The interesting state of Manga

[eledoremassis02]

I didnt realize how big Manga has gotten (arguable the biggest its ever been in the states) and it got me thinking,

I remeber reading the Dragon Ball (Z) manga for the first time and thinking how cool it was that I could basically bring DBZ with me where ever I went (this was late 90s). And thats basically what manga is/was, portable entertainment.

However, now that everyone has phones and subscription services, [Physical] Manga (or atleast ones that have Anime adaptations) have kind of lost that portable novelty and yet its bigger than its been.

What draws newer readers to Manga today? Do you think this is one reason why Super's manga evolved the way it did. Whats manga like in the country your in, or even in the state your in?

[TheGreatness25]

I'm in the US and subscribe to Viz/Shonen Jump (apparently it's to both) for my DB manga consumption. I get the physical still (in English and Japanese) just to have it in my collection. I wish that there would be a Japanese option for Viz/Shonen Jump.

I think it's super convenient on the phone, but I still see a lot of people reading physical manga on the subway (I'm in NYC).

[Dbzfan94]

The convience of digital manga is nice (dont need to carry around a whole library of a trip for example) but something about holding that book and flipping through the pages is great and I think thats part of why its stayed so relevant

[Wrigglything]

Perhaps it's the draw of reading before the anime gets to it. Thars what got me into it. Knowing what happens beforehand makes you guess what moment could have the big animation quality jump or speculating who would voice the character. It probably helped that the quarantine had people step out of their comfort zone, and they have been introduced or come back to hobbies they either had interest in or something they never knew they'd like. It's likely the pandemic (and Dragon Ball Legends) that got me back into Dragon Ball, so there's that I suppose.

I also think it is just more accessible nowadays, or at least it has become something that could thrive more to where even teenagers might consider having. For example, Manga Plus is currently allowing people to read chapters of their ongoing manga for free once, as well as having a nice library of Jump+ titles that are completely free to read without limitations, with some of them beginning to catch up to their mainly WSJ counterparts popularity wise. That promotion is what caused me to finally read the Super manga as well as MHA, Spy x Family and even experimental stuff like Takopi which I never would have read or bothered checking out if it weren't on a service like this (yes I know there are piracy websites that are convenient too but this is not the place we can discuss this so...). Kaiju No 8, Spy x Family (even though they lock it through certain chapters too apparently) and Dandadan are just the tip of the Jump+ iceberg that curious readers could check out. This is not to touch upon the popularity of manhwa too, which is a behemoth in its own right, perhaps even rivaling manga and Western graphic novels too. Why else did DC create a Webtoon recently?

I think that was what the Super manga's draw has been for the past year or so, as well as its early days if I remember correctly. And I certainly prefer reading the manga these days if I were to go back to reexperiencing some moments or if I were to revisit a show, especially long running ones which take a long time like Dragon Ball, where any sort of condensing is appreciated.

[eledoremassis02]

Perhaps it's the draw of reading before the anime gets to it. Thars what got me into it. Knowing what happens beforehand makes you guess what moment could have the big animation quality jump or speculating who would voice the character. It probably helped that the quarantine had people step out of their comfort zone, and they have been introduced or come back to hobbies they either had interest in or something they never knew they'd like. It's likely the pandemic (and Dragon Ball Legends) that got me back into Dragon Ball, so there's that I suppose.

I also think it is just more accessible nowadays, or at least it has become something that could thrive more to where even teenagers might consider having. For example, Manga Plus is currently allowing people to read chapters of their ongoing manga for free once, as well as having a nice library of Jump+ titles that are completely free to read without limitations, with some of them beginning to catch up to their mainly WSJ counterparts popularity wise. That promotion is what caused me to finally read the Super manga as well as MHA, Spy x Family and even experimental stuff like Takopi which I never would have read or bothered checking out if it weren't on a service like this (yes I know there are piracy websites that are convenient too but this is not the place we can discuss this so...). Kaiju No 8, Spy x Family (even though they lock it through certain chapters too apparently) and Dandadan are just the tip of the Jump+ iceberg that curious readers could check out. This is not to touch upon the popularity of manhwa too, which is a behemoth in its own right, perhaps even rivaling manga and Western graphic novels too. Why else did DC create a Webtoon recently?

I think that was what the Super manga's draw has been for the past year or so, as well as its early days if I remember correctly. And I certainly prefer reading the manga these days if I were to go back to reexperiencing some moments or if I were to revisit a show, especially long running ones which take a long time like Dragon Ball, where any sort of condensing is appreciated.

I think thats whats the amazing thing is. My local book chain now abut 25% of their store covered in manga and I see a few people at work bringng physical manga in. I have never seen manga so popular its crazy. I actually thought manga would always be niche compared to anime but its growing like anime did in the late 90s.

Manga is also much breezier too, I often go to the Dragon Ball manga than watching a few episodes because I can set it my pace.

[MCDaveG]

I don't see anything odd with this, more so with comic books in general. Instead of buying the cheap volumes that wear off, unless you wanna pack them up, you can buy Omnibuses and Collected editions that weigh a ton and are expensive. It takes too much space, you have to physically go for it unless you have subscription. Heck, even the Vizbigs are not travel friendly formats!
It's only natural that people go digital, get things instantly and save money and physical space, plus in crowded transit, it is far more convenient to read on tablet, phone or Kindle than taking a book with you.

But this resonates with me in a sense that I prefer the old paper books and it is one of my most treasured article.
I seriously love classic books, but will take pass on paperbacks in favor of good looking hardcover editions.

But one big draw of manga in general is, that it is like watching DB Kai and I mean it with all the irony...
Dragon Ball to me now is sooo long! And even tho the series has that charm and nostalgia, reading the manga is a blast.
No filler, straight to the point... I remember people complaining about the filler nowadays, which gets brutal in comparison to Dragon Ball.
You have neverending series like One Piece, that is riddled with ton of filler and basically going nowhere. Grab the manga for the original story.
The same thing was with Naruto. In Shippuden, the series was sometimes unbearable and I finished the series in manga form.

Same as with books, you get the original story and the original art without the taint of adaptations.
Plus books are more exciting in general IMHO, take Harry Potter. I have loved the books growing up, but I don't like the movies much from fourth movie onwards. Plus it's missing all the extra stuff. Same with Hobbit and LOTR.

With Dragon Ball, there is no crap art from cheap studio and a bit stale action the series is legendary for (all these jokes on hours of screaming and characters just chilling and talking about battle strategies).
You basically grab a manga, physically or digitally and can go anywhere and enjoy the pure stuff, instead of sitting hours though a tv series.