaPlus, digital media can be very attractive to many people around the world.
However, did you know that in Japan, it’s still worth paying for physical manga? This isn’t surprising, as Japan is the birthplace of everything we love about Japanese pop culture.
Is It Still Worth Paying for Manga Magazines in Japan?
For comparison, we have the anthology magazine Weekly Shonen Sunday from Shogakukan on the left, which has received comments about having fewer pages. On the right, we have Shonen Jump.
This edition of Weekly Shonen Sunday features 18-year-old idol Nodoka Shizume from the idol group ZOC on the cover, as publishers often feature idols on their magazines.
To understand why people find this magazine “thin,” let’s look at the two from above:
Generally, the two magazines are comparable in size, but this February 7 edition of Weekly Shonen Sunday had less content.
Below, on the left is Weekly Shonen Jump, and on the right is Weekly Shonen Sunday:
Using a ruler, Shonen Jump is three centimeters thick.
In contrast, Weekly Shonen Sunday is only 2.2 centimeters thick.
Why Does This Happen?
Weekly manga anthologies in Japan do not take breaks throughout the year, and neither do the artists who serialize their series. These artists need a break occasionally, meaning no new chapters of their work appear in some issues.
At the time of this magazine’s publication, five titles were or are on hiatus simultaneously: Detective Conan, Mao, Major 2nd, Shibuya Near Family, and Tokachi Hitoribochhi Noen.
When an anthology edition has fewer regularly serialized series, publishers sometimes include one-off chapters by guest artists. This didn’t happen in this edition of Sunday, which only featured a chapter of Boku ga Shinu dake no Hyakumonogatari, typically exclusive to Shogakukan’s online manga service Sunday Webry.
Adding Another Magazine to the Mix
We also have a copy of Weekly Shonen Magazine from Kodansha, seen on the right in the image below.
Typically, this magazine isn’t as large as Jump or Sunday, but now it is 2.5 centimeters thick, making this edition of Sunday the thinnest of the three.
Weekly Shonen Sunday on the left and Weekly Shonen Magazine on the right:
From left to right: Sunday, Magazine, and Jump:
Despite being “thin,” this edition of Weekly Shonen Sunday still offers much more than a typical comic anthology in other countries. It can also be found in virtually any corner convenience store or train station newsstand in Japan.
Pricing
Surprisingly, both Sunday and Magazine cost only 360 yen (approximately $3.30), while Jump costs just 290 yen (around $2.65).
In conclusion, it is still worthwhile to purchase physical manga in Japan, making it a viable option for Japanese fans of physical media.
via SoraNews24
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